Nature's Calendar: May Roundup

Hello and welcome to our monthly Nature Roundup. May is a magnificent month to head outdoors and enjoy wildlife...

National Nature

This week is be nice to nettles week. No one likes being stung but you can appreciate nettles when you know they support over 40 species of insect and are one of the most important native species we have! Don't mow them, get to know them (I came up with that strapline myself... you may have guessed).

Speaking of invertebrates, Buglife launched a brand new crayfish website this week with two sections, crayfish for professionals or crayfish for everyone. 

Swifts are back this month, you may have seen them whizzing through the air, they look a bit like polystyrene gliders but they don't crash. Swifts need our help. They are birds of Conservation Concern and are now on the amber list after their numbers declined dramatically this last 10 years. But we don't know why. Help swifts by reporting your sitings on the RSPB website. 

It's Scottish Biodiversity week, find out more from Scottish Natural Heritage 

Next week it's National Vegetarian Week, here are some healthy recipes recommended by Tracy Griffen.

Local Nature 

In Lochend Park, baby birds abound, including Signets, Moorhen chicks, and these goslings. Enjoy then while you can, the swans are intent on Loch domination. The Friends of Lochend Park plan to celebrate the completion of new viewing platform on the 28th of May between 11am and 2pm. Unlike the trams, it would seem this project is set to be delivered on time.

Next week you're in for a treat.... it's Edinburgh Biodiversity Week. Events include evening nature walks, large red damsel fly surveying, badger watching and bumblebee spotting. There's a buzz about the great activities happening this weeked at The Royal Botanic Gardens too including FREE mask making and seed planting for children.

While in the Botanics you may spot a camera or too. Sue Mckichan has written about the sparrowhawk nest monitoring project. Since then there's been an evil crow caught on camera attacking the nest, did the sparrowhawk family survive? Find out in this harrowing STV news report.

Enjoy Edinburgh nature on foot next week during Walk Edinburgh Week. Here's a list of all the walks on offer from Activity Edinburgh. You can also be able to download a free audio podcast guide for a "radical roam" around Arthurs Seat from the Activcity site too.

Walking makes me hungry and with it being National Vegetarian Week why not find out what's growing on in your local allotment? If you like to see your seasonal vegetables warm and fuzzy, Mary Hutchison recommends knitting them. If you don't have an allotment, have no fear.  There's plenty of food growing wild on the Edinburgh Bike tracks. Use the  innertube map to locate the tracks and listen to our April Nature’s Calendar podcast and find which plants are best to eat. 

While on the subject of our last podcast, Earth Calling and Scottish Badgers have started a Badger Teaching programme aimed at teaching children about Badgers and the potential hazards that Badgers face.  In our last podcast, Gus from Earth Calling talked about being hit in the face by a bat. Alan at the Broughton Spurtle said to tell Gus he's not lived until he's been hit in the face by a badger!

We're all a bit fed up with the Edinburgh road works but in the midst of adversity, there lies opportunity. Bernie Reddington writes that the 'traffic free shore was blissful' whilst it lasted and he enjoyed the peace and birds noises. Read about it on the greenerleith social.

Why not lend a hand to local nature by joining the Spring Clean of the Hawthornvale Path on 28th May? 

Hot picks from the Gallery

Here are a few of my favourite photos this month. 

She's no feral pigeon. It's in the way she tilts her head, the way she glides. She's a lady. She's Little Grebe From Anthony Robson 

He's brilliant! He'd beat a frog tadpole hands down if they were both at a Star Wars fancy dress party. He's a Smooth newt tadpole from Neil Phillips 

Wow, he's so beautiful and intricate, I love the way the little feathers radiate from his eyes. He's Larry Legs From Emy J Skylark

That's all folks

If you have anything you would like to see included in the monthly Nature Roundup please add it to the comments below of get in touch with me via twitter.

Read our Nature's Calendar April Roundup here.

