After the recent ruling on the beaver introduction trial in Argyll, giving ALL beavers in the country protected status, I thought I would spend my Sunday in Perthshire and try and photograph these notoriusly shy creatures, which were there, originally, illegaly.
With an early morning rise, and a drive up into some of the best scenery in the country, I arrived at the Loch of the Lowes visitor centre. Having been in touch earlier in the week with the Wildlife Trust, I was made more than welcome by the staff, and given plenty of information on when and where to expect any possible sightings, plus some additional access to the other wildlife in their catchment.
With wildlife photography being pretty new to me, and not being the right time to try and catch sight of a beaver, I set about exploring the wildlife on offer.
The peaceful surroundings ofered to the animals and birds, plus the food offered by the centre means you don’t have to go far to see them, although trying to photograph them well can be a completely different kettle of fish.
The warm winter sun gave rise to some beatiful lighting. Although it didn’t stay around for long.
And as the sun started to disappear, the water started to freeze, allowing you to almost watch the surface crystalise, ending the day, and any chances of a beaver sighting. All in, an enjoyable day out which I will repeat in a couple of weeks, as next weekend, I’m off to Iceland, to do the same thing there!!!
Wullie Marr Photography 