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One of Britain's most famous salmon spots lies close
to the border between England and Scotland - the River Tweed.
One the
best places to see this phenomena is at Ettrick Weir during the autumn. | Salmon
leap on the Tweed -
Photo - PA Images |
The
Tweed is 98 miles long - but you don't have to go too far upstream to get a look
at the Atlantic Salmon.
The
river and its tributaries in and around Berwick Upon Tweed are great places to
catch these fish. Salmon adventure  Berwick
Upon Tweed is the last English town before Scotland - it's also the starting point
for a journey along one of the world's great salmon rivers.
Thousands of
salmon make the journey up the Tweed every year as they return to breed in the
river in which they were born. Start your journey at the mouth of the Tweed
- and follow the salmon route some 50 miles inland to one of its tributaries -
the Ettrick near Selkirk. This is where you'll find a salmon spectacle that's
an absolute must-see in autumn. Ettrick is where the fish head in from the
North Sea after migrating here from Iceland and Greenland. The Tweed Foundation
monitors the health of the salmon population to get a real feel for how well these
fish are doing. Looking and leaping!  Many
visitors come not to catch the salmon but to be thrilled by seeing them leap.
One
the best places to see this phenomena is on the River Ettrick. At this point
on the river the Tweed Foundation has set up a viewing area where you can see
the fish as you've never seen them before with the help of live feeds from five
cameras in the pools below. During the autumn the salmon's body changes
- some call it "taking on the tartan" - its jaw gets bigger, and its
body turns redder. But the real spectacle is seeing the salmon attempt to
climb the weir - as they leap and fly through the air! Bird
life  There's
also a top quality collection of migrating birds on the Tweed.
The Tweed
estuary is a hot spot for Mute Swans in early autumn. This is the UK's second
largest Mute Swan colony, and at peak times there are 800 birds before they disperse
for the winter. A much rarer sight is a Red throated Diver, and even in
October it's possible to see adult birds showing its distinctive red throat. The
red throat is its breeding colour - and that crimson marking is a real give-away
that distinguishes it from the other members of the diver family. Red throated
Divers like to congregate close to the coast in autumn and winter when they moult
before they take off up north again in the spring.
Also look out for Grey
Wagtails and Heron - both of which can be seen near Ettrick Weir.
The
Heron is on the look out for fish that don't make it - while the Grey Wagtail
is a characteristic bird of fast flowing water which feeds on insects. Photo
credits Salmon photos are copyright and
courtesy of PA Images. Mute Swan copyright
of RSPB Images and Chris Gomersall. | 
