Saturday 6 February 2021

Goosanders on the Water of leith

 We had a wind blown walk round Saughton Park at lunchtime today. These four goosanders were swimming around on the Water of Leith

 The males look very smart at the moment

and the females do too, though their plumage is very different from the males

One of the males was sometimes aggressive to the other, probably as its approaching the breeding season

We also saw a kestrel hovering over the grass in the park.This is becoming a regular sight, even though the park may not seem like an ideal place for a hunting kestrel!



2 comments:

Carruthers said...

Although I live in the countryside, I envy cities their parks and spaces in a way. There's plenty of space here but it's virtually all managed with agriculture or shooting in mind. Every square yard has to pay for itself. It would be so nice to wander through a public wood of comparatively old trees and come across a lake which is simply there for the ducks (and the goosanders) and the rowing boats.

I might turn this comment into a blog post if I get round to it!

Crafty Green Poet said...

Hi Carruthers, yes city parks are brilliant and a lot of areas on the countryside are not at all wild