Flood Prevention on the Water of Leith

Greener Leith has received a number of appeals to support a recent campaign to prevent trees being cut down along the Water of Leith as part of the ongoing flood prevention work. You can find the petition here.  

Greener Leith volunteers have been so focussed on our Energyshare bid, that we haven't had a chance to come to a view either way on the issue.

Juliet Wilson is an Edinburgh writer, and volunteer for the Water of Leith Conservation Trust. She probably has a better overview than many on this issue. This post is written by her and originally appeared on her Crafty Green Poet blog. It was written after she attended a public meeting which was held in Stockbridge library, which gave the contractors a chance to respond to some of the concerns raised by the campaigners.  

Crafty Green Boyfriend and I were at last night's public meeting at Stockbridge Library to hear about the tree felling associated with the flood prevention work along the Water of Leith.

The Water of Leith Conservation Trust have worked with the contractors of the flood prevention team to ensure that the natural environment would be as little damaged as possible as a result of the work. The trust have been really good at sharing information about the flood prevention plans with volunteers. The trust, Edinburgh City Council and the contractors have regularly updated people who live in the affected areas.

However, when I recently saw the felled trees along parts of the river and read about how many trees in total are going to be felled I panicked more than a little bit. I didn't remember the discussions or plans ever indicating this amount of tree felling. The same point was brought up by several people at the public meeting. The council engineer and the contractor at the meeting didn't actually approach people's concerns in the best way.

Rather than directly and immediately addressing the issue about trees, they chose to give a presentation about the history of the flood prevention plans. They went into a lot of detail, which was interesting, but anyone who has been in Edinburgh and concerned about the flood prevention plans over the last ten years or so, would be aware of the outline of these plans and though it was useful to hear it again, it lead to a lot of impatience in the room. The presentation did highlight the fact that if flood defences are to be built alongside the Water of Leith in the centre of Edinburgh, then in most places there is not the room to allow for natural flood prevention measures.

The river is closely bound by housing, offices, roads and gardens along much of its course in central Edinburgh. One area that was a potential sink for flood waters has had housing built on it since the flood prevention plans were first put forward, despite the council overturning the plans, the Scottish Government had stepped in and said the housing should go ahead (housing built on a flood plain in times of increasing floods and rising sea levels?!). So that is a problem that could have been avoided.

Another problem is that Scottish Rugby Union who have their ground at Murrayfield by the river, would not allow the council to use part of their fields as natural flood defences, despite it being ideal for the purpose (I've spoken to an engineer on the project who is puzzled to say the least about that decision, which was upheld by the Scottish Government I think). Most parts of the river in central Edinburgh, as I say, though don't have potential for natural flood prevention measures.

Mathematical modelling was used to decide what degree of flood protection was needed. The design chosen will protect against the effects of a once in 200 year flood incident (remember that with the changing climate what is now a one in 200 year event in the future becomes much more likely). The plan is that existing walls near the river are to be knocked down, metal barriers are to be sunk to a great depth below where these walls ran and then the walls are to be rebuilt in concrete and then clad in stone of the same type as the original stone.

The river will not be canalised (apart from areas where it already canalised), as in most cases the walls don't run exactly alongside the riverbank but are at a distance. This is where the problem with the trees come in. The work in fitting the metal barriers and replacement walls needs access. Trees get in the way unfortunately. The trees that get in the way are being removed. Lots of trees. This is really upsetting and a great loss to local biodiversity.

However, if we are to prevent floods then this work needs to be done (though obviously it would have been better if housing and offices had never been built on a floodplain in the first place....). When the work is completed, all the trees will be replaced - two new trees will be planted for every tree that is removed. (Why the contractor and the spokesperson from the council didn't say this right at the start of the meeting, I don't know. It would have prevented some of the bad feeling that run through most of the meeting, judging from the delighted reactions from some people in the room to hearing this announcement).

The trees will be planted with the help of the Water of Leith Conservation Trust and with local residents associations, who have been closely consulted all along the way. (Some people at the meeting have had their houses flooded and had nothing but praise for the way that the contractors were involving them in the future restoration of the trees). Of course these trees will grow slowly, and it will be years before the area is back to its current beauty, which is really sad.

However, given the circumstances I do think that everyone involved is doing the best they can.

You can find other posts by Juliet on the Greener Leith blog here. 

Photo credit: Elemental Paul

Leith Birds: More Water of Leith birds.

Juliet Wilson continues her series of blog posts about birds you might see along the Water of Leith. You can read previous posts by Juliet Wilson on the Greener Leith blog here, and you can find her own blog here.

Coot

The coot is a black bird with a white beak and shield above its beak. It can be found along the Water of Leith and can turn up anywhere there’s water in Leith. The coot has interesting looking lobed feet.

You can find out more about the coot on the RSPB website: http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/c/coot/index.aspx.

Moorhen

Photo credit: Robert BrysonThe moorhen at first sight looks quite like a small coot. However its beak is read and yellow and its plumage is more varied, it has a white stripe on its side. Like the coot it is found along the Water of Leith and in other areas of water in Leith.

You can read more about the moorhen on the RSPB website: http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/m/moorhen/index.aspx

Cormorant

The cormorant is a big, scruffy looking black bird, with a long beak, often seen standing around the port area of Leith, with its wings opened out to dry. it can also be seen further up the Water of Leith.

You can read more about the cormorant on the RSPB website: http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/c/cormorant/index.aspx

Kingfisher

Photo credit: Debbie GrantKingfishers live along the Water of Leith but you need to be lucky to see them! When you do see them it is likely to just be a flash of turquoise along the river rather than being able to have a good look at them in detail.

You can read more about the kingfisher on the RSPB website: http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/k/kingfisher/index.aspx

Dipper

Image Credit: Debbie GrantThe dipper is a smart brown and white bird that looks a bit like a large wren. It can be found almost anywhere along the Water of Leith and is a fascinating bird to watch, bobbing on the stones, diving into the water to look for food or flying along, low to the water, calling.

The dipper is one of the first birds to breed in the spring, and if you’re lucky you may see the adults feeding their young early in the year, one of the first signs that winter is over. It has a lovely song and it has been singing for over a month already this year! 

You can read more about the dipper on the RSPB website: http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/d/dipper/index.aspx

Images, unless credited otherwise, by Anthony Robson, who shares his wildlife photos at www.edinburghwildlife.com

You can find more great photos by Debbie Grant on her blog at http://dfgphotography.blogspot.com/

Leith Birds: Ducks

This is the 3rd post in a series of guest blog posts about birds you might see on the Water of Leith by Juliet Wilson.

There are several different species of ducks that can be found along the Water of Leith in and around Leith. These are the species that are most regularly seen along the river.

Green-Headed Ducks: The Mallard

This is the most familiar duck and can be seen anywhere along the Water of Leith and probably on any piece of water in Leith. The male is very distinctive with his green head (which can sometimes look purple in some lights!). The female is dull and brown but has a lovely blue bit in her wings (see the photo). Mallards will breed with other species of ducks so you can sometimes see males with very strange looking plumage or females with white patches. You can read more about the mallard on the RSPB website: http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/m/mallard/index.aspx.

Green-Headed Ducks: Goosander and Red-breasted Merganser

In the winter, anywhere along the Water of Leith in Edinburgh, you may see goosanders. The males are smart looking birds with a distinctive white and black patterned body and a dark green head. From a distance they can be confused with mallards (though they are bigger and lighter in colour on their bodies).

The female goosander is mostly grey with a reddish brown head and can be confused with the female of the closely related red breasted merganser. The male red-breasted merganser is a more decorative version of the goosander. The red-breasted merganser is not so common on the river but has been seen in the Leith area in the past year.

The goosander and merganser are saw-bills, so-called because they have long serrated beaks. They are diving birds.

You can find out more (including photos) about the goosander on the RSPB website:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/goosander/index.aspx

You can find out more (including photos) about the red breasted merganser on the RSPB website:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/r/redbreastedmerganser/index.aspx

Goldeneye

Both male and female goldeneye can be confused with the goosander, though they don’t have the serrated saw-like beak. If you get close enough to them you will see their golden eyes! They have been seen in 2010 along the Leith and Bonnington stretches of the Water of Leith.

