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Posts by Ken D

The head and neck of a roe deer obscured by a bush. But most of the frame is filled with an out-of-focus classic red telephone box.

I did get clearer shots of the deer but was very happy to get this background.

The head and neck of a roe deer obscured by a bush. But most of the frame is filled with an out-of-focus classic red telephone box. I did get clearer shots of the deer but was very happy to get this background.

This roe deer was very unexpected this morning. It was at the bottom of the slope of Calton Hill and seeming to be considering jumping down to Regent Road.

#UrbanWildlife #CaltonHill #Edinburgh

2 weeks ago 29 9 1 1
A dark-edged bee-fly on a holly leaf. It's a fly, but its furry body mimics a bee. The front edge of the wing has a dark pattern, giving its common name.

A dark-edged bee-fly on a holly leaf. It's a fly, but its furry body mimics a bee. The front edge of the wing has a dark pattern, giving its common name.

My first dark-edged bee-fly (Bombylius major) of the year at The Botanics yesterday.

I only saw it basking on this holly leaf. I'm hoping to catch it visiting flowers today.

#RBGE #Edinburgh #RbgeNature

1 month ago 4 0 0 0

Thank you, Glenys. Not my first butterflies of the year, but they were much easier to find today. I did get my first red-tailed bumblebee and a dark-edged bee-fly.

1 month ago 1 0 0 0
A comma, a predominantly orange butterfly, in the foreground and a peacock (mostly red with eye patterns on its wings) out-of-focus behind it. Both are inverted and feeding on the small blue flowers of grape hyacinth.

A comma, a predominantly orange butterfly, in the foreground and a peacock (mostly red with eye patterns on its wings) out-of-focus behind it. Both are inverted and feeding on the small blue flowers of grape hyacinth.

Comma and peacock butterflies on grape hyacinth at The Botanics today.

#Edinburgh #RBGE #RbgeNature#butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife

1 month ago 8 1 1 0
A buff-tailed bumblebee with a small green circle with white "64" on its back between the wings.

The numbers allow individual bees to be identified. The students studying the bees took audio recordings and physicial measurements of the bees before tagging and ideally would repeat the exercise with a previously tagged bee days or weeks later.

A buff-tailed bumblebee with a small green circle with white "64" on its back between the wings. The numbers allow individual bees to be identified. The students studying the bees took audio recordings and physicial measurements of the bees before tagging and ideally would repeat the exercise with a previously tagged bee days or weeks later.

I haven't heard whether the students will be studying the bees this year. I'll certainly be playing bee bingo and posting here if they are.

For those wondering what on earth we're on about, here's a tagged "bingo" bee from September 2023. More info in alt text.

1 month ago 1 0 1 0

Thank you, David. Just warm enough for them to come out today without the usual manic activity.

1 month ago 1 0 1 0
A hairy-footed flower bee feeding on a small pinky-purple pulmonaria flower.

The ginger hairs on the bee indicate that it is a male. The males emerge before the black-haired females.

Long, fine hairs are just visible on the middle leg. These hairs give the bee its common and scientific names, plumipes translates to "feather foot".

A hairy-footed flower bee feeding on a small pinky-purple pulmonaria flower. The ginger hairs on the bee indicate that it is a male. The males emerge before the black-haired females. Long, fine hairs are just visible on the middle leg. These hairs give the bee its common and scientific names, plumipes translates to "feather foot".

A hairy-footed flower bee (Anthophora plumipes) on pulmonaria.

The first I have seen this year, there was maybe another, soon there will be many around this flower bed in The Botanics.

#bees #RBGE #RbgeNature #Edinburgh #UkWildlife #wildlife

1 month ago 10 1 1 0
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I can't recall seeing a pied wagtail (Motacilla alba) in a tree in the middle of the day before. Often at dusk as they gather to roost, but this surprised me. It was soon back down on the grass though.

At Deaconess Garden today.

