best part of the day: spring into warriston

20th April.

A wee wander along to Warriston and the Botanics on a warm sunny day. What could be better? The first thing I came across was a mallard family swimming up the WoL. They were in shade over the other side so I took a couple of pics of a blue tit and a peacock before moving down to the waterside and throwing some bread for the parents. Both m and f, (mum and father!), parent mallards were in attendance. And were fairly up for some bread. They came across for a chat (into the sunshine) and of course the 13 balls of fluff came over too. I love it when a plan comes together.

However this was trickier than I hoped. The amount of fluff on the chicks looked to the camera like blur and they were not easy to focus on. I know there are loads of pics here but there were dozens more hit the delete bin. They have such a high cute factor I have done a photo-overload. Because you can't have too many fluffy chicks?

Eventually I left them to it. I was in the riverside area and too excitable to hang around the usual spot waiting for the birds to realise there was a hand out. But I stopped near the robins place and said hello to them. Because they are really friendly and always come when called. Well nearly always. This was a good reminder not to rush when chopping up bread. I am usually in a hurry if the sun is already out and get the FOMO if I don't get a move on. However I chop the single slice of bread I take along, both horizontally and vertically, making about 160 small squares of bribery and corruption. The robins will more than likely take the biggest piece on my hand and then try to choke it down. I don't know why they don't do like the blue, coal and great tits; and hold it down with feet while pecking bits off. Anyway a larger lump o' bread nearly killed the younger riverside robin. It (the bread) came back out a couple of times before it went down. I offered my apologies, but only got a glare in return.

chiffchaff

gagging order

a look of recrimination?

I nearly choked earlier - he didn't chop the bread small enough...

I was in a hurry to get to some of the butterfly spots where the sun warms a corner beside the tunnel and beyond, where the chance of seeing orange tips and even the commas seemed fairly high. Nothing there to start with so I had a wander through the tunnel and fairly quickly saw Mrs Sparrowhawk taking nest building sticks into a high and impenetrable conifer. There were far too many branches between us to get decent photos but I put the zoom to middling and fired off some randomly in her direction, shooting from the hip as it were rather than with the viewfinder to my eye. This produced (after serious cropping) a couple of poor but better-than-nothing images. After a bit she spotted me in the distance and pretended she wasn't doing anything like nest-building and sat in a neighbouring tree giving me the stink-eye. I walked away not wanting to discourage her residency.

the stink eye

LTT

I'm guessing red mason bee
but prepared to be wrong

hoverfly

ladybird

speckled wood
the most numerous of this year's butterflies so far

I was spotted by the secret garden robin who came over to say hello. Sometimes feeding him outside the garden area next to his patch discourages him following me into the feeding area. Although he does like to come in and rule the roost for a while, just to keep everyone in line. This unfortunate behaviour is offset by him posing for photos. He seems to know to hold still while I manoeuver the purple flowers behind, into view. Camera loves ya baby, I tell him and he seems to know it.

There are 2 robins flitting about these days. There is Hitler and possibly his wife. He seems to have communicated to her that I am trustworthy and she will take bread from my hand as well, although is a little cautious and won't sit on my hand like he does. Then I saw him passing food to another. Is that the wife or an offspring? He seems to have been dating for long enough for this to be an offspring but it didn't look immature enough. I wish they would wear name tags! And not look identical. Robins have several broods per year but I am not convinced he could have sneaked a chick past me for a few weeks until it looks full grown as this one did. But it flapped its wings and stood with open mouth until he fed it. As you can see the focus eluded me taking the photo. (Above.) My apologies!

