Yesterday I was walking up Dean Path and this little guy jumped out in front of me. I managed to sneak a picture, assuming that I had stumbled upon a rare frog sighting, but a few minutes later I saw a another one.
I am lucky enough to live in a part of the city that has trees. Many city residents see only dogs and pigeons (and cats and seagulls) in the course of their day, but the Water of Leith and the conservation area around it gives rise to a much higher level of biodiversity. A pair of wood pigeons are nesting across the street; I watch them out the bedroom window in the mornings. The river is constantly covered in ducks, and even the odd heron. One evening a few weeks ago I watched a fox chase Charlie the cat out the gate of the footpath. It looked very smug and territorial, until it saw me and darted back into the wood.
I suppose this is primarily an exercise in wildlife appreciation, but I also take these brief encounters with our amphibious friends as a reminder that the city is not just for people. We have a responsibility to keep it clean for their sake as well as ours.