@Frenchy
That's the one.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure
Wildlife highlight of the day
(7166 posts)-
Posted 5 years ago #
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Thought it was sweat trickling down my neck but it was actually a common green shieldbug crawling about.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Hardly any bees and not a single butterfly on the massed flowers of the Botanics yesterday. Disconcerting.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@unhurt, how windy was it? Not had millions by decent number of bees and flutterbies in garden thus summer. Slug numbers have HOwver been low. Also fewer snails. Though the fud finally eat the hosta and some Tattie shaws
Posted 5 years ago # -
Plenty of bees on the stickbush by the front gate, which is currently exhibiting long lilaclike inflorescences. It's often quite busy in the morning when I leave, but unattended when I return.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I've been spotting a heron in the trees by the canal near Hermiston House recently. On a couple of occasions it has been perched on the skeletal tree just to the east of the bridge which is east of the Hermiston House Road Bridge, almost like a living extension of the dead wood. Eerie.
Posted 5 years ago # -
A stoat dashing across path when I was heading west on the Balgreen tram path, just over the railway overpass. Dash direction: south to north (towards long grass on the railway side).
Posted 5 years ago # -
Yesterday evening I spotted three of the cygnets from the newest canal swan family near the Scott Russell Aqueduct, seemingly on their own, but I assumed that I had missed spotting the parents and fourth cygnet due to the reed barrier or something similar. This morning, I spotted the parents and a single cygnet, but no sign of the other three. It seems unlikely that they just happened to be hidden by the reeds as well. It is surely far too early for the cygnets to be trying and gain their independence since they aren't even close to learning how to fly yet?
Posted 5 years ago # -
I also spotted the Kingsknowe Rat last night, lying on its back by the edge of the towpath with its legs pointing straight up. I couldn't see any obvious injuries so perhaps it was merely stunned rather than dead.
Posted 5 years ago # -
we spotted a man from the office out on the grass between the office and the railway line looking just like that on a sunny day last week. He was only resting...
Posted 5 years ago # -
This evening Swan family #3 (newest) and Swan family #2 seemed to move from the canal onto the towpath.
Family #2 was lounging opposite Ratho golf club. Then Family #3 had a wee parade around Hermiston. First I spotted one lonely cygnet on the towpath but then around 50m further two adult swans were walking along the towpath heading east. They chose to walk in the middle of the path. For some time I was stuck between two swans. I met there the cyclist who helped me to fall into the canal last year and we had a wee chat. Then I got brave enough to overtake the last swan. At that moment a group of about 20 kids on bikes (with 2 adults) arrived. I hope they got through ok. I am surprised the swans left the cygnets on their own.@jdanielp this Swan Family #3 seems a little sus to me. On Thursday last week I saw one of the swans from family #3 hissing at the hole Swan Family #2 (and a bit of attacking). One of the cygnets of Swan Family #2 was stuck in the reeds and was crying for help. Distressed parents were trying to get rid of the family #3 swan and also rescue their offspring. They succeeded in both. Around 100m east I found the other #3 swan and their four cygnets. Then I saw Swan Family #1 was around Scott Russel Aqueduct.
So my thinking is: Swan Family #1 rules the canal from Fountainbridge to Hermiston. Swan family #2 arrived around Wester Hailes(?) but moved to Ratho-ish (mostly east of Ratho). Swan Family #3 arrived to Wester Hailes but seem to be stuck between two other families and sometimes there is a clash.
Posted 5 years ago # -
"For some time I was stuck between two swans."
Never mind swallows flying through barns, this is life, perfectly summed up.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@bill what sort of thing do you chat about with a cyclist who helped you fall into the canal?
Have mostly been on WoL path so canal beyond Wester hailes I have not been on much this year. The six cygnet Famly and the four cygnet family I have seen but not the third family.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I met there the cyclist who helped me to fall into the canal last year and we had a wee chat.
