My Sunday Photo...Baby Robin

Sometimes when you least expect it... up pops a wonderful surprise.

Take yesterday for instance, whilst being a contortionist crouching under our curly hazel tree to pull up weeds, a little baby robin hopped right in front of me. 

I quickly went inside to get my camera thinking that it was probably going to be a waste of time.

The robin would have moved on, but he was still there when I returned.

He wasn't in the least bit bothered by me being so close to him.

He was obviously a very switched on robin as he watched whilst I pulled and dug he waited for some tasty treats to appear. 

He wasn't in the least bit timid...I'd go so far as to say he enjoyed watching me working.

Obviously, he's not street wise yet, with being so young and as you can see from his plumage, he hasn't got all of his red waistcoat feathers yet. 

He's still a little fluffy and dishevelled.

I also don't think he's found his voice yet either....but we'll be in for a treat when he does.

As you can see he was watching me closely.

Gorgeous isn't he? 

With him being this friendly I may well manage to feed him some treats from my hand. 

Now that would be something to share.

I'm linking up with My Sunday Photo over at Photalife

and Image-in-ing.blogspot.co.uk
Please feel free to pop across to see lots more photographs by clicking here

Have a great weekend and thanks for popping over to my place.

My Sunday Photo & Sunday Sketches... Firecrest

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, it's been a rather busy week with lots of appointments, hence I haven't been able to get out and about with my camera.

What I have managed to do though, was to complete my watercolour painting of a Firecrest. 

Click here if you'd like to know more or to see the various stages of my painting.

It seems appropriate that I should show photographs of birds this week, as I will be taking part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch later today. 

Anyway here's my painting... (it was rather late when I took this photo so it appears a little darker than it really is. I may take another photo when it's lighter and replace it so that you can see the real colours)

I saw a brilliant photograph on the BBC's Winterwatch programme this week, which inspired me to want to paint a Firecrest.

(Credit: Photo by Ian Redman)

I've also managed to snatch a few pics of some of my bird visitors, but I hope to see far more later when I fill up the feeding stations.

Unfortunately, this shot of the Bluetit was taken through my kitchen window. 

We are lucky to have three Greater Spotted Woodpeckers around our garden... there used to be four, but I'm not sure what happened to the fourth. 

Best not dwell on that.

If you are taking part in the bird count... good luck and I hope you have lots of amazing visitors.

Have fun.

Once again I'm linking up with Photalife

and Alexandra's Sunday Sketches
If you'd like to see lots of more great photography or art, then just click on the links above. 

Thanks for visiting my place. 

I'm aware that not everyone loves art and birds so I promise to bring you something a little different soon. Like for instance the two foxes frolicking and having fun in the field next to our garden this afternoon. They were completely oblivious to me watching them.

Could this be the start of spring shenanigans? 

Enjoy your Sunday and I hope to see you again soon.

The Firecrest... PPF

Oh my, what a busy week... so much so that I didn't even realise that we were already on to Friday!

I can't believe it, but I managed to actually throw some paint about this afternoon.

I've had a few appointments this week and hadn't managed to draw or paint anything up to this point.

I've also been watching Winterwatch on TV this week and heard about a tiny bird that I have never heard of before. 

The Firecrest

(photo credit by Ian Redman on #winterwatch)

The Firecrest... is one of our smallest birds, but I'm probably not going to see one around our bird feeder, because they don't seem to want to come this far north. 

So it inspired me to paint one instead.

This photo is obviously a work in progress and shows the under painting stage.

It feels wonderful to be painting once again.

If you'd like to know a little more about the Firecrest and how they sound... click here to access the RSPB website.

I will spend more time finishing this painting off over the weekend. 

Talking of the weekend... it is the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch here in the UK this weekend.

I've participated in the bird count on numerous occasions and if you would like to know more or to join in click the link above.

It only takes an hour of your time... counting all the bird visitors that come into your garden and the RSPB monitor all the results. 

It can really be interesting knowing just exactly what is happening to our native wild birds.

Right... I'm off now to enjoy my Friday night, but first I'm linking up with the Paint Party Friday link before I do.

Have fun everyone and thanks for popping into my place. 

Enjoy your weekend

RSPB Fowlsheugh Bird Sanctuary

Since our return to Bonnie Scotland, I have wanted to revisit the RSPB Fowlsheugh Bird Santuary and last week I actually managed to do just that. 

It's only a short drive from Aberdeen so we are very lucky. 

The spectacular cliffs at Fowlsheugh are packed with approximately 130,000 breeding seabirds at this time of year, from Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Fulmars and my personal favourite... the Puffin. It's possible also to see grey seals, dolphins and minke whales too, if you are lucky. 

