That's fantastic, cyclingmollie. Now I know what burst my tyre.
Aberlady reserve is highly recommended atm. Bursting with life - floral, entomological and ornithological
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure
Wildlife highlight of the day
(7221 posts)-
Posted 11 years ago #
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amir: "Now I know what burst my tyre"
Snakebite puncture?
How are you feeling? Needing more jam yet?
Posted 11 years ago # -
That jam is really keeping my spirits up. It's heaven in a jar.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Cyclingmollie, do you (or does someone you know) make jam? I have half a dozen or so empty jam jars carefully kept for my jam (and especially marmelade) making parents and they have decided that they have enough jam jars. I did try Freegle but got no response. Sticking them in the glass recycling just seems wrong!
Posted 11 years ago # -
Oh, and on topic for the thread we saw siskins the other day. They're rather pretty, especially the male. (I only know they were siskins because our friend told me so.)
Posted 11 years ago # -
"
EdinPentlandsPolice (@PentlandsPolice)
18/07/2013 09:53
We've had a report of a missing cockatiel. Last seen #Greenback.Friendly wee thing apparently.Give us a 'tweet'! (or a call on 101) if found"
Greenback!??
Posted 11 years ago # -
Cockatiels can mimic various sounds but I haven't heard of them tweeting
Posted 11 years ago # -
I cycled up to one of my favourite spots at the weekend, high up on the little-used path between Torphin and Kinleith and sat for a long while enjoying the wonderful view (and gasping for air).
After sitting still for a time, a large hare wandered across the path next to me and continued down into the adjacent field - either not noticing me or not considering me a threat. The ground slopes steeply down from where I was sitting and I was able to watch a buzzard soaring back and forward in front of me, at just above my eye-level. (I don't know if a buzzard would go for a hare, but it was circling above where the hare had just headed off.)
Later on, further west towards Thriepmuir, I came round a corner to see four tiny stoat kits scampering across the road in a group before vanishing into the long grass.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Saw a deer on the Col du Cleish on Saturday. It was bouncy.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Went looking for Adders in a known spot for them in East Lothian yesterday, but no joy.
Perhaps it's the warm weather, but been getting all sorts of weird and wonderful insects and spiders lately (which has been fun with a macro lens on the camera).
Posted 11 years ago # -
Sticklebacks!
In the ponds at Vogrie. Haven't caught any since I was about 10.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Just a few favourites of late...
Jumping Spider Shades by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
Soldier Fly by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
Preening Chaffinch 3 by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
Damselfly by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
Fly Eyes Close-Up by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
Common Green Bottle Fly by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
Lavender Bee with his tongue oot by blackpuddinonnabike, on FlickrPosted 11 years ago # -
When we were painting the ghostbikes, an unusual small fly with green eyes and large, patterned wings landed on me. Curios little thing. I think it's a celery fly. Must have been lost because there's no celery in our garden.
Posted 11 years ago # -
fimm, sorry I missed your question. I have enough jars thanks. I think SRD makes a lot of jams and chutneys though.
Those are amazing photos WC.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Suddenly remembered that I thought I saw a large stand of Giant Hogweed in an overgrown back green at the far eastern end of North Meadow Walk, just before Buccleuch Street. An unwelcome visitor!
Reported to South Team.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Doe, a deer, a female deer, with two fawns, making their way through a small meadow right by the South Sub railway line in Newington a week or two back, in gentle evening sunlight.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Second hand spot - my boyfriend saw a badger when he was running over Corstorphine Hill yesterday evening.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Going to a badger watch there on Thursday night. In the meantime Kingfisher down at the Figgy tonight.
King2 by blackpuddinonnabike, on FlickrPosted 11 years ago # -
Badgers!
Went to our badger watch last night, run by the Lothian and Borders Badger Group and Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust (whose rep handed out Innertube maps before the start, and had a wee questionnaire, one question on which was how you'd travelled there).
Anyway, we split into two groups and our group of 7 was taken just 10 minutes walk from the car park, perched on some rocks, and within 5 minutes had two badgers rooting for food 10 yards from us. They were a couple of cubs, about 6 months old, so quite big, but not quite learned to be as watchful as the adults. They were around for about 40 minutes from a little after 8pm, so in perfect light - one coming within 5 yards of where we were all sat in still silence.
An adult came along as well, immense she was, much more wary of our smell. She was there for about 15 minutes.
The wind changed though, and our scent was carried to them, so they all wandered off.
Highly recommend looking out for future badger watches. Not always guaranteed to see any, but you might just get very very lucky like we did.
No photos. The chap running it said I could if I wanted, but the shutter 'might' spook them. He suggested putting the camera into video mode, but they arrived before I'd had a chance to look at the camera, so I didn't want anything to spook them and ruin the experience for everyone else. And to be frank I was more than happy just watching them.
Fabulous experience.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Other brands of badger watch are also available, eg at the Scottish Wildlife Trust Falls of Clyde reserve. Combines well with a ride over to New Lanark and an overnight at the youth hostel.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Friends of the Pentlands do one in September too.
Posted 11 years ago # -
On yesterday's ride home a sparrowhawk from Glenbrook Road and 3 deer at Woodhall Farm, the first I've seen of them there for several months.
Posted 11 years ago # -
A few nice wildlife spots yesterday. Riding in the Lammermuirs I was spooking up loads of Grouse, with one spot having 17 emerge in front of me.
And later on I saved the life of a baby Shrew. Sitting about a foot out into the road, it didn't shift when I got close so I picked it up and put it into the verge. It got more lively once I picked it up, so hoping it'll be okay - it had a mark on its back as if something had maybe grabbed it and then possibly dropped it, or been spooked off by traffic.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Have you noticed the swallows are collecting - ready to go?
Posted 11 years ago # -
Yeah, was out for a pootle in the Borders on Sunday and around the farm buildings were hordes of Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins. Quite a sight!
Posted 11 years ago # -
Stopped at Gladhouse today to see if any ospreys about. Saw one immediately, watched it for several minutes as it quartered the water presumably looking for lunch. It obviously failed to see anything and gradually disappeared from view without diving on anything.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Wow - that's a good spot.
Still some Hirundinidae around. Saw a Comma on our buddleia yesterday. Gannets near to the shore (wind?) at NB today.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I saw a fox near Samuelston. There's some nice footage of birds in the British Council Venice Biennale entry (and cars getting crushed too).
Posted 11 years ago # -
Swallows were still around on Sunday. Today I saw a skein of (grey) geese over Edinburgh. Autumn or Summer?
Posted 11 years ago # -
Squirrel news. They are making a comeback.
Come on ye reds!
Posted 11 years ago #
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