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Back in Holyrood this morning.First Whitethroat of year.1 Bird hunter's bog,the other nr Dunsapie.

Male Whinchat on gorse.

Singing Grasshopper warbler.

Grasshopper warbler in bush.

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#Holyrood
Good numbers of Grasshopper warbler now in park around Dunsapie and Hunters bog good places to spot them.
On crags Mike Hannam got a male Whinchat thanks for the heads up. Wheatear also.

Galls on leaves of red valerian caused by plant bug Trioza centranthi.

#galls
#Redvalerian
Noticed these galls on Red valerian in Holyrood park .
Seems to be from plant bug
Trioza centranthi, looked on NBN atlas doesn't seem to occur in Scotland althou NBN Scotland mentions 6 unverified records.

Cream spot ladybird
Richard.

Male Kestrel in flight.

Holly blue butterfly and Beefly.

Slavonian Grebes changing into summer plumage on sea

Long tailed duck and Slavonian Grebe on the sea.

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#birds #insects
First Holly blue I've managed to photograph this year along with Beefly.
Male Kestrel on crags.
Pair of Long tailed duck and pr of Slavonian Grebe getting summer plumage
off seawall Musselburgh.

Also f.o.y Common sandpiper at Duddingston.

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12.10pm passing White tailed Eagle put up the gulls
at Musselburgh .
2 Little ringed plover, 6 Black tailed godwit, numerous singing Chiffchaff Blackcap a few Willow warbler.
100+Sandmartin, 4 Swallow
Missed the brief glimpse of Redstart .

Yes watched a few males being caught and eaten over the years.

Male and female jumping spiders.

Male jumping spider displaying to female.

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Male and Female
A.V Insignitus the male desperately displaying to the bigger female,but after 2 attempts to eat him he made a hasty retreat.

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#Birds
First willow warbler nr Drum estate.,First wheatear of year up nr green cleugh,
Dozens of sandmartin and a couple of Swallows Bavelaw.

Both have dark legs chiffchaffs.

Male see's another male watching female before making hasty retreat.

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The resent warm weather temps in the mid teens has brought out the invertebrates .Lots of butterflies, bumblebees, blood bees and today in Holyrood park
12 males 2 Female Aelurillus v -insignitus

Nice pictures Len
Glad yer getting oot and about.

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Barnsness Firecrest very mobile and sticking mostly to tree tops,but did come lower into pines .

Med gull with full hood Eastfield.

Colour ringed MedGull almost full hood.

Black headed gull with black leg no oil on plumage seen.

Black headed gull with different coloured legs possibly oil.

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3 possibly 4 Med gulls at Musselburgh and Eastfield.
2on scrapes colour ringed (ASAT) with almost complete hood
and another without a hood.
At Eastfield bird with full hood no leg rings and another with hood which could be (ASAT) again

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Duddingston today 10 lesser black backed gulls on loch ,slav grebe still present Chiffchaff still singing i believe its an overwintering bird,the other occasionally calls.Cant hear Goldcrest but merlin picked up 1 singing then I spotted it in front of me .

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2 Chiffchaff at hangmans rock Duddingston 1 bird in full song the mild weather must be making them happy.

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Slavonian Grebe still present at Duddingston for its 10th day.Drake Pochard
no sign but was here a week.

Along this water course at east end.

#BirdingScotland
Trip to Inverkeithing
2 (Banana bills)White billed divers in harbour .
At St Margarets Marsh think I spotted the water pipit it was distant and size was difficult to work out.

3 more video grabs showing rusty cheek and pale supercilum.

Quick video.

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Yet another attempt at getting reasonable views of the Gosford woodlark,
Brief view in poor weather Sunday.
Good scope view after I arrived thanx to #scottbirder01
but bird quickly vanished
2 hours later appearing
can you see it.

Think David's calling the red area flooded field .

Med gull on sea

Kittiwakes on the sea

Close encounters with Redpoll picking seeds from the ground.

Snow bunting on the beach.

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At Seafield high tide amongst the 1500 or so Black headed gulls
Med gull AL ZZ, and a dozen or more Kittiwakes.
Figgatepark 2 Redpoll dropped down a few feet from where I stood.
From a couple of days ago only 1 Snow bunting seen East of Yellowcraig

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#Musselburgh #Esk
Close Slavonian Grebe fishing at end off Esk .
Kittiwake in the Surf nr sea wall.

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Trip to Holmehill Dunblane
4 Hawfinch observed 2 flew south the other pair hung around in poor light.

Some of the nearly 200 wagtails roosting. As it gets dark you see them landing on the roofs of the Omni centre and John lewis before roosting in trees.
I don't know if a similar number are still roosting in Morrison street but remember watching similar scenes there 10 years or so ago.