Urban Nestlings

This is a Common Moorhen with its chicks; there were probably just these three, but since she never stood up I can't be sure--best seen large. We encountered them on a lovely stroll along the Water of Leith not far from the center of Edinburgh.We were with our blipfriends Meles and DaveH, whom we just met today. They live in Leith and generously offered to serve as guides. We had a wonderful time, including encounters with a fair number of birds--often so close that I could take decent pictures with just my point-and-shoot. (For example a family of eiders--adult and four ducklings--preening together just five meters below us; I took a video that I may post on YouTube--it would be my first).

It was again grey, but with only a minimal amount of rain. We had lunch at The Scotch Malt Whiskey Society in Leith--a private club that claims to offer "the very best single cask, single malt whisky available to mankind" (we only drank beer, but DaveH bought a bottle to take home--one of their dozens of selections).

Our wonderful bliphost from yesterday, Cameron, has put up a rainy portrait of me schlepping my big lens on returning from Bass Rock.