Pheasant spotted on Whitehouseloan this evening.....
CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Leisure
Wildlife highlight of the day
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Posted 13 years ago #
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Spotted this morning was an adult Mrs Duck, contentedly waddling across Shandon Place in rush hour traffic, just by Slateford Road.
It was more or less using the pedestrian crossing, and narrowly avoided being hit by a Transit driver coming from Slateford Rd, who stopped and waited for it to clear his lane. The duck then disappeared in front of my car (I know, I'm sorry), and as I leapt out to check, I spotted it proceeding towards the pavement and clear of me and almost clear of the left-turn lane, and I jumped back in. By this time the traffic light had changed to green and the car driver behind me leaned on the horn because obviously I hadn't noticed. Mrs Duck was bit far from the canal, I thought.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Sounds like a scene from 'Make way for duck(lings)'?
Posted 13 years ago # -
A fox decided to accompany me on my way back from craighouse last night, ran alongside for nearly a whole street. amazing!
Posted 13 years ago # -
There's been a heron on the towpath near between Shandon and Craiglockhart every morning this week. I don't mean visible from the towpath, I mean standing just on the verge watching me with a mean-looking yellow eye.
I zoom past within touching distance* and it more or less ignores me.
*and obviously at a speed closely approximating the 6 mph limit
Posted 13 years ago # -
Oh I saw one standing on the verge near Harrison Park yesterday morning. Gave me quite a shock as I normally only see them on the other, non-towpath side.
Posted 13 years ago # -
I sometimes see one in the burn through Bingham Park, but it obviously doesn't like being papped as it flies off every time I stop to get my phone out of my pannier to take a photo.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Partridge and 1 billion flies.
Urban Partridge in Mucklets Avenue
Files under trees and in my eyes
Posted 13 years ago # -
'Flies under trees and in my eyes'
Isn't that a lowlight?
Posted 13 years ago # -
Flies this morning on the old railway were def a lowlight, at this rate I may have to start wearing protective glasses :-/
Posted 13 years ago # -
Just noticed that I mispelt flies. Mind you, I have plenty of files in my eyes now.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Should surely be an opportune moment to remind everyone of the Edinburgh Wildlife website for any sightings?
Last week (Tuesday), not on the commute, but two kingfishers flying one way then t'other under Belford Bridge. Annoyingly it was the first time in about two years I've gone for a lunchtime wander there from work without the camera.
Another Mink around Dean Village last week as well - got a shot of that one.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Always see a lot of wildlife when I'm out commuting, today it was a kingfisher on the river Esk opposite the new Tesco store in Musselburgh.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Shoveler yesterday in the Figgate Park.
The Figgy is pretty easy for anyone to reach by bike - nice small park with a hell of an array of wildlife. My list so far... (more seen that I've not yet ghot photos of)
Posted 13 years ago # -
Oh that is cool, I haven't seen one of those before.
I love the greylag goose on its tippytoes, it's one of my faves.
Posted 13 years ago # -
In all the time I've been going to the Figgy (and it's a Sunday morning ritual really, plus extra times whenever I can) I've not seen a Shoveler there. Getting to migration season, so might just have been having a wee rest.
Always thought that Greylag looked like it was practising ballet or something.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Stretchy Dipper would like you to know that Min's head has just melted from cute overload.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Hahahahaha! He posed absolutely perfectly that day.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Anyone seen any Waxwings arriving in the city yet? Determined to get a shot of some!
Right, if Min thought Mr Dipper was cute, howsabout Long-Tailed Tits?
Posted 13 years ago # -
Hehehehehehe!
*squelch*
I haven't ever seen Waxwings but would really like to. When the tree out the back of our garden was laden with berries last year my hopes were up until a flock of Fieldfares landed and stripped the lot in two days!
Posted 13 years ago # -
Anyone seen any Waxwings arriving in the city yet? not since last winter. I was staying at my parent's place over in Bungalowvillestorphine and there was a large and persistent population vying with the Fieldfares for berry privileges.
Posted 13 years ago # -
Oh I saw a flock of geese flying low overhead as I rode along the Innocent this morning. Luckily there were no corners/other people at that point so I could have a look at them as I rode.
Posted 13 years ago # -
"An otter has been spotted by shocked staff wandering around a shopping centre in Edinburgh."
Really? IN the centre?
"The animal was rolling around the grass just yards from the centre's front door, near to the Braid Burn Watercourse."
So no..not really. Still cool though.
Posted 13 years ago # -
That otter is cool as bits!
Equally as cool is one of my Long-Tailed Tit photos being an Autumnwatch pic of the week. Which means it could/should be on the show tomorrow night (or on Unsprung) which is cool cos I got a shot of a breaching basking shark on Springwatch earlier in the year. :)
Posted 13 years ago # -
Posted 13 years ago #
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Hmmmm...
"These injuries may have been caused by animals."
"No-one I've spoken to has any idea what happened to him but when people start talking they often get the wrong idea"
John Caldwell, councillor for Musselburgh and Carberry said: "I stay not far from that area and the only animals around capable of doing such a thing are the foxes"
"Earlier this year a fox attacked twin baby girls while they slept in their cot at home in London. At the time, John Bryant, a pest control consultant who specialises in foxes, said such attacks were not typical fox behaviour."
Then again, it's not that often a fox will come across an unconscious (ooh, through drink perhaps?) person in a cemetery is it? This 'aint a fox attack but a fox scavenge. And hell, how far gone did the guy have to be that a(n alleged) fox could nibble off the end of two fingers and a bit of his nose (not in the report it says his nose was 'chewed' despite the headline saying it was 'bitten off') without him waking up????
Posted 13 years ago # -
I have spotted the heron fishing from the pedestrian side of the towpath recently as well, the first time on the Shandon/Craiglockhart stretch, and the second time a little closer to town opposite the church in Polworth...
I have also startled a pheasant a couple of times lately in the vicinity of Hermiston House Road, where I leave the towpath to pop-up to Heriot-Watt University campus.
Posted 13 years ago # -
LOWlight)
So basically foxes did this despite there being absolutely no evidence to back it up. A badger is every bit as capable as a fox at chewing on a nose, an ear or a finger.
There's also another mammal around there capable of inflicting such injuries - man.
Posted 13 years ago # -
The Evening News front page on this is 'Man Eaten Alive by Fox'
Sheesh...
Posted 13 years ago #
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