A Wild(life) Weekend in the East
A weekend of wildlife including elusive puffins, seabirds, red squirrels, hares and red kites.
Red Squirrels
A return to the red squirrels
A long-overdue return to Neil McIntryre’s stunning red squirrel hide in the Cairngorms.
Eskrigg Nature Reserve
My first visit to Eskrigg Nature Reserve, near Lockerbie in Dumfries and Galloway – a fantastic location for red squirrels.
March (2018) Mountain Hares
Readers of this blog or followers on social media will be aware how much I love spending quality time with mountain hares. The setting is stunning (especially this year when coated in a thick blanket of snow) and it’s wonderful just to sit with a hare as time passes by – even when the hare does little more than twitch and do a half-hearted groom in 3 hours whilst we survive a blizzard and biting cold winds together!
2017 Highlights (July – December)
What a year! I’ve already written about the first 6 months, so I won’t repeat myself, but it’s fair to say that from a photographic/wildlife watching perspective 2017 has been brilliant. From the bucket list I’ve now landed on the Bass Rock amongst the gannets and photographed fishing ospreys – both unforgettable experiences. I’ve learnt a lot: photographic techniques, field craft and wildlife behaviours. My ambition for 2017 was to focus entirely (okay… so I did venture South of the border to the Farne Islands), on Scottish wildlife, learning as much as I could about a small number of locations and the animals living there. Personally I don’t want to be the kind of photographer who just ticks species off, I want to get to know them intimately and in doing so take better images that capture the essence of the animal I’m photographing. On top of all this I just love being out sharing airspace with these amazing creatures, it’s a real honour. If anything my love of wildlife, Scotland, the outdoors and photography has increased during 2017.
Sparrowhawks, Red Squirrels, Tawny Owl and more.
A day spent in Alan McFadyen’s Scottish Photography sparrowhawk hide in the company of sparrowhawks, jays, red squirrels, brambling and great spotted woodpeckers.
Red Squirrels and Stunning Purple Heather
When it comes to red squirrels, achieving decent photographs without the liberal use of hazelnuts isn’t easy. I’ve tried a few times up in the Queen Elizabeth Forest near Aberfoyle, but have had limited results, so I decided to book a session in Neil McIntyre’s hide on the Rothiemurchas Estate.
My kind of wildlife images
My aspiration when it comes to wildlife photography is to stick to a few species and spend as much time as is possible watching them – not only is this a joy to do but hopefully it will lead to more interesting images.
Karen Miller's Wildlife photography blog 