crosstown safari

 

13th March

Musta been kinda sunny forecast as I caught a bus to Morningside then ran through the Hermitage. I was looking for dippers and woodpeckers and found none. And perhaps even an early butterfly. Also none. I had back up plans so tried not to be discouraged, and ran on feeling that even if the wildlife wasn't out exercising at least I was.

often the site of an early emerger

ahh the sparrowhawk parrot

some of the only flowers flowering

only woodpecker seen

this handsome grey wagtail hid behind a branch

and nearly avoided the focus

Further downstream the Japanese butterbur was just beginning to open. It is an early source of nectar for butterflies and other insects but hard as I looked I could only find bees. Some of the trees weren't in blossom yet and those that were did not have many visitors. 

plenty riverside butterbur

I followed the stream to where it exits along from Cameron Toll and ran up to Newington Cemetery. This can be full of birds and insects to photo but on this occasion only a squirrel made the grade and I was left still fighting off the discouragement! C'mon guys give a bloke a break. 

I went up the road to Holyrood Park which I was going to cut across briefly on the way home until I met Rich and Tyr. Tyr is only 4 but was racing up to the summit at impressive speed. He will be a champion runner in no time. It was very jolly and took my mind off all the absent wildlife.

Just below the summit we parted company and I descended by the Dry Dam where I saw a female stonechat. I stopped to take photos and she moved to another patch of bramble and undergrowth 60 yards down the slope. I followed tentatively and crept up to where she and her partner had relocated. I didn't want to chase them about the hillside so approached quietly and slowly and got a number of images. They are great birds to photo as they sit on high points rather than hide in the depths of the undergrowth. 

female

male

Down in Hunter's Bog lots of corvids were hopping about in the swamp.
I wondered if the toads had spawned as they do each year usually about mid-March. 

I had decided to check and see if there were any more stonechats about. I had seen a pair or 2 last year in the Bog and so doubled round that way. Up the far end I saw Ken doing similar and as I approached him I realised at the last moment there were a pair of stonechats between us. So I stopped walking and crouched down and took some photos. The birds aren't the most flighty and let you get reasonably close for photos but after a certain distance they will fly 40 yards to the next perch. Ken and I were about 60 yards apart and both ended up crawling through the wet grass to try and get closer to these attractive small birds. It was fun but I suddenly realised I was dressed for running and not sitting in wet grass and felt very cold from the breeze. After a brief chat with Ken I headed off. The run home warmed me back up. The stonechats were the best subjects (and images) of the day.

Ken in the long grass

just over 9 miles