jaywalking

 

10th March

Fabulous day to visit Cammo Estate. Forecast was really good. Now I've had good days here, excellent days here and partial stinkers. It is quite a haul across town so it doesn't happen every week. It was one of the first venues I ever took the Lumix FZ2000 (second birthday on Feb26th - fantastic camera!) and can almost always be relied upon to provide nuthatches which are delightful small bandits mostly absent from my local haunts. So they were second top on my most wanted list for today, but there was every chance they'd turn up as soon as I got the birdfood out. 

nuthatch

And sure enough they did. The sun was also out but we had made a special effort to get to Cammo Estate early and it was still to rise high enough to illuminate all the baiting areas. Before I get to that though I must remember to note we got the bus. In the past we have driven or cycled. Catching the bus worked out very well. We walked up to Regent's Rd and caught the West bound 43 with seconds to spare. I have a bus pass and I really enjoy using it. Mary used her bank card which they seem to allow and it almost feels as free - who is going to notice a couple of quid disappearing from their account and it saves that worry of having exact change. We got off the second stop after (what was) Barnton Roundabout (which is now a signalised junction)(for the pedantic).

Careful there, as the next stop is prob miles along the dual carriageway towards Queensferry. About half a mile walk from there to birdy heaven in Cammo. There are several areas where the birds are used to being fed beside the curling pond / river inlet. There is allegedly a kingfisher in the yew tree. (Never seen it.) And the birds quickly descended on the sunflower seeds and bread. I think the nippy cold morning - touches of snow on the ground - increased their enthusiasm. In fact they hardly let me get all the stuff out onto the area before they got stuck in. Mostly small garden birds and blackbirds but several nuthatches. What more could you want? Well actually...

Regulars will know the top tariff birds at Cammo, seen here on previous occasions, were Jays. If you are lucky you might hear a jay in woodlands as you pass through. Or maybe a catch a glimpse of one flitting up into the trees. They are a strange mix of rosy beige, white and black with a dash of electric blue. And they are not keen on humans. Although striking colours they can somehow blend into the trees and seem to know how to hide behind trunks and branches. They are part of the crow family - smart enough to stay out of trouble but also curious and will watch to see if you are putting out food. 

A year ago in Feb 2022 I was there and noticed a woman putting out food for the Jays. She was getting unusually close to them. I spoke to her briefly as she left, then I did similar and got to meet these elusive birds. 

I had a couple of visits to photograph them and then on a more recent trip there was no sign of them despite hanging around for ages. So I wasn't sure if they would appear today. Maybe they are more receptive at this time of the year, I am no expert. But always hope to see them here. Early on as we stood at the small birds feeding area one came near - about 30 yards away - and kept a lot of vegetation between itself and us. I spoke very quietly to Mary not wishing to scare it and we both saw it but failed to get any decent photos. However it was a great sign. I waited till the sun began to light the area I had got results in before and I went across and baited the horizontal logs and branches. Nothing much appeared and because we were having such fun with the smaller birds at the first site we returned to there. 

jay at venue 1 - keeping its distance

LTT feathering nest?

close up of great tit

After a short while we looked over to venue 2 and saw there were jays hovering around the area and taking the bread and seeds I'd put out. I left Mary who was engaged with robins, coal tits, blue tits and the like, and hurried over as stealthily as possible. I could see jays flitting in the trees and checking me out. I put out more food and in a short while 3 appeared. I had been watching one up ahead and hoping it would come closer, then realised two were hopping in from the right, and along with a squirrel and a stock dove were feeding on the bread I'd set out. 

checking me out, one hides behind cover

so proud to have baked this bread and see it disappearing

They stayed at a fair distance away. Maybe 5 metres away. At full zoom they filled the frame though, and I was thrilled they were so close and that the sun was shining. I took loads of shots and then shot some video. They came and went, sometimes bold, but easily scared. If a dog barked they were up into the trees. I wanted Mary to come over and share in this but I also worried she'd arrive mid-shot and scare them off. She eventually arrived (quietly!) and also got some shots. They took some bread but seemed slightly more interested in the sunflower hearts. We moved a minimum amount while they were near and they kept an eye on us. Given how shy they are (even the RSPB website describes them as shy and difficult to see) I was very pleased with the day's work.

And we were only there for a really short time. Checking the gps we spent an hour around the first area, little more than 20 minutes with the jays after they arrived and then about another 40 minutes having lunch in the walled garden and walking around the place. Normally I'd stay for several hours taking twice the number of photos - just to be sure! However it had all gone so well I was happy to leave. Also Mary had a plan to walk back home via the Water of Leith. Quite an ambitious plan given we weren't anywhere near Roseburn, where we thought we'd check out the Belford kingfisher. 

I was concentrating on the jays and forgot to get a decent shot
of this stock dove

long tailed tit

video
as you can see next to a stock dove they are similar (slightly smaller) in size

we went past the bee hives but nobody was coming out to play
chances of an early butterfly slim to none

We had taken sandwiches and found this ideal spot to have them. A robin and a couple of blue tits flew around - more curious than looking for handouts. It felt warm in the sunshine but also not quite warm enough for butterflies.

We went back via the first spot just to make sure we hadn't missed anything and to see if the sun was landing on the right areas. It was and a couple of nuthatches were still in the vicinity. Clearly someone else had been feeding them with a multi seed (and suet) bird food different from mine. The nuthatches were oblivious to our close proximity which made for a couple of really close close-ups. Also nice to see coal tits joining in. The nuthatches will store food when there is plenty about. Instead of just eating their fill and leaving, they will keep returning and then stash the seeds in tree bark, knot holes and wood end grain. I have seen coal tits (and squirrels!) also doing this and it is no doubt a resourceful action like this that has led to their fairly recent distribution around central Scotland. I certainly didn't see any nuthatches growing up. 

coal tit

onwards and upwards

We took the road up the hill and over to the far end of Corstorphine. Note for next time cross the grassy fields in the direction of Cammo Tower and head diagonally. It was not a pleasant walk along the side of the big road. Pretty grim traffic, as this dead wren would testify if it could.

In Corstorphine Mary felt a bit dizzy - whether traffic fumes or just a bit lightheaded from walking along the busy road - so we caught a bus along to Roseburn. The riverside walk was infinitely better but disappointingly no kingy. I think that one might have moved to a less busy stretch of river as it wasn't seen last few visits.

4 mistle thrushes in the grounds of the Modern Art Gallery

how proud was I to see my alma mater (Robert Gordon's)
keeping a roof over one of its prodigy's heads?

Somewhere about the Dean Village (even on a Friday) the whole area becomes Instagram Central. The number of fannies taking selfies and doing influencer vlogs begins to outnumber tourists and bystanders. It begins to feel you can't look round without being surrounded by arseholes. (I know we take plenty photos of ourselves but the majority are of other things. And anyway....)

easy starter for 10, where is this?
and who is in doggone good condition?

superb day out, highly recommended