"Lady of Leith" Print

The ever elusive Kingfisher...

This is one of my hardest Wildlife finds, a flash of blue up the river here and there tallied up my sightings. Having one stop and perch on the other hand, near impossible!

I didn't leave it down to luck, searching known locations and sitting out with a packed lunch camped out until one might pop by. My usual suspects were a pair and often in a hurry to get places which didn't bode well with the shot I had in mind to paint! The speed at which they pass you by is like they were small blue bullets, blink and you'll miss them.

Finally, I saw one perched as I followed it flying up the river. Not long enough to raise my camera and capture the shot - but enough that I could paint this moment backed up by a lovely local photographer's photo who HAS actually managed to capture this little jewel!

Female Kingfishers are identified by their red/orange lower beak as it's often characterised as their "lipstick". This led me to the title "Lady of Leith", a nod to the Water of Leith walkway, her home and mine.