no wax no wings

 

22nd October. We are approaching waxwing season. An exotic blow-in they can arrive in Scotland from Scandinavia anytime now and have been sighted in Shetland and mainland UK already. (Informative video here )(note Jenners Depository in background!) There is a mild frenzy on Lothian Birdwatch; folk anticipating and asking if anyone has spotted any yet. A couple of sightings in Gilmerton and Gullane but as yet no decent photos. Last year (briefly in December and then more substantially mid-January) there were a couple of weeks of resident Edinburgh Waxwings which got people a little overexcited and some of that has carried over to this year.

So when Mary suggested a ramble up the WoL I thought we could combine a Kingfisher search (at Gallery of Modern Toss) with a Waxwing hunt (at Baird Drive) and even a Jay safari (at Corstorphine Hill where one was photographed recently, really close up) and an Otter stalk (at Saughton). The forecast was good and with a little luck we'd return with SD cards bursting full of enigmatic beasties. For sure. Certainly. Absolutely no doubt.

superb to see this otter early in the day!

fleeting glimpse of kingfisher

Last few times past this statue of Hygeia at St Bernard's Well I have wondered "I wonder if that cup in her hand has a flat top or a lip or if it has an internal space?" Each presenting its own difficulties of manufacture, and given it is always above eye level you will never know. It struck me I'd have to scramble over the pointy railings and climb the statue to find out and I suspected my curiosity did not match the difficulty of the task.

Then I reckoned a drone was the answer. It did not occur that a brief internet search would produce a photo taken up a scaffolding looking down on the cup in question. So that answered the puzzle: it does have a lip but just a shallow indent and not a depth of any draft. However the same photo (obviously taken during some sort of refurb) also shows the finger, nose and hare lip before repair. Now if someone fixed those why would they not fix the base of the cup? Unless it is meant to have a divot taken out of it? More questions than answers!

cup overfloweth

Also during online research it came up that underneath the statue is a fine tiled interior space with a basin and pump, maybe for accessing the water of the spring. 

Legend has it that the spring was first discovered by St Bernard of Clairvaux, founder of the Cistercian order in the 12th century. While living in a nearby cave and feeling quite unwell he was attracted to the spring by birds and after some days of drinking the water was restored to health. In 1764 the water was very popular although likened to tasting like the “washings of foul gunbarrels”

The Well was closed in the 1960s ironically due to the unhygenic nature of the water which was foul and sulphurous. The well is open to the public during Sundays in August and during doors open day in September.

Now this particular stretch (above) of the river (at the Dean Village) must have gained some popularity on Instagram (or wherever the under 50s post their self-glorifications). Because every time we pass by, there are crowds of dafties taking selfies and ussies and themsies, irrespective of the light which was absent in most of their photos today. This discouraged them not one jot and we hurried by, as you would a crowd of imbeciles playing in their own manure.

not sure if this is an accusation or recommendation

obvs not the way I intended this photo but I like it

So around Murrayfield we bumped into Nick who was out running with a (work?) pal. They were full of upbeat running vibes and made me feel a bit slow and slow-witted by comparison. Just wandering about in a dreamy haze looking for absent dippers and kingfishers. We had a brief chat then they dashed off, full of vigour. It reminded me I enjoy running and had probably been missing it. I caught the covid bugs around the 30th Sept and it was the 27th Oct by the time I next ran more than a hundred yards. It was about 3 weeks of being under the weather and sleeping poorly and then there was loads of rain-stopped-play days. It gets easier to avoid stuff after you've been letting yourself off for a while*.