Image credits:

White-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) © Mike Drew/Anglian Water

Big Garden Birdwatch: Edinburgh Results

Big Garden Birdwatch 2011 TV ad from The RSPB on Vimeo.

At the end of January 2011, over 600,000 people spent an hour watching and recording the birds in their garden for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. Now, it's the moment you've all been waiting for - the results! Which birds did best and how did Edinburgh birds compare to Glasgow City and the UK average? 

First off you'll be pleased to hear small birds bounced back in comparison to last years survey. Goldcrests (with their cute punk quiff) doubled, long-tailed tits increased by a third and coal tits by a quarter. Blue tits increased 22% and great tits by 12%. 

The most common or 'top bird' in the UK and Edinburgh was the house sparrow with an average of 4 per garden. Glasgow City's top bird was.... the feral pigeon. Now aren't you glad you live in Edinburgh?  

The second most common bird in the UK and Edinburgh was the blackbird, with so many of them about you do get the occasional nutter bird singing in the middle of the night. In Glasgow City, house sparrows are in the number 2 spot.

Starlings are number 3 for the UK and Glasgow City but strangely in Edinburgh, Starlings are down at number 6 appearing in just a quarter of gardens when compared to the rest of the UK where they appear in half of all gardens. With sparrows and starlings in our top 5 most common birds you might think things are going well for them. Actually, they're both priority species for conservation. This graph shows you the average number of starlings and house sparrows in UK gardens over the last 15 years, you can see the decline is quite startling. Starling, my darling, where did you go? 

Graph from the RSPB website

Edinburgh City has two birds that don't feature in the UK top 20, the bullfinch and siskin. In contrast the UK has more wrens and song thrushes then we do in Edinburgh. 2011 was a record year for waxwings and we're lucky enough to be in a waxwing hotspot, right here in Edinburgh.  

Graph taken from Mark Avery's RSPB Blog

Here are the results for the top 5 birds in the UK, Edinburgh and Glasgow City. You can download the results for the top 20 birds by county here

Big Garden Birdwatch 2011: UK Results

Species                 Average           Rank     % of gardens

House_Sparrow	3.77	1	64.9
Blackbird	3.28	2	96.3
Starling	3.13	3	52.3
Blue_Tit	2.58	4	83.8
Chaffinch	2.19	5	56.5

Big Garden Birdwatch 2011: Edinburgh City

Species                  Average            Rank     % of gardens

House_Sparrow	3.543	1	56.62
Blackbird	2.583	2	88.94
Blue_Tit	2.385	3	79.62
Chaffinch	2.056	4	54.74
Woodpigeon	1.859	5	70.87

Big Garden Birdwatch 2011: Glasgow City

Species                  Average            Rank     % of gardens

Feral_pigeon	3.637	1	56.88
House_Sparrow	3.594	2	58.57
Starling	3.003	3	36.61
Blue_Tit	2.715	4	82.33
Woodpigeon	2.182	5	66.00

If you missed the Big Garden Birdwatch you can listen to our birdwatch in Victoria park (atmospheric with lots of excited whispering in the bushes)

You can read why birds are brilliant in the rest of the Big Garden Birdwatch series: 

• #RSPB #BGBW part 1: Give garden birds a go 
• The RSPB BGBW 2: Birds, the universal unifier (why they're like your favorite film or book)
• The RSPB BGBW 3: How birds open doors (on meeting celebrities)
• The RSPB BGBW 4: Doing it in a Park with Greener Leith

Read about this series in the Edinburgh Guardian. Lastly, we did a valentines special on when birds go bad (blackbird torture included)

The RSPB BGBW 4: Doing it in Victoria Park

This is part 4 of a four part special celebrating the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2011.

On Saturday 29th January, Fat balls hung in the thousands, nuts were placed on every ledge, seed trails led to gourmet treats, bird tables were laid with the finest of feasts, something was going on in the garden, people were prepairing for a giant science experiment to help monitor and protect our garden birds (along with a bit of friendly competition). It was the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2011.

