Iain Leitch Photography

Recently I went on a walk in a local wooded area, for most of the walk I didn't see anything other than some Black-Capped Chickadees until near the end when the first came alive. I saw four different species of woodpecker and a giant Raven. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a photo of all of the birds that were there. Then on the walk home from the wooded area, I came across a group of house finches feeding on some berries in a tree, where one posed perfectly in the bright winter sun for me. Mallard Duck from a previous walk. One of many trees with signs of woodpecker activity. Black-Capped Chickadee. Downey Woodpecker. Pileated Woodpecker. Black-Capped Chickadee. Pileated Woodpecker. Pileated Woodpecker. House Finch.  

The last stop on my trip overseas was a quick two-day stopover in Dublin. It was a very different city compared to the ones in Scotland, there were a lot more people in the streets and it felt very high energy and vibrant.  A nice building on the main street. Another interesting building. Brick buildings along the river. A lot of buildings have clocks at the top. Another building with a clock. Entrance to St Stephen's Green. Public garden at St Stephen's Green.  

Another place I visited was the Isle of Arran. To get there I took a train from Glasgow to Ardrossan, then a ferry from Ardrossan to Brodick, then a bus from Brodick to Lochranza. Lochranza Distillery where I participated in a whisky tasting.  The road leads into the hills. Sheep, a house and hills nothing better than that. Very scenic location for a letter box. More sheep, another house and more hills. Lochranza Castle.  

This is actually the third destination that I went to with the second being Edinburgh, however, I didn't get any photos in Edinburgh due to it raining all day long. These photos are all from Stirling where I visited Stirling Castle, walked around the town and saw a church/cemetery. The Wallace monument is in the background on the climb up to Stirling Castle. Stirling Castle in Royal Gold. The main door to the castle. A lovely large tree in the Queens garden of the castle. Looking down on the King and Queens Mounts and their old hunting park. Looking down on the cemetery from the castle. Exploring the town of Stirling. In the cemetery looking at the Holy Rude church. Taken on my walk back to the train station.   

Recently I took a trip to Scotland and Ireland, where I visited Glasgow, Edinburgh (no photos of there as it rained all day), Stirling, Isle of Arran, and Dublin. Here are the photos from Glasgow.  Red sandstone buildings are a feature in downtown Glasgow.  The same building as the previous photo just, the sunny side instead.  I thought this was a cool "artsy" photo with the angles but the railing and the building corner did not quite line up. A red sandstone church. Squiggly Bridge (the official name) over the river Clyde in Glasgow. Suspension bridge over the river Clyde. I feel like these would be cool corner apartments with lots of light. Classic Scottish scene with a pub on the main floor and flats above. Great city scape of row houses and then a church. The cars ruin it for me though. Kelvingrove Art Gallery The river Kevin with the University of Glasgow in the background.  

 On my annual fall trip to Mud Lake in Ottawa, I was yet again treated to a wonderful collection of birds and colours. The birds at Mud Lake are quite friendly and some of them will even come and eat seeds out of your hand. I don't bring seeds with me as I find it trains the birds to depend on people for food which can be deadly at times. But as a result of this, it is quite easy to get great photos of birds, which you can view below.  Black Capped Chickadee Black Capped Chickadee Yellow-Rumped Warbelr White Breasted Nuthatch A Male Wood Duck A Male Wood Duck 

Probably the last camping trip for me in 2022 was up to Taylor Lake in Gatineau Park. It was a beautiful campsite, on the water. Only 45-1 hour from where I live in Ottawa, I will definitely be returning to camp here again.  Northern Leopard Frog Hiking trail near the campground. Mushrooms tucked into a tree. Chipmunk on the lookout. Common Merganser on Taylor Lake. Morning stillness from the campsite.  A fresh vibrant mushroom. Lake reflections during the day. Lake reflections at sunset.