Tuesday 29 May 2012

Monday 28 May

An evening walk to a local badger sett about 9pm.  Did not have to wait long for the first badgers to appear and they started ambling about in 1's and 2's until we counted about 8 or 9 of them in total. After a while most of them seemed to have wandered off and a fox casually trotted right through the middle of the sett!  After a further wait of some 10 minutes or so a tawny owl flew silently across the sett low to the ground and being chased by an indignant blackbird! A great but oh so fleeting moment to savour!

After a while and near 10pm we headed back and on the way stopped to see some acrobatics from the local bats who put on a good acrobatic display - great stuff!  This walk just illlustrates what is on your own doorstep in terms of wildlife watching!

Sunday 27 May River Almond

Beautiful day yet again so off we went along the river Almond in the afternoon to see if we could spot a KF.  Took up our usual position on the riverbank and watched the swifts, swallows and martins flying about overhead.  A KF duly appeared after about 20mins and flew up and down the river a few times!
Also saw lots of butterflies including the orange tips and a peacock, as well as numerous whites. A perfect day for buzzards today with a good breeze and warm temperatures.  Saw about four of them soaring on the thermals and one was chased and harried for ages by a crow that seemed determined to drive the buzzard off!
Other birds spotted included siskin, goldfinch, warbler, robin and thrush so it was a good haul.  On the way back to the car saw more buzzards and also spotted a kestrel and another siskin.  Another nice walk in warm sunny conditions - how long can this weather hold out for??

Saturday 26 May - Pentlands

Another lovely sunny day today with clear blue sky.  Took the car to the Pentlands and parked up at Flotterstone Inn car park.  we then walked up the glen and took one of the hill paths but the army were on the rifle range so it was pretty noisy with lots of bullets being fired.  Still, it was a nice day and we saw plenty of butterflies including some orange tips, as well as numerous birds including greylag geese, a couple of buzzards and various swifts and swallows.
Later on we met up at the picnic site with folk from the local badger group for a barbecue which was most enjoyable on this lovely day.  The highlight here was seeing a roe deer on the opposite bank of the river.

Saturday 26 May 2012

River Almond

Another lovely day today. Took a walk along the river almond in the afternoon and sat down for picnic right next to the river at KF corner saw plenty of swallows and sandmartins but no sign of any swifts.  We did get a glimpse of a KF whizzing past a couple of times but very brief sighting and they didn't land.  A great day for butterflies with the warm conditions and we saw plenty of orange tips and cabbage whites fluttering about but no sign of any others - not seen many peacocks this year?

After a lazy snooze on the riverbank we headed further along the river and saw a warbler, siskin, mallard and cormorant. Weather was amazing so we just stayed out and took another seat on the riverbank and watched the swallows and sandmartins buzzing about overhead.  On our way back we spotted a songthrush singing away in front of us and saw lots of birds but no swifts which was a surprise. Got a good view of a heron soaring over the river and also spotted a couple of buzzards.

By this time it was late evening so we decided to head for Cammo as the sun went down to see if we could spot an owl.  Sat under the owl box but no sign of any activity although we heard one later as dusk fell.  Found a nice picnic table tucked away in the trees and sat there for a while before heading back to the car and on the way we spotted a couple of bats.

Wednesday 23 May 2012

River Almond 22/5

Another lovely day in this fine spell of weather so hopefully it will  continue! As it was a lovely soft evening we decided to go along the river almond in search of kingfishers!  It was a nice soft evening so lots of swallows flying about as we made our way to  kingfisher territory.  Saw the mallard with 5 ducklings so hope they all make it.  We stopped at the corner where sandmartin nests are and spotted a few martins going in and out the nests at great speed!  Whilst this was happening a siskin landed in the tree right above us!  More and more swallows and sandmartins appeared but curiously there was no sign of any swifts despite an abundance of flies and insects etc.

After about 30 minutes we got a sighting of 2 kingfishers on the opposite bank and they proceeded to fly back and forward for a while and then one landed on a branch in the river and we got a good view through the binocularsof those amazing colours!  Absolutely delightful!  They kept going back and forward for a while so it was an excellent sighting.  Spotted my first orange tip butterflies of the year so that was a bit of a relief as have always seen them in April in previous years.

