TurfZone – HarbourBeach
Writing a turf blog is challenging, as is thinking up a topic or theme for that same turf blog. Of course, I have plenty of interests of my own that may, or more likely may not, be of passing interest to readers. Take, for example, sand collecting, of which I have over 800 samples. No, I guess not very interesting and difficult to find any association with turfing.
Then there’s brick spotting, keeping an eye out for brickmarks I’ve not listed in the collection. Yes, I’ve mentioned that in a few turf blogs. However, for this turf blog, the topic will be wildlife, particularly those who exhibit interesting behaviour. This idea came from a book Cathryn bought be recently. It goes by the title Wild Edinburgh, an illustrated guide to the wildlife of Scotland’s capital, by Keith Bloomfield. And this fits quite nicely with turfing, as I’ve had many wildlife encounters over recent years.
I’ll start our exciting wildlife turf-safari in Edinburgh, at zone FiggatePark, situated beside Figgate Pond, along with a warning. Stop reading now if you are afraid of rats. And here we find this questionably cute and cuddly wee beastie, famed for its ability to drag an entire pizza from a litter bin, eat a discarded McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese Deluxe without keeling over stone dead and, some say, even pop the ring pull on a full can of Tennent’s lager. Yes, I’m taking about the Rattus rattus, simply known as, the rat.
You should have no trouble at all seeing rats at Figgate pond. Years of people feeding the waterfowl have seen rats in large numbers around the pond. Again, some people say, that if you sit quietly for long enough with some enticing foodstuff such as fruit scones, haggis burgers and even a deep-fried Mars bar, a rat will appear and if you are brave enough, eat from your hand. However, keep an eye on your bag as his pals will be in there and out before you know it.
Next the birds, and we begin with a smart little starling we encountered after taking zone CullercoatBay in Whitley Bay near Newcastle-upon-Tyne. This clever little bird had spotted us sitting outside the Beaches and Cream cafe, our Brompton folding bicycles by our side, myself with the usual fruit scone and coffee, ChoccyMuffin with something else I cannot recall. There were other starlings about all hunting under the table for scraps. However, this one would perch on the nearest chair to anyone eating and sing its heart out in the hope of some food. Seemed to work with about half its prospects and it certainly did with me when I realised what it was up to. Attractive birds up close, starlings.
Another bird encountered on my turfing travels is the carrion crow. These clever members of the Corvidae family, one that also includes the magpie and jay, are somewhat brighter than most birds and have some interesting feeding strategies. At zone StrollAway in the Joppa area of Edinburgh, I’ve watched them drop cockles and mussels on the tarmac, trying to smash them open for the delicious contents inside. The same behaviour can be seen at various zones along the shore at Musselburgh.
Now, the gulls, and the zone in question is Fisherrow by the harbour at Fisherrow. There are three different gulls in the hunt for food here, the herring gull, the common gull and the black-headed gull. The herring gulls are loud and in-your-face and will take food from your hand if not careful. Yes, they do and I witnessed that at the nearby greasy-spoon Sizzlers cafe. One wee girl lost her snack to an aggressive herring gull. The black-headed gull, on the other hand, has a different strategy. While eating lunch at the above zone, one of them quietly sneaked up to me and simply sat there. I think the strategy is look at me and see how cute I am, so, please give me some of your sandwich. Works with me every time.
Back when I was a young lad, in my early teens, my grandfather used to take me out into the local woods at night to watch badgers. We would sit absolutely still for hours on end waiting, hopefully, for a badger to appear from the sett. It was an amazing experience when they did. Yet, I’ve seen and watched more badgers while out turfing than back then. There are numerous locations to see badgers while turfing. Dalkeith country park is one, as are the zones around Dalhousie castle near Bonnyrigg. But best of all are the two zones close to the house, Pittendreich and Brixwold where I’ve seen badgers at both, watching them for around 10 minutes or so. However, I should say this all occurred at silly o’clock, so don’t expect them during the day.
Of course, there are many other zones where you can see wildlife, JohnMuirWay might just have some seals sunning themselves out on the rocks, foxes are seen frolicking regularly at WaverleyPark, vampire bats abound at the zones in Newbattle woods and we must not forget the blood-sucking ticks that lurk in the long grass as zones PillBoxWW2, ItWorks0Tanks and DuneWithAView out in the salt marsh and dunes of Aberlady. So, next time you are out turfing keep an eye out for wildlife, it makes turfing so much more interesting.
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