Boxing Day bimble, an otter and some honey fungi!

[Goatboy]

Bob and I headed out for a wee walk today (gotta walk of the pile of roasted tatties!) and as we were based in Glasgow decided to hit Pollock Country Park; home of the Burrell Collection.

Getting out of the car I was laughing away as here were two ex mountaineers and climbers struggling to exit a car. Bob due to a strained gluteus maximus and me with a kaput acetabulofemoral joint.

Of we went around the park, Pollock Park is a lovely place and surprisingly large and peaceful residing as it does in central Glasgow.

Wandered down to the weir which had a reasonable amount of water flowing over it and watched some ducks. There was a species there I didn't recognise and will have to look up. (White with a black head).

There were a fair few folks around and plenty of dogs being walked and kids on new bikes.

As we got further 'round one of the rivers there was a small gathering of folk standing looking at the river and taking pictures. We joked in best Taggart fashion that there must've been a murder and approached.

It turned out to be an otter who was happily hunting close to the bank happily posing for folk.

A little further still came across a jelly fungus (will have to look that up too) which I didn't recognise.

On the homeward stretch we passed the Police horse and Police dog sections which are stationed in the park and then on past the McEwan's Toffee Highland Cows.

Back at the car park there was yet more fungi, bracket type this time.

All in all it was a nice wee walk with blue sky and pleasant temperatures with the friendly folk of Glasgow returning happy smiles and grins (which they don't do in some towns) in a wee sanctuary of quiet in Scotland's biggest city. So not bushcrafty or extreme but a nice relaxed time.

 

[Robbi]

lovely walk and photo's, superb to see the otter

 

[Clouston98]

Great stuff Colin! Thanks for that!

 

[Ivan...]

Nice one Colin, great you managed to get oot! and even better to remember to take the old polaroid with you!

Otter, you lucky chaps, nice report and pics pal.

Ivan...

 

[Toddy]

That sounds like a great boxing day daun'er
Cracking to see the otter too I like Pollok park, I've worked some brilliant events there, always something to see and do.
The Highland fold are very carefully tended, and the calves have the softest fluffy down....it spins well too

Thank you for the photos and glad the pair of you got out, even if you are a bitty crocked for the present.
I was out in the garden all afternoon, and I can smell snow coming; not now/now, but soon. You ?

atb,
M

 

[ozzy1977]

Nice one, thanks for sharing.

 

[Goatboy]

That sounds like a great boxing day daun'er
Cracking to see the otter too I like Pollok park, I've worked some brilliant events there, always something to see and do.
The Highland fold are very carefully tended, and the calves have the softest fluffy down....it spins well too

Thank you for the photos and glad the pair of you got out, even if you are a bitty crocked for the present.
I was out in the garden all afternoon, and I can smell snow coming; not now/now, but soon. You ?

atb,
M

Must be different weather oot there in the boondogs M. Was spring like here today - (not that snow is ruled out by spring here in Scotland).

The Toffee cows are indeed well looked after - I do like the nature of Highland coos, pretty laid back as they view the world fuzzily through five inches of backcombed bouffant. Have you spun the wool/hair from a proper black one? Would be interested to see what it was like. (To those not in the know the Highland Cows were traditionally predominantly black, but the attributed story is that Queen Victoria saw a ginger one and commented how much more she liked it and so fashions changed.)

There's a lot of good wildlife in the park, squirrels and robins abounding.

Cheers for your kind words folks it was as I say a really bonny day. A fair few of us have had a nice walk today like Robbi and Ivan going by the reports smattered across the boards. What were you up too in the garden M? Out at the kail?

 

[Toddy]

The air just smells like it's coming straight down from the hills
Ah, I was just footering around; pruned the roses and the rasps back, had a serious think about pulling up some of the roots from the 'bullrushes' (I know, cattails, but we all know them as bullrushes) and seeing if they were worth eating, but I moved one and a newt kind of noseyed off, so I let it be. Loads of the seedheads on the minimus ones in the back pond that I might take for the tinder box though.
Himself was wiring up a cable with led lights around the house to flood the path at night so that I can see where I'm going at dark o'clock. Kind of cool; the lights are hidden just under the roughcast edging above the brickwork so only seen when switched on

It was nice out in the sunshine, but 3degC when it went behind the clouds. A bit nippy.

