Raised in Kelso the river Tweed was always close, whether swimming in the Cobbie Pool, dismissive of stories of danger and drowning or trout fishing, usually unsuccessfully on the Teviot.
Work took me away from the Tweed for most of my working life, only to return to Birgham on retirement. By this time I had developed a love of wildlife photography and my companion for walks around Birgham Haugh and Fireburnmill has been Elsa, our Border Terrier.
Every season on the river is different, the rains bringing high water levels and dry spells near drought. It is the wildlife that charts the seasons for us. The departure in the Spring of the Whooper Swans heralds the arrival of Sand Martins, Little Ringed Plover and the majestic Osprey. The bustle of breeding birds, Mute Swans, Mallard and Oyster Catchers is a delight tinged with worry – a few days of heavy rain can raise the river level and wash away precarious nests.
Elsa loves walking along the Tweed, off the lead and running free, oblivious to the sights which excite – the otter catching eels, Roe Deer crossing a river in flood. Rain or shine, frost or snow, there is always something to take the eye if you take the time to look.
