A murmuration of starlings above the the small village of Rigg, near Gretna, in the Scottish Borders, on November 25, 2013. The weight of the resting birds on power lines caused some power localised power outages in the village. Still one of the commonest of garden birds, its decline elsewhere puts it on the Red List of endangered species. (Photo by Owen Humphreys/PA Wire)

An extraordinary work of art has just been completed in Scotland. The Kelpies by figurative sculptor Andy Scott surge upwards in steel, whinnying and snorting alongside the banks of the Forth and Clyde Canal near the town of Falkirk. These fantastic beasts from Gaelic mythology have risen again as monuments to the horse-powered industrial heritage of Scotland.

Two dancers pass each other as they compete in a heat during the All Scotland Championships in Irish Dancing at the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, Scotland. The championships attract over 2000 dancers from more than 300 dance schools, from countires such as North America, South Africa, Australia and Russia. (Photo by David Moir/Reuters)

Henry Leese drives a 1952 British Rail Ivatt number 46512 at Strathspey Steam Railway on August 27, 2013 in Aviemore,Scotland. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Highland Main Line built as a transportation link to the South for lairds and landowners living in northern Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J. Mitchell)

The golden retriever and its history were feted by 222 goldens and their masters who gathered from around the globe for a celebration in the breed's ancestral Scottish Highlands home in July. Hosted by the Golden Retriever Club of Scotland, the festival is held at the abandoned home of Dudley Coutts Marjoribanks, who bred the first golden retriever.

A woman reacts as she joins around a thousand New Year swimmers, many in costume, braved freezing conditions in the River Forth in front of the Forth Rail Bridge during the annual Loony Dook Swim on January 1, 2013 in South Queensferry, Scotland. Thousands of people gathered last night to see in the New Year at Hogmanay celebrations in towns and cities across Scotland. (Photo by Jeff J. Mitchell)

“Sixteen pilot whales died when they became stranded at Pittenweem, near St Andrews, on Sunday morning, Forth Coastguard said.

The mammals were part of a group of 26, of which 10 were refloated and returned to sea by vets and more than 50 volunteers from the emergency services and British Divers Marine Life Rescue. The whales were kept cool and hydrated with wet blankets and sheets on the shore”. – WalesOnline

Photo: Emergency service personnel walk near beached whales as they continue in their rescue attempt to save a large number of pilot whales who have beached on September 1, 2012 in Pittenweem, Scotland. A number of whales have died after being stranded on the east coast of Scotland between Anstruther and Pittenweem. (Photo by Jeff J. Mitchell)

Charlotte Roirdan, from Lyon and Turnbull, poses near portrait of a woman wearing a bikini made entirely out of postcards of the Queen on April 20, 2012 in Edinburgh, Scotland. The portrait Girl in a Yellow Bikini by David Mach, is estimated to raise between £4000 to £6000 at their Scottish Contemporary Sale to be held on April 25. (Photo by Jeff J. Mitchell)