After this about 930pm we went to a local ruined barn where we had been told by a local wildlife person that there may have been barn owls nesting there.  The building looked ideal but after staking it out for a while we did not spot any barn owls and a man living in the cottage nearby told us he had seen any owls in the last year or so.  has the very wet spring affected them as they cannot fly/hunt when it is raining?  We will maybe try again to spot them but it does not look promising.  On the way back  in fading light we saw  lots of bats flying along the edge of the trees and hedgerows. Another relaxing walk.

Badgers again!

Went on a walk to the badger sett with a local wildlife enthusiast\photographer who was going to try and get a photo if possible without spooking the badgers.  Got there about 930 and got a vantage point overlooking the sett so settled down for a possible sighting.  A couple of badgers duly appeared within about 10 minutes but they maybe got a whiff of our scent as they seemed a bit jumpy.  The light was still quite good but the breeze was quite chilly.  Eventually about 5 or 6 badgers did appear in 1's and 2's but they were rushing about from one entrance\exit to another so the sightings were not that good tonight.  The real highlight was when a tawny owl flew silently right across the sett quite low to the ground - a great sight!
After this we made our exit and on the way back saw a lot of bunnies and a few bats which were very small so probably pipistrelle bats.

Corstorphine hill LNR

A nice sunny day today so took a walk up to Corstorphine Hill which is a lovely walk with lots of wildlife.  Saw loads of birds including spotted woodpecker, green woodpecker, thrush, kestrel, 3 buzzards - one being chased and harried by a crow, 2 others dive bombing each other!!  Also saw swifts and swallows and lots of smaller birds including wrens and a goldcrest, the UK's smallest bird.

Other wildlife spotted included loads of bunnies, one of which looked like a dutch rabbit!  Also spotted a couple of squirrels and a few butterflies including cabbage whites and painted ladies.  Rounded off the walk to the walled garden which is looking lovely just now and is testament to the work of the volunteers from FOCH.  A magpie landed right in front of us and we got a good picture so will post this in due course.

Saturday 19 May 2012

River Almond\Edinburgh Badgers

Today a bit better weather wise after 2 dayus of monsoon rains - cloudy but mostly dry apart from a few spots of rain.  We set off on the almond walkway from the airport end and walked down the track towards the river which was swollen with rainwater and a dirty brown colour after all the rain of recent days.

First thing we spotted, unusually here, was a lesser spotted woodpecker perching on a tree next to the river, the firt time we have spotted a woodpecker here.  The river was buzzing with swallows and sandmartins despite the swollen waters.  Curiously however there were no signs of any swifts as we walked along the river towards Cammo although we saw a few reed buntings jumping about the riverside and also spotted the duck family at the same area and it seemed the young were down to 5 inm number so 1 less than the last time. At the area of the river wwe have named 'kingfisher corner' because of numerous sightings in the past we stopped for a while on the riverbank but no kingfishers this time but we did see 2 grey wagtails bobbing up and down and a couple of wrens. we sat here for a while just listening to the sounds of the birds, the breeze and the fast flowing water.  A lovely spot.

On the way back along the riverside path we at last saw some swifts flying about and too many sandmartins and swallows to count! Great to see the swifts again as they are one of my favourite birds and its such a shame they are only here for 3 or so months of the year - wish they were here for a lot longer!  We decided to go under the railway bridge next to the airport and take shelter under a willow tree next to the riverbank as the wind had got up and there was a few spots of rain.  The river was still buzzing with swifts, swallows and martins but the highlight was seeing a kingfisher whizzing past and down the river!  Lovely to see as we have not spottted one for a while and did not expect to see one as the water was very dark brown colour which presumably means they cant fish?

Making our way back to the car we spotted a siskin flying along the edge of one of the farm fields and that was a nice way to round off an enjoyable walk on a breezy afternoon.


At night just after 9pm we went back to a local nature reserve and settled down at a badger sett in expectation of some badger spotting.  We were sat down for 5 minutes when a 'pack' of 6 badgers all together came into view!  so nice to see as you usually spot them in 1's and 2's.  This group were going in and out of the sett and sniffing and shuffling about while oblivious to our presence.  Cags (partner) had a slightly better vantage point than me and she saw a tawny owl flying silently through the woods just above the sett! Amazing stuff but I was slightly jealous as I did not see it from where I was sitting!
Anway another good badger expedition and owl was the icing on the cake for this time.

