There is a kingfisher nesting site along this section of the river Wharfe. The lightning blue flashes of this beautiful bird can often be spotted heading up and down the river bank anywhere between the bridge at Linton and the footbridge crossing on the Collingham to Wetherby footpath.
Each year the nest gets washed away by the winter floods, and each year the birds return to rebuild their home in the bank. I often wonder if they ever think of moving home to a safer place, or maybe they just like the fresh start each year.
Unfortunately our wildlife photography skills leave something to be desired, so if anyone has been able to capture sightings of these birds we would love to feature them.
Along with the kingfisher’s nest, the yearly floods erode large sections of the bank, undercutting and taking close to 1m at a time. It’s a constant reminder that although the river and it’s water is a great source of life, it’s also an incredibly destructive force. This ‘Ying and Yang’, the good and the bad, the light and the dark is a theme found throughout nature and the universe.
Working with animals and nature is a constant reminder of this balance. The joys of birth, new lambs, baby chicks, budding leaves, the opening of flowers all slowly give way to dealing with the inevitable demise from old age, the sacrifice of one life to provide sustenance for another or through the destruction from nature itself.