Over half a million people took part in the watch and I was one of them, in Victoria Park for Greener Leith with Sound Artist, Emma Quayle. Disover the highs and lows of birdwatching, which birds we spotted, our mystery bird and what really happened mid air at the end of the watch: 

Someone shouted "what are you doing in there?" yes, we looked suspicious in the bushes but it was worth it.

Thanks to everyone who took part with us, for promoting the watch and sharing the bird love.

I enjoyed the build up to the watch almost as much as the watch itself. I've never tweeted so much (that's on twitter) and I espcailly loved it when the Scottish Poetry Library and Lets Get Lyrical started sending bird realted song lyrics to me. As usual the Broughton Spurtle were well ahead, having poetically promoted these very blog posts the day before on twitter with: Twa burds sat oan a barra. Yin wis a spewg, the ither a sparra. But they still count as two: http://bit.ly/i5KgoB; http://bit.ly/f2gpzP.

Thank you for all the other messages and the lovely puffin photo. Here's a selection of some of my favourite messages from the weekend:

sandracsquawk sandra crow: I will do birdwatch this weekend - live on hill farm in midlothian, seen a decline in wrens, but surge of bluetits/great tits

martingladdish Martin Gladdish: read your profile and thought you might like the best photo I've ever taken (Skomer) http://yfrog.com/h4ym8bj

LetsGetLyrical Let's Get Lyrical: #GetLyrical for the #rspb #bgbw action today with @auntyemily & others. Can think of "Three craws sat upon a wa'" Any better suggestions?

Joon123 Joon: I'll swap you 5 House Sparrows for your Song Thrush.#BGBW

ByLeavesWeLive Scottish Poetry Lib:@LetsGetLyrical @auntyemily 'Feed the birds/ tuppence a bag'. A heartbreaker/good advice, from 'Mary Poppins' #rspb #bgbw

@thespurtle Broughton Spurtle: Hang on: you saw a dunnock drinking tea on a bench? 

cladygirl4 Anita Sharkey: My count for #bgbw 1 blackboard, 2 blue tits, 1 woodpigeon and 1 Maggie for sorrow. Niece was more impressed with the grey squirrel. Tweet

12books12months Ali George: 3 chickens... #BGBW http://twitpic.com/3uiu1t

@thespurtle Broughton Spurtle: BGBW 2–3pm, light drizzle, backgreen, Broughton. Nothing. No tweets. No song. Not a dickie bird. Nada. Deadinburgh? 

kim_harding Kim Harding: Blackbird singing but couldn't see it! My count for #BGBWzero. Might try again tomorrow, if I have time

greenerleith greenerleith:There were literally no birds in my garden for the whole hour. Do I still report it?

VikingJimo James Stout: Story of my life until I was 19, not a bird in sight...

Me: could this be the decline in garden birds everyone's talking about? 

kim_harding Kim Harding: Unlikely, there is usually a diverse population birds out there, just not today, or it could be the sparrow hawk I saw last week

kim_harding Kim Harding: grey squirrels are of course another reason for the decline in garden birds, they eat eggs and fledglings

Me: Everyone's upped the food to gourmet to get the most birds in their garden, maybe they're all too fat to feed?Good luck tomo (:

BeatbloggerMike Michael MacLeod: Ooh, that's a chubby robin. No, ours was worryingly skinny. He was eating the nuts we left on the windowsil.. is that cheating?!

kim_harding Kim Harding: I think you maybe right, all my birds have been tempted away...

12books12months Ali George: there are some very small birds in this tree... sparrows maybe?!#BGBW http://twitpic.com/3uixag

_EarthCalling_ Earth Calling: done my #BGBW now, not bad, 2 woodpeckers, brambling n blackcap highlights...

