Tuesday 8 February 2011

Woodland and Farmland


Today, I was researching a walk for my next session of guided birdwatching walks. I started at farmland in the Liberton area of Edinburgh, walked through part of the beautiful Hermitage of Braid and then came back into the Liberton farmland at a different point. The walk gave me new perspectives on areas I already know individually and it was the first time I'd woven them into a round trip. At the beginning of the walk, one of the fields was full of fieldfares, such beautiful big colourful thrushes! At the entrance to the Hermitage, I noticed a lot of birds in the bushes at the top of a small hill. I noticed that some of them were blue tits, one was a treecreeper but others seemed to be siskins, but I couldn't get a good view. Then another birdwatcher told me that there were better views if I went up a flight of very muddy steps, which I did and yes, what a wonderful view I got of these lovely active little birds!
I then carried on into the Hermitage, where there are some striking rock formations with a kestrel hovering above!


Then a steep walk up towards Braid Hills, passing a very large flock of chaffinches (which I checked for bramblings, but no luck!) then over a path by a golf course onto a main road with lovely views that leads to the farmland again. On the farmland, I found hedges full of finches - greenfinches, goldfinches, chaffinches and bramblings! Oh and found several clumps of snowdrops on bloom and a couple of clumps of lesser celandine in bud.

10 comments:

Lucy said...

I love the sound of fieldfares clacking overhead!

You do so many good things...

Michelle May-The Raspberry Rabbits said...

What a wonderful walk Juliet! Hermitage of Braid, what a lovely sound that has to it.
xx, shell

RG said...

That's a bird-filled walk!

Glo said...

Sounds like an interesting course and that particular walk seems to offer many varieties of birds to watch. Good exercise, too, by the sounds of it!

Christina said...

What a gorgeous walk!

Anonymous said...

Sounds fantastic! I am amazed the amount of different birds you have up there to us, as we don't get siskins or fieldfairs, but we do get a lot of the finches and tit varieties! Will have to look up a tree creeper as am not sure what they look like either! Nothing better than a walk in the great outdoors... ;)

Sam Pennington said...

It's a wonderful thing about being out and about at the moment, there seem to be so many birds around. Sounds like your guided walks will be really interesting xx

Unknown said...
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bunnits said...

What a delightful time you must have had.

Nicole said...

Lovely photos. I love sceneries and terrain like that.
And finding all the birdies - nice :D!