During April I had more daytime sightings of the otters on the Water of Leith. This was due to them being more active during the night but with the days getting longer, I was able to see them at first light if not before.
April also saw a lot of breeding activity across a wide ranges of creatures & whilst there has been plenty of success, there have been failures. The swans at Roseburn Park & at the Galleries have been unsuccessful so far. One egg was seen in the water, at the top of the weir, by the Modern Art Gallery.
I have been watching 5 pairs of dippers along the Water of Leith & they have been actively bringing in extra food on a daily basis, so fingers crossed.
One pair of great spotted woodpeckers that I have watched over the last 2 years have returned to their previous nesting tree. I have been watching early morning activity from a distance but there is nothing to suggest that any eggs have appeared yet. It maybe that by the end of the first week in May, I will have a better idea if they have been successful in producing eggs.
I also had a lovely trip out to the Cammo Estate on the west of Edinburgh, where I was fortunate to spot 3-4 nuthatches that were being fairly active. They have a tendency to stay in the higher branches but on this occasion, they seemed happy to come down to my level!
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