TheNerdsOnline The Nerds Online!: Emily Dodd spares an hour to tweet along with local birds - The Guardian #News > http://bit.ly/g0yeks

BeatbloggerMike Michael MacLeod: Haha, yeah I just saw the nerds thing now... I'm proud! Better than being plain janes! How was today? I only saw 7 birds :(

My Mum (by text message): We did our birdwatch 2day. Had amazing results, a green wpecker was on lawn,great spot wpecker on fat block, 2 nuthatches (1 was on balcony and other on table) 2 redpoll (never seen them in gdn b4) a jay, as well as the usual tits and finches. We had such a gud time we have decidede 2 do it every wek 4 enjoyment! We had no idea that so many birds visited our garden. Hope u r ok, mum x

Kenny Gunn-Russel (via facebook) : I did too Today One Wren, One Robin, Two Bluetits after putting out a ground bird feeder tray and hanging meal worm tray and Hanging Nyjer h feeder with the hope of attracting Goldfinches 

Resources 

Read the rest of this series here: 

• #RSPB #BGBW part 1:Give garden birds a go 
• The RSPB BGBW 2: Birds, the universal unifier  
• The RSPB BGBW 3: How birds open doors (on meeting celebrities)

Read about this series in the Edinburgh Guardian.

Em 'n' Em's reccomened outdoor birdwatching kitlist 

• thermals
• flask of tea
• chocolate
• whisky
• assorted bird books
• binoculars
• pen
• phone
• mircrophone
• monster munch

Special thanks to Emma Quayle for recording and editing the podcast of and to Michael MacLeod for writing about it in the Edinburgh Guardian. 

The RSPB BGBW 3: How birds open doors

This is part 3 of a four part special celebrating the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2011.

The good news is bird watching is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing leisure pursuits in the world, (according to the business section of American Airlines)

So why not experience some bird love with Greener Leithand half a million others this weekend in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch? In the comfort of your own home from 2 – 3pm this Saturday.

Discover how birds are a universal unifier (there’s a bird story with your name on it) in the multimedia extravaganza that is part 2. And why should you give garden birds a go? Check out part 1. These posts featured in the Guardian Edinburgh blog this week.

Close encounters of the celebrity kind

And now part 3, I’ve chosen three bird related celebrity encounters to share with you to prove birds really do open doors (an ostrich probably could give one a good go but I’m talking metaphorically). Feel free to choose the one you like best, or read them all.

Close encounter 1: World Gannet Expert Bryan Nelson (approximately 2 years ago)

He wrote the book the Atlantic Gannet, at the time this was my bird bible, I’d been studying it and he was the author. I’d never met a world expert on anything before, let alone my current educational idol. I was excited to say the least.

He didn’t let me down. He was marvellous, with very bright eyes and a cheeky personality. He told me with excitement about his trips around the world to remote tropical islands. We were at a fancy event (with champagne and important people, I’m not sure how I got to be there). I was feeling a bit out of place so I smiled and nodded (my default nervous setting) and there was a tap on my shoulder. I turned and Bryan pretended it wasn’t him. He then grinned. I realised I’d made a friend when chatting to him earlier and I suddenly felt at ease. He was brilliant. Birds had opened doors. His wife was brilliant too. I asked her if she minded that her honeymoon was spent on the Bass rock (a not so tropical island in the Firth of Forth. Human population 0, gannet population 100,000). She informed me she ringed her first gannet before Bryon did (it’s foot not it’s neck) and was quite happy to spend a few years out there with her newly wed.

'Gannets up the way' Emily Dodd

Now after meeting Bryan, I was very excited to tell my bird Tutor all about it. Having recently stated working as the Education Officer at the Scottish Seabird Centre I needed to learn more about the birds. Every week I would watch the birds on the remote cameras and have their random movements explained to me. For example, if a Gannet bows and wiggles it's head, it means, "this is my nest."

My tutor was the very knowledgeable John Hunt.  I bumped into him whilst still buzzing after meeting Bryan and excitedly

Me: “you’ll never guess who I’ve just met?”

