CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure

Wildlife highlight of the day

(7221 posts)

  1. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I don't actually know where Edinburgh's rubbish is dumped.

    It's taken by train to Oxwellmains in East Lothian, near Dunbar.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  2. Min
    Member

    Then that makes sense. They could be coming from there. But where they are going to is perhaps more of a mystery!

    Posted 10 years ago #
  3. Charterhall
    Member

    Do snowdrops count as wildlife ? I was working from home today and noticed I have several clumps of them flowering in the front garden. It certainly does feel like spring is coming early this year.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  4. amir
    Member

    Definitely do. Recordings of this sort of this can be made at http://www.naturescalendar.org.uk/

    Posted 10 years ago #
  5. Greenroofer
    Member

    @Pintail - we must have been very close, because that kestrel didn't stay for long and I was there about the same time. We probably saw each other without knowing it. I was heading east, black hybrid, red panniers, black beanie hat (and the obligatory fluo yellow jacket and black tights that aren't a distinguishing feature).

    So can I claim this as a spot of Pintail (even though I don't know what they look like) and put it under 'Wildlife Highlight of the Day', as per amir's question.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  6. gembo
    Member

    Up at top of beech avenue at start of Pentland hills the crocus are breaking through. As there has been no ral winter, nothing has really died and evertything starting to come through. A cold snap now will be disastrous.

    @jdanielp Kingfishers are a very vibrant blue, rarely seen bird? You aren't spotting mallards? Just joking. Saw cormorant on the pier at Harlaw. Seen them often but never seen their chicks

    Posted 10 years ago #
  7. Charterhall
    Member

    @greenroofer I'm afraid your description doesn't ring any bells. I was in similar garb on a very muddy Croix de Fer with black Ortliebs. I'm not usually there at that time of day, I was skiving off early.

    @jdanielp I've now dropped by at Hermiston Bridge three times, not a sausage. Must be a time of day thing.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  8. allebong
    Member

    Buds appearing along the Saughton section of the WoL path just now.

    A cold snap now will be disastrous.

    According to the forecasts I've seen, the wind is due to start coming from the east next week, so a cold snap is a real possibility. Likely to drop to at least freezing, maybe even -5.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  9. Charterhall
    Member

    The sort of caterpillar that looks like a pipe cleaner, spotted today just below Clubbiedean.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  10. jdanielp
    Member

    @gembo unless it is a particularly nimble and svelte mallard then I'm pretty sure that it's a kingfisher! ;-)

    @Pintail bad luck. I suspect that you may be right. I've nearly always spotted it around 09:15-09:45. I wonder if it has a bit of a daily routine? I seem to remember once seeing a kingfisher in that area in the late afternoon or early evening in the summer months.

    Another heron spotting today on the nearside bank on the canal; possibly the closest I have been to one. It was wandering along the slope between the towpath and the water just before the towpath curves around to the right and then goes under the railway (heading out of town) so was barely a metre away from me as I cycled past. It didn't seem at all perturbed by my presence.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  11. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Heron strutting aroung at the east end of the Meadows on Saturday evening. Either it was lost or the grass is flooded enough to provide some slug-stalking habitat.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  12. Kenny
    Member

    Last night a fox sprinted out of Craigmount HS across Craigs Road while I was cycling to Tesco. It missed me by about half a second while I was descending the wee hill fairly quickly. Certainly got the heart rate going.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  13. amir
    Member

    I had a fox sprint in front of me last night too. Must be the time of year. This was on Dalhousie Road near to where they're building the rail bridge over the A7. At the same time I heard a tawny owl - very atmospheric.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  14. Focus
    Member

    "At the same time I heard a tawny owl"

    "too-wit" or "too-woo"?

    Posted 10 years ago #
  15. amir
    Member

    More of a "keeeewick" scream.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  16. chdot
    Admin

    Posted 10 years ago #
  17. MrTea
    Member

    A fox ran out in front of me as well on the Roseburn path the other day.

    Also saw a Kingfisher sitting on the rubbish that builds up in the water by the bridge on Ocean Drive (Leith Docks). It was only a few feet away. I was so surprised I stopped my bike suddenly & nearly got run over.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  18. Kenny
    Member

    I appreciate it's probably just luck / coincidence, but I've seen a significant rise in numbers of foxes, either on the NEPN or in Corstorphine / Craigmount. I rarely used to see them, but there's seemingly loads of them about right now.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  19. amir
    Member

    "I appreciate it's probably just luck / coincidence, but I've seen a significant rise in numbers of foxes, either on the NEPN or in Corstorphine / Craigmount. I rarely used to see them, but there's seemingly loads of them about right now."

    Seasonal effect? (They're at it)

    Posted 10 years ago #
  20. amir
    Member

    I had a rather close encounter with a seagull this am in Musselburgh. Rather than following the Green Cross Code it was more focused swooping down to some food item in the road. It did notice me a little late - I just felt the soft flap of its wings on my foot - I am not quite sure how it managed to get from one side of the bike to the other.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  21. EddieD
    Member

    I cycled up to the Bavelaw hide over the weekend, and saw a fleet of Whooper swans, something I'd never seen before - and the water was more or less lapping against the hide (the chameleon had it's wheels in water when I leant it up). Whilst I was there, I was chatting with the ranger who popped in to see how things were, and I gave her a list of things I'd seen, and she said that Scottish water had taken a management decision to keep Threipmuir water level high, i.e. at the current level, so we're unlikely to see the woodland birds round the hide anymore which would be a great shame, although she said that the ranger service are in negotiation to try and get the levels reduced, but didn't hold out much hope.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  22. Charterhall
    Member

    That's a shame, I once had an excellent view of a brambling on the feeders outside the hide.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  23. EddieD
    Member

    I agree (although I've never seen your namesake there) - I've got snaps of Buntings, Treecreepers, various Tits, Dunnocks, Finches, and many, many more. Hopefully a compromise will be reached. Probably only if Stockbridge floods because there's no capacity in the reservoirs to absorb heavy rains, alas.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  24. kaputnik
    Moderator

    A solitary redwing and a solitary fieldfare in the Meadows on Saturday morning. Where there's one there's usually more though.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  25. jdanielp
    Member

    Two herons a hunting, and a king-fisher in a bare tree.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  26. wingpig
    Member

    I saw a rat scuttling across Hawkhill Avenue on my way home on Friday.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  27. stiltskin
    Member

    An evening cycle round Costorphine Hill/cammo revealed: Several foxes, a mouse, a badger and a stoat with its winter coat on.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  28. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Snowdrops on the Meadows on Saturday then again this morning alongside Water of Leith from Fords Road bridge

    Posted 10 years ago #
  29. gembo
    Member

    Deer beside the motorway at Burrell collection on way to Ayr and again on the other side on the way back.

    Posted 10 years ago #
  30. Diarmid
    Member

    no toucan crossing obviously...

    Posted 10 years ago #

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