HI
Sorry if this blog comes up funny on your screen. I put up a new post, but it doesn't seem to have any content. I think the Halloween trows have managed to get inside my computer... Here goes again :)
This weekend, we had a Feed The Birds Day stand at the Planticrub Garden Shop in Lerwick.
Thanks to everyone at the Planticrub and to everyone who came along to learn more about feeding birds and share their stories with us. It's really heartening to hear how much people care about their garden birds. People obviously get a lot of pleasure from their wild visitors and spend time, money and effort in helping them. It's really brilliant, and speaking with folk inspired me to do a bit more in my garden too (does anyone want to come and help dig a pond?!). What was lovely to hear was it isn't just the colourful exotic visitors that people like to see, it's our common feathered friends like blackbirds, house sparrows and starlings.
For me, starlings (one of my top five favourite birds) are a bit like Shetland. At first glimpse, they are a bit bleak and boring, but look a little more then you can see immense beauty shines from their plumage, like the northern sky covered in stars and the northern lights (or Merry Dancers as we call the aurora). Then after looking at them, listen to their calls to hear all their mimicing. Then if you take the time to learn a bit more (about both Shetland and starlings!) then you'll be captivated I'm sure. Did you know they were a subspecies?
If you are in Shetland and would like advice on what to feed your garden birds, please do get in touch with us at shetland@rspb.org.uk or call the office on 01950 460800. If there's a visitor you need help in identifying, we can try to help too. A lady, who didn't leave contact details, left a message saying she had three jackdaws in her garden. That's not a common bird in Shetland so we were really excited to hear about that.
Before I go, a quick thanks must go to to my Mom Mary for volunteering on the day - much appreciated!
All the best from sunny Sumburgh.