Him: “No, tell me”

Me: “the worlds expert on gannets, BRYON NELSON” (I was very triumphant)

Him (even more triumphant): You do know he’s not only the worlds expert on gannets? HE’S THE WORLDS EXPERT ON BOOBIES!”

And I lost it, I’m ashamed to say it was immaturity, or shock or just something abut the triumphant nature in which it was announced that sent me into fits of uncontrollable laughter. In case you don’t know, boobies are birds, the tropical equivalent of Gannets.

But I just wasn’t expecting boobies, I’d only studied Scottish Sea Birds, Boobies weren’t on my bird radar. And so I just kept laughing. And John politely smiled and waited for me to stop (which I couldn’t) and then to dry to diffuse my embarrassment I managed to squeak out the words “it’s a funny name” which I think just made things worse, John politely smiled. And then slowly backed away and slowly left. I continued laughing that day and many times after whenever I remembered it again. John if you're reading, I'm sorry!

Celebrity Encounter 2: Queen Elizabeth the 2^nd

I wrote a rhyming puffin lifecycle story to help the children to learn about puffins in a fun way and it became a wee bit famous. So when the Queen came to present the Queens Award to the Scottish Seabird Centre, it was decided her tour would finish up with her watching a section of my story and then it would be stopped and I’ve be officially introduced to her. I nearly fainted. How very exciting and how very terrifying.

Then there were the rules, "Your Majesty" first time, put out your hand if she puts out hers, don’t touch her unless she touches you, the second time you address her it’s "Mam" as in spam (not Mam as in arm). Oh and there’s the curtsy, I practised that lots but kept almost falling over since it’s not like a regular curtsy. It was a lot to remember. Especially when you’re in the middle of telling a puffin story for the second time over to a group of P1 children, trying to keep them fully entertained, so much so they would not be distracted by the Queen. I had to keep going when she arrived so she saw some of it and not even look at the Royal audience. I managed that first bit, the children were even better than me at not being distracted. We’d practiced with a fabulous pretend Queen who had even made a stuffed corgi for the occasion, Anne O'Brien. 

When I was met her, in the heat of the moment, I think I curtsied, said it’s a pleasure to meet you your majesty and touched her hand all at once, it’s a daze. I didn’t think I’d even be nervous so when I was it took me by surprise (like the Boobies.) She definitely had a presence about her. She said “puffin are they?” to me, referring to my hand.

You may notice I’m wearing a comic book dress, I hadn’t got the message about formal wear because I’d been off sick the week before with suspected swine flu. I’d been to the dodgy swine flu infested area of Glasgow and then had symptoms. My GP had to make a fully suited and masked visit to my home and shove a stick down my throat. Swine flu had not yet reached Edinburgh so they were on super swine flu alert. I’d concernedly asked how long it would take for the results because I was meeting the Queen. He firmly said if they hadn’t come back I couldn’t meet her, I might give her the swine flu. But they came back as negative the day before and I was well by then, phew.

So there I was in my comic book dress and she was asking me about number of visits and some other such things. She was very nice. I met Prince Phillip after and he made a joke (I can’t remember what, puffin related) and it was all over. I’d done it. And all because I’d enjoyed birds and admitted it, and told children about it. Birds had opened doors.

Celebrity Encounter 3: Simon King (6 months ago)

On the way back from a long weekend in Shetland for an awesome wedding, Reg said “don’t look now but standing behind you.... is Simon King” how could I not look! There he was on the deck with a G and T, chatting with a birdy lady. I know people who have posters of him, he’s a wildlife pinup! For the record I don’t have a poster of him but my Mum has his autograph.

I went for it and asked gingerly if he would mind if I had my photo with him? I apologised for this probably happening all the time and this being his holiday and me interrupting. He was very polite and obliging. He has such passion and enthusiasm for wildlife, it’s clearly not just an on camera thing, it’s in his soul! It’s in his eyes, bright with excitement, just like Bryon.

So birds really do open doors. Enjoy them and you never know where it might lead and who you might meet. The bird watch is a great way to start.

