[mcepjg]

Hello just to say....

1.Hi

2. Seen anything interesting recently?

3. Where do you go to watch birds around edinburgh?
(and how do you get there from princes street?)

Peter

[david kelly]

Peter,

The easiest place to get to from Princes Street is Musselburgh Lagoons. Take any bus going to East Lothian (LRT 15, 26, 44, FirstBus 44, 124, 129) from outside the M&S Sandwich shop and get at the first stop over the Bridge in Musselburgh. Follow the river to the mouth of the Esk and your at the lagoons.

The first lagoon has a hight tide roost and if you follow the seawall round you will come to a landscaped area with a boating pond. The scrapes with hides are near the boating pond. Look at the sea for grebes, ducks and divers.

Within Edinburgh Duddingston Loch and Holyrood Park are good areas.

There is a e mail group on Yahoo called Lothian Bird News which you should join if interested in Lothian Bird sightings.

David

[turkish van]

Hi Peter!

I live in Edinburgh. Interesting things really depends on if you are a lister or a casual birder! I went for a walk round my local woods last Friday and saw a treecreeper and long tailed tits etc, which I thought was interesting. Agree with David about Musselburgh, I also like Aberlady which is a bit further down the coast on the same road. Not sure about buses though.

Other places I'd say are the Hermitage of Braid, which is woodland surrounded by fields with a river running through it. I haven't spent as much time as I'd like to in there, but recently walking through without actually looking I saw dipper and grey wagtail. I'd expect all the common and less common woodland species. There is also a visitor centre giving details of wildlife to be found in the woods. You can get the lothian 42 from Hanover street or the mound which will take you about a 10 minute walk away, I'll give you more details if you're interested.

Apart from that, there are pockets of nature all over the city. If you like waders then Cramond Island would be a good choice. It is in the Forth, and you can look across from the shore with a scope or bins or check the tides and walk over. Pormarine Skuas were seen there recently I think. Also a little walk down the river Almond,which is just down from where yu would go over to Cramond Island, might turn up some interesting things. Get the lothian 41 from the Gardens side of Princes street and that will take you to a 5 minute walk down to the river, and then maybe 15 mins straight to the shore. Again more details if you're interested.

Have you just moved here?

[mcepjg]

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Originally Posted by turkish van

Have you just moved here?

No, I've been in edinburgh a while but only recently I've renewed my interest in birds. I got a new pair of binoculars yesterday and I spotted our resident buzzard at hw uni getting mobbed by some crows. Its really nice up here we have owls (heard not seen) and just a couple of days ago there were some fieldfares.

Most mornings I look out of my window to see a robin on the tree. although our goldfinches have migrated. My best ever moment in edinburgh was seeing a kingfisher on the river leith.

I used to walk down there all the time but I must admit doing exactly the same walk all the time can become tiring so I wanted to find some new places to try out. Thanks for the suggestions although the work is piling up now so perhaps I won't get a chance to do any proper birdwatching till the spring.

although I really want to see the long tailed ducks because I've not seen them before and they look amazing in the pictures.

anyway got to go now

[baphomet]

Old thread I know but I'm from Edinburgh

[Birdspotter]

Originally Posted by mcepjg

Hello just to say....

1.Hi

2. Seen anything interesting recently?

3. Where do you go to watch birds around edinburgh?
(and how do you get there from princes street?)

Peter

Hi Peter,
I wrote an arcticle in Birding Scotland a few years back detailing all the main Lothian sites and others.
This was reproduced by the Scottish Ornithologists Club and can easily be accessed on their website.
Cheers.

[Stuart Watson]

Hi - also not from Edinburgh - However,

i`m often in the area- and stop off at Musselburgh on my lunch break.
Despite only having an hour , i`ve clocked up more than a dozen lifers there this year.
Common species to the enthusiast i`m sure, but from a rookies view - top notch.

Today with the naked eye at the sea wall lifers were Long Tailed Duck (a lone male)- there are good numbers at Aberlady i hear.
Slavonian Grebe - never seen even one until today, and there must have been at least a dozen visible without binocs.
Common Scoter - mixed with Velvets a little further out.

Also present were Red Necked Grebe, Guillemot, and a Bar Tailed Godwit at the lagoons.

Best wishes - Good Luck - Stu