Sat in the summerhouse with the missus finishing off our second bottle of wine this evening (full disclosure: we were finishing off two bottles that we'd started on Friday and Saturday evenings) when we heard a croaking noise. We kept quiet and sure enough there it was again. The frog that seems to have taken up residence in our pond apparently wanted to join in our conversation! He/she is a pretty fearless fellow/lass: I saw him/her later floating next to the patch of frogbit (appropriately), head poking above the water watching us clear away the detritus of our discretely riotous evening. I gave him/her a friendly wave before heading indoors.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure
Wildlife highlight of the day
(7166 posts)-
Posted 4 years ago #
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Two of the nine cygnets of the swan family were heading east on the canal this morning, seemingly following a barge that was near Slateford Aqueduct. The other seven cygnets were with their parents heading west at Hailes Quarry Park. Will be interesting to see how this develops.
There appear to be two herons on The Loch at Heriot-Watt just now. I'm not yet sure if they are a potential mating couple or if there is territorial dispute taking place.
Posted 4 years ago # -
My garden has finally become Bee Central. Bees (various kinds) and hoverflies very busy around the flowers. Also some quite chilled out wasps - we have mostly agreed to co-exist as long as they don't try to fly into my ears.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Two cygnets still a good distance from the other 7 and the parents tonight on canal
Posted 4 years ago # -
Indeed. I stopped briefly to chat to the person behind the Twitter account who is concerned about the situation.
Posted 4 years ago # -
The swan family is headed in the right direction to be reunited with the two errant cygnets shortly. Twitter person and some others chumming them along...
Posted 4 years ago # -
I was due to meet my friend at the pub pre-cinema else would have joined to watch the reunion.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I can confirm that the swan family is back together and was partly blocking the path at Boroughmuir Plaza earlier.
Posted 4 years ago # -
@jdanielp the other (i assume) swan family spotted around Bridge 8 hub. Their cygnets look still quite small and they have a white duck/(goose?) with them. I assume it's the Ratho swan couple I used to see in winter/spring. I didn't see them having cygnets in spring when all the other swan families had. I am glad to see they have off-springs and they didn't ditch their friend.
Posted 4 years ago # -
they have a white duck/(goose?) with them
Hostage situation?
Posted 4 years ago # -
One of the nine cygnets (although I didn't see the full family) blocking the towpath at Harrison Gardens as it attempted to consume an entire slice of bread. I then spotted what was presumably the Ratho family of five (or maybe the big family has split up again?) just beyond the bypass. There was no sign of a white duck or goose.
Also, The Kingsknowe Rat is dead. It was lying in a fresh pool of blood just before the Calder Road Bridge.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I have just come here to mourn the passing of the Kingsknowe Rat, but see that @jdanielp has beaten me to it.
I was delayed by the need to remind myself whether 'exsanguinated' is transitive it not, as this was going to be a key part of my post (due to it being very relevant to the demise of the Kingsknowe Rat).
The Kingsknowe Rat is dead. Long live the Kingsknowe Rat!
Posted 4 years ago # -
Also, The Kingsknowe Rat is dead.
Long live the Kingsknowe Rat!
Posted 4 years ago # -
A question for the bird experts - a lot of geese landing in the fields around us in the Borders just now. Isn't late August a bit early for starting their migration? I'm wondering if there's some kind of climate tom-foolery going on that's got them confused or whether I'm just clueless.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Goose behaviour has been changing. There are a lot of feral and some wild greylags in semi-permanent residence breeding on upland areas and moving lower after the young fledge.
I'd expect this is what you're seeing. The tundra-breeding geese won't be here until autumn.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Yep, Orkney now has an increasing year-round population of breeding geese, mostly greylags. Change has been quite rapid, I believe. They eat grass farmers want for cattle so some tensions and demands for larger cull. Suspect this kind of thing isn't going to become less common as climate change drives new changes in the range & behaviour of wildlife...
Posted 4 years ago # -
I think I saw a Tern at Rosebery reservoir at the weekend. Like a grey/white swallow.
Posted 4 years ago # -
There was a spare rat on the slope up to Lochend Road the other day if someone wants to catch and transplant it.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Our fox genuinely doesn't bother about me any more. Just strolled past me in the garden. Clearly knows I'm not bothered so neither is it.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Having just looked at https://twitter.com/unioncanalswans it looks like the big family has split up again with four cygnets in town and five with the parents out to the west.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Swan family back together again.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Clearly knows I'm not bothered so neither is it
i'd like to say the same about sammy the young local herring gull
alas mad sammy has recklessly abandoned the established seasonal ways of his extended family regiment
to further hone his diabolical flightpath among unsuspecting pensioners or the otherwise unmotorised citizens of this parish
mad sammy's gone full rogue, a colonel kurtz of the skies
Posted 4 years ago # -
Took a midnight-ish ride along the railway path from Bonnyrigg/Lasswade to Rosewell, as I'd never cycled it before. Absolutely no-one around! Spotted a fox and a badger. On the climb out of Roslin Glen, I stopped to encourage a huge toad off the tarmac and onto the grass verge.
Posted 4 years ago # -
As I was cycling across the modern aqueduct at Slateford on my way home from work last night, I became aware of a scrabbling noise and movement in my peripheral vision so turned to find out what it was; it turned out that I was inadvertently racing a squirrel, which was running along the parapet of the aqueduct alongside my head. I decided to cycle a little faster, partly due to the fear that it might leap onto me, and managed to beat it to the far end.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Huge golden crescent moon last night as I cycled home from band practice.
One rabbit bolted near the dump and four were chased by my photon torpedo light at the east exit to Heriot Watt There i had to give directions to a Tesco delivery driver who could not get into the nearby student halls as the barrier was down. I gave him directions that meant he would have to go right round the perimeter and would be almost right back to where he was parked blocking my exit.
Young lost lad from Glasgow
Posted 4 years ago # -
A line (not a V) of geese heading westward over Corstorphine.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Weasel in East Lothian somewhere, with what looked to be a mouse in its mouth.
A kestrel being chased off its perch by another kestrel.
Posted 4 years ago # -
First frog of the summer as cutting the grass myself now Master Gembo gone to varsity
About to train Missy Gembo to cut the grass as I find it soul destroying.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Looks like the canal swans have 'lost' a couple of cygnets from this year's brood permanently. Did all of the cygnets from all three canal swam families just happen to leave while I was away during the last two weeks of August last year? It was perplexing.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Saw the big swan family at bridge after boroughmuir heading west tonight. Nit sure of numbers but saw the full 11 last week so not sure how permanent?
Posted 4 years ago #
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