Latest Photos – November 2023

November 30, 2023

At the end of October, I managed to spot that one of the Water of Leith otter mums & her two cubs had made their first family venture outdoors on 23 October.  I was still anxiously waiting for the second mum to bring her cubs out which I was expecting some time after 30 October.  This second mum finally brought her 2 cubs out in the first week in November.

However, water levels were very high at this time and the water was flowing very fast.  The two mums had moved their cubs 2-3 times in the first week in November to higher levels above the water.  However, with all this disruption, it would appear that the first otter mum lost one of her cubs.  Despite putting numerous trail cameras out on the water, sadly I’ve still not been able to trace the second cub.  The second mum with her two cubs seem to be doing fine.

At the start of November, I thought I’d spotted a rat, 5-10 yards from Gorgie Road.  However, it was a very light brown colour & then immediately realised I was staring at a weasel in the middle of Edinburgh at rush hour! Thankfully it didn’t dash over Gorgie Road, instead it made its way into the riverbank on the Water of Leith. An amazing encounter!

There are plenty herons about at the moment & the younger ones are trying to find their own patches.  In the pics below, you’ll see a heron battle where a young one obviously encroached a little too close to an older heron’s territory.  As battle commenced, there were wings, bills & legs cartwheeling everywhere – it felt like some sort of Pterodactyl battle scene from Jurassic Park!

Waxwings arrived in Edinburgh this month, in large numbers & attracted many photographers out onto the streets.  They worked their way westwards across the city, devouring all the rowan berries!

Any finally, I spent the last 5 days of the month photographing wildlife on the Isle of Mull – I’ve done a post on that trip & added some photos of the wildlife that I spotted – you can see that post by clicking HERE (Isle of Mull Nov 2023)

Below you’ll see the weasel, the heron battle, the waxwings & a few other creatures that have been about in November in Edinburgh!

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