Eventually I realised I'd have to return to parkrun on the 28th. I felt I best go do a test run to make sure I didn't drop dead or have to walk after a mile. I was so out of shape I nearly did have to stop in the first mile. I did a local 4 miler (day before parkrun - d'oh!) which I thought would give an idea of what shape I was in for parkrun. I was 2 mins slower than last time I ran it in good health. I tried not to trash my legs but inevitably did. Which let me know I'd be about 90 seconds below pace at parkrun. This indeed turned out to be the case but my lungs and legs survived, just. (Much bigger DOMS than usual.) So now I just have to retrieve those 90s. Which shouldn't be as hard as it was the first time, which took from March to September. With Mary's running recovery on the horizon, we both hope to be in reasonable shape for an active holiday in Tenerife. Fingers crossed.

a clean pair of heels

*One thing I have surprised myself by keeping going, is at the end of a shower I turn the temperature to as cold as it goes. I can last about 30 seconds. In the Summer doing 2 or 3 minutes wasn't a problem. The water comes into the shower from our attic storage tank which warmed the water while it sat upstairs in a balmy attic space. Things have got a bit colder up there I'm guessing, because the cold water fires out like a frosty fire hose and makes me march on the spot and gasp for breath. Another one of those exercises (like HIIT running sessions) that is not enjoyable to do but afterwards you appreciate having done it. Very similar to a dip in the sea. You come out a hot shower feeling the cold of the surroundings. You exit a cold shower feeling invigorated and warm and ready to fight someone! Highly recommended, in fact possibly essential. As stated previously I am no fan of Wim Hoff - I downloaded a podcast of him being interviewed by Russell Brand recently and I was unimpressed. Too much shouting, not enough sense.

The light when we got to Baird Drive was tremendous. The rowan trees were laden with ripe berries. It was perfect. The only thing missing was waxwings. There were no waxwings, no redwings, no fieldfares. I was amused that fellow birder Caroline S had also checked out Baird Drive earlier in the day, on her way to Corstorphine Hill, which we hit later on.

note Jenners Depository at the end of street

Next up was Saughton Park. Mary was not aware of the refurb, the greenhouses, trees and shrubs planted out so handsomely and with Indian flavoured statues of Gandhi and Sri Chinmoy. We had a shufti for butterflies which I was sure would be somewhere in among the flowers, a lot of which are exactly the right choice for lepidotera, but we saw sweet FA, which was the major theme for today, in case you hadn't guessed.

There were a few birds about. Specifically redwings. However they were not for showing themselves, except to fly from one tall tree to the next. They would disappear into the leaves until they next left the tree. After 15 mins of walking about looking upwards at trees and quietly cursing, we gave up. 

one of the few birds to expose itself for a photo - a starling

banned stand

lovely place, if birdless!

While Mary went in search of the facilities I wandered around enjoying the autumnals. One particular tree was made by humans not tree-jesus and had nicely oxidising copper leaves. Each leaf had a tiny engraving of an immense sadness, the name of a baby who never made it out of infancy. It is deceptively difficult to make a naturalistic tree sculpture. However a good deal of skill had been applied to this memorial and it was very sensitively fashioned. I did shy away from the unbearable weight of heartache and sadness though, not even taking photos to flag up how well it was done and how it sat in the pretty surroundings. 

So just upstream of this weir is a riverside path that can be known for otters and kingfishers. I think we caught a flash of turquoise as one zipped upstream. But that was all. Lovely place for a wander. We saw a guy with a yard long Canon lens leaning on the fence with the patience of someone who expects an otter will show up eventually, but it might be Thursday.

We went as far as the next bridge then returned through Saughton and back past Jenners and onwards towards Corstorphine Hill. Didn't even bother rechecking Baird Avenue. I eventually ate my sandwich. Mary hadn't made any and refused the offer of sharing mine. I tried to hold out as long as possible but was getting low blood sugar. The fact we had not seen anything on our wildlife tick-list so far was beginning to rub away at the edges of my placid good nature. Winky smiley face emoji. Perhaps some food would help.

It was (yet again) very peasant to be climbing up Corstorphine Hill, but (yet again) it seemed devoid of wildlife. I steered us to where people have put out some bird feeders. This time there was even a small holdall next to them with what seemed to be a bag of refill nuts inside. There were quite a few garden birds coming and going and although the light was terrible under the trees, it felt like a small compensation on a day when there was very little about.

great tit

friendly robin

blue tit

even a nuthatch - quite a high tariff specimen!

