The 2025 survey season has certainly been a busy and productive one for our dedicated survey teams. With more meadows to monitor and our Riverfly team advancing their identification skills from Basic to Urban Riverfly level, it’s been a year full of learning and achievement. Here’s a round-up of this year’s survey stats and activities.
Riverfly Surveys
Our Riverfly team carried out seasonal surveys at Balerno and Redbraes, and monthly surveys at Longstone — an important indicator site for the overall health of the river, located near the confluence with the infamous Murrayburn.
If significant pollution were entering the river, it would be detected here quickly through a drop in the number of ‘good’ Riverfly invertebrates, known as a breach event. We’re happy to report no breach events this year, and invertebrate levels continue to indicate good water quality, supporting a healthy ecosystem for the wildlife that depends on them.
We also ran two training sessions for both new and experienced volunteers. Kerry Dodd from Buglife’s Guardians of Our Rivers project delivered Urban Riverfly and Extended Riverfly training, introducing volunteers to urban-specific Riverfly species. Katie also hosted a practical session on kick sampling techniques for new participants.
In total, volunteers contributed 134 hours to Riverfly surveys and 95 hours to training — an incredible effort from all involved.
Meadow Surveys
Our plant identification team surveyed meadow sites at Fingal’s Hotel, Coalie Park, Bells Mill, Bogs Mill, Children’s Meadow, and Juniper Green. This year, we also added two new locations: Sunny Bank, near West Bowling Green Street, and a beautiful meadow strip in St. Mark’s Park, known as The Golden Crescent.
As well as recording plant presence, the team began assessing relative abundance using the DAFOR scale. This helps guide future management decisions to maintain species diversity and coverage across the meadows.
In total, volunteers gave an amazing 186 hours to meadow surveys. A special thank you goes to Linda Hutton, who dedicates additional time to keeping the meadow data spreadsheet organised and up to date — your work is invaluable!
Pollinator Surveys
The bumblebees and butterflies certainly made the most of this year’s dry and sunny weather! Our pollinator team carried out 93 survey transects along the Water of Leith.
The Saughton to Murrayfield transect recorded the highest number of bumblebee species (15), while the Juniper Green transect topped the list for butterflies with 14 species. Volunteer Kate Tomlinson also spotted some fascinating species at St. Mark’s Park, including Chimney Sweeper Moths, Small Skippers, and even a Hummingbird Hawk Moth!
Fungi Surveys
We held two fungi forays this year — and both were wonderfully fruitful! In Craiglockhart Dell, we added new species to our already comprehensive list, including the Girdled Knight and the Destroying Angel. Meanwhile, in Redhall Walled Garden, we recorded striking finds such as Hoof Fungus, Pearly Parachutes, and Raspberry Slime Mold.
It’s fair to say that fungi (and slime molds!) boast some of the most imaginative names in biology.
Thank You
A huge thank you to all our survey volunteers for their time, energy, and enthusiasm this year. Your work helps us record and understand the incredible biodiversity of the Water of Leith and its surroundings.
The data you collect not only guides our habitat management plans but is also shared with national data centres, contributing to wider efforts to monitor biodiversity loss and the impacts of climate change across Scotland and the UK.
Together, we’re building a clearer picture of the natural world — and helping protect it for the future.