On Saturday we walked the Water of Leith from Arboretum Avenue all the way to the Port of Leith.

On the way there we saw this heron which may be one of the ones we have seen in the Water of Leith before. We were puzzling what it got to eat as we could see no sign of fish in the river whenever we had a suitable view.

On the way back…

We saw the heron looking intently at the bank, then stalking slowly and deliberately towards the river’s side. When close in its neck started to sway sinuously the way I suppose a snake’s does. It stopped, then started the neck sway thing again.

Then it pounced. Quickly.

There was now a small mammal in its mouth, a vole or mouse probably. I scrabbled to get a picture. I hope you can make out the mammal.

This is a few seconds later.

Not much later the mammal had been completely swallowed.

Now we know what it eats….

Nature red in tooth and claw.

Not to mention beak.

These photos were taken about a month or so ago.

This is a panorama of Edinburgh from the Botanic Gardens with Arthur’s Seat prominent towards the left and the Castle to the right.

This heron was in the Water of Leith as we walked back from the Botanics. It may or may not be the same one we have seen before.

This is one of Antony Gormley‘s sculptures. It is embedded into the tarmac in the middle of the pedestrian entrance from Belford Road into the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.

We took a walk around a bit of the park on Saturday. Unlike last January when there was all sorts going on on the frozen pond the place was almost deserted apart from the seagulls and geese.

Even the play park, normally well used, was empty.

Here’s where the only evidence of free water was in January.

No convocation of birds this time. They were all (well some of them) up the other end.

Beveridge Park’s two resident swans are in this one. There has been a third swan on the pond for most of this year; we don’t know whether it’s the offspring of these two or a blow-in.

This is the fountain I pictured all iced up last year. It’s not quite so picturesque at the moment but from this angle you can see the building that used to be a park keeper’s house in the background.

I’ve remarked before that it’s not often we get a lot of snow at Son of the Rock Towers but like the rest of the country we haven’t escaped this winter’s early deluge.

Despite that we had a visitor. Well, our garden did.

Here it is, showing as a backdrop the first (relatively trivial in hindsight) snowfall.

I don’t recall ever seeing a snipe before but we looked it up in our Wildlife of the British Isles book and it was exactly like the illustration there.

Snipe are wading birds. We’re only a couple of hundred yards as the snipe flies from the sea here so perhaps it’s not surprising to see one. It was grubbing about in the snow – for food I suppose, maybe there’s not much down on the shoreline at the moment – but it had measly pickings. It was there just long enough for me to rush upstairs for the camera and to get the one pic.

Yesterday we moved some of our elder son’s stuff to his new flat in Dundee. We just moved son no. 2 out of Dundee in the summer and now the other moves there. Isn’t life strange?

I was driving the van. That was fun. We couldn’t get near the ground entrance to the flat so were humphing stuff through twenty metres of snow. Then the van was reluctant to come out of the iced up snow and had to be dug out. South of Dundee on the A92 on the way home it began snowing again. I could barely see where the road was.

Still, not a scratch on the van despite a few slips and slides at roundabouts – including one 165 degree skid on exiting one! The snow/slush caused that but also saved me from damaging the van as it gave a soft place for the skid to end up. We ended up facing completely the wrong way blocking that exit. It must have been entertaining viewing for the folks in the vehicle waiting to get onto the roundabout at the previous exit. I just drove back onto the roundabout and went all the way round. More carefully.

Eight or so more inches fell overnight so it was a bit tricky this morning getting the van out of where it had been parked in front of the house but once on the road I got it back to the hire place OK. The main routes are ploughed and gritted but not our street. We also had no bin collection today. Next one’s in a fortnight!

We took another stroll along the Water of Leith yesterday and there was the heron again. (I assume it’s the same one we saw before.)

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It was quite undisturbed while we were going past, standing stock still, making the photo easier. It only moved up on to the bank after we were along the path a bit.

We browsed the book and charity shops in Stockbridge for a while but I came away empty handed. The good lady picked up two books to add to her to be read pile.

This time we came back via the town and so passed the Dene Bridge at the upper level.

There’s no idea from here of how high above the water the roadway is nor of the immensity of the pillars.

Later we dropped into the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art off Belford Road.

There are sculptures outside; including an unmistakable couple of Henry Moores.

One is at the front.

There is another beside the path which leads down from the car park to the Water of Leith.

Much of modern art leaves me cold but Moore’s sculptures are interesting.

Most of the stuff inside is a bit meh but the figurative paintings by the Scottish Colourists are an exception. (I’m used to these though as the excellent Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery has a fine collection of Peploes as well as some others.)

There were too some pictures by Alasdair Gray on exhibition in the Gallery to tie in with the newly published book of his art work, A Life In Pictures.

I was in Edinburgh last week and took a walk by the Water Of Leith. Just before Stockbridge I came across this heron in the river. It was stock still for ages, almost as if it was a statue.

Unfortunately it was a new camera and I’m not used to the zoom so the focus is a bit off.

On the walk back there was another heron. This was the other side of Dean Village and Dene Bridge. I think the focus is better on this one.

No pictures, I’m afraid. They were too far out and I didn’t have the camera with me anyway.

Yesterday myself and the good lady were strolling along the prom (prom, prom) at Kirkcaldy and our attention was attracted by raised voices and pointed arms to the Forth estuary.

Leaping and sporting out of the water some distance from shore was a pod of dolphins. It’s the first time both of us have ever seen any in real life as opposed to on TV.

The prom at Kirkcaldy, by the way, lacks anything that you might expect a prom to have. Certainly no brass bands playing (no bandstand) but also no shops selling candy floss or postcards or rock or kiss-me-quick hats. No shops period! It used to house the bus station before they moved that up into the town.

The prom is over a mile long and is more or less just a dual carriageway with a pedestrian walkway between it and the sea. A lost opportunity I’ve always thought.

Fine for a walk, though, if you don’t mind wind blown spume and seas fountaining up like fireworks from (and over) the sea-wall when the tide’s in and there’s a swell on.

After the game on Saturday I took a trip down to the quay at Dumbarton. I’ve always liked the fact there are loads of swans on the river there.

I’d never seen a black one before, though. It was swimming all on its own.

Black Swan in River Leven

The good lady said it had flown in from Russia or somewhere and wouldn’t find a mate as it’s a different species from the white ones.

It’s actually more of a deep brown colour than black. It’s a beautiful thing with a red beak and striking red eyes.

Last week I took a trip ‘Doon The Watter‘ (except I went by road rather than boat.)

Birds on foreshore at Greenock

On the shore at Greenock were these birds which at first I thought were oystercatchers but the plumage isn’t quite right and the beaks are too orange. Does anyone have any idea what they are?

No, I don’t mean those who frequent the pubs and clubs.

It being a nice day* I and the good lady took a stroll along the shore path from Kirkcaldy to Kinghorn. Along the way we spotted some seals basking in the sun. I had the camera!

First attempt. The seals were too far away really. I don’t have much of an adjustable lens.

One of the seals was in the water. I think you can just about make it out in this photo. The previous ones are still perched on their rocks to the left of shot.

Just to left of centre in this picture (it’s the shiny bit) is a seal who’d dragged him or herself out of the water.

This is probably the best shot. A longer ridge of rock with several basking seals.

*I think I might have used the Ablative Absolute (see this post) in this phrase.