CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure

Wildlife highlight of the day

(7166 posts)

  1. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    The greyhound headed off down Melville Terrace at a trot. I'm sure it got tired and made friends with someone in Marchmont.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  2. jdanielp
    Member

    Aww :( I haven't spotted anything more interesting than a cormorant for a while now. I'm assuming that all of the wildlife is hanging out on the closed section of canal.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  3. gembo
    Member

    Spotted the cormorant going under the bridge before Scott Russell aqueduct. Looked big in the arch of the bridge and mean.

    Lot of greenfinch on lymphoy this morning, hunners of geese on the road to ochiltree this afternoon, also a kestrel in flight and a massive buzzard up close.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  4. wingpig
    Member

    A waft of honkbills heading north over Leith Links this morning. One strand of the big V broke off, then both bits reformed into two Vs as we watched.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  5. gembo
    Member

    Majestic looking buzzard, hundreds of geese and three deer in the Bathgate Alps this morning

    Posted 7 years ago #
  6. amir
    Member

    A sprinkling of partridges, a duo of skylarks skylarking, a woodpecker a'hammering, and a chorus of birdsong on a lovely ride to Inners. I would say spring is on the way, but it's probably not

    Posted 7 years ago #
  7. Frenchy
    Member

    A frog at Mortonhall.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  8. ARobComp
    Member

    Heading up through Glentress forest I thought that I must be hearing the cheep cheep of a mating bird flitting through the trees, Very regular and seemed to follow us up the trail.

    Alas, twas but the incorrectly seated brake pads of my friends front disc brake.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  9. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    You may think the Incorrectly Seated Brake Pad is a ridiculous name for a bird but there genuinely is an Inaccessible Island Flightless Rail. Poor b*****d.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  10. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    A large bumble bee just flew past the window.

    Also, a pair of dabchicks on Glencorse reservoir.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  11. gembo
    Member

    Two goldeneye on the Clyde between Uddingston and Parkhead. Quite a lot of wee flies. No cyclists despite 6.5 of the 8 miles being on Tarmac off road path. 1.5 miles less pleasant on the quiet road as the m8 was shut but I have encountered the big lorries of the west recently (.just don't seem to get the same thundering off east coast lorries?)

    3 friendly jakeys drinking a bottle of electric soup under M74 bridge near cambuslang on the way home. Two cyclists out for a daunder.

    Uddingston should be ideal commute by bike into central Glasgow. The trains are hoaching and the roads are stowed. By the way big man

    Posted 7 years ago #
  12. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    There is a red-legged partridge strolling around my suburban garden. I expect it has wandered from Drum estate.

    Yesterday a woodpecker drumming up business and two buzzards arranging some hot buzzard on buzzard action.

    South Edinburgh is a jungle, man.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  13. jdanielp
    Member

    I just spotted the largest skein of geese that I have ever seen flying to the west of Heriot-Watt campus and heading south in the direction of Threipmuir Reservoir. There must have been in the region of 500 birds in many intertwining, vaguely v-shaped formations but in one large group. A few far smaller groups passed by several minutes afterwards.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  14. chdot
    Admin

    "

    Officer workers can de-stress by watching birds out of their window, a study has suggested after it found it makes people less anxious and depressed.

    "

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02/25/watching-garden-birds-good-mental-health-research-shows

    Posted 7 years ago #
  15. gembo
    Member

    Two wee stoats dead on the road down to kirknewton this morning. Hypothesis is they were having a fight and the big iron God came and took them both out

    Some sort of golden looking grouse? On the very back road behind harburn golf course. This route allows you to cycle under some wind turbines.

    Many grey lag geese on Woolfords to Braehead road.

    Always know when been out in the wind and rain if you find sand in your ear afterwards

    My bird watching pal is winning the RSPB competition whereby you pick a 3 mile patch and record all the birdies therein. He edged into the lead yesterday with a Scaup, a rare visitor this far south but quite average looking. Probably from the bird hide off beech avenue above Balerno as he has secured quite a crafty patch including the hide and points west from there. Will probably get an osprey if the competition goes on much longer.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  16. jules878
    Member

    Cheeky badger on the Roseburn Path late tonight (around 11.15pm ish).

    It wandered across the path when I was some distance away and I thought might be badger, but couldn't be certain from distance.

    When I passed the undergrowth into which it had disappeared from my view it was standing there peeking out at me so I was able to confirm that this was a very cheeky badger!

    I have seen a solitary badger twice before in same sort of "Craigleith-ish Drive area", but this is my first sighting since last July. This one was definitely smaller than my last sighting, but whether female or a youngster I'm unable to say.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  17. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    That red-legged partridge was back in the garden this morning strutting about like it owned the place. Technicolour dream-bird.

    I'll shoot it to death for fun and bury it this evening - that's what they're bred for after all.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  18. gembo
    Member

    Nice, don't forget to get pished before during and after shooting it but get a minion to bury ot

    Posted 7 years ago #
  19. jdanielp
    Member

    A mandarin duck on the canal at Polwarth on Friday. I also wondered if I had seen a pig in a back garden just west of Kingsknowe Railway Bridge... This morning I definitely saw a sheep in the same back garden! A cyclist had stopped to take photographs of one of the cormorants basking in the sunshine on the far bank of the canal at Wester Hailes.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  20. gembo
    Member

    Youngish person in very pink leggings stock still, observing coal tit in tree on canal near the bronze stag garden On far side.

    Pig, sheep, cow, kingfisher?

    Posted 7 years ago #
  21. amir
    Member

    Yellowhammers and skylarks on my commute with a view ® over by Cousland

    Posted 7 years ago #
  22. jdanielp
    Member

    @gembo I saw the sheep again this morning but I'm not sure that there is enough space for a cow... I haven't seen any kingfishers for a month or two now - this is likely to be related to the fact that the canals people trimmed back a lot of the overhanging branches from trees and bushes on the far bank of the canal recently... The last time that they did that, I didn't see a kingfisher for over a year.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  23. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @jdanielp

    If we installed an artificial kingfisher perch would we now be guaranteed a spot by staking it out?

    Posted 7 years ago #
  24. paddyirish
    Member

    In the last week- 2 frogs trying to escape being pecked at by crows on Moray Way in Dalgety Bay.

    This morning I think (after a google search) it was a bullfinch- not a species I've seen before.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  25. jdanielp
    Member

    @IWRATS artificial kingfisher spots just aren't the same.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  26. jdanielp
    Member

    @IWRATS also, Do Androids Dream of Electric Kingfishers?

    Posted 7 years ago #
  27. dessert rat
    Member

    Saw two bumble bees yesterday, down at the water's edge in Newhaven. First of the year.

    It may have been the same one twice - I didnt think to check.

    Posted 7 years ago #
  28. gembo
    Member

    The toad was back under the lip of my front step on saturday morning. It sits there saying Who put this house here? I spotted it before heading to Braehead via Mud Road (surprisingly vclean, think much deluge in South Lanarks). Also a couple of dead toads on the road. Also hundreds and thousands of frogs falling like rain but that was in the movie Magnolia I watched again on saturday afternoon. Son's review - That film has too many minutes

    Posted 7 years ago #
  29. jdanielp
    Member

    @gembo perhaps it is hoping that you will make a hat for it?

    http://metro.co.uk/2017/03/12/man-makes-miniature-hats-to-make-his-toad-friend-look-fancy-6504629/

    Posted 7 years ago #
  30. gembo
    Member

    @jdp - Classic - the world of toad millinery has more going on than I thought. I favour the orange stetson

    Posted 7 years ago #

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