A decent forecast for this weekend so we set off for Blinkbonny wood in East Lothian for a spot of wild camping. The wood is privately owned by a very welcoming guy called Stephen who owns and manages the wood with his trusty collie dog Sam.Various clearings in the woods are available for wild camping and benches and a firepit are provided as well as the use of a composting toilet.
We arrived on Friday about 7pm and selected a pitch at the back of the woods with a view of the North berwick law hill and the Bass Rock! It was a pleasant enough evening so we set to pitching the tent and getting organised, which we did for about 9pm. A short stroll around the woods then ensued and wildlife spotted included woodcock, hare, buzzard and woodpeckers so this is obviously a good place for wildlife and birds.
After a decent night's sleep we awoke the next day to a sunny day and after breakfast we got ready and had a word with Stephen who told us that there was a nice walk around the nearby Hopes resevoir. So we duly drove the short but pleasant drive to the resevoir but the weather turned a bit and some heavy showers came on after we set off and we had to dash for the cover of some trees!
however the sun soon came out again and we walked up to the resevoir and crossed the dam to the other side and then did a complete circular walk of this lovely spot. There was a notice on some of the dam stonework saying that it had been brought from the demolished Calton jail in Edinburgh in 1930! We did not spot too much wildlife on this walk apart from a buzzard and a fleeting glimpse of a hare from the car.
On arrival back at the camp we got some dry logs from Stephen and got a cracking fire going in the fire pit and proceeded to cook our tea of chicken and sweetcorn over it! It was a decent evening with no rain so we enjoyed our meal and settled down to read our books by the roaring fire which gave off a lovely warmth! Woodcock and woodpeckers were flying about overhead and it was a really enjoyable evening. We did get into our sleeping bags about 10pm after the fire had died out and we had a nice warm sleep!
Up early next morning to the sound of birds and a gentle breeze blowing through the trees. We took a brief walk around the tracks in the woods and saw a few birds and a few craneflies by the pond made by Stephen. The sun came up gradually and it was nice to feel its warmth as we headed back to the tent for our breakfast. Breaking camp took a while as we were out of practice so it was about 10am before we were packed up. No sign of Stephen and Sam this morning so we loaded up the car then parked up just up the road from the wood and set off for a walk up Lammer Law which is the tallest hill in the lammermuirs. It was breezy and the sun was shining but we could see some squally showers in the distance. The walk itself was ok but we did not spot much wildlife or birds so not much to report apart from a few other walkers\cyclists. One lady we spoke to said she had been on holiday in Durness and had gone to Sandwood Bay and got a nice spell of weather whilst up there so that was nice to hear!!
Tuesday 31 July 2012
River Almond July 22
A blustery day today but not too bad in terms of rainfall - just a couple of isolated showers! Took the short drive to near Edinburgh Airport and walked down to the river Almond. The vegetation was veery dense and as tall as I have ever seen it because of all the rain! Our mission today was to spot a kingfisher as we have not seen one for a while so we set off along the river bank to a favourite spot and a kingfisher flew past within about 2 minutes!! what a result! It then flew back again a bit later so we were happy with that! At the same spot we also spotted a couple of young birds we thought were juvenile goosanders although not certain.
Further on and across the bridge we settled down at the riverside and spotted a couple of dippers and a grey wagtail. That was about it for this particular walk although we spotted a buzzard on the waay back.
Further on and across the bridge we settled down at the riverside and spotted a couple of dippers and a grey wagtail. That was about it for this particular walk although we spotted a buzzard on the waay back.
Sunday 22 July 2012
Pentlands 20 July
A nice evening, more like summer, so we decided to head for the Pentlands and go for an evening walk. Picked up a couple of provisions on the way out and headed for Flotterstone where we parked the car and set off about 5pm. Lots of swifts and swallows were flying about on this fine evening and we also spotted a heron and a kestrel on our way up the glen. Reached the Loganlea resevoir about 630 and sat down and had our meal overlooking the resevoir which was teeming with fish and a few fishermen in boats trying to catch them!
Spotted more swifts and swallows later as we made our way back down the glen and also noted a few butterflies fluttering about - we are sure they were all ringlets. It was nice to see some butterflies as we have not seen many so far this summer.
Spotted more swifts and swallows later as we made our way back down the glen and also noted a few butterflies fluttering about - we are sure they were all ringlets. It was nice to see some butterflies as we have not seen many so far this summer.
