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Ken D

@gazingattrees.bsky.social
148 followers 127 following 82 posts

Pointing a camera at birds and beasties in and around Edinburgh. Photos by me, except reposts. Walk softly and carry a big lens.

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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
This weasel brightened an interesting but somewhat depressing day in Holyrood Park. It was able to run through gaps beneath the ballast block, so this clamber was unnecessary and likely prompted by the magpie out-of-shot above. #HolyroodPark #Edinburgh #UrbanWildlife
A weasel atop a red plastic ballast block supporting a temporary metal fence. The weasel is looking down, although I suspect that the reason for the climb was a magpie sitting above.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Good to see you, Phil. I stayed a while, I didn't spot any more white-letter hairstreaks and got no more than some fluttering around the top of an oak around 1800.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Hummingbird hawk-moth unwinding its proboscis as it approaches red valerian on Calton Hill today. #CaltonHill #Edinburgh #Moth
A lucky shot where the front of a moth in flight is in focus while nothing else is. Not a typical moth, they're big, with chunky, grey, furry bodies and orange wings that beat very fast. They remain in flight while feeding and have a long proboscis for this.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
A small tortoiseshell on maiden pink in Holyrood Park yesterday. Only the second time I have captured a butterfly on maiden pink, they usually prefer the plentiful thyme nearby. The butterfly likely emerged recently, a vanguard of the summer brood. #HolyroodPark #Edinburgh #Butterfly
A small tortoiseshell butterfly on the small, slightly ragged-looking maiden pink flower.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 23/05/2026
Lots of small coppers today and yesterday, this one was my favourite. So much prettier than the rocks and bramble leaves chosen by the others. #Edinburgh #Butterfly #UrbanWildlife
A backlit small copper, a small orange butterfly with black spots on its wings. It's sitting on a tall buttercup-like yellow flower surrounded by out-of-focus pink flowers.

I should have used an app to identify the flowers - I'll revisit soon and find out.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 04/05/2026
A green hairstreak (Callophrys rubi). A rare find in Holyrood Park. I peer at blaeberry at this time of year, just in case, and today I got lucky. #HolyroodPark #Edinburgh #butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #UrbanWildlife
A small green butterfly with a dashed white line across its wings.

It is photographed in profile sitting on blaeberry (aka bilberry), where it is well camoflaged. They can sometimes be spotted on gorse bushes too.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
This roe deer was very unexpected this morning. It was at the bottom of the slope of Calton Hill and seeming to be considering jumping down to Regent Road. #UrbanWildlife #CaltonHill #Edinburgh
The head and neck of a roe deer obscured by a bush. But most of the frame is filled with an out-of-focus classic red telephone box.

I did get clearer shots of the deer but was very happy to get this background.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 20/03/2026
My first dark-edged bee-fly (Bombylius major) of the year at The Botanics yesterday. I only saw it basking on this holly leaf. I'm hoping to catch it visiting flowers today. #RBGE #Edinburgh #RbgeNature
A dark-edged bee-fly on a holly leaf. It's a fly, but its furry body mimics a bee. The front edge of the wing has a dark pattern, giving its common name.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Thank you, Glenys. Not my first butterflies of the year, but they were much easier to find today. I did get my first red-tailed bumblebee and a dark-edged bee-fly.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
Comma and peacock butterflies on grape hyacinth at The Botanics today. #Edinburgh #RBGE #RbgeNature#butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife
A comma, a predominantly orange butterfly, in the foreground and a peacock (mostly red with eye patterns on its wings) out-of-focus behind it. Both are inverted and feeding on the small blue flowers of grape hyacinth.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
I haven't heard whether the students will be studying the bees this year. I'll certainly be playing bee bingo and posting here if they are. For those wondering what on earth we're on about, here's a tagged "bingo" bee from September 2023. More info in alt text.
A buff-tailed bumblebee with a small green circle with white "64" on its back between the wings.

The numbers allow individual bees to be identified. The students studying the bees took audio recordings and physicial measurements of the bees before tagging and ideally would repeat the exercise with a previously tagged bee days or weeks later.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Thank you, David. Just warm enough for them to come out today without the usual manic activity.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
A hairy-footed flower bee (Anthophora plumipes) on pulmonaria. The first I have seen this year, there was maybe another, soon there will be many around this flower bed in The Botanics. #bees #RBGE #RbgeNature #Edinburgh #UkWildlife #wildlife
A hairy-footed flower bee feeding on a small pinky-purple pulmonaria flower.

The ginger hairs on the bee indicate that it is a male. The males emerge before the black-haired females.

