Teddy Edward: Autumn Round-up 2024

As the title suggests this is a round-up of some of the local places I visited this Autumn; highlighting the wildlife and views I recorded.

First up is a mid-September visit to Outh Muir, which is an upland area near to Knockhill just north of Dunfermline. The reason for my visit was to check for the presence of raptors in the area (in particular Short-eared Owls) as part of a local study.

View across Outh Muir

Upland Moorland at Outh Muir

Whilst raptors (birds of prey) were a bit thin on the ground (or in the air) during my visit there were still plenty of other birds to see:

Male Stonechat

Carrion Crows and Meadow Pipits

Swallows on the gate

Even got some videos of these birds:

The Swallows took to the air making it a bit more difficult to video, but I did my best:

Whilst I was enjoying the views down the Forth Valley I did manage to see a Buzzard flying away from Outh Muir, so there are raptors here after all:

View towards Stirling from Outh Bridge

Looking back towards the moorland, a small flock of Goldfinch flew in and started to feed on the thistle seeds:

Goldfinch Feeding on Thistle Seeds

Goldfinch on Thistles

.......... and there was also another Stonechat:

Juvenile Stonechat on Fence Post

In fact there were several Stonechats and Meadow Pipits perching on various parts of the fence:

That was about it for my short visit to Outh Muir, apart from the fact I saw a Kestrel hovering over the moor just as I was driving off. So not totally packed full of raptors but plenty of birds to enjoy.

Meanwhile back at the ranch.

Some of the garden birds are getting ready for the colder weather by visiting the feeders, scouring the leaf mould for invertebrates and some even seeking out potential roosting sites, like this Great Tit checking out our bird box:

Great Tit checking out Bird Box

The last Blue Tit (Nibbler) to use the box opened up the entrance hole so much with his nibbling that it is now suitable for the larger Great Tit to get in. Let's wait and see if gets occupied as a Winter roosting box.

At the end of September I took a local walk to the area known as Gallowridge Hill, less than 15 minutes from our house:

The Track to Gallowridge Hill

The Fields around Gallowridge

First significant bird I came across was this Kestrel perched at the top of a tree:

Kestrel on Tree Top

As I walked along the field margin the Kestrel flew from the tree top and landed on a shrubby hedge further along the field:

Kestrel landing on Hedge

I decided to leave the Kestrel in peace and headed back to the track to carry on walking up the hill. It's not a high hill but you get some decent views across the fields towards Crossford and Dunfermline:

Autumn Colours starting to appear

Looking back towards Crossford

In fact, with my binoculars, I could see the roof/back of our house from this vantage point:

Our house peeking through the trees

Which would make sense as I can see the hill from our house!

Once again back at the ranch, the garden action is hotting up, and the local Magpies have decided to attempt a raid on the bird feeder:

Magpie raids bird feeder

Preparing to shake it all up!

Basically one Magpie would dive up from the ground and knock the bird feeder, causing it to shake and drop seed, which the second Magpie (plus other birds) would gladly hoover up:

Yes that is a Hen Pheasant amongst the Woodpigeons, she is a regular visitor in the Autumn and Winter, usually joined by a Cock Pheasant and some juveniles.

Hen Pheasant

Pheasant below Feeder

Another 'raider' of the feeder is a Grey Squirrel, which seems to be using an old Magpie nest in a nearby tree as a Winter roost:

Grey Squirrel on Fence Post

Creeping towards the Bid Table

I am not a big fan of Grey Squirrels (prefer the Reds) but this one seems to be on its own (for now) so we tolerate it for a while before chasing it off the feeders so that the birds can get it.

In mid-October we had some beautiful sunrises and the Autumn colours were starting to appear on most of the trees and shrubs:

October Sunrise

Autumn Rowan Sapling (still to be planted in garden)

Tulip Tree starting to turn Yellow

Even more birds are visiting the feeders and the water bath:

Female Chaffinch

Male Greenfinch

Blue Tit in Tree

Blue Tit on Feeder

Robin on Fence

Always on High Alert

Yes the Robin is always on high alert and spends most of its time chasing other Robins and Dunnocks away from our garden. Seems to tolerate some birds though, including other ground-feeding birds like Blackbirds:

Female Blackbird on the ground

Female Blackbird in the tree

Male Blackbird searching food in the leaves

Come November we were moving into the frosty mornings:

Frosty November Morning

Sunrise over the frosty fields

This made the race to fatten up for winter a bit more intense, with all sorts of creatures visiting the garden in search of food:

Magpie searching for food beneath the bird table

Searching High and Low

Squirrel searching for food on the ground

Grey Squirrel trying to look as cute as a Red

The Grey Squirrel had a large wound on its nose, maybe been in a fight, doesn't look like Squirrel Pox (I hope). Another mammal that was visiting the garden looking for food was a Hedgehog:

We usually only see these at night or very early in the morning, but this one was out during daylight, searching every nook and cranny.

Our bird box was also attracting the interest of a Blue Tit:

Blue Tit checking out Bird Box

Wonder if it's Nibbler from last year?

Wonder what would happen if the Blue Tit meets up with the Great Tit that was also showing interest in the bird box?

At the end of November I had another trip up the hills to Outh Muir to see if any raptors were about. Unfortunately I saw even less than I did when I visited earlier in the Autumn, but I did get some good views: