Water of Leith
March 2026 - Flower power
February continued where January left off with copious amounts of rain. The dampness crushed any urge to brave the elements and attempt some photography. Nevertheless, drier weather towards the end of the month opened up some opportunities.
I found a patch of winter aconites in woodland on Dundas estate. They are early flowerers which I have never photographed before. It was satisfying to add a new species to my photographic library but it didn’t come without its challenges as a wood pile near to the flowers needed to be concealed within the frame. However, their season will soon be over and I look forward to reacquainting myself with them next year.
The snowdrops seemed slow to come this year but, once they gained a foothold, they came in numbers. There have been wonderful swathes in my usual haunts and I managed several forays to photograph them. They remain one of my favourite flowers and bring hope for the year to come when they start to appear.
A trip to the Water of Leith to photograph a weir in spate provided some interesting abstract images. After the dry summer we had, it was good to see plenty of water back in the river. Unfortunately the wildlife around the weir was scant but one can’t have everything! Another trip to photograph stones in the water worked out well with some images secured; they're always a safe subject to photograph.
Meantime, Dundas loch has been busy. Tufted ducks and little grebes have returned. A cormorant is now visiting regularly. The mute swan cob has been chasing greylag and Canada geese which always seems to be a prelude to nesting. It promises to be a busy spring down on the water!
I was given a warm welcome by Dalgety Bay Art Club Photographic Section when I gave them a talk on “Inchkeith: an island reclaimed.” Inchkeith is an island in the Firth of Forth which is easily visible to residents along the Fife coast so there was much interest from those who attended. It seemed to go down well and the members kindly donated funds for the Forth Islands Heritage Group who conduct bird and seal counts on the island.
So, March heralds the promise of more woodland flowers which starts to make life rather busy; a challenge which can only be relished. Let’s see what happens…
March 2026 - Flower power
February continued where January left off with copious amounts of rain. The dampness crushed any urge to brave the elements and attempt some photography. Nevertheless, drier weather towards the end of the month opened up some opportunities.
I found a patch of winter aconites in woodland on Dundas estate. They are early flowerers which I have never photographed before. It was satisfying to add a new species to my photographic library but it didn’t come without its challenges as a wood pile near to the flowers needed to be concealed within the frame. However, their season will soon be over and I look forward to reacquainting myself with them next year.
The snowdrops seemed slow to come this year but, once they gained a foothold, they came in numbers. There have been wonderful swathes in my usual haunts and I managed several forays to photograph them. They remain one of my favourite flowers and bring hope for the year to come when they start to appear.
A trip to the Water of Leith to photograph a weir in spate provided some interesting abstract images. After the dry summer we had, it was good to see plenty of water back in the river. Unfortunately the wildlife around the weir was scant but one can’t have everything! Another trip to photograph stones in the water worked out well with some images secured; they're always a safe subject to photograph.
Meantime, Dundas loch has been busy. Tufted ducks and little grebes have returned. A cormorant is now visiting regularly. The mute swan cob has been chasing greylag and Canada geese which always seems to be a prelude to nesting. It promises to be a busy spring down on the water!
I was given a warm welcome by Dalgety Bay Art Club Photographic Section when I gave them a talk on “Inchkeith: an island reclaimed.” Inchkeith is an island in the Firth of Forth which is easily visible to residents along the Fife coast so there was much interest from those who attended. It seemed to go down well and the members kindly donated funds for the Forth Islands Heritage Group who conduct bird and seal counts on the island.
So, March heralds the promise of more woodland flowers which starts to make life rather busy; a challenge which can only be relished. Let’s see what happens…