What’s Next?

The Big Garden Bird Watch part 4: Doing it in a Park with Greener Leith. Here’s where I report on the watch and include your tweets and stories (if you’ll join me).

If you’re taking part and you’re on facebookor twitter, change your profile pictures to be like this, just for the weekend. That should help us to separate the (wheat) ear from the chiff (chaff).

Good luck and please do let us know where you’re doing it and what you see (:

The RSPB BGBW 2: Birds, the universal unifier

'The Birds Flew by' Etching by Rachel Everitt

This is part 2 of a four part special celebrating the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2011.

Following on from my blog last week #RSPB #BGBW part 1: Give garden birds a go I'm still asking will you join with Greener Leith and half a million others for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2011? If you haven't already read it, just click on the link above to see why you should take part and why garden birds are great. It's a multimedia extravaganza.

Now I'd like to diversify from garden birds and put it to you that birds are a universal unifier, a bit like music or stories. We all have different tastes, you just need to find your bird. There's one out there for you I'm sure.

If you're into horror, super intelligent tool bearing crows peck out lambs eyes. Or there’s the butcher bird who decorates a 'trophy tree' by empaling freshly murdered insects, caterpillars and small mammals on thorns, I'm glad he wasn't decorating my tree this Christmas. 

If twilight tales are your twitch there's a bird who's out hunting for fresh blood every night in the cover of darkness. He has a rotating head and if it was the same size as a human head, his eyes would be as big as oranges. Yes, you guessed it, it's the owl. I can't decide if I like little owls or barn owls the best. Such wonderful, mysterious and beautiful birds.

Are stunts and special effects your birdie bag? Well check out a male Osprey throwing fish to his mate mid air. Or a sparrowhawk turning through trees at speed through the forest. Or the Gannets plunge diving at 60mph, shocking! 

'Plunge Dive' Emily Dodd 2009

You love musicals? Well, the capercallie’s mating dance is a rare treat and and there are so many great bird singers to appeal to all musical tastes from acid jazz to folk, even drum and bass.

Do ‘geek to chic’ transformations turn you on? If so there's the classic ugly duckling to swan transformation and tribulation.

Is a period drama and a glass of chardonnay your bill? Well there are plenty of illegitimate children (and subsequent murders relating to) the Catherine Cookson cuckcoo so get your beak into that.

Born romantic? Love, actually, is all around with the seabirds. Puffins come back to the same nesting spot, to the same mate, year after year. They tap their beaks together as a kiss, awwww!

We all love real life kick ass monsters. I’m venturing abroad for this one and it's worth it. The secretary bird is a ferocious monster of a bird of prey who runs around on long legs and kills lizards and snakes by stamping on them. You can't say that's not impressive. Just check this out:

I’m sure you have many more birdy stories,  please post them on the blog.

Now who’s with me?

The good news is Twitter users @GdnEdinburgh, @WOLCT, @wildedinburgh, @cladygirl4, @12books12months and @craftygreenpoet have all said they’ll do the watch with @greenerleith (well @craftygreenpoet might do it in a park, the rest are definite!).

Thanks to @EdinSpotlight for promoting the watch in Edinburgh and to @NaturalScotland for helping with the national drive. 

Special thanks to @thespurtle, @milomclaughlin, @BeatbloggerMike and @allytibbitt for encouragement and to anyone else who's passed this on, liked it on facebook or retweeted it on twitter. 

Talented Sound Artist Emma Quale is now accompanying me to the park and will be recording and editing a podcast for part 4 (thank you Emma!).

So what’s Next? The RSPB BGBW 3: How birds open doors (on meeting celebrities)

Otter envy with Simon King, presenting puffins to the Queen and a suprise in store with world Gannet expert Brian Nelson.

The RSPB BGBW 4: Doing it in a park for Greener Leith

Here’s where I report on the watch and include your tweets and stories if you’ll join me, please let us know if you're taking part.

