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

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

Comma and peacock butterflies on grape hyacinth at The Botanics today. #Edinburgh #RBGE #RbgeNature#butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife

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

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

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

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 redpoll (Acanthis flammea) in Holyrood Park today. #Birds #HolyroodPark #Edinburgh #UKWildlife

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

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

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

4 waxwings in front of One Sixty, Dundee Street minutes ago. #BirdingLothian

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

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 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

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 small skipper on catmint at The Botanics. #butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #Edinburgh #RbgeNature

Stock doves at The Botanics this afternoon. #birds #UKWildlife #RbgeNature #SexyPigeon

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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

An orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) on Chinese lilac (Syringa x chinensis) at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh yesterday. #butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #RBGENature

A grasshopper warbler in Holyrood Park this afternoon. A long shift loitering beside the brambles was rewarded. #BirdingLothian #HolyroodPark #UKWildlife

A speckled wood on grape hyacinth at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh yesterday. #butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #RBGENature

A peacock on Narcissus 'Salome' at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh today. #butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #RBGENature

Not the only sunbather I saw today, this is Dunsapie Loch's resident terrapin. I was told last year at "the other place" that it's a red-eared slider. #UKWildlife #HolyroodPark

My first speckled wood of the year, on Corylopsis at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. A holly blue was charging around the nearby hollies but not stopping for photos. #butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #RBGENature

This comma spent a lot of time on the path, gravel, branches and ivy leaves but gave me a brief photo op as it fed at the grape hyacinth (Muscari aucheri) in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh today. #butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #RBGENature

I have realised that my list of harbingers of spring has become stupidly long. But this is one of my favourites: a wheatear in Holyrood Park this afternoon. A reward for climbing the hill looking for butterflies that weren't to be found. #birds #UKWildlife #HolyroodPark

A small tortoiseshell in Holyrood Park this afternoon. #butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #HolyroodPark

A hairy-footed flower bee (Anthophora plumipes), on pulmonaria today at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. That was one of a few first-of-the-year sightings today. Others were frog spawn, a small tortoiseshell and purple toothwort. #bee #UKWildlife #RBGENature

A peacock on Rhododendron dauricum 'Rosa' in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh today. #butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #RBGENature

I saw the red admiral at the same bush yesterday in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Of course, I looked again today, but the sun didn't poke out until I was on my way home. I'll try again tomorrow... #butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #RBGENature

My first butterfly of the year: a red admiral on Rhododendron dauricum 'Rosa' at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh today. Yeah, I did my happy dance. #butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #RBGENature

This holly blue is a #BlueBug for #BlueMonday. I took this shot in April, but I'm already hunting for beasties. This January I've seen bees and hoverflies and a butterfly isn't impossible (a few species overwinter as adults). #butterfly #ScotButterflies #UKButterflies #UKWildlife #HolyroodPark

The bees are back in town! My first bumblebee of the year: a tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum) on gorse at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh today. #bees #UKwildlife

A female teal (Anas crecca) dabbling in the meltwater on the ice at St Margaret's Loch yesterday. #HolyroodPark #birds #UKwildlife

A nuthatch (Sitta europaea) at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh today. #birds #UKwildlife

An oystercatcher at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh yesterday. I seldom see them on the grass there although they often fly over. I suspect it's the same one I saw in November, which was also alone and on the same lawn. #birds #UKwildlife

A redwing at The Botanics today. It's usually into the new year until they tolerate me taking a picture. This one didn't hang around for long, though. #birds #UKwildlife

Regretfully, tonight's torchlight butterfly safari in Holyrood Park is cancelled. #SecretEdinburghFakeEvents

A long-tailed tit with a feather on Christmas Eve at The Botanics. Have they started nest building early? Or does the feather get stored somewhere for later? Or just a reflex (like me taking a pie even if I'm not hungry)? #birds #UKwildlife

Early in 2023 we found a pair of wood mice under Sarcococca bushes who could be lured out with seed. I was pleased to find a few more shots of them on a memory card today. #mammals #UKwildlife

An unwell-looking grey squirrel at The Botanics today. It has very little hair on its head and legs, but its behaviour was normal. #mammals #UKwildlife