after the storm pt 3

 

A trip along to Warriston on the 29th Jan. I went in from St Mark's bridge at Powderhall so I didn't see the signs at the main gates saying the cemetery was closed. I bumped into a forestry guy near the tunnel and he said to watch out for broken branches which they were clearing over the North side.

defo giving me the stink eye

When I arrived I put out food for the storm survivors in the usual places along the East of the riverside area. There weren't many of the small birds about and my eye was caught by a larger bird high up in the nearby tree. Nice out of ten times this happens I think that'll be the sparrowhawk and it turns out to be a pigeon. This time I thought that'll be a pigeon and it turned out to be the sparrowhawk. It is hard to tell until I look look through the telephoto lens.

It looked a bit dishevelled. (Breast feathers looking matted.) It may be it had just taken a bath and its feathers were drying out. But it might also have had a hard time in the high winds and be neglecting grooming if hurt or disorientated. I tend to think of these apex predators as invincible, or I did until I found a bedraggled corpse of one here, a few years back, lying in the ivy.

tempting fate

I saw a squirrel run across the branches a bit lower than the sparrowhawk. I would have thought this was tempting fate if the hawk was in full health and hungry. However as I have pointed out before, squirrels seem to have oddly specific vision. They can jump from one tree to another and run at break neck speed along thin branches, but if you throw a peanut to 4 inches away from their nose, they pad back and forth like a blind man trying to find a golf ball. I don't understand how they struggle to see stuff under their noses but can gallop through the trees like they do. Presumably an evolutionary necessity. Which you would think would include noticing when a large bird of prey was sitting a couple of yards above. Maybe there were too many intersecting branches for it to swoop down for squirrel pie? The same branches were certainly making my job of looking for a clear line of sight to the bird considerably more tricky. But nice to see it, and I hope it survives the Winter.

a large and heavy limb hangs over the riverside path

the tunnel wagtail

the fence above the crypts could do with a stake or 2 to prop it back up
I was surprised there were so few casualties in the wake of the storm

as noted in previous blogs the stock doves are now regulars

or maybe even residents here

always a pleasure to see the tunnel grey wagtail

friendly blue tit

great tit

stock dove - becoming less afraid to approach for handouts

blackbird (f)

friendly squirrel also realising the benefit
of the human with the peanuts

I was along at the 1859 stone when Paul appeared. He works for the council and was putting up notices to announce the cemetery would be closed until it is cleared of potentially dangerous tree limbs. He pointed out a damaged tree, and right enough there was huge potential for it falling on visitors and dogwalkers.

We always chat about what wildlife we have come across, although I don't envy him the job of reminding the dogwalkers that although they are welcome, they must keep their dogs on a lead. Not everyone responds politely to being told how to behave. He is a dog-owner himself and is only enforcing council regulations. It is surely a happier resolution than an outright ban on dogs which could so easily have become council policy if they had wanted to clamp down on dogwalking here. And if it is not enforced, it is meaningless. But of course there are always those who feel the rules need not apply to them.

I will respect the closure and not return until there is an all clear announced which could be a week. There are plenty other places to explore meanwhile. And plenty local green spaces for dogwalkers to exercise their doggos.

grey wagtail, blue tit, sparrowhawk video clips, click twice