CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure

Wildlife highlight of the day

(7221 posts)

  1. SRD
    Moderator

    Cycled NEPN from Rodney St to Russell road today - unusually for me. Lovely escaped white and deep pink roses and yellow iris near 5-ways and several varieties of lighter pink wild roses nearer the Red Bridge. Just lovely (achoo!)

    Posted 11 years ago #
  2. DaveC
    Member

    Oh thanks for the reminder. Spotted two deer in Dalmeny estate on 'the widdow maker' on Friday. Lovely to see them. Also spotted a deer on the Deeside Lass on the Sunday just east of Lauder.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  3. sallyhinch
    Member

    Deer and fawn bounding off the road yesterday morning as I returned with the paper

    Plus mama pheasant and several tiny fluffy baby pheasants on our drive just now. Unfortunately her idea of keeping safe is crouching down using her excellent cryptic colouring to blend in with the wheel ruts of the drive, while the babies all scatter into the flowerbed where the cat loves to hunt ... I don't actually like pheasants much but any idea on how to persuade her to find somewhere else to bring up her babies so I don't have to pick up their mangled fluffy corpses?

    Posted 11 years ago #
  4. gembo
    Member

    Saw a crow and a seagull chasing what I am claiming was an osprey tonight.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  5. chdot
    Admin

    "
    It's not nostalgic, Luddite or reactionary to fight against the continuing depredations wrought upon our cities by developers, cars and the thoughtless destruction of natural places. The importance of green space has been underlined recently by the explosion of anti-government demonstrations in Turkey, sparked by the threatened destruction of a park (although it may be a vain hope that this will discourage the rapacious rich from viewing every park or garden as an economic opportunity).

    "

    http://www.heraldscotland.com/mobile/comment/columnists/all-creatures-loathed-and-scorned.21311825

    Posted 11 years ago #
  6. Min
    Member

    A second bumble bee nest in our tiny garden! Little stripy ones this time (we had brown carders last year)

    Bee haven. :-)

    Posted 11 years ago #
  7. Yesterday morning at Musselburgh...


    Goosander Duckling Line by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr


    Skylark Take-Off by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr


    Whitethroat by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr


    Reed Bunting by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr

    Posted 11 years ago #
  8. friskiffla
    Member

    Nice pics blackpuddin.

    Recent highlight was a kingfisher on the canal on way home on friday. Near where the bridge over Lanark Rd joins it.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  9. Nice, not seen a Kingfisher along the canal, depsite many many lunchtimes wandering along there. In fact, I think I've only had one very brief spot of a Kingfisher in the Figgy this year and that's it. Must rectify that...

    Posted 11 years ago #
  10. amir
    Member

    The goosander ducklings are exceptionally cute

    Posted 11 years ago #
  11. Coxy
    Member

    I've been hearing what sounds like a woodepecker around Portobello, recently. Never heard one before this year.

    Or is it a joiner on a local site with a very fast hammer technique?

    Posted 11 years ago #
  12. This has appeared tied upbeside the Innocent cyclepath....


    Urban Horse by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr

    Posted 11 years ago #
  13. Coxy
    Member

    Yep. Saw him this morning - next to the travellers site.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  14. kaputnik
    Moderator

    There was a similar white horse there a few weekends back.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  15. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I've been hearing what sounds like a woodepecker around Portobello, recently.

    I've often confused the horrible cackling sound of a magpie with a woodpecker.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  16. kaputnik
    Moderator

    [+] Embed the video | Video DownloadGet the Video Plugin
    back green bats

    Posted 11 years ago #
  17. chdot
    Admin

    "
    Calum's Cycling (@CalumsCycling)
    25/06/2013 21:44
    @threefromleith @PuzzleCycles @greenerleith Water of Leith is amazing. These photos all taken on walk to work today. http://www.flickr.com/photos/45535033@N08/sets/72157634324278449

    "

    Posted 11 years ago #
  18. Min
    Member

    The heron with a ton of rubbish behind it is particularly striking.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  19. chdot
    Admin

  20. Charterhall
    Member

    A mole ! Never seen one before, I was out this morning with a West Lothian Clarion run, we'd stopped in a driveway and there was a mole hurrying over the tarmac, over the mown grass and disappearing into cover. V cute :-)

    Posted 11 years ago #
  21. That's cool! I've never seen one before....

    Spotted today, four swallow fledglings being fed by the parents; some late ducklings; a zebra (jumping) spider (don't worry, only about 5mm across); and a Soldier Fly.


    Feeding the Young by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr


    Curious Duckling by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr


    Duckling cleaning its foot by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr


    Jumping Spider Shades by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr


    Soldier Fly by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr

    Posted 11 years ago #
  22. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Lots of Peewit and Curlew up on the Lammermuirs. Skylark and MEdow Pipit-a-plenty too.

    Alas a dead Peewit on the road and a good few dead snipe or woodcock also.

    Posted 11 years ago #
  23. chdot
    Admin

    Posted 11 years ago #
  24. That's great chdot, whereabouts did you see it?

    Posted 11 years ago #
  25. chdot
    Admin

    Canterbury West.

    Most of the other wildlife of the day was human

    Posted 11 years ago #
  26. chdot
    Admin

    "
    New measures have been introduced to further deter those involved in wildlife crime.

    "

    http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2013/07/Wildlife01072013

    Posted 11 years ago #
  27. Our recent Goldfinch pair are back virtually every day now (that we see), which is great. Got some more niger seed yesterday and saw them again this morning. Nice to have some colour in the mornings - now if the Goldcrest would come back that would be fab.

    Also, four different types of bee all over the garden. A couple might be relatively scarce in the country, but workign out identification (there's a type of black and yellow bumblebee (there's more than one!); a bumble that's all black save for an orange-red bottom; a bumble that's primarily a light-orange/yellow all over; and the occasional honey bee. What with those, the Zebra Spider and Soldier Fly above, and various other types of spider (including the remarkable Cucumber Spider) in the garden, plus hoverflies and wasps, and a couple of weevils, it's a bit of a buggy haven round our way (sort of deliberately planted lots of bee-friendly stuff that seems to have attarcted the others as well).

    Posted 11 years ago #
  28. Colin
    Member

    This site may help identify your bumble bees:-

    http://bumblebeeconservation.org/about-bees/identification/common-bumblebees

    Cheers
    Colin

    Posted 11 years ago #
  29. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Watched a pair of swifts picking insects off the tenement wall.

    Kept on watching to be rewarded with the sight of them entering and exiting the eaves from under some guttering. Pretty sure we must have a nest!

    Posted 11 years ago #
  30. Cyclingmollie
    Member

    Adder, near Garvald, only the second I've ever seen. Squashed, as was the third a few miles later.


    Adder by Cycling Mollie, on Flickr

    Posted 11 years ago #

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