Long, fine hairs are just visible on the middle leg. These hairs give the bee its common and scientific names, plumipes translates to "feather foot".
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
I can't recall seeing a pied wagtail (Motacilla alba) in a tree in the middle of the day before. Often at dusk as they gather to roost, but this surprised me. It was soon back down on the grass though. At Deaconess Garden today. #Birds #Edinburgh #UKWildlife
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
From 1130 news on Radio 6 Music this morning: "Two people have been wounded in a suspected knife attack in Edinburgh. Armed officers were deployed to the Calder area of the city following reports of a man armed with a bladed weapon. Police Scotland say the incident has now been contained."
bbc.co.uk
Lauren Laverne - Jump start your mid-morning with the biggest and brightest tunes - BBC Sounds
Lauren welcomes you to a brand new week with uplifting tunes.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
A redpoll (Acanthis flammea) in Lochend Park on Saturday. I saw three when I passed through on Friday without my camera. They were still there, latterly with a fourth, when I returned next day. #Birds #LochendPark #Edinburgh #UKWildlife
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
A buff-tailed bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) at The Botanics this afternoon. Not the first I've seen this year, there were a few around today, all queens. Queen tree bumblebees too and a lot of droneflies. No butterflies yet, but maybe tomorrow... #bees #UkWildlife #Edinburgh #RbgeNature
A queen bumblebee on a small pink flower of Rhododendron dauricum.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
A redpoll (Acanthis flammea) in Holyrood Park today. #Birds #HolyroodPark #Edinburgh #UKWildlife
A redpoll in an alder tree, pausing from taking tiny seeds from the cones.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
27th 1330 - one waxwing has arrived
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
27th Dec - no waxwings sightings. I arrived late (noon) but was told there were none earlier.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
I suspect the waxwing was ringed by Grampian Ringing Group, in which case there will be three colour rings on the left leg. I rechecked yesterday's pics and there was a glimpse of the dark green darvik there too.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
Waxwings today at Dundee Street (times and locations in earlier posts). The rear bird is ringed, looks like a metal ring with a narrow dark green ring beneath on its right leg. #Birds #Edinburgh #BirdingLothian
Two waxwings from a group of four that I watched yesterday and today. They're eating white rowan(?) berries in the trees they visited most often. They also visited a tree with red rowan(?) berries nearby.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
The waxwings headed towards Harrison Park at 1235 and I haven't seen them since (20 mins).
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
The four waxwings have returned to Dalry/Fountainbridge. Again sitting on the easternmost of the tall limes by the Approach Road at Telford Subway. #BirdingLothian
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 26/12/2025
There's plenty of berries, fair chance they'll stay for you. I'll post updates.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 25/12/2025
One of four waxwings at Dundee Street this afternoon. I only got two brief photo-ops, they spent a long time sitting in a tall tree pretty much above the Tefler Subway and they appeared to pop down to feed somewhere in Dalry too. #BirdingLothian #birds #Edinburgh
A waxwing eating a white rowan(?) berry.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 25/12/2025
4 waxwings in front of One Sixty, Dundee Street minutes ago. #BirdingLothian
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
A common gull (Larus canus) at The Meadows this afternoon. They're not common here, I was happy to see 12-14 of them, other winter visitors have been harder to find. #birds #UKWildlife #Edinburgh
A common gull sitting on top of a lamppost. The lamppost is not straight, that's the lamppost rather than dodgy camera work (sometimes it's the latter).

The background is the spire of Barclay Viewforth Church.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
It's fairly late for a northern brown argus, but that does mean it's not autumn yet. Spotted today in Holyrood Park. #butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #HolyroodPark #Edinburgh
A northern brown argus (a small butterfly) sitting on a non-flowering head of knapweed on the left of the image with two out-of-focus flowering knapweed heads on the right.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 17/07/2025
A wool-carder bee on toadflax at The Botanics. This was a nice surprise, I seldom see them visit flowers other than lamb's-ear (I'd watched a very aggressive one there earlier). #bees #UkWildlife #Edinburgh #RbgeNature
A wool-carder bee visiting a purple and yellow flower, I think annual toadflax (Linaria maroccana). There's a lovely patch of these by the big pond.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 11/07/2025
This was a big surprise today, a white letter hairstreak appeared on the lady's bedstraw by the observatory building on Calton Hill. @caltonhill.bsky.social, have a look high in your elms, they're likely there. #butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #CaltonHill #Edinburgh
A white-letter hairstreak on the small yellow flowers of lady's bedstraw. The white "W" that gives its name is visible here (but not the clearest example). It also gives the scientific name Satyrium w-album.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
A small skipper on catmint at The Botanics. #butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #Edinburgh #RbgeNature
A small skipper, a diminutive orange butterfly, sitting on the lavender-blue flowers of catmint (Nepeta 'Six Hills Giant').
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 27/06/2025
Stock doves at The Botanics this afternoon. #birds #UKWildlife #RbgeNature #SexyPigeon
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
A four-spotted chaser at Inverleith Park yesterday. There were three doing lots of chasing around lunchtime; this one let me admire it later in the day. A dividend from letting the grass and loosestrife grow around the edges of the pond. #UkWildlife #dragonflies #odonata #InverleithPark #Edinburgh
A four spotted-chaser resting on the tip of a long grass stem. The marks on the wing that give its name are visible, most dragonflies have similar outer marks but not the middle ones (pterostigma).