I’ve had some polite “birds aren’t really my thing” type responses. Lets hope part 2 will get more people on board. Or if not, Part 3 features the Queen and Boobies so you got to look forward to that....

#RSPB #BGBW 1: Give garden birds a go

Part 1 of a four part series celebrating the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2011.

'The Birds Flew by' Etching by Rachel Everitt

On Saturday 29^th and Sunday 30^th January, 500,000 people will make bird history. Will you join them and contribute to 30 years of scientific research all from the comfort of your own home? It's time for the biggest bird survey of the year, the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch.

I’ll be doing it in a park for at Greener Leith at 2pm on Saturday 30^th January. I’ll be using my phone to update my results on twitter by tweeting (along with the birds) from 2 – 3pm. If you want to follow my watch live on twitter click to follow @auntyemily. Why not take part at the same time and tweet your results to @greenerleith or post them up here on the blog? Let us know when and where you’re going to do it and include #BGBW in your tweets. If you don’t know your tits from your finches, now's the time to learn. Register for a free pack from the RSPB - it includes a spotters guide.

You just need to record the birds you see in your garden or park for an hour (not including those flying over), there's even a handy RSPB ID guide for recoding them.  

You don’t need to dress like this:

Most importantly you’re helping to monitor and protect our garden birds. The RSPB report we've lost more than half our house sparrows, and three-quarters of our starlings, we only know this because you clocked up an impressive 3 million hours of bird watching in the Big Garden Birdwatch. 

Not convinced, don’t like birds, don’t care? Well if that’s you I’m impressed you’re still reading. I think you should take part. Your results matter, you matter, no one else see the birds you will see in that 1 hour in your garden. You’re contributing to something big, live and real.

Here's why I think you should give garden birds a go:

1) They sing

Our garden birds may not be colourful display of tropical rainforest splender but when they open their mouths, their pipes are full of plentiful tunes. Check out a Robin’s song here, or a Goldfinch it’s wonderful! Music is wonderful. There aren’t many other creatures in nature who are making it. But with birds, you can be the sole audience to a garden symphony. When you stop to look and listen... it’s hard not to smile. 

2) They fly (and they’re quite heavy)

Stating the obvious but it’s actually pretty impressive when you consider it. I can’t do it. Insects can but they’re much lighter and made from crispy bits. This is flesh, taking off, birds and bats, you have my utmost respect, I am in awe of you.

3) They have nice faces

I’m not talking gulls or crows, I’m talking out little garden cuties. The coal tit, the wren, the chaffinch. They’re expressive. You can tell when they’re angry or curious, it’s all in the face. I’ve chosen links with the best faces so do please click on the birds. Or check out the blue tit in the video below, fast forward to 40s or to 146s for the best 'tit' bits. 

4) They hop

You don’t often see a garden bird walking. They hop, I love it. They make the hop look easy. They tackle thin braches with ease. There’s only really the kangeroo, the frog and our garden birds who pull hopping off. Birds do it best. It’s an awesome way to travel. Ducks, we may love feeding you lets see you hop? Ostrich, yes you’re big bad ass bird, but where’s your hop?

5) Watching them is such a privilege

To have the time to stop and observe and be the sole witness to nature unfolding and interacting, unawhere of it’s audience, well that’s something special.

6) Well I always did (and so did you?)

David Attenborough said you shouldn’t ask a person when they first became interested in nature, no you should ask them when they stopped. All children are fascinated by the natural world. For various reasons, as we grow up, (and some more quickly then others) we loose interest (or hide it until an opportunity to blog presents itself). I like to think I had an average and healthy fascination that maybe lingered... slightly longer than usual.

