Saughton, another stretch

 

26-04-24

A sunny Friday so M and I caught the tram to Saughton - together this time - and covered the same ground as we have done a couple of times previously. Possibly the warmer weather (but maybe just our luck) produced a good haul of wildlife encounters. It didn't start out brilliantly, the flowers round Saughton Park having zero butterflies. We wandered upstream looking in vain for otters and kingfishers. While they were absent, many birds were out and about and there were lots of signs of nest-building and pairing up. A goldfinch gathering spiders webs or maybe just spiders. Moorhens building a nest on the pile of sticks and rubbish above the weir. A robin collecting seeds and returning time and again for more, presumably keeping a nest-bound mate fed while she sits on eggs.

bronze of Sri Chinmoy

goldfinch

mallards

moorhens

robin

blue tit

In the park-like field just upstream of this bridge we hung about looking for butterflies. It seemed unlikely there was none. It contained all the right ingredients and sure enough there were a couple of male orange tips appeared. And then a green veined white, possibly the first of the season. I remember the thrill of the chase. In a few weeks time both species would be considered barely worth the effort of raising the camera, but for now they were very welcome.

 

gvw

well worn speckled
looks like it had been eaten by a cat and sicked up

attentive robin

wren!

When we came back past Saughton Park, Mary said she was hungry and should we try the cafe in the park. It looks attractive and is usually well attended. It turned out to be one of the best venues we have visited; good satisfying food, not disgraceful service and a pleasant environment (once the chatty gang of senior lady cyclists had left!) You wouldn't want to be in too much of a hurry, but we weren't. We had quiche; a veggy one and a bacon one. Both halved and half-swapped, and the veg one might have been the finer. And (to our shame) a plate of chips between us. Which was a very generous serving and well, you can't leave chips. The only downside to the venue was it was early on in the day out, and you'd forgotten you'd had lunch by the time you got home and ready for another late afternoon lunch.

We then walked downstream past Murrayfield, leaving the tarmac path to follow this riverside dirt trail. There were acres of flowering garlic mustard and a few butterflies feeding there. A lively small tort hassling a peacock and a few whites including an almost featureless small white which I was trying to come up with a new species name for. Plain White? Blank White? Paper White?

plain white!

While there, a mother mallard swam upstream with 2 chicks. I dreaded to think where the other 6~10 had gone. They looked so young and vulnerable. I threw some duck-food to draw the mother over so the chicks would come close enough for photos. It worked a treat. Mary thought it was wrong to politely point out how bad a mother she was for losing all but 2 of her chicks, but she remained unfazed, while partly neglecting the remaining two. I saw them on subsequent days, at least I assumed they were the only family of three, so maybe she wasn't a bad mother and had just had an unfortunate run in with one of the many herons along the river. Nature can be brutal.

cuties!

On this occasion the goosanders didn't have any chicks - they are even cuter than the mallard families esp when the chicks ride on mama's back. I will hopefully track some down shortly. 

heron identifying as a pigeon at Roseburn

two herons in a staring competition at Dean Village

The kingfisher did appear briefly - just three photos managed before he flew off. The mud on his beak suggests digging out a hole in the riverbank to build a nest. He was seen with a female recently so appears to be setting up home. Now that would be a photo - when the chicks appear!

ducks on a row

heron next to Gormley

mexican stand-off

further downstream below the weir
we had a brief encounter with the female KF

Mary dressed suitably in kingfisher colours

good to see some flowering garlic; much of the riverbank 

has been taken over by the similar (but invasive) few flowered leak

dipper near Dean Village

Mary and I always have a bet to see who can predict the number of selfie tourists on the instagram bridge at the Dean Village. She guessed 7 or more and I bet on 11 but we were both on the low side. We have not yet discovered the draw or reason for them. Someone should set up a cafe nearby as there is no place to take advantage of this weird migration.

handsome tree at stockeroo

We went through the Botanics. They are continuing to number the (bingo) bees.

friendly squirrel at the Chinese Pond

comma on the arboreal erica in the rock garden

After bumping into Ken at the Botanics (ken who we saw at the Botanics?) (who pointed out the comma) we went past Warriston but the lack of photos suggests there wasn't anything that late in the day.

patterns under St Mark's bridge at Powderhall

mindful moment

the Gormleys are busy gathering material for nest building

9.5 miles of WoL wandering, a lovely day out!