Corstorphine 17 July
An ok day today in terms of the weather so took an evening walk to Corstorphine area and the mission was to spot some badgers. We settled down at one of the setts and waited for some badgers but it was a bit more tricky because there was loads of himalayan balsam in the way and it was all over the place. Howerver after we had settled down at the sett we didnt have too long to wait before some badgers duly appeared. At 0one point there were three badgers fighting with each other and making a lot of noise - it looked like 2 were ganging up on another and maybe they were trying to drive off a young one? or maybe it was just mock fighting? eventually they disappeared into the undergrowth but a couple of others padded about the sett and we saw about 5 or 6 in total so it was a worthwhile trip.
On the way back we stopped in the woods and watched a couple of bats (pipistrelles) flying about just before dusk so that rounded off a good night as we headed back to the car.
On the way back we stopped in the woods and watched a couple of bats (pipistrelles) flying about just before dusk so that rounded off a good night as we headed back to the car.
2-16 July 2012
Weather absolutely awful the last couple of weeks so we have not been out as much as we would have liked. Have done some local walks including blackford hill, the hermitage and craiglockhart dell. Raining solid the most of the time so we did not see too much apart from a few birds including a kestrel, buzzard and a few ducks and geese etc. Glad to see the back of this spell and hope the weather takes a turn for the better soon!
Monday 2 July 2012
Peebles\Stobo 30 June
Away at 6am this morning headed for Peebles area to do some walking, wildlife watching and visits to local gardens. The first stop after driving through Peebles was Cadrona forest which has some nice walking trails and paths climbing up to good viewpoints. The weather was dry as we set off and eventually the sun came out as we headed uphill through the trees on the 'red route' which was a circular route of some 4 miles or so. the forest tracks were very wet and muddy but we managed to navigate our way to the highest point where a nice bench awaited overlooking some of the surrounding countryside. At this point the sun came out so we got our breakfast of porridge, rolls and coffee eaten under a sunny sky!! After relaxing in the sun for a bit after the breakfast we got on our way and headed onwards - in terms of wildlife this was not a great walk for spotting things as we only saw a buzzard, bullfinch and a butterfly - the 3 b's!!
We got back to the car mid-morning and by this time some showery rain came on as we drove along the road to Kailzie (the locals pronounce it "Kailie" - silent "z"!) gardens which has an osprey watch centre within the grounds. The centre is staffed with volunteers and we were given a warm welcome by a nice couple called Norma and Ian who were very helpful and informative about the ospreys and other local wildlife. As well as watching the osprey chicks on the nest we also looked on as many small birds came to the feeding table including siskins, robins and finches but the highlight was seeing a couple of nuthatches coming to feed - what beautiful little birds and the blue\azure colour on their breast is exquisite.
It was nice to be in the centre at this point as it was raining outside and everywhere looked a bit grey and dreich. After a good chat and discussion about the ospreys with Norma we headed off and our aim this time was Dawyck Botanic Gardens near Stobo, about 8 miles from Peebles.
We arrived, after driving through some lovely countryside, at Dawyck about 2pm to be greeted by sunshine and showers but it was mild so okay for a walk through this lovely tree garden which is part of the Royal Botanics. Now I am no tree expert but some of the specimens here are impressive including fir, spruce and larch and there were some trees dating back 300 years! There were also a lot of tree species from Japan [planted here so the climate in parts of Japan must be quite similar (very wet!!) as they seem to thrive here! Just think it has taken hundreds of years for this garden to evolve and mature and it really is a national treasure situated in a beautiful valley in a lovely part of Scotland! The gardens itself is lovingly tended and cared for and one of the features is the number of benches, many in memorium, spread throughout the garden in almost every corner and all in good condition. There are also some nice little bridges over the cascading stream which give nice viewpoints over the garden and from one of them we spotted a couple of red squirrels scurrying up trees! Another two were spotted later so 4 in all was pleasing after drawing a blank in Cadrona forest. The gardens are open until 6 so we made our way back to the very nice visitor centre\cafe and had a warming cup of tea as the rain fell steadily outside. The lady who served us said that she often saw hares in the garden from about 5.30pm - we hung about but no sign of them! All in all I would say this was a very pleasant experience and this is an excellent place to visit and comes highly recommended if you are in the area! Also spotted a buzzard and jay whilst in the garden so good for wildlife too!!
By this time it was about 6pm and the next stop was Stobo Castle health spa for a quick look around as it was just along the road. The weather had turned a bit grey and chilly by this point but we saw a nice pond in the grounds and there was a path around it so we got out for a brief walk but after spotting lots of jumping fish we thought it might be a good place to spot an osprey so we sheltered under a tree as the rain came down and waited..........after about 20 minutes an osprey duly flew over the pond and took a good look down at the water as if it was ready to swoop but it did not reappear and our hopes of it coming down for a fish were dashed!
