Otterly Chuffed

Quite easily the high point of the day. I managed to nab 30 minutes to pop up to Duddingston Loch before everyone else woke up from their haggis-induced slumber this morning. Looking for a possible Bittern I came across one of the otters that has been getting seen more around there recently. So. This is an awful, noisy shot, but it's the first Edinburgh otter I've managed to collar (I have blipped a Skye sea otter before), and is therefore a day worth marking.

Breakfast after that, then the shops for a few bathroom and garden things, but Mel's hangover was proving too much so back to the house we went. The plan had been for me to go to Musselburgh or the like while she had a snooze, but an ill cat took care of that plan, and instead I was in the car to the e-vets. Turns out it's probably stress-induced cystitis brought on by being locked in while the bathroom work was done. More serious in male cats (something an old cat suffered from terribly), with wee Isla we've got a short course of a few drugs, and she should be right as rain.

So much more wildlife other than the likes of this wasn't really on the cards (and the light was pretty consistently poor - certainly when I needed it - meaning everything had a bit of a grey, blown-out feel to it...).

#48 White-Fronted Goose
#49 Song Thrush
#50 Teal

Golden Gulls
Sparrowhawk