Big Wheels and Great Tits: A biking and birding adventure in Scotland

From the banks of the Forth and Clyde Canal

In the last few weeks Mike and I decided to get out on the bikes and travel some of the cycle paths on the Forth and Clyde Canal. This 56 km long waterway connects the River Clyde running through Glasgow with the Firth of Forth on the east coast (just above Edinburgh). There are excellent connections to the canal-side paths from the River Kelvin, which is about 200 metres from our flat.

On our first foray (June 2) we did a little jaunt to Speirs Wharf – an offshoot from the Forth and Clyde going into the heart of northern Glasgow. On June 4th we rode out to under the Erskine Bridge, just above where the canal meets the River Clyde. Our third excursion on June 9th was the longest – 87 km out and back to the Falkirk Wheel.

The Wheel is quite a feat of engineering. It is designed to lift boats from the Forth and Clyde to the Union Canal. The Union, which also has a bike path alongside, goes into the heart of Edinburgh. Boats sail in to a huge bathtub on one end of the Falkirk Wheel and get rotated up 35m/ 115ft into the air from the Forth and Clyde and sail out on the Union. At the same time as a boat is going up, another is coming down. It is really quite something to see the big Wheel in action.



Falkirk Wheel in action

The canals also make for some of the best wildlife habitat in Central Scotland – especially for birds. Some of you might recall that a few years ago back home in Victoria I was able to indulge in a season of NMT (non-motorized transport) birding with friends Jan and Alan. An NMT endeavour involves going out to look at birds via any completely non-motorized means – walking and/or biking are the usual transpo modes adopted. 

The Forth and Clyde Canal certainly has all of the NMT birding prerequisites – accessible biking, interesting birds, and lots of places to stop for a sustaining pint of ale. Mike, however, has admitted to finding bird watching a bit boring. I think he still can’t understand why this activity doesn’t actively involve admiring attractive ladies of the Homo sapiens species.

Parus Major

Be that as it may, I believe Mike found his NMT metier on the Forth and Clyde – while stopped along the banks he zeroed in on a group of Great Tits. He was initially attracted by their interesting colouration and jaunty behaviour. Indeed, I was pleased to inform Mike that there are between 300,000 to 450,000 pairs in Scotland. And, due in part to good conservation of suitable habitat, the population has been increasing since the 1960s. So good was the canal-side viewing that I believe Mike is now able to recognize and correctly identify a Parus Major at 50 paces without the aid of binoculars – how many of you can say the same!

Of course, there is a pitfall involved in NMTing at this time of the year on Scotland’s canals – namely Mute Swans. More precisely, Mute Swans with young cygnets. We must have seen 10 families on our ride. One is, by the very nature of the canal tow-path, quite close to both parents and young. Several times (okay, maybe I was trying to sneak up for some cygnet photos) I was hissed and charged and had to beat a hasty retreat. I soon learned to stay well away and use the long lens for any baby pictures.

Hissing swans aside, all of our canal-side rides have rolled us serenely along through bucolic countryside, often with views over the surrounding hills. It seems hard to imagine that these waterways were ever the lifeblood of Scottish industry, teeming with barges, boats, and people on the move. Today life on the canal proceeds at a much slower pace – just perfect for two aging bicyclists. We will certainly return our wheels to the tow-path, all the while keeping our eyes peeled for Parus Major (now you all know the scientific name for Great Tits).

More of Mary's pictures from the canal path.
More of Mike's pictures from the canal path.
Map of the Forth and Clyde Canal and the Union Canal.