CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure

Wildlife highlight of the day

(7166 posts)

  1. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Our wren appears to be gaining in confidence. I hope it knows the cats aren't confined to the houses.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  2. gembo
    Member

    My neighbours cats big predators of dem birdies. In a nice twist a colony of sparrows live under the eaves of my neighbour’s property.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  3. jdanielp
    Member

    A buzzard lazily soaring over Craigmiller and a decent-sized rat scuttling across the prom on the way to Crammond.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  4. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @jdanielp

    That buzzard has taken to quite active hunting on the hill itself, swooping along the various forest paths like an accipiter. Seems to be after squirrels.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  5. gembo
    Member

    Is it Tweed the Harris Hawk big bruiser huge talons worthy of wood pigeon and town pigeon murder.? Blown from Crags or just out bossing it? Buzzards top Kill probably a mouse. Tiny wee feet. Like Wee Douigie the guy who helped sand my floor Drew attention to them by having tiny wee slipppers with enormous emblems on them (was side kick to Nick The Mod). Red Kites are the same despite their display - wee claws.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  6. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    I have seen the Harris hawk over this way but just once? Buzzard not to be underestimated - can catch and kill a rabbit easily, just can't be bothered.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  7. gembo
    Member

    You are bigging up dem buzzards I am saying they are puny.

    For sure they cannot take a lambikin

    Posted 4 years ago #
  8. minus six
    Member

    Our wren appears to be gaining in confidence

    the males have to build around six nests for the females to choose from, so they are often visible and busy at this time

    Posted 4 years ago #
  9. amir
    Member

    Magpies courting. Very fancy

    Posted 4 years ago #
  10. gembo
    Member

    Poor Mr Wren he has a fussy partner. But if each nest is selected from 6 where 5 are totally rejected that is 25 million nests? Is iit?

    Posted 4 years ago #
  11. minus six
    Member

    i expect they build a showpiece nest and make a token effort on the rest

    Posted 4 years ago #
  12. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    Good wren lore.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  13. gembo
    Member

    Crafty Wren 4 million show home Nests 20 million lean tos and benders

    Posted 4 years ago #
  14. minus six
    Member

    tip of the hat to the lean young tabby cat persistently buttering me up so he can have the run of my yards as a sporting lodge

    no can do son, if your names not down, you're not getting in

    Posted 4 years ago #
  15. gembo
    Member

    @bax San how do we rid our yards of unwanted moggies?

    Posted 4 years ago #
  16. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @gembo

    What know the young of 'benders'?

    Posted 4 years ago #
  17. gembo
    Member

    Some great stories of how the Stewarts of Blairgowrie had a laugh with Ewan McColl and Hamish Henderson. The Stewarts orignally being travellers we’re partial to summering around and about in benders and bow-tents.

    As a callow youth i was approached by an Irish tinker on the golf course in Ayr. He had fashioned a bender but I had to decline his kind offer to join him due to being petrified.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  18. minus six
    Member

    how do we rid our yards of unwanted moggies?

    undoubtedly they remain undeterred in the long term

    as a feline sympathiser in general, i am a water pistol man first and foremost, and do not resort to the catapult unless there is gratuitous death in local avian community

    Posted 4 years ago #
  19. crowriver
    Member

    There was a cheeky wee chaffinch atop a (dead) tree in our back green this afternoon. Cheeping away merrily. (Might possibly have been a brambling, but I'm going with chaffinch based on the loud cheeping call).

    [+] Embed the video | Video DownloadGet the Video Plugin

    Posted 4 years ago #
  20. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @crowriver

    There were bramblings in the north this winter but they will have left by now. They don't breed here.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  21. Frenchy
    Member

    @bax San how do we rid our yards of unwanted moggies?

    Posted 4 years ago #
  22. fimm
    Member

    A wee bird with a splendid red chest visible from our window this morning (not a robin - finch or tit possibly?).

    A grouse that stayed still and squawked at me rather than flapping off noisily in their usual fashion - I guess on a nest.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  23. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @fimm

    A trim bullfinch perhaps? They have done well these past few years.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  24. gembo
    Member

    Bullfinches on the up for sure.

    Saw three donkeys above balerno today, Temple Houe where M. Iwrats and I considered a joint canvass.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  25. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @gembo

    Should have done that for sure.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  26. gembo
    Member

    Would have been good for a nosey. I understand the farmer but the others living away up there but next to other big houses. I suppose in days of knights templar would have been myriad lean-tos and benders.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  27. fimm
    Member

    @IWRATS that looks like it! Really bright colour.

    Posted 4 years ago #
  28. chdot
    Admin

    Another pic -

    https://www.flickr.com/photos/nvoaden/40081576693

    New home...

    Posted 4 years ago #
  29. I were right about that saddle
    Member

    @fimm

    Very striking birds. Very often in pairs with the understated but elegant female less obvious.

    The contact call is very easy to imitate - I have called a few to me in quiet woods.

    http://learnbirdsongs.co.uk/listen/

    Posted 4 years ago #
  30. gembo
    Member

    We sometimes forget that we have some very colourful birds despite not being in the tropics

    Bullfinch. Kingfisher, top but also

    Magpie tail feathers, greenfinch et cetera

    Posted 4 years ago #

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