However a pleasant surprise awaited as we stumbled across a secluded Japanese water garden right next to the pond!! Although some slippery stones had to be negotiated on the way down it was well worthwhile as the garden had some lovely trees, plants and shrubs and of course plenty of water running through it and lovely little bridges and stepping stones to negotiate the water channels. It was like being in paradise. A beautiful little tea house was on its own little island, only reached by stepping stones.
We'd had a full day out and would have loved to have stayed out longer but the weather had turned a bit more miserable and decided to head back home to Edinburgh.
We got back to the car mid-morning and by this time some showery rain came on as we drove along the road to Kailzie (the locals pronounce it "Kailie" - silent "z"!) gardens which has an osprey watch centre within the grounds. The centre is staffed with volunteers and we were given a warm welcome by a nice couple called Norma and Ian who were very helpful and informative about the ospreys and other local wildlife. As well as watching the osprey chicks on the nest we also looked on as many small birds came to the feeding table including siskins, robins and finches but the highlight was seeing a couple of nuthatches coming to feed - what beautiful little birds and the blue\azure colour on their breast is exquisite.
It was nice to be in the centre at this point as it was raining outside and everywhere looked a bit grey and dreich. After a good chat and discussion about the ospreys with Norma we headed off and our aim this time was Dawyck Botanic Gardens near Stobo, about 8 miles from Peebles.
We arrived, after driving through some lovely countryside, at Dawyck about 2pm to be greeted by sunshine and showers but it was mild so okay for a walk through this lovely tree garden which is part of the Royal Botanics. Now I am no tree expert but some of the specimens here are impressive including fir, spruce and larch and there were some trees dating back 300 years! There were also a lot of tree species from Japan [planted here so the climate in parts of Japan must be quite similar (very wet!!) as they seem to thrive here! Just think it has taken hundreds of years for this garden to evolve and mature and it really is a national treasure situated in a beautiful valley in a lovely part of Scotland! The gardens itself is lovingly tended and cared for and one of the features is the number of benches, many in memorium, spread throughout the garden in almost every corner and all in good condition. There are also some nice little bridges over the cascading stream which give nice viewpoints over the garden and from one of them we spotted a couple of red squirrels scurrying up trees! Another two were spotted later so 4 in all was pleasing after drawing a blank in Cadrona forest. The gardens are open until 6 so we made our way back to the very nice visitor centre\cafe and had a warming cup of tea as the rain fell steadily outside. The lady who served us said that she often saw hares in the garden from about 5.30pm - we hung about but no sign of them! All in all I would say this was a very pleasant experience and this is an excellent place to visit and comes highly recommended if you are in the area! Also spotted a buzzard and jay whilst in the garden so good for wildlife too!!
By this time it was about 6pm and the next stop was Stobo Castle health spa for a quick look around as it was just along the road. The weather had turned a bit grey and chilly by this point but we saw a nice pond in the grounds and there was a path around it so we got out for a brief walk but after spotting lots of jumping fish we thought it might be a good place to spot an osprey so we sheltered under a tree as the rain came down and waited..........after about 20 minutes an osprey duly flew over the pond and took a good look down at the water as if it was ready to swoop but it did not reappear and our hopes of it coming down for a fish were dashed!
However a pleasant surprise awaited as we stumbled across a secluded Japanese water garden right next to the pond!! Although some slippery stones had to be negotiated on the way down it was well worthwhile as the garden had some lovely trees, plants and shrubs and of course plenty of water running through it and lovely little bridges and stepping stones to negotiate the water channels. It was like being in paradise. A beautiful little tea house was on its own little island, only reached by stepping stones.
We'd had a full day out and would have loved to have stayed out longer but the weather had turned a bit more miserable and decided to head back home to Edinburgh.
REH Grounds 26 June
Took an evening walk tonight around the grounds of REH to see if we could spot any wildlife as roe deer, foxes and badgers have been spotted recently. It was a rather damp night with some drizzly rain but the temperatures were mild so okay for an evening stroll.
The rain went off for a while and some swifts and swallows appeared but the highlight was watching some bats doing their acrobatics around the orchard after 10pm - very nice to watch and cheered us up after the poor weather. The only other thing of note was hearing a tawny owl calling as it got darker. And that was it!!
The rain went off for a while and some swifts and swallows appeared but the highlight was watching some bats doing their acrobatics around the orchard after 10pm - very nice to watch and cheered us up after the poor weather. The only other thing of note was hearing a tawny owl calling as it got darker. And that was it!!
