Swans at Sea and Bees with Knees

Swans are more usually associated with inland waterways but at Musselburgh they enjoy riding the waves of the Firth of Forth.

Meanwhile the John Muir Walkway alongside the Forth is a mass of colour

and lots of bees buzzing around. This one was showing off her knees as she enjoyed feeding on tall melilot. (Of course bees don't really have knees, it's just a fanciful name for their pollen sacs, where they store the pollen they collect as they fly from flower to flower)

Large numbers of eider ducks on the sea, several common terns hovering around, one of which dived repeatedly for fish and came up with one in its beak! A few bar tailed godwits were striding across the mudflats, including a couple in their rich red summer plumage, the first time I've seen them like that, normally I've only seen them in winter plumage. A few turnstones too, looking very bright and several other species. On the Lagoons, there was a large flock of lapwings, just like last time I was there, this time though I saw them wheeling round in the air, a beautiful sight, and one that is becoming increasingly rare as this species is declining drastically. Plus, one singing reed bunting. I don't generally take photos of birds, apart from large slow moving species such as swans or herons, I'd rather enjoy watching them than take bad photos. However you can follow the links in the text to go to the RSPB website, which has lovely photos, drawings and recordings of all the birds I've mentioned.