At primary school I built a bird hide out of some old blankets and chairs and sat, very still, very expectant, very excited…..FOR 3 HOURS until a bird landed on the nuts. SNAP! I go a photo, exuberant exaltation. Only half an hour till they came back, SNAP! Snap, snap snap. Here is the evidence:

They really are from the blanket hide, and that's my 'I spy birds' book too, 93 was a good year. I was the only 2^nd Ambergate Guide to get the 'Bird Watcher' badge, oh yes, you had to identify 12 birds from their calls and even remember their Latin names (Geek I hear you cry). And that’s what they did cry. And so I stopped liking birds, or at least openly admitting it. But now I’m back, the child has returned and I’d like you to return too, or at least have a go, come on, you might even enjoy it and if not, it was only an hour? 

Will you join me?

Either at home, through the window of your work or at your local park? Earlier I said we'd lost three quarters of our starlings. They're a bird we take forgranted, well at least I know I did. Then I  stopped and watched a starling. I recommend it. Sometimes there's something of great beauty and wonder, right under your nose and you never stopped to look at it. Here's a poem I wrote about it:

Finally, here's what's coming up in the next few days to wet your birdy whistle:

The RSPB BGBW 2: Birds, the universal unifier

I’m diversifying from garden birds in this post and hope, whatever you’re favourite story (think books, plays, films) there’ll be a Scottish bird story to match. If you like foreign films, we have a special guest form Europe. 

The RSPB BGBW 3: How birds open doors (on meeting celebrities)

Simon King, The Queen and world Gannet expert, Bryan Nelson are just some of the celebrities I've met because of my fondness for feathered friends.

    

The Big Garden Bird Watch part 4: Doing it in a park for Greener Leith

Here’s where I report on the watch and hope to include your tweets and stories, if you’ll join me? If you're with me, please share this article (and the bird love). What are we waiting for? Lets get birding.

New research: Forth Energy biomass plans not needed

There are many reasons to oppose the giant power plant proposed by Forth Energy for Leith Docks, and we've rehearsed many of them on this blog over the last year. As time goes by, many of the myths promoted by Forth Energy to justify the plant are slowly being exposed. This week another new piece of independent research was released that has decisively exploded another one. 

Anyone who has had the dubious pleasure of an audience with the Forth Energy sales staff, will be familiar with the energy security argument they use. Forth Energy claim that Scotland needs giant biomass plants because other forms of renewables are too intermittant. If we are to close fossil fuel power stations we must have biomass instead - otherwise - and they actually say this, "how will the lights stay on if the wind drops and those wind turbines stop moving?"

The Power of Scotland Secured report, has been produced by Garrad Hassan,  the largest independent renewable energy consultancy in the world, on behalf of a coalition of environmental NGOs, including the RSPB, WWF and Friends of the Earth Scotland.

This report shows, that by continuing to invest in renewable energy like wind, hydro, wave, solar and tidal - we can close most of the large coal or gas power stations in Scotland, maintain security of supply and continue to export power. And - in fact, the report shows that Scotland can do this without any of the huge, inefficient biomass plants proposed by Forth Energy, let alone the largest of the lot - the Leith one.

Commenting on the report, Duncan McLaren from Friends of the Earth said:

"We already know that renewables can grow to comfortably exceed our electricity demand by 2020. What this report shows is that, contrary to popular myth, the variability of renewable power need not pose a threat to the reliability of our supply in Scotland.

"The transmission infrastructure required to keep the lights on at times of low renewables output will be easily justified by the value of exports which it will make possible at times of high output. Costs to consumers are unlikely to exceed those in other future scenarios.

In fact, with achievable demand management, and if home heating and transport are electrified in line with our recommendations, a 100% renewable grid system in Scotland could make overall household 'triple fuel' bills lower than in conventional scenarios."

This report provides further evidence that the justification for this huge proposed blot on the Edinburgh landscape is tenuous to say the least.

The Forth Energy proposal is currently in the planning sytem, with the 28 day period where members of the public can sumbit objections likely to begin in January. In the meantime, you can add your name to the petition against the proposal, which is now hundreds of names strong.

Recently, Friends of the Earth Scotland launched their own national campaign to stop the Forth Energy biomass proposals.

Image Credit: Rennies Isle Residents Association