Someone, presumably Graeme, gardener, has been removing the walls. I haven't seen him in ages. The bricks are being piled up and/or turned into more feeding tables. Perhaps to let more light into new developments. I watch progress with interest, feeling it is not my place to comment one way or the other. It is unusual to have a measure of investment in a thing that moves or changes outwith any influence I have. I am possibly spending more time elsewhere in the cemetery so relinquish any feelings of ownership in this area, but as I say, I watch with interest.

is the robin indifferent to the wall beneath his feet disappearing
or does he accept the change like the changing season?

the crow waits for me to leave so he/she can swoop down
and hoover up the remains of the seeds and bread

mr bullfinch kept his distance today

blue tit and dappled shadows

how to break your bread properly!
showing the robins how to avoid choke hazards

quite good areas either side of the tunnel for orange tips

lots of bluebells (and pinkbells?) all round the cemetery

stoked to find another comma

It was such a glorious day I was tempted by the thought of dozens of butterflies on all the beautiful flowers along at the Botanics. I mean there must be? On a day like this? So I jogged along and went past all the flowering rhodies thinking there will be loads! I went past favourite spots for red admirals, places commas have been known to hang out, where the whites fly through... and saw not a squeak. Not a distant flutter, not a whisper of any other interesting fliers, feathered or scaled. There were a million flowering nectar opportunities but somehow the butterflies had not shown up today. I did bump into Ken who unusually had a family group in tow. We checked out a comma corner but nothing orange and flame like. I took some photos of the most flamboyant flowers and then hurried back to Warriston thinking I really must keep my Fear Of Missing Out under control.

As if to underline this when I arrived back at Warriston I was met in the first hundred yards or fewer, by a comma AND an Orange Tip while a (possibly) small white floated past without stopping. I took a photo stab at the flying white then jumped back and forth with the comma and the OT trying to watch them with an eye on each. The comma looked settled but could I afford to take my eyes off it to get the orange tip only to return to an empty leaf? I felt there was a lesson being offered here if only I was smart enough to learn something from it while dashing about taking photos.

fly by small white
had another look and might be a green veined white!

active OT

speckled just adding to the confusion

Needless to say the comma didn't hang about long. The cemetery commas seem to be scarce and descended from an ancient ancestor who enjoyed taunting me last year. Disappearing every time I blinked.

To make up for this a pair of robins got going. Perhaps it was the heat of the day or a long disputed territorial disagreement, but all of a sudden 2 of them are on the ground slugging it out like a pair of cage fighters. I took a couple of distant photos but didn't have a bucket of water to throw over them. They were really letting fly with the beaks and claws and it was quite undignified. In another second they had flown into the undergrowth and gave it another few seconds of round 2 before one flew off and the other proclaimed himself champion. Happily no blood was shed nor bones broken. It did make me realise that they are not scared of a proper fight. Which the other small birds are probably aware of and that would be why they give Hitler the wide berth in the secret garden.

robins brawling on the ground

the ahem champion

I have been hunting blackcaps since I heard them in the cemetery. They are a lovely bird with a lovely song but they have been disappearing whenever I get close and the above photo has been the nearest I've been getting. I don't remember it being this hard last year, but I did describe them as shy. Perhaps after getting a decent photo or 2 it seems like not such a big deal. Meanwhile I skulk around the riverside area, eyes in the trees looking for them. Or owls or woodpeckers. Like most things it seems the best plan is to work out where they are and return regularly and eventually I will get them!

I think this is one of my pals from over the way wondering how she can get
the sunflower seed dude to get the food bags out.

I feel I have established a relationship with the one legged blackbird. She comes right over and isn't shy. I put out extra for her and she hops around holding her right leg up and behind, flipping out a wing onto the ground to support her as she goes. That leg has been unused for a few weeks now and may be permanent. I always speak quietly to her and she seems to be doing okay.

cheeky chaffies

a blue tit rethinks their flight path

This is another casualty I see regularly in the riverside area. Could be a dog, fox or sparrowhawk but someone got hold of his tail and took it all off. He still flies well but understandably is kinda nervy. He'll pop over to the 1859 stone for seeds and bread but does not hang about and prefers to disappear back into the holly bush, anxious about the crocodile who stole his tailfeathers.