I've seen a black calf and had a shot at spinning his brushings. He turned as he grew though and now he's a classic toffee

The Old Statistical Accounts have a mention of the regret of the old farmers that they hadn't kept some of their own old breeds after the 'improved' varieties came into the country. They said that the fleece on the old sheep was softer and finer and the milk of the cattle richer even on poor grazing, though the beasts were smaller.

http://stat-acc-scot.edina.ac.uk/sas/sas.asp?action=public

All in all it's a pleasant ending to the year though

atb,
M

 

[ammo]

Lovely photographs. That yellow jelly form, is it fungi ? I was thinking slime mould, but it's strange whatever it is.

 

[Goatboy]

Lovely photographs. That yellow jelly form, is it fungi ? I was thinking slime mould, but it's strange whatever it is.

Think the fungus is Tremella mesenterica. Can't find the duck in my books of online. Was slightly larger than a mallard with a white body and a black head, wasn't a Scaup, Aythya marila.

 

[Toddy]

Glasgow's parks get some funny visitors....it's really a coastal city, so seabirds and the like come in from the estuary too.

It wasn't an eider was it ? They're black headed on white backs, black again on the wing edges though.

atb,
M

 

[crosslandkelly]

Lovely pics. Glad the two of you enjoyed your walk.

 

[Goatboy]

Glasgow's parks get some funny visitors....it's really a coastal city, so seabirds and the like come in from the estuary too.

It wasn't an eider was it ? They're black headed on white backs, black again on the wing edges though.

atb,
M

Wasn't an Eider Mary, they were the same shape in body and head as a Mallard, with a black head and neck, white body with a little black on the waterline. Never scene them before. I'll figure it out sometime. May go back before heading up the road and take some pictures.

Was also a lovely cheeky wee Robin who was following us for a while, coming really close on the bushes. Must've been wanting his Christmas photo taken. Although they're murderous wee thugs they are cute.

TTFN
GB.

 

[Goatboy]

Lovely pics. Glad the two of you enjoyed your walk.

Cheers Colin, you been out for a perambulation yourself apart from to the man-shed?

ATB
Colin.

 

[Toddy]

They are indeed
The ones in my garden seem pretty tolerant. They thole the wrens and the coaltits diving in and nipping off with the wireworms I scatter for them without attacking. Maybe it's just because there's good foraging here

Mergansers are sort of like your description, though, it's Glasgow, it could be a domesticated variety of duck gotten free

atb,
M

 

[Goatboy]

They are indeed
The ones in my garden seem pretty tolerant. They thole the wrens and the coaltits diving in and nipping off with the wireworms I scatter for them without attacking. Maybe it's just because there's good foraging here

Mergansers are sort of like your description, though, it's Glasgow, it could be a domesticated variety of duck gotten free

atb,
M

I used to have doggy TV for Snoop with some bird feeders attached to the patio doors with suckers. We'd sit for ages just watching all the wee visitors feeding away. Lovely to just sit and watch the LBJ's tucking in. So many folk are fixated on watching the big impressive birds. Spuggies and the likes are a lot more entertaining.

 

[Toddy]

Aye, me too

I have the wrap around the end of the block garden that runs parallel to a nature walk lined with trees and a burn the other side of the path. There's a tremendous range of wee birds that flitter in and out of the garden. From woodpeckers to long tailed tits and the little reed buntings, all of the speugs and the tits and finches.
There's a bird feeder in the lawn right in front of the living room window; it's garden tv

atb,
M

 

[Goatboy]

Often find myself standing while out for ages watching the little 'uns working as a flock through the undergrowth and bushes. There's the watchers/guards, the foragers, the bossy ones, the not so sure. Great fun.