Mary bailed and sat on a bench 10 yards away. I knew there was a limit to how long she would happily sit on a cold bench in the shadows. It was surprisingly long so when she eventually suggested a move I was fairly quick to wrap it up. The photos were, after all, far from scintillating. 

This fence and gate along Ravelston Dykes is a splendid colour and has been used in previous blogs. I find the street long and boring though, and was happy when Mary suggested we drop down onto the cyclepath then head back down my mum's old street and back across Inverleith Park. 

curlews on the playing fields, Carrington Rd.

back past the Water of Leith

An enjoyable day out and pretty vigorous 13 walked miles covered across town and back. Unfortunately we saw nothing on the most-wanted list. Actually not true: there were 2 glimpses of kingfisher wheeching off like you'd fired a rifle at it. And at Saughton I saw the back half of an otter disappearing into the water. Which held us up another 15 minutes as we scanned the river above and below for some sign of it in the shallows. But there was nothing further except perhaps frustration and a slightly embittered feeling. The number of birds and animals we didn't see was as long as your arm. But it wasn't a wasted day. Even if it was only the exercise and being outdoors. And more sunshine than usual. I have had worse days out. (But also better!)

13.6 miles in 5hrs 46m

pumpkinhead

 
best place for it

18th Oct. Just enough sunshine to bring out a couple of admirals. The final butterflies of the season unless we get a surprise warm day soon. (The forecast says not-a-chance.) I was really out looking for birds but no sign of anything much at all. A heron in the dappled light while I leaned over the wall at Powderhall. I was shooting video while an older bloke (a little older than myself but not much) came past and noticing where I was pointing the camera, said out loud and nearly in my ear "a grey heron". I am pretty sure he was not trying to educate me but was doing that involuntary thing, when you get to a certain age, of speaking your thoughts out loud. At the time I was a bit irritated, but when I hear it on the end of the video I am amused.

grey heron video with commentary 😁

I went round Warriston cemetery. There was very little of note - the birds seem to be conspiring to stay hidden while there are still leaves on the trees to conceal them - and a solitary red admiral high on the ivy was scant consolation. When I was giving up cigarettes two dozen years ago, I did so by cutting down to the point I was only allowing myself one or two a day. Which was insufficient and only a reminder of my addiction and not enough to satisfy it. Better just throw the last pack away and move on, than try to survive on just one a day. Same with the dog-ends of the butterfly season. Make a clean break and see you again in March or April. Apart from, of course, 2 weeks in Tenerife, which breaks up the winter nicely.

Only one photo in Warriston! Then along the road to the Botanics to see if there were kingfishers aplenty at the ponds. There were not. But there was sunshine and it was all fairly pretty. I headed into the rock garden area to check out the ceratostigma minus, a late-flowering shrub which often hosts the last admirals of the year. And so it was today. As I approached one flew off to perch a couple of bushes away until the area cleared of passing traffic when it returned to the bright blue flowers. It had lost a bit of rear nearside wing but was otherwise in good condition.

back to the ceratostigma minus

lots of autumnal beauty going on

and finally...

Walking through the rock garden I saw this speckled wood land briefly. I got just one decent photo and it was off again. I was pleased as it was (most likely) the final speckled of the year and not hanging about for any further photos. You always know the first butterfly of the year as soon as you see it, but you never really can be sure of the last until about mid-November and you can say with more certainty that there won't be any further Scottish lasts.

Ken who I saw at the Botanics...?

Ken (above) was actually listening to his mp3 player and had not just been sent to the naughty step. He was deep in thought or distraction. I didn't ask what he was listening to. In fact I had to walk right over to where he was standing, lost in thought, and try to catch his eye without giving him a turn. There is a view through the trees over to where the kingfisher often sits, but there was no kf there today. We chatted for a bit before I returned to the rock garden and he went over to the scabious from where he texted there was an RA. Had the comma been there as well I might have gone a little longer before returning home for a late lunch.

Moorhens (juv) and mallards on the duck pond. There was also a solitary goosander (f) fishing for luckies. Ken said she had been resident for a week or so. And a distant heron. But photos of both failed to make the minimum standard required.

RA back briefly on the blue flowers as the light was fading.

the end?