Thursday 17 May 2012

Edinburgh badgers

Out on wednesday night to a local nature reserve with some great wildlife not too far from the city centre.  Quite a nice day today with sunny spells\cloud - a nice change from the recent rainy weather.  You could definitely call this a 'soggy spring' as its been raining most days now since the beginning of April and most of the outdoor walking paths are all very muddy and wet so maybe its time to get the wellies out!!
Anyway I digress! The walk last night was amazing as 2 badgers came out of the sett just a couple of minutes after we sat down to watch which was very obliging of them!  After another few minutes there were more and more badgers out and about running, walking and shuffling about.  One even appeared to be moving backwards doing a kind of MichaelJjackson moonwalk!!  I think it was taking fresh bedding into the sett! Brilliant to watch.  At this point we counted something like 10 badgers although difficult to work out if we were double counting, ie they go down one entrance then come out another exit as the sett is quite big.  Anyway they were running about all over the place although a couple stuck their noses in the air and got a whiff of our scent then shot down their holes! After a while most of them seemed to have wandered off in various directions so we took this chance to make an exit from our viewpoint so as not to disturb them at all.  What a great badger watching experience as you normally see a few at most when watching a sett.  They all seemed about the same size so not sure if some young were still down in the sett.

On a more serious note away from the badgers' antics I cannot give away the location as there are some people out there whos intentions towards badgers are not very honourable.  I am sure anyone reading this will understand.  As a member of a local badger group I am all too aware of the need to keep locations of setts private etc.  A shame we have do this in the 21st century but the welfare of these wild creatures must come first.

On the way back from the sett to the car saw loads of bunnies and a few birds but it had turned a bit dreich and rainy and light was fading (10pm).  Stopped at the edge of the reserve and waited to see if we could see any bats at a place we have seen them lots of times before.  Waited for a fe minutes and then a couple of tiny bats started flying low over our heads in search of insects (hopefully not from our heads!)!  They were very small and although I am no expert on bats I believe they were pipistrelle bats.  Absolutely love watching bats and their acrobatics, its one of the great displays in nature and to think they do it all for free!!  Great stuff and I am sure they come out in the rain because by this time there was some light but steady rainfall.  A nice walk and will file it under the 'pleasant local experience' category.

Monday 14 May 2012

River Almond Walkway

Went for an evening walk along the Almond across from Cammo estate and out towards the airport.  Turned into a nice evening after a showery day, a bit more like spring.
First thing we spotted were a couple of bunnies playing in the horse field. Then a robin was singing in a tree above our heads and we managed to spot it.
Further along the river we saw a few swifts soaring on the breeze and then we turned the corner where the island is a nd proceeded to see lots of sandmartins buzzing about in a sky which was also alive with swifts and swallows!  Wonderful to see all these summer visitors flying about together especially as its our first sight of sandmartins for at least 9 months!

Further along the river we saw more birds including a mallard with 6 ducklings - it was looking a bit twitchy so has probably lost some already to predators.  A siskin then flew into a tree just 10 yards away and a reed warbler landed on a bush nearby and sang heartily!  The sky was still buzzing with summer visitors as we made our way back on the same path when two song thrushes came out of the scrub and sang beautifully right in front of us! Probably they were nesting nearby?

We stopped at island corner and watched some sandmartins flying in and out of their nests and we commented upon how they looked almost like a kingfisher when they flew out of the nest.  No sign of any kingfishers tonight though.  The whole walk was so nice and green, leafy with lots of wildflower and lovely scents in the air.  Have still not spotted an orange tip butterfly yet this year and they have probably been affected by the poor weather and wet conditions.  Saw a couple of buzzards perching on trees at the edge of the fields.

Stopped at the old bridge on the way back in fading light (945pm) to see if we could spot any bats but none showed up so we called it a night at 10pm and headed back to the car. A pleasant evening walk and much more like spring tonight.  Here's hoping it continues!

Sunday 13 May 2012

Corstorphine Hill LNR

A very windy morning but dry.  We went on a guided bird walk with FOCH around 10.00am on Corstorphine Hill bird spotting with a group of about 14 people.
Started frrom Clermiston Road car park and proceeded up the hill. The walk was mainly about spotting and listening for birds for survey data for the local ranger service.