Sunday 1 July 2012
Bat count in Livingston 25 june
Out with Stuart from the Lothians and Borders Bat Group tonight to count the numbers in a roost in the loft space of a house. Quite an exciting prospect as we had never done anything like this before and we looked forward in anticipation on the drive out to Livingston. After meeting up with Stuart we headed to the house which was a fairly old building with a gable end and sloping roof and apparently the bats sqeezed through the tiniest gap between the wall and the roof to get in and out of their roost - we are talking millimetres so that is amazing!
Stuart issued us with counters and a bat detector and we settled down in our deckchairs to wait at about 930pm. Unfortunately it was a very still and damp night and the midges were out in force and on the attack! Anyway we covered ourselves up and waited......then the first bat duly appeared at 945pm and flew off! They then started coming out in 1's, 2's and 3's and eventually larger numbers and we were clicking away furiously on our counters....100, ......200, .......300.....and eventually up to 354 bats!! It was a great experience but a bit tricky in the fading light as some bats already out were flying near the entrance to the building so it was a bit tricky counting them at times. Stuart was quite encouraging to us newbies so all in all a good evening despite the menacing midges!
Stuart issued us with counters and a bat detector and we settled down in our deckchairs to wait at about 930pm. Unfortunately it was a very still and damp night and the midges were out in force and on the attack! Anyway we covered ourselves up and waited......then the first bat duly appeared at 945pm and flew off! They then started coming out in 1's, 2's and 3's and eventually larger numbers and we were clicking away furiously on our counters....100, ......200, .......300.....and eventually up to 354 bats!! It was a great experience but a bit tricky in the fading light as some bats already out were flying near the entrance to the building so it was a bit tricky counting them at times. Stuart was quite encouraging to us newbies so all in all a good evening despite the menacing midges!
Blackford Hill
Up very early today and out for a walk to Blackford Hill before 6am - a lot of surface water about but it was actually a nice sunny morning. We started off by walking past the pond and saw the swans and the cygnets in the exact same place as last time!!! Also a lot of ducks about and plenty of bunnies on the grass at the pond side. No sign of a kingfisher today so we took the path round the hill to a short but steep climb to the summit and once there we were greeted with the sight of swifts and swallows soaring over the hill. Also spotted a buzzard flying high over the hill looking for prey no doubt.
Hermitage of Braid - butterfly day! Sun 24 june
Another kinda damp and showery day today in keeping with the summer(?) so far! We went along to the Hermitage of Braid visitor centre for a workshop in identifying butterflies organised by the CEC ranger service. It was certainly an interesting experience and attended by a varied group of nice outdoor type folk!!
Another interesting twist was that the ranger, Jessica, was from the island of Corsica so full marks to her for putting up with the vagaries of the Scottish weather!! We started off with some classroom instruction on identifying butterflies and even doing some drawings - it was good fun but the two girls at our table were brilliant at drawing and their works of art made our drawings look like those of a 2 year old by comparison!!!! Anyway we learned some interesting facts and figures about butterflies and that there are 18 different species of butterly in Scotland!
After a break for lunch the group went out on to Blackford hill in search of some of our quarry but it was not the best of days for butterflies as it was a bit wet and showery. However the weather did brighten up a bit and lo and behold the sun came through and we eventually found our first butterfly which proved to be a small white - nothing too exotic but just nice to see one! We also found a small moth which could not be identified so that remained a mystery. It was nice to be out but after some more hunting around on the hill we called it a day as some squally showers came in and we headed back to the ranger centre. Also spotted a few birds while we were out including swifts, swallows and buzzards.
Another interesting twist was that the ranger, Jessica, was from the island of Corsica so full marks to her for putting up with the vagaries of the Scottish weather!! We started off with some classroom instruction on identifying butterflies and even doing some drawings - it was good fun but the two girls at our table were brilliant at drawing and their works of art made our drawings look like those of a 2 year old by comparison!!!! Anyway we learned some interesting facts and figures about butterflies and that there are 18 different species of butterly in Scotland!
After a break for lunch the group went out on to Blackford hill in search of some of our quarry but it was not the best of days for butterflies as it was a bit wet and showery. However the weather did brighten up a bit and lo and behold the sun came through and we eventually found our first butterfly which proved to be a small white - nothing too exotic but just nice to see one! We also found a small moth which could not be identified so that remained a mystery. It was nice to be out but after some more hunting around on the hill we called it a day as some squally showers came in and we headed back to the ranger centre. Also spotted a few birds while we were out including swifts, swallows and buzzards.
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