Each week the Rampant Scotland Newsletter includes a number of photographs which illustrate the weather and the seasons, plus the flora and fauna of the current week around Scotland. There are often so many such graphics of Scottish subjects worth including that this separate "colour supplement" is created where some of the best pictures can be displayed in a larger format. Here is this week's crop of Scottish views!
The problem with photographing wild birds is that they don't pose for the camera. I had been trying to get a side view of the lovely black and white markings (and white head spot) of this Goldeneye. Just as the shutter opened, it turned to face me - and produced this much more "interesting" shot!
There always seems to be something wild about the eyes of Tufted Duck - you can just see this one's tuft of feathers at the back if his head. The sun reflecting on his head highlighted the burnished turquoise and purple feathers. The "Tuftie" is a diving duck and often seems to rise out of the water as it is about to go underwater in search of food.
A native of south-east and south-west Australia and Tasmania, the Black Swan caused a sensation in Europe when it was found by a Dutch explorer in 1697. Until then, "all swans are white" had long been regarded as a scientific truth. This example has been a long-time resident of Drumpellier Country Park. Usually it is being followed by some flightless geese who know that it has a knack of finding humans with bread! On this occasion it was sailing serenely across the loch on its own.
I didn't really intend to have any more pictures of snowdrops (at least for a while...) but the sun shining behind these ones in my own garden seemed to produce a bright and cheerful picture that was worth sharing.
While visiting the remains of a Roman camp beside the line of the Antonine Wall at Barr Hill in North Lanarkshire, the sun came out for a few minutes to light up the small town of Kilsyth, nestling below the hills in the distance. In 1645, the Marquis of Montrose was successful in a battle at Kilsyth against the Covenanters.
The Forth and Clyde Canal, connecting the east and west coast across central Scotland, was closed in 1962 but was reopened in 2001 following the £84 million project financed largely by the Heritage Lottery Fund. It is now possible once again to sail along its entire length. The photo here is of the canal at the village of Twechar in North Lanarkshire. That's not far from the town of Kirkintilloch, which lays claim to being "Canal Capital of Scotland".
If you want to look back at earlier editions of this Colour Supplement, there is an Index Page
