best part of the day: go west old man

19-03-26 The idea of seeing the nuthatches at Cammo had been percolating in my brain for a while. I had even bought Sunflower Seeds rather than hearts last weekly shop at Tesco's. (The nuthatches seem to prefer the hearts in their black shells to the heart kernels. Possibly because they last longer when stashed in nooks and cranies. Nuthatches, like squirrels and crows, will eat a few seeds then go about stashing all the extras in crevices around trees and in branches rather then leaving them exposed.) Then Ken pointing out a nuthatch in the Botanics tipped me over and I saw the forecast for the 19th was pretty decent. Time to visit Cammo!

I got up in a relaxed fashion. The sun takes a while to clear the trees at Cammo and light up feeding areas. Getting to the end of my street I saw a tram approaching the stop 200 yards down Leith Walk. Feeling much less troubled by the sciatica of late I legged it at about 6min/mile pace down the road to the stop and jumped on, breathing hard. I was aware I hadn't had any time to tap my Saltire card on the post beside the stop but felt since they never check, it was no biggy.

However the driver no doubt saw my sprint down the central tram divide and no doubt discussed this with the on-board conductor who was standing just behind him. Who then came down the tram and asked did I tap my card. I did not reply as he swiped my card (first time ever!) and it showed a red cross. Oops! (I was most impressed (and a little red-faced) that they have the technology to discern a swiped or unswiped card since no money changes hands and it is only done to presumably count numbers of concession cards travelling.) Happily the conductor was totally cool about it and said remember to swipe the card on the way off at my destination. While he didn't give me a telling off, I felt rightly chastised, although very pleased to have run (at such speed) for the first time in 6 weeks, without repercussions. The recovery was well under way.

great welcome from this nuthatch near the entrance way

The tram took me to Princes Street where I jumped off (and scanned my Saltire card!) before looking for the number 43 bus stop. I thought I saw a 43 coming along Princes St and did more running until I found the stop, but it was a number 33. However a Stagecoach going to Fife came along and after enquiring if it would stop at Barnton Junction (formerly Barnton Roundabout), I jumped on. I got off at Barnton just before 11.30. Perfect timing.

First thing walking up the long trail between trees I heard then saw, a nuthatch high on a branch above me doing that double peep call. I had my camera out and shot some stills and video. This is the opening shot in the video at the bottom and a good reminder I had come to the right place. I then made my way to the curling pond; the long narrow stretch of water near the ruins. On the right (North) is a place people put food out for the birds and in no time the place was alive with great tits, robins, dunnocks and blue tits. I was a little concerned no nuthatches showed up for a full ten minutes. Then one arrived and put up a shout about the free food. In a few more minutes there was a nearly constant stream of nuthatches back and forth and not bothered by myself standing only yards away pointing a camera at them. The sunlight was falling nicely on the feeding areas and in a short while I reckoned I had plenty shots of most of the birds attending. It is why I have a great fondness for Cammo, even though it is on the opposite side of town.

blue tit

great tit

just the occasional blackbird

today's rarest: a siskin, just the one seen
and it wasn't coming any closer

first nuthatch arrives

dunnock

tends to hop around the ground below, picking up overspill

Oddly there were not many squirrels about today. Although I post a lot of squirrel photos they are not high on my list of favourites. Especially when they scoff all the carefully planted food put out to attract specific birds. I'm not sure where they had all gone, but I wasn't unhappy there was something of an absence of squirrels, crows and magpies removing all the bait out for jays and nuthatches.

After maybe half an hour at the first feeding station I decided to check out the Walled Garden. It was turning into a really warm day and I reckoned there could be a few butterflies there. I was right. Initially it seemed quite dead and I worried there wasn't much in the way of flowers. The fabulous carpet of snowdrops had mostly flowered and passed and there were only a couple of late flowering clumps still showing some tired looking blooms. I found an equally tired looking comma but photo-ed the hell out of it, because it was the only butterfly I could find. It refused to move up from the grassy floor and sit anywhere worth a photo. So didn't make the blog.

a later much-better-condition camma

I then came across the large willow tree Mary and I had eaten lunch under last Summer(?). It was covered in blossoming catkins and there were a couple of peacocks either nectaring on the furry yellow fingers or sitting sunbathing directly below. They would occasionally noise each other up and go spiralling sunward into the sky. This was much better and I spent quite some while taking their photos nectaring about the willow. I am assuming it's a willow - I am no expert on trees.

The largest number of peacocks seen at the same time was 3. The total number seen was difficult to estimate as I visited the walled garden twice and likely saw the same individuals on more than one occasion. As a guestimate I'd say between 3 and 12 were about. And maybe 3 or 4 commas. Only 1 peacock seen outwith the walled garden.

buzzard flying overhead

chiffchaff

There were a number of chiffchaffs in the vicinity. Being a migrant they are a welcome sign of Spring, often heard before they are seen, with that distinctive call which is great for about the first 10minutes then borderline annoying for the rest of the season. I think, judging by the amount I chased after them today, this was mostly in that first 10minutes honeymoon period.

a fly landed on this peacocks left fore-wing,

still not that many hovers and bottles about as yet

there were a few more peacocks about than initially seen
many hiding close to the ground, warming up

Tachina ursina

I came across this nest. A bit on the large size to take home. (I have a very beautiful LTTs nest that ended up abandoned on the ground somewhere and it is a brilliant work of art and craft!) This one had been removed from its original position when a large branch fell or was felled. Nicely moss lined, maybe a blackbird or similar sized bird?

plenty fungi on the many tree trunks around the woods

Stereum hirsutum

cherry plum say obsidentify

I had high hopes to photo butterflies on the Spring blossoms
but in reality they were harder to find and mostly staying low

elf cup

Next, I left the walled garden to return to the other side of the curling pond. I have photo-ed jays here many times but they are bolder/hungrier in the Winter and I realised there was less chance of seeing them today. I saw one or 2, high in nearby trees but they didn't come any closer. It gave me more time to focus on the nuthatches which were just as busy on this, the other side of the watery bit. Along with coal tits, great tits and robins. The coal tits are so super-speedy they can be very frustrating. Or a good challenge depending on your perspective! I managed an occasional still, but no decent video.

great tit

Gloeophyllum sepiarium

stashing surplus

coal tit

Kretzschmaria deusta - brittle cinder

coal tit

After the sun started to leave the baited area beside the river I decided to move. It was around 3pm and I thought a last look round the walled garden was in order before heading home. I hadn't bothered taking sandwiches as business there is usually complete in 2~3hrs. I managed 4hrs15 today so was well ready for lunch.

turkey tail

Although I wasn't convinced by the need to restore large parts of the wall of the walled garden last year, they have made a good job of it. This involved clearing a lot of ivy which isn't what the wildlife would vote for, but probably the only way to stop further deterioration and eventual collapse. However it looks in good shape now and there was minimal damage to the area despite the heavy machinery and trucks involved. I took a couple of shots of said wall, as the brickwork ages handsomely.

best comma of the day

I saw this one earlier - I was scrabbling about in knee deep vegetation and raised the camera to take a pic, but it flew off. I only got a blurry partial photo but enough to ID it as being the same individual as this one which posed well (on return to the walled garden area) on the no-longer-flowering snowdrops. Would have loved a photo of it on flowering snowdrops but it wasn't moving anywhere flowery. It even sat on one of the beehives for a while but then flew back to the grass and would not perch higher.