#Birds #Edinburgh #UKWildlife

1 month ago 6 0 0 0
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Lauren Laverne - Jump start your mid-morning with the biggest and brightest tunes - BBC Sounds Lauren welcomes you to a brand new week with uplifting tunes.

From 1130 news on Radio 6 Music this morning: "Two people have been wounded in a suspected knife attack in Edinburgh. Armed officers were deployed to the Calder area of the city following reports of a man armed with a bladed weapon. Police Scotland say the incident has now been contained."

1 month ago 1 0 0 0
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A redpoll (Acanthis flammea) in Lochend Park on Saturday.

I saw three when I passed through on Friday without my camera. They were still there, latterly with a fourth, when I returned next day.

#Birds #LochendPark #Edinburgh #UKWildlife

1 month ago 10 0 0 0
A queen bumblebee on a small pink flower of Rhododendron dauricum.

A queen bumblebee on a small pink flower of Rhododendron dauricum.

A buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) at The Botanics this afternoon.

Not the first I've seen this year, there were a few around today, all queens. Queen tree bumblebees too and a lot of droneflies. No butterflies yet, but maybe tomorrow...

#bees #UkWildlife #Edinburgh #RbgeNature

1 month ago 6 1 0 0
A redpoll in an alder tree, pausing from taking tiny seeds from the cones.

A redpoll in an alder tree, pausing from taking tiny seeds from the cones.

A redpoll (Acanthis flammea) in Holyrood Park today.

#Birds #HolyroodPark #Edinburgh #UKWildlife

3 months ago 17 0 0 0

27th 1330 - one waxwing has arrived

3 months ago 0 0 0 0

27th Dec - no waxwings sightings. I arrived late (noon) but was told there were none earlier.

3 months ago 1 0 1 0

I suspect the waxwing was ringed by Grampian Ringing Group, in which case there will be three colour rings on the left leg. I rechecked yesterday's pics and there was a glimpse of the dark green darvik there too.

3 months ago 1 0 0 0
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Two waxwings from a group of four that I watched yesterday and today. They're eating white rowan(?) berries in the trees they visited most often. They also visited a tree with red rowan(?) berries nearby.

Two waxwings from a group of four that I watched yesterday and today. They're eating white rowan(?) berries in the trees they visited most often. They also visited a tree with red rowan(?) berries nearby.

Waxwings today at Dundee Street (times and locations in earlier posts). The rear bird is ringed, looks like a metal ring with a narrow dark green ring beneath on its right leg. #Birds #Edinburgh #BirdingLothian

3 months ago 16 1 2 0

The waxwings headed towards Harrison Park at 1235 and I haven't seen them since (20 mins).

3 months ago 0 0 0 0

The four waxwings have returned to Dalry/Fountainbridge. Again sitting on the easternmost of the tall limes by the Approach Road at Telford Subway. #BirdingLothian

3 months ago 6 1 1 0

There's plenty of berries, fair chance they'll stay for you. I'll post updates.

3 months ago 2 0 0 0
A waxwing eating a white rowan(?) berry.

A waxwing eating a white rowan(?) berry.

One of four waxwings at Dundee Street this afternoon. I only got two brief photo-ops, they spent a long time sitting in a tall tree pretty much above the Tefler Subway and they appeared to pop down to feed somewhere in Dalry too. #BirdingLothian #birds #Edinburgh

3 months ago 28 3 1 2

4 waxwings in front of One Sixty, Dundee Street minutes ago. #BirdingLothian

3 months ago 4 0 1 0
A common gull sitting on top of a lamppost. The lamppost is not straight, that's the lamppost rather than dodgy camera work (sometimes it's the latter).

The background is the spire of Barclay Viewforth Church.

A common gull sitting on top of a lamppost. The lamppost is not straight, that's the lamppost rather than dodgy camera work (sometimes it's the latter). The background is the spire of Barclay Viewforth Church.