But before we start our visit, perhaps I should warn you that this post contains a lot of photographs and if you have vertigo, then maybe this post isn't for you.

So watch your step and let's head to the edge of the cliffs....

The weather was a mixed bag on the day... we got both wet and sunburnt!

(Just a typical summer day in Aberdeenshire)

I'm always surprised by three things when visiting the santuary.

Firstly, that there are no railings, fencing or any restrictions on the clifftops. 

Secondly, the smell can be quite pungent shall we say and thirdly the noise is incredible.

But the views are spectacular.

Breath-taking in fact.

Yes, once I got into photographic mode, I had to be reminded not to step too near the edge.

I tend to get a compelling feeling that I'm being pulled if I get too near the edge, especially whilst looking down to the sea crashing onto the cliffs.

Obviously the birds don't suffer this... looking at the tiny ledge they call home.

Did you spot them? 

In the photo above it shows the closest that I could get to the baby birds.

It was a very precarious perch... I mean me... not the bird!

I was amazed to see flowers growing... they must be hardy to survive here.

You might think that you are just looking at the cliff face, but let me tell you that that cliff is teaming with life. How they perch on to the rock face is beyond me.

Here's a closer look at just how many birds are nesting here. 

The mind boggles as to how they find the right nest when they return from a visit out to sea.

It appears that no perch is beyond their reach.

As we passed other visitors we asked if they had been successful in seeing any Puffins. 

It was on my wish list to see these incredible birds, especially as they have been placed on the endangered list. 

One chap in full camouflage gear carrying enough camera equipment to sink a battle ship, said that he'd seen only few, as numbers were down this year. 

I began to think I'd be unsuccessful in my quest yet again.

Well the view certainly made up for any disappointment.

But with the aid of rather strong binoculars and my very own Twitcher 

(that's a bird watcher for those who may not have heard of this term before) 

we found two pairs of Puffins! 

They were situated on the grass bank near that cave (shown in above photo)

We watched as one parent returned numerous times to the nest with their bill full of sand eels. 

Fantastic!

Unfortunately, I still haven't purchased that zoom lens, so I haven't managed to get a photo for you, but I can't tell you how happy I was and I may even have done a little happy dance, if I hadn't been so near the edge of the cliff.
I'm linking today to Wordless (on Tuesday at image-in-ing) and Mersad ~ Photography Through My Lens

If you'd like to read more about the RSPB Bird Sanctuary then click Here

Scotland does have amazing scenery and I hope to show you more soon.

Thank you for spending some time with me.

Have a great day and hopefully I'll see you again soon.

Knock knock... who's there?

I'm carrying on with the bird theme this morning because we are quite literally in a flap.

The reason being that we have had new visitors come to call.

I had mentioned to my daughter that I was pretty sure that I'd seen a Jay near the garden for a few days now, but because they are so flighty I couldn't be sure.

I'd not managed to see more than a flash of white on it's rump, as I spooked the visitor every time I went near a window.

I know I can look a little scary first thing in the morning, but I felt this was a little harsh. Anyway, yesterday after walking around and replenishing the bird feeders (one of my early morning chores) I became aware of a larger different bird coming near.

From an upstairs window using all the stealth we could muster... crawling along the floor to peek over the window ledge, we managed (or should I say my daughter managed) to get a few photos of him/her.

Now isn't that something...

Although the Jay is the most colourful members of the crow family, they can actually be quite difficult to see.

The are very timid and shy woodland birds. 

That's one of the reasons why I feel so privileged that they have broken their cover from the nearby woods to visit our plot.

If you'd like to know a little more about the Jay then here's a link to the RSPB website...click here

But look... we didn't only get one visiting... we in fact got two.

The bird seed must be top-notch because a few minutes later two more came to join the party!

Four Jay's feasting!

What a sight and considering they are not supposed to be in the North of Scotland, I'm taking full credit for my daily dedication of keeping the feeding stations fully topped up. I mainly use black sunflower seeds that have had the husks removed... (all the more easy to gobble and no mess) apparently only the best five star birdie restaurants have them on their menu.
(Brinvale Bird Food)

News of a different sort is that my fingers are happy tapping away this morning.

I finally have my laptop back.

Although my fingers know the keys it's now down to my brain and IT ability to work out where everything is.

It's been completely reworked so there's new files and messages popping up like popcorn popping in the pan!

It'll take some time to reorganise but I'll get there.

Things may not look or be quite the same but then change is good for you isn't it?.

 It keeps it all fresh.

In the meantime, I hope your week is going well and you have some lovely visitors come to call.

Until next time... have fun