Tuesday 9 March 2010

Blackford Pond and Hermitage of Braid, Edinburgh


This morning we wandered down to Blackford Pond, a relatively small suburban pond in Edinburgh. We were delighted with the birds we saw! As well as lots of mallards and tufted ducks there were 2 pochards, a little grebe (in summer plumage today, unlike those we saw in Perth), a heron (click on my photo above for a closer view), greylag geese, moorhens and a coot. Crafty Green Boyfriend saw a kingfisher but I had been too busy watching a pair of swans dancing and courting to notice, which is a shame as I've not had much luck with kingfishers recently, it's always other people who see them! It was however wonderful to watch the swans, they have such a graceful, balletic courtship dance. After wandering round the pond, we walked by the side of Blackford Hill (see the new banner photo), where we heard a buzzard and then watched it soar across the sky. Then we walked along Braid Burn, through the Hermitage of Braid. Definitely felt like Spring today, we've had signs in the past few days but this was the real thing today.

12 comments:

Captain Shagrat said...

Can just imagine Crafty B Sneaking up on the heron;-) Nice spring shot too. I like it...

Howard BME said...

You always manage to ‘out-bird’ me! I was just thinking when I was at Blackford Pond the other week that we have tufted ducks but no pochards … and now you’ve seen pochards there. I’ll look out for them next time, but I bet I don’t see any!

Anonymous said...

I have never got anywhere near close to a heron. That is one of my photography goals.

That looks like a wonderful place to walk and enjoy nature.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful! I can't wait to enjoy the parks in our area..it is almost spring and the malards have come back to our yard...they sit on top of the houses around town...it's pretty funny.

AscenderRisesAbove said...

very pretty; so lucky to get the heron; when i get shots like that it just when they dodge behind a tree and i only get half of the bird

Magyar said...

__What fine photos!
__Summers at our pond... I spend hours, watching the birds of the water, and those that linger on the shoreline. Things, then, are learned that aren't written in any book.

Crafty Green Poet said...

Captain Shagrat, actually I took the photo and it didn't need much sneaking up on, it just stood there...

Howard - well, good luck next time you're there...

Four Winds - herons around here are relatively easy to take photos of, and they're big birds so you can catch them from a greater distance than most birds

Lynn - i've never seen mallards on top of houses, how cute!

Ascender - you should have seen the shot i tried to get of the swans, didn't work at all...

Magyar - yes we can learn a lot from watching birds..

Kay Cooke said...

I'm loving your spring reports. Beautiful.

Michael said...

I have the same luck with woodpeckers. Everybody has encountered them but me.

ThoseThr3Words-Claire said...

Absolutely beautiful..the heron looks so stately and elegant, like a scene in a Chinese painting. We envy you!

Claire and Amy

Howard BME said...

I went to Blackford Pond today and saw the lonely male pochard! I even have (very poor) photographic evidence to prove it! Also there was a bunny on the path.

Jacquie said...

You are reminding me that I am overdue for a visit to my favourite local bird sanctuary! I'm jealous of your sightings of birds we don't get over here.