A common gull (Larus canus) at The Meadows this afternoon. They're not common here, I was happy to see 12-14 of them, other winter visitors have been harder to find.

#birds #UKWildlife #Edinburgh

4 months ago 1 0 0 0
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A northern brown argus (a small butterfly) sitting on a non-flowering head of knapweed on the left of the image with two out-of-focus flowering knapweed heads on the right.

A northern brown argus (a small butterfly) sitting on a non-flowering head of knapweed on the left of the image with two out-of-focus flowering knapweed heads on the right.

It's fairly late for a northern brown argus, but that does mean it's not autumn yet. Spotted today in Holyrood Park.

#butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #HolyroodPark #Edinburgh

8 months ago 4 0 0 0
A wool-carder bee visiting a purple and yellow flower, I think annual toadflax (Linaria maroccana). There's a lovely patch of these by the big pond.

A wool-carder bee visiting a purple and yellow flower, I think annual toadflax (Linaria maroccana). There's a lovely patch of these by the big pond.

A wool-carder bee on toadflax at The Botanics.

This was a nice surprise, I seldom see them visit flowers other than lamb's-ear (I'd watched a very aggressive one there earlier).

#bees #UkWildlife #Edinburgh #RbgeNature

9 months ago 5 2 0 0
A white-letter hairstreak on the small yellow flowers of lady's bedstraw. The white "W" that gives its name is visible here (but not the clearest example). It also gives the scientific name Satyrium w-album.

A white-letter hairstreak on the small yellow flowers of lady's bedstraw. The white "W" that gives its name is visible here (but not the clearest example). It also gives the scientific name Satyrium w-album.

This was a big surprise today, a white letter hairstreak appeared on the lady's bedstraw by the observatory building on Calton Hill.

@caltonhill.bsky.social, have a look high in your elms, they're likely there.

#butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #CaltonHill #Edinburgh

9 months ago 10 1 1 0
A small skipper, a diminutive orange butterfly, sitting on the lavender-blue flowers of catmint (Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant').

A small skipper, a diminutive orange butterfly, sitting on the lavender-blue flowers of catmint (Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant').

A small skipper on catmint at The Botanics.

#butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #Edinburgh #RbgeNature

9 months ago 4 0 0 0
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Stock doves at The Botanics this afternoon.

#birds #UKWildlife #RbgeNature #SexyPigeon

9 months ago 16 0 0 0
A four spotted-chaser resting on the tip of a long grass stem. The marks on the wing that give its name are visible, most dragonflies have similar outer marks but not the middle ones (pterostigma).

The background is pale green with patches of pink. This is provided by purple loosestrife that is growing around the edge on the main pond.

A four spotted-chaser resting on the tip of a long grass stem. The marks on the wing that give its name are visible, most dragonflies have similar outer marks but not the middle ones (pterostigma). The background is pale green with patches of pink. This is provided by purple loosestrife that is growing around the edge on the main pond.

A four-spotted chaser at Inverleith Park yesterday. There were three doing lots of chasing around lunchtime; this one let me admire it later in the day.

A dividend from letting the grass and loosestrife grow around the edges of the pond.

#UkWildlife #dragonflies #odonata #InverleithPark #Edinburgh

10 months ago 6 0 0 0

Jelly ear fungus? Although I would happily defer to David or Joanie. Or Carolyn. Or...

10 months ago 2 0 1 0
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A cuckoo sitting on a low branch of a tree just above long grass. I assume it was finding food in the grass because it would go into the grass for a few seconds and then back up into the tree.

A cuckoo sitting on a low branch of a tree just above long grass. I assume it was finding food in the grass because it would go into the grass for a few seconds and then back up into the tree.

A cuckoo! An unexpected sighting in the centre of the city. I spotted it when looking over the wall from the Innocent Railway path into Murder Acre (the field below Samson's Ribs). #birds #UKWildlife

10 months ago 7 0 1 0