I frightened the life out of a badger on Pencaitland Railway walk the other night. First one I've seen (alive) anywhere...
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure
Wildlife highlight of the day
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Posted 9 years ago #
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Cool. I've been on a badger watch on Corstorphine Hill, and we got ridiculously lucky with 4 appearing (two adults, two young 'uns - who appeared first, and we thought were adults, then the big guys arrived). Didn't get any snaps for fear of the shutter sending them scurrying and ruining it for all concerned!
Daylight fox visit today
Foxy3 by blackpuddinonnabike, on FlickrAnd yesterday's highlights out at Aberlady were a stunning wee Sanderling (I just love these - this one let me get within about 7 or 8 yards)
Sanderling_4 by blackpuddinonnabike, on FlickrAnd gazillions of Fieldfares
Fieldfare_6 by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
Fieldfare_7 by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr99% sure we saw a Peregrine bothering them later on as well - but I was carrying two humungous bits of driftwood, the camera was in the bag, and the wrong lens was on, so the moment kinda passed before I'd even had a thought about getting a shot.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Did you see an LE owl at Aberlady?
Posted 9 years ago # -
I only read about it after we got back! No idea why I hadn't heard it was there - so planning on riding out on Monday for a gander.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Female sparrowhawk 'spiral traversing' over the top of the oblivious jackdaw motorway traffic heading to the Craigmillar Hill roost.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Spotted sparrow hawk as bird on wire on icy Lang Whang this morning. Was too small for goshawk but seemed to have more of that colouring. Was not a dark chanting goshawk
Posted 9 years ago # -
Cracking day for a ride out to Aberlady, and the wildlife came out to play. I'd gone specifically to try and find the Long-eared Owls. Saw one (a lovely lady pointed it out to me) hidden in the buckthorn - I got a couple of shots where you can just about make out the face, with the barred tail clearly in view. But the bonuses were (arguably) even better - Kingfisher at the mouth of the Esk (that got chased by a gull at one point); Little Egret in the marshes just west of the Aberlady reserve car park; some Ringed Plovers (and another plover that may be a juvenile, but might be something else) with some rather confiding Curlews coming into Cockenzie and Port Seton from the east; Long-tailed Duck off the sea wall at Musselburgh, with a load of Velvet Scoters, as well as Grebes Slavonian and Great-crested, on the way back (with the tide rolling back in I figured I'd give it another chance). And snapped the power station for posterity as well....
Posted 9 years ago # -
@WC I go up to your patch and don't see a kingfisher and you come down to mine and see one. Where exactly was it? I checked the N Esk upstream from the Goose green bridge today and saw cormorants, a dipper, goldeneyes and goosanders.
Posted 9 years ago # -
You went the wrong way ;)
It was bang on where Goose Green Place meets Goose Green Crescent. A chap I was speaking to reckoned it was further downstream than he'd ever seen it, though I've heard reports on Lothian Bird News of it there as well. Just sitting on the wall watching the water below (when not being chased).
Kingfisher by blackpuddinonnabike, on Flickr
Kingfisher_2 by blackpuddinonnabike, on FlickrPosted 9 years ago # -
T'other highlights...
Little Egret (love the yellow socks)
Little Egret Take Off by blackpuddinonnabike, on FlickrI'm reliably informed that the plover on the right (with the Ringed on the left) is a Semipalmated, which doesn't appear to be all that common in Scotland / UK.
Plovers by blackpuddinonnabike, on FlickrLong-tailed Duck
LTD_1 by blackpuddinonnabike, on FlickrCurlew failing to merge in...
Curlew Imposter by blackpuddinonnabike, on FlickrGodwits
Godwits by blackpuddinonnabike, on FlickrAnd there IS an owl here...
LEO by blackpuddinonnabike, on FlickrPosted 9 years ago # -
Okay, if that Plover IS a Semipalmated then only five others appear to have ever been recorded in the UK....
EDIT: Yeah, serious doubts...
Posted 9 years ago # -
For those of us who:
(a) aren't good at spotting wildlife and
(b) can't take such good photos
a reminder that Winterwatch is on BBC2 all week.Based at Mar Lodge Estate again this year, and as always some spectacular footage. In particular a lovely piece filmed on the Somerset Levels of a marsh harrier harassing ducks.
@Wilmington's Cow: great photos!
Posted 9 years ago # -
Looks like a juv ringed or it could be an adult in winter dress. They do have a winter dress but they don't always wear it. That is waders for you. But I don't know what a seme-palmated looks like. Just because it is rare, doesn't mean you didn't see one!
Posted 9 years ago # -
Great photos. And don't worry too much about rare sightings - all nature is great (except Ebola etc).
Posted 9 years ago # -
Here is a semi-palmated. I am not seeing it. On a better screen I am leaning towards winter adult ringed due to the orange base at the beak.
Posted 9 years ago # -
The reporter for the Scottish Ornithologists Club dropped me a nice email about it, noting some features matched the Semi, and others didn't, that he wasn't sure, and that even for an expert it's a difficult distinction. Other messages from LothianBirdNews were a little more.... 'forthright'.
Seems a strong consensus it's a young, probably first winter, Common Ringed.
Dammit. Really would have been a heck of a spot.
EDIT: Yeah, I'd seen that particular link too. Appears the Semi also has a winter coat it doesn't always wear, just to make things even more confusing.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Maybe next time!
I agree with Amir but I would still like to spot something rare one day.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Egret shot is lovely. Owl shot amusing. Cheers!
Posted 9 years ago # -
Posted 9 years ago #
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1.8m Wing Span!!!
Posted 9 years ago # -
"Eagle Owl on the loose in Perthshire."
On Winterwatch last night Michaela Strachan had a Little Owl on her arm. Then Chris Packham brought in an Eagle Owl. Little Owl understandably panicked! It would be like having your domestic kitty then someone bringing in a lion!
That Eagle Owl is a beautiful biiiiiiiiiig birdy.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Dualling the A9 has allowed this one;
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-21274002
quick and easy access to Blair Atholl.
Posted 9 years ago # -
That Eagle Owl is a beautiful biiiiiiiiiig birdy.
I held one once. It towered over me as it stood on my arm.
Posted 9 years ago # -
On the tangential subject of domestic cats and big cats: http://lovemeow.com/2014/06/cat-and-lynx-become-inseparable-friends/
Posted 9 years ago # -
Spotted very brown buzzard on a pole by side of M9 returning from Alloa yesterday. Want to say it was something else but had that ruffled look that buzzards sometimes possess whereas your golden eagle is always immaculately groomed.
I hear some rough legged buzzards blown in from the north lands and hanging about down Dumfries way
Posted 9 years ago # -
https://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch
(This w/e)
Posted 9 years ago # -
Redwing, by Rennie's bridge, Musselburgh.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Starling murmuration at Gretna services
Posted 9 years ago #
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