We just don’t believe it!

We’ve just heard a story about our cousins in the country. We, River Tay Mallards, would ever consider such a thing - honest! We enjoy posing for the cameras…




The extra sources of food fed to us by passers by…



Sometimes we have to be patient and not just in waiting for food. Back in February there were many changes in our plumage…



We, River Tay Mallards have our standards. We don’t indulge in gossip either…


However, we do appreciate our photos going worldwide. Okay… you’ve twisted our wings!

Well… we have been reliably informed that a Mallard was spotted at the Scottish Wildlife Reserve Loch of the Lowes gobbling up… wait for it… a pretty Siskin who was feeding on the ground below a feeder! The staff there spotted this most unusual sighting. We, of course, just don’t believe it! Not one of us… we just wouldn’t.

The photos above were all taken along the River Tay in the City of Perth on February 8th 2009. This story is not an April Fool – it really is true!

Mute Swans having fun

Visiting the same stretch of water at the same time doesn’t necessarily mean the same activity and wildlife will be seen.

Although quiet, with only few birds seen last weekend back in February it was quite a different matter along this strip of water. A pair of Mute Swans joined the Goosanders and Mallards and were showing off just a tad!


Our wings are quite beautiful don’t you think reflecting in the darker waters?


We’re quite flexible too... forget trying to touch your nose with your tongue!


Now... what do I remind you of here?

Think film... think maiden voyage of large ship... think Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio . Oh yes... I can hear that soundtrack now!


Okay... I can splash around too – I can’t be serene all the time.


Now… I was wondering about the next Olympics?


No… I’m not thinking of having a nap just quite yet. How about a dance... a serene one of course. We inspired a ballet you know.


Mm… another classic image we have. This one has inspired many things including theme park rides where people sit on our backs. Oh… we don’t mind. La la la, oh… Swans just want to have fun :-D

All photos above were taken on February 8th 2009 along the River Tay running through the city of Perth, Scotland.

Using his head

The River Tay runs through the city of Perth. There is a strip of water between the two bridges where a few water birds can be seen. I have already shown Goosanders from this spot. For the last two weekends I have popped along and collected quite a few photos. In the next couple of weeks I plan to sort and post the best ones. I loved this one so thought I'd kick of this series with it.




The Mallard male above was taken today along the waters edge. This bird was quite close to my daughter who was tearing up bread and feeding it to the group gathered there. She joked that this bird was being very polite and waited its turn! It did appear that way. If you click on the image it will enlarge and you will see what lovely brown eyes it has.

The photo above was taken in Perth, along the waters edge of the River Tay near the old bridge on 8th February 2009.

Wren finds food

Around the edges of my small pond the tiny Wren (Troglodytes troglodytes) is regularly seen searching for food at the moment. The photos below show some of its catch. It is a delight to watch run around and being so small and fast you have to have a keen eye to follow it.

The distinctive shape of the wren and its tiny sticking-up tail help identify it – even from behind! At first this bird really does appear to have short legs but as you can see they are a good length when it needs to be on watch for any threats. A curious yet delightful bird don’t you think?



More photos of the Wren can be seen in this posting on my main blog shirls gardenwatch earlier this week. It really has been a delight to see it visit so often.

As this is the first posting of 2009 I’d like to wish you all a very good year! I will do my best to post more regularly here this year.

The photos above were taken in my garden on January 6th 2009. They were all taken through a window.

Mallard in April

I have been searching my bird photos this evening for a nice shot for this post. I forgot all about this one. I would like to dedicate it to Gabriel and Julito from Puerto Rico who have chosen to follow this blog. This was been a complete surprise and shows brilliantly how blogging can connect people with the same interest in completely different parts of the world.

I will try to post more regularly here. I do find trying to photograph birds both challenging and fun and this will give me an excuse to learn more about my camera too.

The photo above was taken in Blair Atholl, Perthshire, Scotland in April 2008.

Dunnock's favourite spot

The Dunnock, Prunella modularis, is known to be quite a secretive little bird. It is mostly seen searching the ground for food and is often mistaken for the more common House Sparrow, Passer domesticus. It is the grey neck collar on the Dunnock that distinguishes it.

Through the ornamental grasses, ferns and shrubs this little bird comes out into the open under my small domed Acer tree. This is definitely one of the favourite spots for sightings of it.





The photos above were taken in my garden through a window during a Sunday bird watch on November 9th 2008.

Blackbird, first winter

The black beak on this young male Blackbird, Turdus merula, shows that this is his first winter. You can also see that some brown feathers have still to change to black.

There are a number of partial albino Blackbirds that visit my garden and I am wondering if I can see a few white dots on the top of this bird’s head. There is another that has clear markings in this area.





The photos above were taken in my garden, through a window, during a Sunday bird watch on November 9th 2008.