You can read more about the goldeneye on the RSPB website:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/goldeneye/index.aspx

Other Ducks

Tufted Duck

The tufted duck is smaller than a mallard and the male is mostly black and white. In spring he has a very distinctive crest on his head. The female is much duller. They are often found on ponds anywhere in Edinburgh and along the Water of Leith.

You can find out more about the tufted duck on the RSPB website:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/t/tuftedduck/index.aspx

Eider

The Eider is a big sea duck that can be seen along the Shore at Leith and Granton and sometimes in the mouth of the Water of Leith. The male is very distinctive, mostly black and white though close up you can see he has funny green ‘ear covers’. The female is drab brown but can be recognised by the shape of her beak (see the link below). They are sociable birds and can often be seen in large flocks. If you get close enough to a large group of them you may hear them making a wonderful noise a bit like the call of an owl.

You can find out more about the eider on the RSPB website: http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/e/eider/index.aspx

Juliet Wilson is a poet, reviewer and adult education tutor with an interest in making crafts from re-used materials. You can find out more about her work here and here. Photo credit: Bob Bryson

Leith Birds: Gulls

This is the 2nd in a series of guest posts on birds you might see in Leith by Juliet Wilson

Gulls in Leith

Most people are familiar with gulls, there can be a lot of them around and they can create quite a disturbance when they flock together in large numbers. They are however birds with a lot of character and are worth watching as they stamp on the spot on Leith Links (imitating rain to attract worms to the surface) or chase each other over the Water of Leith. Did you know that there are three species of gull that can be seen regularly in and around Leith and the Water of Leith?

Black-headed Gull

This is the smallest of the three gulls that are seen regularly around Leith. In the summer months it is easily recognisable by its dark brown head. In the winter it loses its dark head and has just a few black markings on its head (see photo). Young gulls have speckled patterns on the lower parts of their wings.

Herring Gull

This is probably the most common of the three gulls seen regularly around Leith. It is a large bird, white underneath and grey on top. It has pink legs and a yellow beak with a red spot on it. In winter its head turns grey and can look very dark. Young herring gulls are mottled brown and look identical to the young lesser black backed gull (see below). Though it may not seem like it, its numbers are declining and it is in fact on the red list (which means that it is cause for special conservation concern).

You can find out more about the herring gull on the RSPB website - http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/h/herringgull/index.aspx

Lesser Black backed Gull

This gull is very similar to the Herring Gull. It has a darker back and its legs are yellow rather than pink. Young gulls are mottled brown and look just like young herring gulls. It is fairly common in Leith and other areas of Edinburgh.

You can find out more about the lesser black backed gull on the RSPB website:

http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/l/lesserblackbackedgull/index.aspx

Juliet Wilson is a poet, reviewer and adult education tutor with an interest in making crafts from re-used materials. You can find out more about her work here and here. Photo credit: Bob Bryson

Leith Birds: The Heron

Wandering along the Water of Leith a few weeks ago, we saw birds that we couldn't identify (no sniggering up the back). We're delighted that Juliet Wilson has offered to write a series of blog posts about birds you might see around the Water of Leith. Here's the first one:

The grey heron is unmistakeable and often seen along the whole length of the Water of Leith. It’s a big, long legged bird with a long dagger shaped bill. It can often be seen standing motionless in the river, as it waits for fish to swim by. If you’re lucky you may see it walking stiff legged through the water, looking out for fish. You may even see it spear the water and come up again with a fish in its beak! Some restaurants along the Water of Leith are known to sometimes feed the herons.

Juvenile herons are darker and more uniformly grey than the adults.

If you want to take up bird photography, the grey heron is the ideal first subject as it is so large and tends to stand still a lot!

Edinburgh Zoo has some free flying night herons, which may occasionally turn up on the river. The night heron is a smaller, short legged heron.

You can read more about the grey heron on the RSPB website:
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/g/greyheron/index.aspx

You can read about the night heron on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_heron

Juliet Wilson is a poet, reviewer and adult education tutor with an interest in making crafts from re-used materials. You can find out more about her work here and here. Photo credit: Bob Bryson