June 2025 Viewfinder
There are crabs and crabbiness in this month's Opposite View Wildlife Photography newsletter.
Crabbit: defined by the Dictionaries of the Scots Language (DSL) as “in a bad temper, out of humour”.
And there's something that's made me a bit crabbit this month, dear reader. It's something I've written about before, so feel free to scroll down to the much cheerier blogs I've published or head over to the Deer Photographer of the Year website for some gorgeous images of - well - deer!
But while you're still up here, I'm going to permit myself a little time on my soapbox (it is my newsletter, after all) and have a wee rant about our attitude to gulls here in the UK. Or, more specifically, the anti-gull rhetoric spewed out by our politicians and the media - particularly here in Scotland.
I mean, I've heard some incredible guff in the past few weeks. Apparently, gulls are “psychotic” - who knew?! I'd love to know who performed that psychiatric assessment. Maybe it went something like this:
Psychiatrist: “Good morning, Mr Gull. How are you feeling today?”
Mr Gull: “Like causing absolute carnage outside the chippy, mate, and hopefully taking out a couple of humans while I'm at it. Let’s f**k sh*t up!”
Hmm. Maybe not.
I’ve also heard so-called respected Scottish politicians claim that it won't be long “before we see someone killed due to being attacked by a gull.” So, not killed by a gull, just killed as a result of being attacked. Like being killed as a result of a car accident (no one ever suggests banning the use of cars), or tripping over a cat and seriously injuring yourself - this has happened a few times, and yet no one suggests getting rid of cats. A death following an accident, sad though it undoubtedly is, happens every single day.
I’ve never seen so much hysteria over something we should all just learn to cope with. Humans caused these problems and, sometime soon, we have to learn to live alongside wildlife. Just think about the people of Churchill, Manitoba, who have learned to co-exist with polar bears. Or Australians living with venomous snakes and spiders. Children are taught from an early age to respect these animals and how to live with them - rather than exterminating every one they see. Here’s one example.
Meanwhile, here in the UK, we can’t cope with birds.
Now, despite appearances, I’m not daft. I do know why the hysteria exists: it wins votes, generates clicks, and sells newspapers. But it's beyond irresponsible to demonise wildlife in this way, especially when we’re in the midst of a biodiversity crisis - and gulls, contrary to popular belief, are in dire straits.
Right, enough ranting. I’m sure if you’re reading this, you’re already passionate about nature and I’m effectively preaching to the converted. So my question to you is this: what can wildlife photographers do to help?
It’s something I was thinking about on a recent trip to Greenock Esplanade - a seaside spot that plenty of people visit. There's a lovely café nearby and a number of fast food outlets a short drive away. But despite the easy access to food and the number of people eating there, I rarely see discarded food or litter. I also rarely see people feeding gulls - despite the fact they’ll beg outside the windows of parked cars. And I haven’t seen anyone harassed by a gull there.
Coincidence? Maybe.
Another thing I’ve noticed about the gulls at Greenock Esplanade: they eat a lot of their natural food. On our last visit, the tide was out and the gulls were busy picking crustaceans from the exposed rocks and seaweed, then flying up above the path to drop them on the tarmac to crack them open, well away from any humans. I also recently watched them fishing in the evening sun.
So I try to capture as much of this behaviour as possible, to highlight that even in this popular spot, these birds seem to prefer the fruits of the sea to a smash-and-grab chip.
Is there anything else we can do? Is there a species you feel compelled to advocate for in this way? I'd love to hear your thoughts - please leave a comment and let me know.
Wow. If I’d known I was going to go on this long, I would have poured myself a drink! I'll leave you in peace now with a couple of images from Greenock Esplanade.
The first shows what happened when a child threw a half-eaten cheese and ham baguette onto the pavement and their parents didn’t bother to pick it up.
The second shows what happens when the litter stays in the bin and the tide goes out: a happy herring gull with its crabby prize.
Best wishes,
Rhiannon
Opposite View Wildlife Photography
Through my lens
Spring on the scrapes - wildlife photography at Lochwinnoch
A heat haze shimmered across the reserve. It wasn’t hot, as clouds concealed the June sun, but it was stuffy – the kind of oppressive heat that seemed to subdue most of the wildlife. While the barely rippling waters of the loch and the shaded paths were quiet – apart from the constant rasping calls of the black-headed gulls on their distant nesting rafts – there was plenty of activity on the scrapes.
In this blog, I share my recent experience of photographing spring wildlife on the Lochwinnoch scrapes, capturing the drama, challenges, and charm of the birds that make the wetland environment their home.
Species spotlight
Harbour seal – Scotland’s sea dog
When you're exploring Scotland's diverse coastlines, few encounters match the privilege of observing harbour seals in their natural habitat. These charismatic marine mammals have long been a cornerstone of our coastal ecosystems – yet recent research reveals growing concerns about their future.
In this blog, I cover harbour seal behaviour, identification, and the urgent conservation challenges facing this beloved marine mammal, along with some of my images and footage.
And finally…
The winners of Deer Photographer of the Year 2025 were announced last week. Huge congratulations to the phenomenal Danny Green for his winning image of a pair of reindeer in a blizzard in Svalbard. The use of monochrome and the textures in the photo are simply stunning.
I was thrilled to make it through to round two of the judging in the Deer and Humanity category, with the image above (called High Rise Buck). It shows rugged old buck Quint on my local patch back in January 2023. Frustratingly, he was running up the field to put distance between himself and a large German shepherd that a family had allowed to charge about off-lead. He paused at the top of the hill to check whether the threat had passed - and I was able to photograph him with the imposing high-rise flats in the background, demonstrating just how close these urban deer live to people. I bet the residents of those flats had a great view of him bounding up the hill in the stunning low light.
Although I didn't make it onto the winners list this year, I was delighted to have two of my images highly commended in last year’s competition.
If you're a deer photographer, I highly recommend entering next year - I think it will only grow in prestige.
To see all the winners from this year’s competition, head over to the Deer Photographer of the Year website.
Keep in touch
Thanks for reading this! If you have any comments or questions, opportunities for photography or if you would like to use any of my images, please leave a comment. I’d love to hear from you.
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Totally agree about the demonising of wildlife, the urban fox being another example. If we invade their space we must learn to live with consequences.