By Phil Ashby
Earlier this month, our army of volunteers set about Spring cleaning the Kirk, both inside and out. I was tasked, along with others, with moving the millions of leaves from the pathways and flower beds. As the weather was glorious, it wasn’t a bad job to be given.
The other plus was that I was able to observe the birdlife that abounds in the gardens. Whilst able to visually identify many species, my trusty “Merlin” app on my smartphone also listens to the birdsong and identifies the birds for you.
The first bird on my list and my constant companion throughout the leaf clearing was, of course, the Robin. One cheeky one even landed on my rake, getting prime position to grab the grubs and insects that the rake disturbed. He was often accompanied by a Blackbird or two, again, taking advantage of our work to snaffle a treat or two.
Up in the trees were the colourful Chaffinches, calling to each other across the gardens. Then the unmistakable call of the ChiffChaff, cutting over the Chaffinches calls.
A flash of yellow and black announced the arrival of some Siskins and with it’s bobbing dance, a Pied Wagtail caught my eye.
The trees were also teeming with tits. Blue Tits, Great Tits and Coal Tits were plentiful, with the Coal Tits call that sounds like “to me, to me, to me”. Also, to my delight, I spotted a small flock of the cutest of the tits in my opinion, the Long Tailed Tit.
Less colourful, but still nice to see were of couple of dumpy brown Dunnocks and playing in the gravel was a small group of House Sparrows.
Another bird that loves the dense bushes in the Kirk is the tiny Wren. For such a small bird, it certainly makes up for its size with its incredible song, which can contains over 100 notes in it’s 2 or 3 second burst of song.
Later in the day I spotted a couple of rarer birds. Scuttling up and around the trunk of one of the oaks I spied a Treecreeper, hunting for grubs. A moment later, in the same spot, the beautiful Nuthatch, with its yellow breast and blue head.
Joining the party later, was a Mistle Thrush, with it’s wonderful speckled belly and whilst unseen, I could hear it’s cousin, the Song Thrush singing from the trees.
The thrumming of beak on wood announced the presence of a Woodpecker nearby, most likely a Great Spotted, as I’ve seen them in the gardens before with the unmistakable dipping flight pattern.
A pair of Ravens paid a brief visit, before noisily moving on further up the lochside.
Of course, being lochside, the water birds got a look in too. Canada and Greylag geese could be seen and heard from the gardens.
Finally, as I was packing the tools away, a cry from above and soaring on the thermals were a pair of Buzzards.
So, as well as a beautiful building and grounds, the gardens are full of other wonderful sights, so why not come along and see for yourself!
Your Challenge
After enjoying the bird life in the gardens, I have a challenge for you! The Kirk itself contains many birds, carved in wood, stone or on glass. At the last count, I found at least 5 species. See how many you can find and let me know by leaving a comment below! Good hunting!
