Hidden Harlaw & Black Springs

This is our go-to walk for an hour of fresh air and nature - and I’m sure is for many. It has become very familiar territory indeed. Yet, such is nature’s endless capacity to surprise and delight, that we can still be amazed even on a home patch that we know so well.

Setting off from the recently expanded Harlaw Car Park, we follow the lane between wood and field round past the old visitor centre. Another nice way to start this walk, especially when the rapeseed fields are in bloom, is to go through the gate and between the fields, both options bringing you to the eastern end of Harlaw reservoir within about ten minutes.

The breeze rustles the tops of Scots Pine which border the water to our right. A late clump of snowdrops nestles at the base of the drystone wall on our left, white blooms nodding demurely. We cross the little bridge at the reservoir’s eastern end and, shortly afterwards, peel off to the left, heading over the rise towards Black Springs. I can still recall the first time I came this way – back then the pines that line either side of the track stood merely head height. Now, they tower above us and play host to many small birds, including the tiny goldcrest that announces its presence, singing cheerfully in rapid, high triplets, yet proves much harder to spot by eye. Also beloved by birds is the thicket of gorse we pass as we descend to the waters of Threipmuir. I recall a few summers ago when we braved the thorns to pick the sun-yellow gorse bloom petals, making gorse tea at home later that day. Drinking that tea was like ingesting a breath of hillside air, transporting me immediately back to the gentle summer warmth of those moments on the hill and others like them.

Today, however, the last of winter’s bite lingers in the air as we turn westward to walk alongside Threipmuir Reservoir. Goldeneye and goosander bob upon the water. Another bird flies high across the reservoir. Its unusual shape - long rounded wings and blunt head - piques my interest. On reaching the far side it begins patrolling the lower flank of Black Hill and realisation dawns - it’s a short-eared owl. We watch as it pounces upon something in the undergrowth and is lost from view. Just then, a second owl appears over the field on the near side, where four crows have taken to the air in alarm. This second owl also flaps over to the far side of the reservoir, only to be rebuked by the first, which reappears, launching itself aggressively upwards from the ground emitting a harsh, hissing call.

Owl number two retreats back across the reservoir where we watch it patrol the field for a while. Soon, however, it ventures over the Black Springs marsh, at the reservoir’s very easternmost extent. Suddenly, we notice a second, slightly smaller, bird in the air next to it – a kestrel. Showing behaviour I’ve never seen before, the two engage in an acrobatic aerial tussle for a minute or two before the owl retreats once more, drifting back over the field. Clearly, we are amidst prized hunting territories worth fighting for.

A kilometre farther on, we reach the weir and ford separating the two reservoirs. We cross the small footbridge and follow the wide track alongside Harlaw’s pine-lined northwest shore. On reaching the end of this wooded stretch we are delighted by another unexpected sight. We double-take at a pure white bird stepping along the shoreline in the shallows. This is no seagull, but in fact a little egret - a member of the heron family, smaller and rarer than the more familiar grey heron. Their foraging tactics differ from those of their larger cousin, who remains stock still waiting for prey to appear before spearing it with a lightning-fast strike of its dagger-like bill. The egret on the other hand is constantly on the move, stepping through the shallow water on long black legs, using its large yellow feet to disturb small creatures which it can devour as it goes. Little egrets only began to appear in the UK in the late eighties and nineties, expanding their range northwest from continental Europe, first to the south of England, and now Scotland; this is the first time I’ve been lucky enough to see one in Lothian.

As we round the end of Harlaw to return our starting point we reflect on our good fortune – two wildlife firsts in one day! We are not quite finished yet though – a stroll through the wildlife garden by the old visitor centre is always an enjoyable conclusion to this walk.

Early spring in the wildlife garden at Harlaw Visitor Centre

We admire the spring bulbs and watch the blue tits and coal tits flitting excitedly around the bird feeders in between squirrel raids, then we gaze down into the wildlife pond scanning for frogs. It’s worth being patient here – once you have got your eye in you may be surprised how many you can spot, just their rounded head and bulbous eyes breaking the surface. You may even notice a palmate newt shimmying through the submerged pondweed. Today, we are a little early to see those amphibious friends, but the marsh marigold just coming into flower by the water’s edge tells me it won’t be long…

Walk time approx. 1 h 20 min on well surfaced paths.

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Published in Konect April 2026

Author: William Weir

All photos by William Weir