The background is pale green with patches of pink. This is provided by purple loosestrife that is growing around the edge on the main pond.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 12/06/2025
Jelly ear fungus? Although I would happily defer to David or Joanie. Or Carolyn. Or...
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
A cuckoo! An unexpected sighting in the centre of the city. I spotted it when looking over the wall from the Innocent Railway path into Murder Acre (the field below Samson's Ribs). #birds #UKWildlife
A cuckoo sitting on a low branch of a tree just above long grass. I assume it was finding food in the grass because it would go into the grass for a few seconds and then back up into the tree.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 31/05/2025
A common shrew with a dark arches moth caterpillar. We were thrilled to watch the shrew hunting for several minutes, rooting around at the base of clumps of grass. The pursuit of the caterpillar took a while, but it looks like it was worth the effort. #HolyroodPark #UKWildlife
A shrew in grass with a fat caterpillar in its mouth. The shrew is a small rodent with short brown hair, small ears and a pointed snout. The body of the caterpillar is pale pink with small black spots. It has a pale head with maroon "eyes" (ocelli).
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 31/05/2025
Yes, I am happy for you to use my photo if you give me credit.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Yes, Ochlodes sylvanus. It was briefly on the red valerian beside the observatory building on the 17th. iRecorded. bsky.app/profile/gazi...
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
Yes, I'm happy for you to use my photo on your website, just give me a credit (Ken Dobson). You might also be interested in the large skipper I spotted, that's very likely a first for the hill; it was the first in iRecord. That's in an earlier post, I'm happy for you to use that too.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
The Nelson Monument black ball was hoisted into position on Wednesday.
The Nelson Monument, clad with scaffolding and with security fences around it, and a crane in the foreground with a fully extended jib with a large black ball hanging from it above the top of the Monument. A man wearing hi-vis clothing looks very small atop the scaffolding.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
A gosling (Canada goose) in Holyrood Park this afternoon. It has one sibling and two attentive parents. The swan is still on the nest at Dunsapie Loch. #birds #UKWildlife #HolyroodPark
A small, fluffy, yellow gosling sitting in short grass. The geese, including the goslings, graze this patch of grass.

I remained a respectful distance away, used a long lens and cropped the image.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 18/05/2025
A large skipper made a brief appearance on Calton Hill yesterday. They can be found at Levenhall, but there are few records of them in the city. This one is early too. iRecorded. #butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #CaltonHill #Edinburgh
A male large skipper on red valerian.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 04/05/2025
A cinnabar moth, my first of the year. I saw it fly into the garlic mustard during one of the last sunny intervals yesterday. I suspected it might still be there today because the temperature had remained low. This time, I'd packed a macro lens and flash. #moths #TeamMoth #UKWildlife #HolyroodPark
A cinnabar moth resting on the underside of a garlic mustard leaf. Its wings are folded, the visible wing is black with a long red stripe and two red dots.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
A juvenile moorhen, I guess days old based on its size and baldness. One of seven at the big pond at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh today. #birds #UKWildlife #RbgeNature
A very young moorhen looking towards the camera. Its beak is red with a yellow tip. Its down is black with some long grey wisps at its neck giving the impression of a beard. The down on the top of its head is thin with skin showing.

A wing is visible, but it is barely a stump. Its legs are not visible (obscured by vegetation) - those are well-formed already, and the young chicks can walk through the reeds.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
Thank you, Glenys. I'm glad she gave me a second chance; other landmarks didn't work as well, I think this was the Castle, St Giles and the Scott Monument.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 30/04/2025
A wheatear surprised me on Haggis Knowe in Holyrood Park today. I usually see them higher in the park's hills. That's the National Monument of Scotland on Calton Hill in the background. #birds #UKWildlife #HolyroodPark #CaltonHill #Edinburgh
A wheatear atop a rock with a hill in the background topped by a Parthenon-like structure.

The structure is the National Monument of Scotland, built as a memorial to the Scottish soldiers and sailors who died fighting in the Napoleonic Wars (with thanks to Wikipedia, it's an interesting article).
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 26/04/2025
An orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) on Chinese lilac (Syringa x chinensis) at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh yesterday. #butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #RBGENature
A side-on image of a male orange-tip butterfly. The underside of the lower wing is spotchy green on white, ideal for camouflage, but the upper wings are not fully folded in, showing a splash of the orange that gives the butterfly its common name.

It is sitting on a cluster of pale pink flowers. I had to check the plant label for this one, it's Syringa x chinensis.

The image is framed by out-of-focus green and pink achieved by taking the shot through a gap in the foliage.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 20/04/2025
A grasshopper warbler in Holyrood Park this afternoon. A long shift loitering beside the brambles was rewarded. #BirdingLothian #HolyroodPark #UKWildlife
A grasshopper warbler calling from its perch in new-growth brambles.
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Ken D @gazingattrees.bsky.social · 11/04/2025
A speckled wood on grape hyacinth at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh yesterday. #butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #RBGENature
A side view of a butterfly with its wings together so one underside is visible. The wing is brown with cream patches and the background has similar colours with some greens provided by moss on a rock.

The grape hyacinth has a cluster of small blue urn-shaped flowers a little like a bunch of grapes.
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