Swan taking off in the space between the Store and Rennie's Bridges, Musselburgh - stopped running and took off by half-way, reached maybe six feet approaching Rennie's central arch. Instead of going under it decides to go over only to realise it's about to fly into a double-decker bus crossing the bridge. The thing stops, splay-footed in mid-air and Britain's largest flying bird goes vertical. It must have cleared the bridge by forty feet.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure
Wildlife highlight of the day
(7221 posts)-
Posted 11 years ago #
-
Huge quantity of bird life in Edinburgh, west lotihian and south Lanarkshire today.
Swarm of maybe waxwings or other flocking birdies in trees beyond Livingston, several birds of prey diving for thie kill. Kestrel, sparra hawk, buzzard, and possible tawny owl, big V of geese, three pheasant
Too name a few
Posted 11 years ago # -
Awesome! Seeing things like that is one of the main reasons i cycle...
I just hope i never start taking tbings like thst for granted
Posted 11 years ago # -
Seen from the track at Easter Kinleith Farm this afternoon, dozens of tree sparrows, yellowhammers, linnets and chaffinches, along with smaller numbers of goldfinches, redwing, fieldfare and starlings. Best views of tree sparrows I've ever had.
Posted 11 years ago # -
I do like Tree Sparrows.
Lunchtime wander brought a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a Sparrowhawk. So that was nice.
Posted 11 years ago # -
Off work on Thursday and had been planning a wander out at Aberlady, but heading to Cammo instead ot meet up with an excellent wildlife photographer I know (this guy is astonishingly good) as it's his local patch and he knows where to find the stoats and kingfishers and tree sparrows and yellowhammers (and more more more).
Probably go to Aberlady on Friday instead, hoping the Fieldfares are there in numbers by now. Or possibly Vane Farm in the hope of catching a White-tailed Eagle. Winter is great for wildlife, slightly scarcer food means them congregating a bit more, and lack of leaves on trees makes spotting things a little easier.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I lived in the west of Edinburgh for over 10 years before "discovering" Cammo. It really is a local treasure - we love the place now. Please let us know how you get on with your local expert.
Incidentally, does anyone have any further info on the proposal to build more identikit housing on the farmland adjacent to Cammo?
Posted 10 years ago # -
Incidentally, does anyone have any further info on the proposal to build more identikit housing on the farmland adjacent to Cammo?
There are some very significant proposals to build on the wedge of land between West Craigs and Maybury, we have a thread for that somewhere here with links to plans etc. It's all part of the big cooncil masterplan for building on the greenbelt in "valuable" west Edinburgh while letting brownfield sites lie fallow in more central and northern locations.
Apparently "we" are being tossed the bone of a cyclist/pedestrian bridge over the main road at Maybury.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Saw field fares in west Lothian shoaling in one tree
Posted 10 years ago # -
Bit of a cheat since I didn't see or photograph it, but I love this photo of a red fox in Wyoming diving for its food Ice Age-style!
Posted 10 years ago # -
Stonechat a few feet away from me at Musselburgh today. Lovely.
Posted 10 years ago # -
I enjoyed my best sighting yet of the (well, maybe 'a') kingfisher on the canal just before the Hermiston House Road bridge this morning. It was initially perched on a branch on the far side of the canal, the lack of leaves following yesterday's wind making it far easier to spot than on previous occasions, and then proceeded to fly a little further along the canal, landing on progressively more distant branches in between for brief pauses, until it eventually flew out of sight underneath the bridge :)
Posted 10 years ago # -
Both Stonechats and Kingfishers are loooovely to see.
Was up in Aberdeenshire last weekend:
Camera Roll-154 by blackpuddinonnabike, on FlickrPosted 10 years ago # -
Last night - 4:30ish (dark).
Large, healthy looking, fox.
Waited on a driveway for me to pass, then crossed Craigleith Hill Avenue and through another gate.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Various herons on the Water of Leith and one on Craiglockhart Pond (while out walking or running, does that count?)
Posted 10 years ago # -
"does that count?"
You mean 'cos you weren't cycling?
Spotted while looking out of my window (top flat) -
a spider making a web.
Nothing too unusual - except that it was a 'replacement'.
A couple of weeks ago a spider was about to deal with the insect it had caught and a bird flew up and took them both!
Posted 10 years ago # -
Fox spotted on the NEPN slightly east of Craighall Road this evening around 17:30.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Running across the road near the access to Red Moss today, a stoat in ermine. A first for me, seen plenty of stoats but never one in ermine before. On cue, it started snowing shortly after.
From the hide at Bavelaw, lots of wigeon and tufted duck, a few comorants, several mute swans and three whoopers, and one pochard.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Nice spot, I have seen snow hares at Gargunnock in March when Comet Hale Bopp (spelling) was with us.
Posted 10 years ago # -
Cool seeing an ermine stoat. I've seen white hares in the Moorfoots but not for years.
Posted 10 years ago # -
@chdot yes, as this is a cycling forum I wonder (not very seriously) if non-cycling-related wildlife highlights are "allowed"... I include Water of Leith type things as one might take a bike there, but I wouldn't mention ptarmigan, for example, as they're a winter hillwalking thing.
Posted 10 years ago # -
@fimm
"
RULES No personal insults. No swearing.
"
Posted 10 years ago # -
I tend to include wildife that could be spotted while off out on the bike. Stretching it perhaps, seeing a Ptarmigan would be so cool (only ever seen them once) I'd argue you can take a mountain bike up a Munro...
Posted 10 years ago # -
Errr what have I done? Very sorry :(
Posted 10 years ago # -
No no no
That's the ONLY rules
This is CCE, anything goes
The collective CCE endorses (by responding), ignores (showing disinterest) or 'engages'...
Don't worry, all mentions of Ptarmigan beneficial
Posted 10 years ago # -
Nowt, I think chdot was merely pointing out the only rules of the forum. You've not indulged in any personal insults or swearing. There be no rules against posting a non-cycling wildlife spot. :)
Posted 10 years ago # -
Over the last couple of weeks there have been loads of wading birds (curlews, oyster catchers) on the playing fields to the north of the New Town (Goldenacre, Fettes, Police HQ fields).
Posted 10 years ago # -
Ah, that explains it - I thought pt@rm!g*n was obscene...
Robert
Posted 10 years ago # -
Ah, I see :)
Thank you :)Posted 10 years ago # -
4 male goosanders in the calmer (not that calm today!) water above the weir at Fords Road this morning. There were also 4 mallards huddled in the bend in the river, in the slow (not that slow today!) water on the inside of the curve. It did not look like it was good weather for ducks.
Posted 10 years ago #
Reply »
You must log in to post.
posts
