LATE SUMMER SKY
Not long now. House martins prepare to flit.
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Birds
CALTON HILL – SUNSHINE, HAZE AND BIRDS
Sunshine and haze over Calton Hill this morning, where Friends met under the expert guidance of the Scottish Ornithology Club's Stephen Welch to record breeding pairs of bird.
Patient listening and hard stares helped in identifying 18 different species over 2 hours.
Namely: jackdaw, magpie, carrion crow, common gull, herring gull, lesser black-backed gull …
MORNING HAS BROKEN
This morning, to celebrate International Dawn Chorus Day, Spurtle despatched its Avian Affairs correspondent to the tranquil slopes of Upper Greenside.
Here, at 5.19 am, somewhere above the omnipresent hum and hiss of the OMNi Centre plant, is what they heard …
Blackbird, blue tit, chiffchaff, coal tit, herring gull, nuthatch, robin, song thrush, woodpigeon, wren, Eurasian drug dealer and common taxi.
OH NO. THERE'S BEEN (ANOTHER) MURDER
We're told that a second pigeon has fallen to the Elm Row sculpture slayer.
We're making light of it, but we're not happy. Further news will follow if and when we have verified the story.
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COO, LOOK WHO’S BACK!
The doos are home on Elm Row.
Shona Kinloch’s eight brass figures were removed from the site in 2006 as preparations began on the tramline extension from Newhaven to Broughton.
In the years since, the popular trip hazards (properly titled A Leith Walk since their creation in 1996) have been fully refurbished or, in three cases, recast.
Their reinstatement, along with that of the London Road clock adjacent, marks progress in beginning to restore some normality to the area.
OUT OF THE BLUE ON CALTON HILL
A cold walk over Calton Hill this afternoon.
And suddenly we were not alone.
Between the hill and the sky, an amber vibration.
And then this kestrel rippling, attention fixed on the frost-stiffened grass.
Pure concentration.
LOOK OUT FOR WAXWINGS
Perhaps you'll wonder whether I’ve over-imbibed during the festive season when I suggest you look out for a bird this month that may not even be here.
You may feel even more suspicious when I describe it … pinky/orange plumage, a striking plume, zorro style black mask and yellow flashes on its wings and tail that would not be out of place on a traffic policeman’s BMW.
Strangely, despite all these stunning plumage features, the Waxwing is named after the tiny scarlet wing feather extensions that are said to resemble sealing wax from bygone times.