Signs of Autumn and an Otter in the Dells!

Yesterday, I did my regular volunteering (picking litter, recording wildlife) in the Dells, alongside the Water of Leith. The weather was warm and sunny and most of the woodland still had the look of summer

though there were many signs of Autumn, such as beautifully coloured leaves like this Sycamore leaf (the black spots here are Tar Spot fungus, which occurs on Sycamore leaves late in the Summer every year and doesn't harm the tree)

and fungi, like these, which I've been reliably informed (by Edinburgh Natural History Society on Facebook) are Pleated Inkcaps

The highlight of my walk though was seeing an Otter in the river. I spent about ten minutes watching it swimming around. It was too far away for me to feel able to guarantee getting a good photo, so I just enjoyed the moment, rather than fiddling around with my camera.