Joyous. Clear CCE winner for Q3.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I perceived a peculiar phenomenon in the WoL yesterday lunchtime:
Probably a Sterident tablet partially-wrapped in a bit of foil.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@wingpig
Could be a small piece of lithium fell in?
Posted 5 years ago # -
@gembo @IWRATS He asked me if if had any more accidents. I asked him if he had any more. And then we talked about the swans. I told him about the three swan families but I cut it short because I don't expect everyone to be as patient as you are.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@bill that sounds about right. When I was cycling home I spotted one parent of Swan Family #3 out of the canal by the bench between Gogar Station Road Bridge and the Scott Russell Aqueduct, one parent of Swan Family #1 agressively patrolling the aqueduct, the second parent of Swan Family #3 out of the canal in the wilderness by Cultins Road (I assume with their cygnets, which I didn't manage to spot), and the remainder of Swan Family #1 swimming west, west of Wester Hailes. Two swan family name ideas: argy and bargy?
Posted 5 years ago # -
Unhighlight of the day was a not quite dead moorhen by the canal towpath at Wester Hailes, which had presumably been run over by a cyclist. I could have stopped to put it out of its misery but I'm not sure I would have been able to.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Back to highlights of the last week: a hairy caterpiller crossing the towpath either late last week or early this week, a buzzard hovering like a giant, slow-motion kestrel opposite Bridge 8 Hub on Wednesday evening, another buzzard being mobbed by seagulls by the Slateford Aqueduct yesterday evening and lots of wet snail action this morning.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@iwrats Perhaps, if the hot summer has brought forward the fruiting of the alkali tree from the usual early autumn.
Posted 5 years ago # -
I wonder if the cygnets are all cousins?
Posted 5 years ago # -
@Bill
accident? Causing someone to fall in the canal needs a different description. Something like No blame but it was his fault?
as in following vignette (if it was me he had caused to fall in the canal)
Canal Fall Man: Hey Gembo, had any more accidents?
Gembo: No, have you caused anyone else to fall in the canal, ya bass.?In cheery news, spotted the very large owl out of Harry Potter at lunch time. Up the shanty street food shacks. The owner was holding it and they were under the archway to keep dry. Tourists loving it. THe food shack people sometimes do a wee market on a Friday, not consistently and definitely all junk. But today it was bric a brac and towhitotwoo
Posted 5 years ago # -
the fruiting of the alkali tree
Chapter heading material.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@gembo it's not like he pushed me into the canal, there is also a bit of my fault. I could have gone slower under the bridge or could have heard his bell or he could have leave me more space on the other side of the bridge.
Similarly there was probably also a bit of my fault this week when a guy on the aqueduct threatened me "i would punch you if you were a man" because I annoyed him by following the aqueduct "rules" and making him follow them as well. But that more of an "Aqueduct etiquette" thread.
Posted 5 years ago # -
@bill, that second guy sounds bad, rules? Dismount?
Snowy and I sat either side of a towpath bridge the other night ringing our bells at each other until he shouted to me to come through. Tremendous etiquette.
The singing polish woman was not singing the other day. I was disappointed. She has a good voice and sings with gusto, I do not recognise the song but it does seem to be about warding off evil
Posted 5 years ago # -
Now I'm going to have to dig out the aqueduct etiquette thread lest I drift this too far.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Inner swan family encountered with six cygnets at 90% of adult size after one of the adults came past flying west, low over a bemused barge, as I strolled on the towpath. Funny how they look so much bigger when airborne.
Was the swan heading off to do some attacking at Wester Hailes?
Posted 5 years ago # -
Sleepy swallow chicks cheeping in their nest after dark, all the bats, and a comforting mass of jeweled hoverflies, bees and white butterflies pollinating away on the planting at Pillars of Hercules.
Posted 5 years ago # -
Swan family #2 (I think - I counted five cygnets) for the first time in a while at Wester Hailes. They must have swapped over with Sean family #3 again since I only saw swan family #1 thereafter near the far end.
Posted 5 years ago #
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