Tufty

Not a squirrel helping me across the road (one for people of a certain age!), but a tufted duck I spotted on the Forth and Clyde Canal at Camelon.

Scottish Canals are marking the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Caledonian Canal and Union Canal this year by setting the Canal Challenge 200, inviting people to undertake any kind of challenge involving their canals and the number 200. For my sins, I decided I would try to walk 200 miles on canal towpaths during the year - given that I would probably do that anyway without a specific challenge being set.

Nevertheless, I have been spending a bit more time than usual so far walking along the towpaths in Falkirk and Bonnybridge and reckon I've already clocked up about 23 miles, and it's only mid-January. I really must get a life!

Today's walk was a there and back from Lock 7 near Newcarron to the Falkirk Wheel, taking advantage of another fine, dry day. There was a section of the Canal at Camelon which was hosting a variety of birdlife - as well as mallards aplenty, there were goosanders, tufted ducks, moorhens, black-headed gulls and even a cormorant which made an appearance at one point. No end of Blip opportunities.