Friday 2 September 2016

Redshanks and Mallards enjoying Musselburgh lagoons in Scotland

I went to Edinburgh in August in order to attend the Edinburgh Festival during it's second week, but took some time off from city life in order to do some bird-watching.  My Bass Rock (North Berwick) gannets and Musselburgh oystercatchers have had their photographs posted in two previous blogs and I am now trying to catch up with the other birds I saw while I was in Scotland.

I spent a pleasant afternoon in Musselburgh, at Levenhall Links nature reserve, after having trouble finding it - spending about half-an-hour longer than necessary during the walk from the centre of the town to the race-course and the reserve that was hidden behind it.  However, it was very rewarding, even though the birds were mainly in the distance at the other end of the lagoons.

The nearest birds were a few Redshanks, that were busy paddling and looking for food in the rather picturesque lagoons.  They, too, really were too far away for good photographs, but were a lot nearer than the hundreds of oystercatchers that were covering the lagoons

Two Redshanks are shown below, knee deep in the water, and one has it's back to me (as usual).


The Redshank below looks as though it is admiring the lovely grasses that are growing round the edge of the lagoon.


Here there are three Redshanks, all looking for food.  I love the pattern of grasses, algae and reflections in the water of the lagoon.


Two of the three Redshanks in the photograph below are exercising their wings.  Actually one of these Redshanks was limping and I hope it will be OK.


After the wing exercises, it's back to searching for food.


There were also a couple of Mallards who were enjoying scooping up algae, or whatever, from the surface of the water.


In this picture, I have my normal view of a duck's bum.


Later, it was back to the wading birds.  Here is a rather fat Redshank that is standing on one leg.


On leaving the Levenhall Links nature reserve, I had to walk near the edge of a lake - or loch, as it is called in Scotland - where I found a pretty Grey Wagtail hopping along the rocks at the edge of the water.  It kept trying to hide from me, but I managed to get a photograph of it anyway.


In order to get back to the centre of Musselburgh, I walked along the footpath by the River Esk where I encountered a very common sea-bird, a Herring Gull, that was standing on one leg on a wall near the river.  I have added it's photograph because I love it's yellow beak and beady eye.

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