That's a nice set, I seen it shared on FB by someone or other.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure
Wildlife highlight of the day
(7223 posts)-
Posted 11 years ago #
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Had breakfast on the side of Arthur's Seat this morning and had the resident kestrel fly straight over me (before getting hassle from a crow).
Posted 11 years ago # -
Might be a highlight for a lot of birds (seems cheap - ?)
http://www.aldi.co.uk/uk/html/offers/special_buys3_28939.htm
Posted 11 years ago # -
Yes - that seems like a good price. However the birds in our garden only really go nuts for sunflower seed (posh birds innit).
Posted 11 years ago # -
The crows will like it if the linseed is actually horsemeat
Posted 11 years ago # -
Herons. Loads of them.
Every year a Heronry establishes itself at the west end of Duddingston Loch. It's normally on the opposite side of the loch from the south park road, though remains an impressive sight and site with maybe 20 to 30 pairs.
The set-up is well underway this year, with a lot of nest-building and pairing up going on, with the added bonus that they seem to be nesting in trees much closer to the park road side. There are stunning views from 'Hangman's Rock', which you can walk onto (and is just a nice spot to watch the loch wildlife from anyway). Highly recommended, hoping to get photos of Heron nestlings for the first time this year - and when they're all feeding and fetching the cranky noise is brilliant.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I became very excites at work today. From the window I could see two foxes walking up the entire length of the back of St Andrews House, basking in the sun, scratching fleas, at far end in the bushes they appear to have a den. Who needs telly..?
Posted 11 years ago # -
A couple of sleeping foxes; two Buzzards and....
A MERLIN!!!!!
That is all. As you were.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I prefer Nicodemus from the Fighting Fantasy books myself. Annoy him too much and he'd turn you into a goldfish and toss you in the river that runs through Port Blacksand and see if the city's waste would kill you.
Posted 11 years ago # -
A MERLIN!!!!!
Was it attached to spitfire at the time?
Posted 11 years ago # -
Your tomfoolery cannot dampen my enthusiasm having finally seen one of these little winged wonders (I've got a snap, but it's horrific, at 3200ISO given the dull flat light and the need for anything faster than 1/100th on the shutter for something moving so fast, oh and manually focussed as it was flying over the dull grey flat water in the aforementioned dull light so the autofocus just turned round to me, shrugged, and said 'you're 'avin a laff mate').
Posted 11 years ago # -
Your tomfoolery cannot dampen my enthusiasm having finally seen one of these little winged wonders
That's fantastic, they are well at the top of my wishlist too - well done !
Posted 11 years ago # -
It's the second time I've seen it - the first time was so fleeting I thought I could easily have been wrong about what it was. But size and markings and so on that I managed to make out this time and it was clear what it was.
So so so pleased. Stupidly so. Will have to head back to Duddingston Loch in better light in the hope it makes another appearance (if you climb over the fence onto 'Hangman's Rock', basically directly opposite the Henronry, that's where I saw it).
Posted 11 years ago # -
"
Juniper Green resident Eric White, 81, said: “Most people here want to keep the gap between Currie and Juniper Green, and the field is also thought to be a wildlife corridor for birds flying over."
Posted 11 years ago # -
Fieldfares and lambs seen on East Lothian ramble this morning.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I saw a merlin chasing a sparrow over Clubbiedean a few years back - the sparrow just seemed be in the mid of a vortex of claws.
The merlin stopped chasing it, and turned round, where upon the sparrow turned round and stared chasing it.
It was like watching an aerial tom and jerry.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Twice now in the last week I have cycled directly underneath a buzzard perched on a branch overhanging the Long Dalmahoy road at the back of Dalmahoy old course
Also today on the WoL path, great view of the Balerno Dipper going about it's business
Posted 11 years ago # -
More Duddingston foxes this morning.
Trip down to Hopes Reservoir and finally got some Waxwings!
Posted 11 years ago # -
Posted 11 years ago # -
Interesting, that on the WoL?
Saw hares today on the Sustrans route from Cousland (worth pointing out that particular route is lovely, but ridiculously muddy - and that's after a dry spell).
Duddingston foxes out in force - 6 sunbathing this morning,
Posted 11 years ago # -
Took a little spin on the blinkbonny to colinton path today and just at the corner of the slightly uphill bit I saw three deer bouncing through the field, white butts up in the air. Then two huge stone lions at the doorway of wood hall house.on the way back the dipper of the white breast was resting on a rock midstream.
Ps the tree fall on the wood hall path has been cleared nicely
Posted 11 years ago # -
I'm playing deer bingo this week, I've seen at least one on my ride home every day so far. If I see one tomorrow I'll be able shout 'House!'
Posted 11 years ago # -
Apparently twice as many deer as we need, look out bambi
Admit edit
See here -
Posted 11 years ago # -
Got very close to a buzzard sitting on a hedge this morning - it eventually flew away but not until I'd got quite near.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Lit my stove tonight and two sparrows flew out of it. Wondered why the grate had been swept clean. They are hiding in the drying cupboard at the moment. they are house sparrows in case anyone is wondering
Posted 11 years ago # -
Spotted a graceful flight of swans coming out of the Water of Leith and following the river from Roseburn Viaduct to Murrayfield, and as my window faces west i got a grandstand view of it, just so graceful and majestic, especially in the sun today..
R :-)
Posted 11 years ago # -
Next to the Water of Leith this morning at Longstone, I caught sight of a pair of dippers, unusually perching on a tree branch rather than a rock in the river. As I stopped to have a better look, something bright flew past them and I realised it was a Kingfisher. I've never seen one before and I didn't realise how strongly coloured they were - a bright iridescent green on top and the colour of red brick underneath. I'd always thought they were blue from seeing pictures of them, but this one was definitely green.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Stunning aren't they?
Depends on how the light hits them - the Kingfisher is actually brown...
"Actually the kingfishers actual colour is a murky brown colour. If you were to place the iridescent blue feather of the kingfisher into the shade, the colour changes to this brown colour. This is because when the kingfishers feathers are hit by the white light from the sun, the feathers only absorb the only absorb the blue frequency (wavelength) of light. As a result when the light reaches your eyes, the eyes register that the blue wavelength of light is missing, so we see the feathers as blue in the sun."
But I'd assume certain wavelengths of light can give it different sheens and shades, hence sometimes looking green.
Posted 11 years ago # -
@ Aken, what a pure delight nature provided for you,
I live practically on the riverbank and have never ever had the pleasure of spotting a Kingfisher, your SO lucky. Will be digging out the binoculars and mounting an expedition to the location shortly...R :-)
Posted 11 years ago # -
@ RonnieJ, hope you have some luck. The one I spotted was flying along the section of the river that runs right next to Longstone Road, leading up the Longstone Inn. There's no vegetation on the south side of the river at this point as the water runs right along the wall so it might be easier to spot from there rather that from the Water of Leith walkway on the north side. (Assuming it wasn't just a visitor to the site.)
Posted 11 years ago #
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