June got off to a flying start, as I was doing a wildlife talk on Thurs 1st June 2023, at Newington Library. I couldn’t believe how many people turned up but it was lovely talking to so many people interested in our urban wildlife, here in Edinburgh. I am very grateful to all of those who made it along. You can see some of the slides from the talk here.
In mid-June I headed off to the Isle of Bute for a few days, to photograph the ospreys, on the island. The weather was amazing, with soaring temperatures. At times, I thought I was on a greek island & not on an island off the west coast of Scotland. The Isle of Bute is a lovely tranquil island and has some wonderful wildlife. The stand-out creatures that I was lucky enough to see were ospreys, buzzards, gannets, roe deer, hares, otters, seals which was fine by me.
On the 24 June, The Scottish Wildlife Trust was having an Open Day for their smallest reserve in Scotland, the Johnston Terrace Garden, which is just below Edinburgh Castle. I was kindly asked if I could supply photos to be exhibited on the day – the photos that were used can be seen here.
During the rest of June, I was very fortunate to see quite a lot of the otters, foxes and roe deer on the Water of Leith. It’s never easy spotting wildlife at this time of year, with so much foliage on the riverbanks and leaves on all the trees. Two things that I find helps spotting these creatures in the summer months are:-
1: Foliage Movement – As foxes & deer move through the foliage on the riverbank, you can see branches/leaves moving, even though you can’t see the animal…yet!
2: Ripples on the Water – still or slow moving water can tell you so much, especially when an animal gets into the water. Ripples cascade across the still surface & whilst you may not be able to see the other side/bank of the river because of leaves, etc, you do know that something is there. It maybe a duck, moorhen or a fish jumping but every so often, you’ll find its an otter!
These are some of the pictures from my time in Edinburgh & the Isle of Bute this month.
PLEASE CLICK ON ANY PHOTO BELOW TO ENLARGE THE SLIDESHOW