First bird was a chiffchaff followed by a blackcap then assorted tits , robins and thrushes.  At one of the highest points we spotted a kestrel followed by a pair of buzzards. Near the first badger sett saw a buzzard flying low through the woods jusgt above head height!  Also spotted a few other buzzards and some more robins and thrushes. Next up was a willow warbler and then we listened to a blackcap singing in the trees,  sometimes hard to make out what the bird was when many were calling at same time.

Near badger sett 2 Keith the walk leader said that he had spotted a nuthatch so we hung about there for a while and Carole spotted one!!  I also spotted a treeecreeper and then a woodpecker near the end of the walk so it finished well.  keith pointed out that the difference between a great tit and a coal tit is that, apart from size, the coal tit has a white bit on its head!! Did not know that! Also learned a bit about stock doves which are very similar to wood pigeons but do not have the white stripey bit at the neck.

An enjoyable walk on a grey and windy day so all in all a worthwhile exercise.

Saturday 12 May 2012

Pentlands Circular

Set off at 7am and arrived at Threipmuir Car Park 730.  Very quiet to begin with but a nice day with some blue skies and sunshine at last! 
The first thing we spotted was a few swallows flying about near the car park. Next up on Threipmuir reservoir were a few tufted ducks followed by a skylark and wheaters.  At the far end of the reservoir we heard the clear call of a cuckoo! Loud and clear and one of the great sounds of summer! Also saw a kestrel hovering in the sky.  At this point we decided to stop at the edge of the plantation wood and have a nice breakfast of porridge, hot chocolate and some nice bread. Yummy!  As we were having breakfast a chaffinch landed right in front of us and proceeded to grab and eat a cranefly!

Back on the walk we were on the road up to Loganlea reservoir and saw dippers, grey wagtail, reed bunting, thrushes, more swallows and another kestrel.  Loganlea busy today with lots of anglers out on the slightly choppy waters - very breezy.  Weather nice when the sun is out but chilly when it slips behind a cloud.  We did not spot too much after the reservoir and walked down the big hill and through the gate along to the Robin Aitken hide.  Sadly, the bit round the bird feeders was all flooded and no-one - unless wearing waders! - could get out to fill them up again so there weren't the usual numbers of wee birds flying about.  We heard a cuckoo over the water and then thought we saw one flying by the hide but weren't sure - will need to read up about them in the bird book.  Also saw a moorhen and a swift.  A pair of swans were nesting over the other side of water.  Also spotted a heron over the other side.

Went on the Red Moss walk - looked back along the boardwalk walk and saw a little roe deer running along behind us then it disappeared over a small ridge.

After tis nice sunny walk we took the car down to Malleny Gardens (National Trust), somewhere we had been meaning to go for ages.  It was a really nice wee place - saw 3 different types of butterfly - peacock, cabbage white and some type of fritillary butterfly? Not sure but will identify it later.  Also saw robins, swallows and a crow came walking by our bench.  We sat there for ages enjoying the sunshine and watching the birds whilst listening to the water gurgling past in the stream outside the garden wall.  Spotted a couple of hoodies from the car on the way home just past Riccarton. Another enjoyable day out and much better weather made it a pleasant experience!

Friday 11 May 2012

Dalmeny Estate

A wet and windy day today but better than yesterday's downpour!  We went for walk to Dalmeny at 10.00am.  Parked Car near Gatehouse and started off through Glenpunty Wood where we almost instantly saw a Roe Deer and a Kestrel. Off to a good start!  Then down at the edge of the Golf course we saw our first Swifts of the year soaring overhead!  What a welcome sight as its been 9 months since we last saw them!
Saw a few buzzards soaring about as we walked along the beach towards Queensferry.  At this point the rain was on and off and we saw a few seabirds including Curlew, Oystercatcher and Cormorant. On the way back through the woods we saw a Spotted Woodpecker and then heard the faint call of a Cuckoo from deep in the woods somewhere! Probably the first Cuckoo we have heard in over a year at least!
No sighting but definitely the call of the Cuckoo.

Saw a few small birds on the way back but the main attraction were the lovely Bluebells which had carpeted large swathes of Glenpunty Wood - lovely, despite the heavy rain!! One other interesting footnote to this walk - saw a Police Dogs Van parked on the estate and two officers were out on a grassy area training a young German Shepherd which was hanging on grimly to the arm of 'the criminal'. Fascinating stuff to watch.

All in all a good day despite the weather and two firsts of the year - our first Swifts and the call of our first Cuckoo so a good day despite the iffy weather.