Penicuik Estate, Midlothian

Walked the North Esk river from Penicuik up to Penicuik House today - lovely walk in perfect summer weather. Several Bird Cherry trees completely covered in webs of the Cherry Ermine Moth caterpillar and many stripped to the bone.

Blackcap and Chiffchaff still singing. Small flock of Greylag on pond below the derelict house, which is currently being restored.

Pyrenean Valerian present in several places by the riverside - seems to be getting more common by riverbanks in the Lothian area. Apparently southern Scotland is the UK stronghold of this introduced species.

Himalayan Balsam control, Water of Leith, Edinburgh

I spent a pleasant couple of hours this morning uprooting stems of this invasive alien plant, just downstream from Gorgie road. A small team of volunteers form the river conservation trust tackled the plant and pulled up several hundred stems, none of which had started flowering.

The riverbank is thick with vegetation at present - Butterbur, Garlic Mustard, Leopards Bane and great colourful swathes of Dame's Violet.

I found the tiny two spot ladybird (photo) clinging to a stem of garlic mustard in the undergrowth.

Woodmouse

Was out in the garden late this evening with dusk well on and saw what I thought was a robin flying onto a bird feeder hanging from an apple tree. Closer inspection showed it to be a Wood Mouse trying to extract a few of the remaining peanuts.

I was amazed at its agility as a climber - it did literally seem bird-like as it scampered from branch to branch and scaled the trunk like a tree creeper.

Quite a few large lemon yellow moths coming into the garden at dusk now - suspect these are Brimstones though not certain.

A few notes

Been quite busy lately so not been out much. Weather over past few days very summery - temps in high teens. Strange this year how early spring flowers are out alongside those of mid summer.

Green Woodpecker reported in Corstorphine hill - must be the only city location for this bird now.

Of the 3 pairs of swans on the union canal (Tollcross, Craiglockhart, Westerhailes areas), none now appear to have cygnets - no explanation of where they might have gone, though the Craiglockhart pair, as far as I know, didn't produce any.

Oddly enough the swans at Craiglockhart pond seem to be leaving the coot chicks undisturbed - was over there this morning and took a short video of the chicks being fed by a parent on the water.

Hedgehog evenings

The weather has got dramatically warmer over the past few days - temps in the high teens and quite mild evenings. In these conditions I sometimes see a hedgehog in my garden and I've even begun to wonder if it is living beneath my old greenhouse - something has been digging in underneath it anyway.

It's great to have a hedgehog visit - I believe they need a territory covering roughly 10 urban gardens so I'm lucky to see it when I do. It's especially good to know that hedgehogs have survived such a punishing winter.

I've been trying to naturalise the garden since moving here 2 years ago (an excuse for lazy gardening some would say), by for example leaving leaf litter and allowing a corner to grow wild. That should help create a habitat that encourages wildlife in general. I collected some wild flower seeds last autumn (Red Campion and Tufted Vetch) and left them in pots outdoors over the winter (the recommended way - they dessicate and die indoors). So far the Campion had sprung into leaf but is way behind its fellows in the countryside, which are in full flower now. No sign of the vetch at all yet, but plenty of time I hope.

Killer Swans at Craiglockhart Pond

The pair of swans at Craiglockhart pond have just hatched nine cygnets and are defending their territory ruthlessly. The male swan takes great exception to other birds (particularly mallards it seems), rearing young on his patch, and repeatedly chases and drowns every duckling he can catch. There were two left on Friday of last week, today none remain.

Natural History Society Outing, Roslin Glen

Roslin Glen
Cold again today - 7 degrees C max. The usual spring plants were around in Roslin Glen today but few have flowered yet. Unusual plant for me was Common Cow Wheat which I'd never seen before. Blackcaps were singing plus possibly a Garden Warbler.

Greater Stitchwort
Toothwort and Purple Toothwort were found along the riverbank.