Azaleas and Baby Birds in the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens

 We had a lovely walk round Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Gardens yesterday. Azaleas and Rhododendrons are still giving a beautiful display (though often it is different species than those  that were so beautiful on our last visit). 

 

Many of the Azalea bushes support a good number of lichens, a sign of good air quality. Lichens are interesting organisms which combine fungi and either algae or cyanobacteria. There are several species in the photo below, growing on the branches of the Azalea

We were totally delighted at one point to find outselves surrounded by young Long Tailed Tits! We think there must have been about ten recently fledged chicks, though we could only catch one at a time on camera

There were more young birds at the pond, where there was a family of founr Moorhen chicks, two of which are shown in the photo below.

We also visited Inverleith Park, where  the Yellow Flag Irises are in full bloom

and the Mute Swans are looking after their one remaining cygnet

We got a very good view of this Grey Heron, standing suspiciously on the Mute Swans' nest

I wonder if this is the reason the swans only have one remaining cygnet?