July… it’s been quite a month!
July has been quite a month! Firstly we were expecting to see new otter cubs appear from the natal holt, on the Water of Leith, for the first time in July, secondly I had a new photo exhibition to be installed in the Water of Leith visitor centre and thirdly I had two trips booked in for this month, one to the Trossachs, photographing ospreys and the other to the Isle of May to photograph puffins!
Otter Cubs
At the start of the month it was becoming evident that the otter cubs that we were expecting to leave the natal holt, on the Water of Leith, in July, may have perished in the flooding on 23/24 May. The trail cameras had picked the mum up everyday for 4 days after the flooding but then there was no sign of her for 2 weeks. She re-appeared for 2 days and then away again for another 12 days. Finally I spotted her fishing this month, 0.75 miles from the natal holt – this seemed too far away, if she had cubs wanting to leave the holt any day. I hadn’t picked up any squeaking noises from the cubs near the holt, nor had I seen the mother bring back any fish to the holt either.
We lost 4 cubs at the start of the year due to flooding and now we have lost another 2, maybe 3, due to floods in May. It’s a very sad result of our changing climate and does not bode well for the otters on the Water of Leith, if these floods continue.
Photo Exhibition 2024 – Water of Leith Visitor Centre
July 2024 was also the date we picked for changing my photo exhibition, at the Water of Leith visitor centre which had been there for over 20 months. After I took down the exhibition, a team of volunteers got to work with paint & brushes & did a great job of freshening up the whole area. 10 days later another 46x prints were framed and hung on the walls in the centre. The name of the exhibition is ‘Dependence’ and highlights the amazing urban wildlife that depend upon the river for survival. The river, in turn, is dependent upon the Water of Leith Conservation Trust to put plans in place to ensure the water is as clean as it can be, for the wildlife and invertebrates for years to come. The Trust is dependent upon the hundreds of volunteers that put in thousands of hours of work, to carry out their conservation plans and goals. The result is an urban river full of amazing wildlife that I have tried to capture as best as I can. For more details on opening times, etc – click HERE
And finally…
Trips to photograph the ospreys in the Trossachs and puffins on the Isle of May were booked in the diary for this month. You can see my Osprey photos & post by clicking HERE & you can read my Isle of May post and check out a handful of photos by clicking HERE.
During the handful of free days that I had, I was up and down the Water of Leith photographing kingfishers, foxes, swans and cygnets, herons, dippers and so much more. I was also keeping an eye out for otters along the river…quietly keeping fingers crossed that I might just hear the squeak of an otter cub – I never did.
