Spotted on Twitter: In Welsh, the kingfisher is called "glas y dorlan", which translates beautifully as "blue of the undercut bank".
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure
Wildlife highlight of the day
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Posted 6 years ago #
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@unhurt that is quite poetic. Well done on your spot by the way.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Mad merganser numbers in canal today. First three males near Wester hailes. Then big mixed group longstone and finally two females nearer craiglockhart
Posted 6 years ago # -
@gembo you say merganser, I say goosander, let's call the whole thing off. Having said that, now that I have looked at some pictures of both I am more confused than ever...
Posted 6 years ago # -
A colleague casually reported having seen a kingfisher by The Loch at Heriot-Watt a year or two ago. Since then I've taken to scanning the low-hanging branches whenever I walk around or past it, but without success. As I was wandering by the narrow end just now, however, a flash of blue caught my attention and I spotted a kingfisher that had just taken off from quite a high branch of the tree that I was next to. It disappeared behind foliage so I retraced my steps around the end of the loch to try to spot it from the other side. I did eventually spot it on the same branch from which it had taken off a couple of minutes previously. I admired it briefly before it abruptly dived into the water with a splash. I waited for another couple of minutes, but eventually gave up, assuming that it had taken cover to enjoy its catch.
Posted 6 years ago # -
If it's got a clean, sharp delineation between the colour on the head/neck and a nice white breast it's a goosander.
Male merganser have a white ring between their green heads but they have a red-brown breast (thus full name). Females are more tricky as both have white fronts but the goosander has a pretty sharp line, while the RBG fades to white.
RSPB guide here - though they do the MOST annoying thing of making the images of the female smaller even though those are the two more people struggle to differentiate. (:muttermutter-reificationofgenderhierarchy & themaleasthe
typespecimenmuttermutter:)Posted 6 years ago # -
I just went with merganser for the alliteration. Merges Merganser.
Is it true the crossbill is the only UK bird not found elsewhere?
Posted 6 years ago # -
Five long-tailed tits by Rennie's Bridge in Musselburgh. Also flocks of widgeon and goosanders.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Is it true the crossbill is the only UK bird not found elsewhere?
Arguably yes, though the red grouse may be treated as a separate species by some (said he quoting from wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_endemic_species_of_the_British_Isles
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_crossbill
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_grousePosted 6 years ago # -
From the same pages, the horrid ground-weaver spider must be worth seeing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nothophantes)
Posted 6 years ago # -
A cormorant drying its wings in the wind on the far bank of the canal at Wester Hailes; it looked like it was pretending to fly.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Typical Wikipedia, its missing the entire sub section of Jurassic related sub sea ice age survivors.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Does that include Nessy?
Posted 6 years ago # -
Sub-loch, surely? Unless the submerged tunnel to the North Sea really does exist. (I have seen this offered as an, er, sensible explanation of how nessies (nessi?) could survive till today - they can pop out for some better fishing.
No, I didn't used to have a subscription to the Fortean Times, why do you ask?)Posted 6 years ago # -
Unless the submerged tunnel to the North Sea really does exist.
As there are only ever twenty tonnes of fish in the black, acidic waters of Loch Ness the tunnel must exist. As the surface of that loch is twenty metres above sea level the tunnel must have some kind of valve/air lock arrangement to stop the water falling out, proving also that Nessie has technology. Maybe even a phone with a camera?
Posted 6 years ago # -
Are technologically advanced plesiosaurs absolutely required? We know Nessie can also move about out of water.
(Realised I was ignoring laws of physics so had to edit the first attempt. Bah!)
I'd imagine prehistoric survivors would be quite comfortable with your phone. Valve technology?
Posted 6 years ago # -
@unhurt nice sketch, but I can't see any kingfishers? As luck would have it, I spotted the Heriot-Watt Kingfisher by The Loch again just now, which was a bit of a surprise given that it is still a tad windy. I would have wandered by on the far side without spotting it had it not chirped and caught my attention. It was quite high on a branch of the same tree as the other day (near the woodchip path) so after watching it for a minute or two I wandered around to the other side for a closer look, which I managed briefly before it took exception to my proximity and flew away.
Posted 6 years ago # -
I can't see any kingfishers
Now you know how we feel.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@jdanielp - I can't draw kingfishers* - will this do instead?
*or anything really, but I just tried to put a kingfisher on a nessie's head and it did not go well**
**now I have the theme tune to The Family Ness stuck in my head.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@unhurt
Liking the diagram. Could it incorporate the two pumped storage facilities at Foyers and Glen Doe?
Kingdom of the Mole People could be another autobiography?
Posted 6 years ago # -
The Family Ness
Woah. Blast fae the past.
Posted 6 years ago # -
@IWRATS that's a fair point.
@unhurt how very sinister...
Posted 6 years ago # -
The Hailes Quarry Park Kingfisher was back this morning. Also a pair of cormorants further into Wester Hailes, a skein of geese flying south-west between the moon and the Scott Russell Aqueduct, and a lone cormorant just beyond.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Took the canal twice yesterday.
No Kingfishers...
Bah.
Posted 6 years ago # -
Continuing the Nessie theme:
Posted 6 years ago # -
Sorry. Now Nessie-related-images-obsessed: Retro-futuristic Nessie spot (this cover is amazing and I could look at it for hours - trying to figure out how this society/biosphere functions).
Posted 6 years ago # -
“
If your idea of a dream job is protecting one of Scotland’s most majestic animals then look no further.
The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, which aims to boost the numbers of this iconic bird in the Scottish Borders is set to take off.
“
Posted 6 years ago # -
The swan family (one cygnet still present) were looking a little disgruntled this morning; one of the adults stood, while the other adult and cygnet sat on the rain-covered ice, which looked like it should be swimmable open water.
I had another brief glimpse of the Heriot-Watt Stoat as I was wandering along The Walk after lunch this afternoon.
Posted 6 years ago # -
The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, which aims to boost the numbers of this iconic bird in the Scottish Borders is set to take off.
If they wanted the numbers of this iconic bird to take off all they have to do is persuade the Duke of [Redacted] to tell his people to stop killing them. Young eagles wander into the Southern Uplands all the time. It's just that they then vanish.
Posted 6 years ago # -
We only ever learn we've got golden eagles when another corpse turns up. Very sad.
Posted 6 years ago #
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