Blackford Pond and Hermitage of Braid

 Yesterday we walked round Blackford Pond and then through the Hermitage of Braid. Here are some of our photos. 

There were quite a few birds on Blackford Pond, including Moorhens, Coots, Mallards and Black Headed Gulls.  

 The Hermitage is looking very green just now with the fresh leaves of Ramsons and Few Flowered Leek 

I like the patterns formed by the Turkey Tail fungus on this fallen log. 

and the Hazel Trees are wonderful at the moment, with both the male catkins and the tiny female red flowers out 

 

A Walk at Cramond

 Yesterday we took a bus to Cramond and had a walk along the River Forth. The tide was well out, so we didn't get close views of any of the Oystercatchers, Curlew and other wading birds that were hanging around further out on the mud flats, but the light was beautiful so we managed to get some decent photos.

 

This Carrion Crow posed for us nicely.

 We were delighted to hear a Song Thrush singing a little bit, almost as if he were tuning up for the Spring. 

Snowdrops

 

I love seeing snowdrops, one of the first signs of Spring every year, these are in North Merchiston Cemetery, which, just now, has more of these lovely flowers than I've ever seen before. 

Linlithgow Loch

 Every year we visit Linlithgow Loch at this time of year, hoping to see Great Crested Grebes performing their courtship dance. Saturday was a beautiful day, though very cold, so we made the trip. 

Linlithgow Palace dominates views across the Loch 

The loch is beautiful and a great place for wildlife. We saw about three or four distant Great Crested Grebes, but none seemed in the mood for dancing. However, we were delighted to get very good views of a pair of Slavonian Grebes, rare cousins of the Great Cresteds. Adorable looking birds that we spent a good few minutes watching, though the light wasn't entirely kind for photos, but here they are, in their winter plumage (so lacking their distinctive breeding plumage).  

We were also happy to see several Tufted Ducks, the males in their smartest breeding plumage 

 The Coots were clearly annoyed about something (though this could be part of a courtship display)

and the Grey Herons were generally happy to pose for photos 

We saw lots of friendly Robins too, one of which sang to us. 

**

Edited to add: Grebes also feature in this week's post on my Crafty Green Poet Substack. 
 

Two Books about Dinosaurs

 Dino Gangs: Dr Philip J Currie's New Science of Dinosaurs by Josh Young 

 This is a very engaging introduction to the science (carried out by Dr Philip J Currie and others) behind the claim that dinosaurs such as Tyrannosaurus Rex, may have hunted in packs. Dinosaur finds from Alberta, Canada, and the Gobi Desert in Mongolia are studied, and insights given into how the paleontologists work, both in the field and in the lab. Predatory dinosaurs are compared to modern day ostriches, Komodo dragons and lions to try and work out how the extinct creatures may have hunted. 

The book was written to accompany a TV series and feels like it was written for teenagers, with lots of repitition to drive home the points. This probably means that it's a particularly good read for people who aren't so scientifically minded, but makes it a less satisfactory (though still interesting) read for those who have a scientific background. 

Dino Gangs by Josh Young, published (2011) by  Harper Collins. 

**

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte  

 

This is a fascinating overview of the development of dinosaurs from the first small examples that appeared so many millions of years ago to the modern feathered varieties we now know as birds. Brusatte is an enthusiastic expert in the field and gives a focussed and interesting overview of the evolution and decline of dinosaurs and the istory of paleontology as a science. He also shares stories from field trips and conferences. I found him an engaging and entertaining writer, though I know some people aren't so keen on his style. 

The science is fascinating enough to keep any interested reader gripped until the last page. Dinosaurs ruled the earth for an unimaginable length of time. I still find it astonishing that my childhood favourite dinosaurs Stegasuarus and Triceratops would never have met because Stegasaurus went extinct millions of years before the first Triceratops appeared.  The book has a bit of a focus on the tyrannosaurs (the best known of these being Tyrannosaurus Rex with its 'pathetic little arms' that are referred to possibly slightly too frequently).

Definitely a good book for anyone interested in dinosaurs.  

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte, published by Picador. 

**

I wrote about Dinosaurs and Birds in my latest Crafty Green Substack post, which you can read here.  

The Shepherd and the Bear (film review)

 

This documentary explores the conflict provoked by the reintroduction of brown bears in the midst of a traditional shepherding community in the heights of the French Pyrenees. The film follows Yves, an ageing shepherd who struggles to find a successor, and Cyril, a teenage boy who spends his free time tracking and photographing the bears.

The shepherds are losing sheep to bears, which have been reintroduced into the area, with apparently little support given to the shepherds (they are given no compensation for lost sheep and the bear-scarers and electric fences they are given don't really seem adequate to the job). I love the idea of bears being reintroduced into areas where they used to live, but if I were a shepherd in that area I would expect at the very least compensation for lost sheep and sturdy electric fencing to corral the animals at nightime. The arguments of both the shepherds, the photographer and the conservationists are all sensitively presented and the audience is left with a sense that this is a conflict full of nuance and with no easy answers (well except maybe good compensation and sturdy electric fences). 

The documentary doesn't shy away from showing the bloody side of farming, including dying livestock. On the other hand, it is prevented from becoming too heavy with interludes including a wedding celebration and an extended chase scene involving a feisty rooster. 

The stunning cinematography and immersive storytelling show us a world of tradition, community and humanity’s increasingly fraught relationship with a vanishing natural world. 

Currently screening at The Filmhouse in Edinburgh and probably elsewhere, check your local independent cinema.  

Hazel Catkins

We enjoyed a walk round Saughton Park and along the Water of Leith on Saturday. We didn't take many photos as the weather was very dull. I did manage however to get some photos of Hazel bushes, which not only show the dangling male catkins but also the tiny red female flowers. Look carefully at the twig in the photo below. To the right of the catkins are two tiny red flowers. Can you see them?