I was buzzed by a kingfisher as I cycled into town from Heriot-Watt early this evening by the playing fields at Wester Hailes. I initially spotted it take flight from undergrowth overhanging the far side of the canal and then appear to fly surprisingly high up and away from the canal, only for it to reappear moments later from above to my rear left, effortlessly overtake me, dip down over the surface of the canal before flying up high again, then disappear behind the trees. It is not impossible that 'it' was actually two kingfishers having a territorial stand-off...
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure
Wildlife highlight of the day
(7370 posts)-
Posted 1 month ago #
-
This morning the Kingsknowe Rat crossed the towpath in front of me at Kingsknowe.
Posted 1 month ago # -
And again this morning, although it waited slightly later before running out in front of me today. If it continues with this pattern it will be flat by the end of the week.
Posted 1 month ago # -
Three days in a row now, but the rat was more cautious today after the close call yesterday.
Posted 1 month ago # -
Spotted the rat on my way home today. It was mooching around and scuttled into the undergrowth as I passed.
Posted 1 month ago # -
@jdanielp I think it is trying to get you to adopt it?
Posted 1 month ago # -
Or it is the Death of Rats waiting for an instance of the Kingsknowe Rat to have another "mishap". Possibly at jdanielp's hands. Or wheels
SNK SNK SNK
Posted 1 month ago # -
SQUEAK?
Posted 1 month ago # -
Kestrel sitting on the garden shed, eyeing the mice that run to and fro after the spilled bird food. They were too canny for him/her so after trying the ground, the wheelie bin (the toilet, evidently), the windowsill, the roof, s/he then flew off. Lovely close view of him/her.
Posted 3 weeks ago # -
A kingfisher on Duddingston golf course this morning. Sat on the edge of one of the wee bridges over the burn, contemplating.
Posted 2 weeks ago # -
The twitchers have ended themselves about a red footed falcon showing off at Aberlady
Posted 2 weeks ago # -
The Kingsknowe Rat was alive and well at Wester Hailes yesterday, scampering across the canal towpath between the water and the bushes as I approached it, startling a texting pedestrian in the process. It occurs to me that being on a bike reduces the risk of contact with a rat.
Posted 1 week ago # -
The Rat is risen. Praise be. You can still run over them but agree you are a bike further away from them than a pedestrqin. I was within a foot of one on Jacob’s Ladder the other spray but it Climbed up some ivy. The local vicar in Balerno once had a badger hitch a lift on his bicycle up Harlaw road one evening.
Posted 1 week ago # -
Badger by St. Mark's Park as I was heading back into town from Leith last night. It took a while for it to notice that I was watching, had a good look at me, then ran off.
Posted 1 week ago # -
Hiking up Allermuir in pretty sweltering 25°C+ conditions on Wednesday evening in order to have a shuftie at the eclipse* from a decent vantage point, I couldn't help noticing that the north Pentland ridge seemed to be much more purple then I remember seeing it previously. Maybe something to do with the *cough* extreme *cough* weather this summer making the heather all excited?
Oh, and if vegetation doesn't count as a wildlife highlight, there was also a very bonnie kestrel - I'd guess female since it was quite a big 'un - hunting all around the hill. I'd never consciously noticed before the way they can glide downwind and then do a a sharp 180° turn back in to the wind to attach to their invisible skyhook. Neat trick. Eat your heart out, Red Arrows.
As a closing highlight, there were lots of swallows still whizzing in and out of the Swanston Farm horse accommodation as we passed it on our way home.
* We did get to see some of it, though the 90 percentality which was the most we were ever going to get was largely obscured clouds. On the plus side, the clouds were quite pretty anyway, with the sun behind them.
Posted 1 week ago # -
A week or two ago I spotted a pine marten, in my parents' front garden in north Aberdeenshire. It was much bigger than I thought pine martens are, and not particularly shy; they've seen it quite a lot recently, apparently.
Posted 1 week ago # -
A weasel, flowing across the Roseburn on the slope up from the Balbirnie access point.
Posted 1 week ago # -
I think I saw a weasel bouncing across the canal towpath and the bridge access ramp at Hermiston House Road Bridge this morning. It was quite long and too small to be a stoat/no black tail tip.
Posted 1 day ago #
Reply
You must log in to post.
posts
