Hurrah! Gannets! (Out at Seacliff, had gone hoping to see them knowing they'd started dropping onto the Bass. Some nice close views too).
Just as good were the Fulmars nesting on the rocks around, and a lone Razorbill.
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure
Wildlife highlight of the day
(7221 posts)-
Posted 9 years ago #
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A little gull at the mouth of the Esk amongst the black headed ones.
Fess up - I wouldn't have spotted it unless the heavily armed twitchers hadn't been all cool/giddy about it.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Bats, and lots of them, all the way round the top road of Arthur's Seat at dusk tonight. Some fine instances of a couple of them flying alongside me for 20 metres or so as I went about my laps.
Also, a toad on the top road above Duddingston Loch, so take care if you are cycling round there. There seemed to be a new temporary grills placed over the drains on the road on the way up, perhaps to stop our toady friends getting trapped down them?
Posted 9 years ago # -
That time of year -
Posted 9 years ago # -
A cat and a mouse, engaged in a game of cat and mouse, in the office basement car park this afternoon as I came back from running some errands. Nearly ran the pair of them over.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I very narrowly avoided what I think was probably a toad on the towpath one evening last week, which was a relief.
I spotted copious quantities of frogspawn in the pond at the allotments near Blackford Hill on Saturday afternoon.
I think I spotted a mouse scuttling around Screen 12 of Cineworld last night whilst watching X+Y. Maybe the same one or a relative of one I saw in Nachos Fiesta recently.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Just saw a swallow out doing a spot of aerial rowing over South Gyle.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Both Common Mergansers?
Posted 9 years ago # -
Nice pics. Goosanders I think. Where did you see them?
Posted 9 years ago # -
I recently learned the way to remember (works with the females at least). Mergansers Merge. That is - the red neck merges into the grey body. With the Goosander, there is a clear line.
Posted 9 years ago # -
@kaputnik - that's interesting. We were wondering if that's what we saw out the window this evening. Thought it was too early.
I was out in the garden later on - quite dark - toasting marshmallows and the ducks were carrying on something dreadful. Made for a lovely spring evening.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Alternatively if you read Wikipedia properly you'll notice they are the same -
"
The common merganser (North American) or goosander (Eurasian) (Mergus merganser)
...
Much smaller numbers of males also use estuaries in eastern Scotland as a moulting area.
"
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_merganser#Movements
Almond just below the Falls -
Posted 9 years ago # -
I think any confusion arises because it's the Americans that use 'Common Merganser', whereas there is also the Red-breasted Merganser (which fits in with Min's description, and I'm going to remember that way to distinguish now) - and indeed I saw two of the latter at the mouth of the Almond on Thursday.
Of course the Goosander is a 'type' of Merganser (hence the American name).
Lovely little flock of Meadow Pipits out at Saltoun this morning.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Some sort of broad-winged attack bird circling above the trees in Pollok Park this afternoon. No idea what it was and couldn't get a photo as I only had my 35mm lens with me.
Posted 9 years ago # -
with the merganser quiffs are also important. The males and females quite different too.
Many lambykins in fields of ayrshire yesterday and deer on the motorway verge at Burrell collection turn. Looks like nearly spotted a collection of wingpigs from post above he was out that way too.
Posted 9 years ago # -
A pair of goldfinches gathering spiders' webs from the back garden wall for their nest.
A handsome stonechat staking out his territory in the Howe yesterday.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Here's a female goosander somewhere distant
Posted 9 years ago # -
Duddingston Loch from the Bawsinch gate brought a Great Crested Grebe pair on the far side of the reeds, looking like they were nest building. Also a single Pochard, which was a nice surprise. Couple of Teal landed nearby, then a Sparrowhawk sauntered slowly by.
Great Spotted Woodpecker and Jay on Corstorphine Hill (had gone looking for Green Woodpeckers, but no joy there).
Posted 9 years ago # -
had gone looking for Green Woodpeckers, but no joy there
Reliably used to be at least 1 or 2 in the Hermitage of Braid.
Posted 9 years ago # -
@kaputnik
Wow. Never seen them there and that is good to know.
Only ever seen them on the Dudingstone slopes of Arthur's Seat.
Posted 9 years ago # -
I looked out of the window this morning and saw a Robin with a bright green caterpillar in its beak which it then ate up. Not exciting like Green Woodpeckers but it made me smile.
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Posted 9 years ago # -
Beautiful cormorant in Leith today
Posted 9 years ago # -
Loved the close up on the curved beak, very nice detail
Posted 9 years ago # -
I saw six roe deer cross the road at Morham and run across the field towards Bearford.
Posted 9 years ago # -
At least twenty toads in various states of road-crossing around the hill. No squished ones that I could see. Also two suicide-bunnies in the middle of the road on the downhill bit, fortunately picked out in time to be avoided.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Banks of celandines on canal by Winchburgh on Sunday. Sunday was the best weather ever for a cycle. Pure white cat stuck in a tree across canal near Leamington Bridge this morning.
Posted 9 years ago # -
Quite a few bats flying back and forward over and under the Cramond Brig in pretty much daylight at 8pm.
If I knew my bats, I'd give the species, but to me, they were just bats.
Posted 9 years ago # -
From the weekend:
Skylarks on the Hartside Pass.
About half a dozen (if not more) buzzards circling over my parents' house - very high up, riding the thermals, but Mum heard them calling. It took a while to spot them!Posted 9 years ago # -
Had a bat out the back door in broad daylight too for ages last night, I think the clocks going forward message has not got through to the bats.
Skylarks in pentlands on Sunday, love them ascending.
Lacerated a frog with grass strimmer monday, do not fear it recuperated in a hole in the wall and hopped off yesterday a little warily but with cat avoiding leaps.
Thought it was the end of an era as for last ten years first frog laceration of spring or indeed just spotting them peaking out of the wall usually brought the kids into the garden but their mum informed me they were no longer interested. Fortunately, yesterday my son was most observant of the slow hopping frog, this made me glad.
Posted 9 years ago #
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