@IWRATS - am planning that for Friday night. Assuming they are still there
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure
Wildlife highlight of the day
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Posted 4 years ago #
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Is that an invite? I'll bring a lemon, a big bunch of dill and a lightly chilled Aligoté.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Seven ravens on seven fence posts at the gate to Skaill House. Taking this as a good omen.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Buzzard overhead near Roslin. It was enormous. Or maybe it was just really close. Or maybe it was actually an eagle, but that seems unlikely.
Pair of what I think were red grouse on the north west side of Castlelaw Hill.
Posted 4 years ago # -
You need to refer to the Iwratsian Eagle Oracle I think.
Posted 4 years ago # -
I can't find that in the app store. Is it even available on Android?
Posted 4 years ago # -
I think you actually have to throw a bundle of hydraulic rim brake parts, grey squirrel carcasses and a fez in the air then interpret the pattern to determine if what you saw was an eagle.
Posted 4 years ago # -
What do I have to throw in the air in order to determine if an object is a hydraulic rim brake part?
Posted 4 years ago # -
Several eagles.
Posted 4 years ago # -
What happens if I throw buzzards in the air?
Posted 4 years ago # -
Barn owl last night.
Posted 4 years ago # -
@Frenchy, @unhurt & @Cyclingmollie
I am smiling at my desk, thank you.
Posted 4 years ago # -
First cormorant of the season on the canal today opposite the playing fields at Wester Hailes.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Scenes at Blackford pond: a mute swan unceremoniously tossing a large brown rat aside to get at the bread thrown by the bourgeoisie.
No Tabatha, that's a water vole. There are no rats in Blackford.
The rat was one of a very cute family of three.
Posted 4 years ago # -
The Kingsknowe Rat is back from his or her holidays, looking all the fatter for it and scurrying around the towpath near the Kingsknowe Level Crossing Bridge this evening.
Posted 4 years ago # -
As I was walking up the path by the SKELF this afternoon, a sizable rat scuttled along the verge between me and the sports centre and vanished into long grass. A little later, a skein of around 200 geese flew west.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Rats and wildfowl a-go-go.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Two lovely treecreepers from the hide at Threipmuir yesterday afternoon.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Fingers crossed for a wee juvenile Guillemot that got stranded on a beach near Gullane yesterday. Two cold hours sat watching over the wee fella so none of the many dogs being walked past would get him - I was roughly 7 feet away, which just shouldn't be possible. He slept most of the time, as we waited for either the SSPCA, or my better half arriving back with a box and blankets.
She beat the SSPCA, so he came home with us. The warmth perked him up a little, and their bills are like daggers (I'm used to being pecked owning chooks). The rescue officer who picked him up late in the evening reckons he was underweight, but feisty, so stood a good chance. Hence this being in the Highlights and not Lowlights.
Guess is he's a late chick, and just hasn't had time to put enough weight on to move out to winter feeding grounds. The waves were big yesterday, and drove him onto the beach, with him being too weak to fight against them (luckily onto the beach, and not any of the many rocks). From there he scrambled away from the water (he panicked every time to tide got closer) and just flopped into submission.
Oh, and we named him Hoop (full name Guillemot the Hoople).
I dropped the SSPCA a line yesterday, hoping I can find out hiow he does (though they apparently get 10-15 seabirds a day this time of year, mostly juvenile Gannets, so I'm likely a distraction!).
Go well Hoop!
Posted 4 years ago # -
The Kingsknowe Kingfisher overtook me and alighted noisily onto a branch overhanging the canal as I cycled past the flats at Kingsknowe. The Hermiston House Kingfisher was already perched in one of its favourite bushes overhanging the canal at the bottom of the garden at Hermiston House.
Posted 4 years ago # -
@wc just the person i need.
On saturday am, microSRD and I saw what looked like a juvenile wader on the meadows. Brownish, long pointy stick like beak. flying low over NMW. seemed confused (unsurprisingly).
what are the chances it will find its way back to the coast?
Posted 4 years ago # -
@SRD
Waders come onto wet grassland like the Meadows in winter. You get redshanks at the Gallery of Modern Art.
https://download.ams.birds.cornell.edu/api/v1/asset/45034141/1800
It'll be fine. Or not. Nature being brutal.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Waders do come inland quite often, thoguh the Meadows is pretty far with the city in the way. However, I wonder if it was something like a Common Sandpiper, and those are inland (as well as coastal) waders.
The RSPB map is slightly odd, as it suggests they are only here in Summer. Maybe that's the breeding population, because we get winter residents that arrive from the north.
Posted 4 years ago # -
It's possibly worth noting that on my eight mile commute along the A703, A702 and down and around through the mean streets of south-west Edinburgh, I rarely get to see any wildlife apart from crows. There are no kingfishers, bullfinches or sparrowhawks, no swans, no herons, no frogs (only the relentless grey of the old frog-and-toad), not even the mythical Longstone rat. The bluetits are hiding in people's gardens; the starlings only come out to play in the evening; sparrows who use a dip in the footway as their local bath fly away as I approach; the bees and wasps are now hibernating. Only if I'm using the old railway path to the colliery might I glimpse the Roslin deer.
Welcome to modern life.
Posted 4 years ago # -
@Arellcat, one of the things we're trying to work on at the Scottish Wildlife Trust is lmaost a rewilding of cities. Trying to get people to think more about de-tarmaccing the whole front garden, for example.
Around us it's noticeable how many people have done away with pretty much any greenery round the front. A couple of months ago I took up the slabs of our drive, widening it slightly (not to park more cars, but just to mae life easier), and put down gravel instead, letting water flow, and keeping all of the bushes and so on we have round the front. At exactly the same time our neighbours were ripping out all of the grass and rose bushes, and now have a gloriously blank, grey, tarmac over the whole thing. Kinda matches the back garden - she's a dog walker, and ripped out all the real grass, putting some fake stuff down instead, and more concrete.
No proper drainage, and basically we now get all of the House Sparrows and Blackbirds gathered in our bushes.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Trying to get people to think more about de-tarmaccing the whole front garden
We've removed all of the red stone chips from ours and converted it back to bee-friendly plants and lawn.
Now get loads of bees, birds, butterflies, and neighbours eyeing up the garden...
We've even had flying "thunder" ants at one point.
Plus, we do not remove* aphids and other "pests" from the plants as these are a food source for other species
*Provided they are not damaging the plant too severely
Posted 4 years ago # -
@Wilmingtons
If I had a drive, I've always thought that grass with that kind of plastic honeycombed strengthening stuff underneath it would be quite good for storage of expensive metal machinery.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Posted 4 years ago # -
No kingfishers, but I heard a buzzard calling as I was locking up my bike at Heriot-Watt, looked around to see a variety of birds making a quick getaway, and then spotted it gliding out of a tree on The Avenue over the car park.
Posted 4 years ago # -
Another thought on the Meadows wader: there are woodcock in Edinburgh and it's possible a migrating one tried (foolishly) to roost through the day on the Meadows.
I once tried to rescue one that had got stuck in the doorway of the British Geological Survey, all confused by the glass and lights.
Posted 4 years ago #
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