Grey seal pup at sunrise

This young pup would have just lost its white newborn coat, and it would also no longer be dependent on its mother for food. As it is still too small to socialise with the larger seals, young pups would often be found resting away from the adult group and I enjoyed being in its company as the sun began to rise over the sea.

Feathered companions

Jackdaws and other corvids can often be seen with larger mammals, such as the red deer, where the birds would collect the moulting winter coats of the deer to use for nesting material.

Magical golden hour

I remember this encounter vividly, as if it happened only yesterday. The young muntjac deer made its way through the bare winter forest searching for food, glancing in my direction for a while before continuing its foraging.

In the blink of an eye

The nictitating membrane, otherwise known as the third eyelid, appeared briefly as this carrion crow scanned the ground for food.

Descending

The ever impressive white-tailed sea eagle is a true king of the skies, and here its powerful talons were lowered ready to catch its prey of fish from the ocean below.

Ears forward

I am fortunate to have brown hares very close to where I live, and I enjoy watching small groups socialise or just watching an individual eat and rest on the nearby farming fields.

On the cliff edge

I find white-tailed sea eagles just as majestic when they are on the ground just as much as when they are in flight. This was the first time I had seen one sitting on a cliff edge and looking out over the coastline, and I simply love how the bird and the landscape blend into one another with the misty mountains in the background.

Above and below the surface

This image was awarded Highly Commended in the Mammal Photographer of the Year 2024. I have been lucky to have had multiple encounters with common dolphins off the West Coast of Scotland, and on this occasion seeing a huge pod of common dolphins in the bright blue ocean and leaping alongside the boat was an exciting and wholesome experience.

Hitching a lift

A young goosander chick resting on its mothers back in between swimming up river. At a young age, the female would be teaching her chicks to dive underwater in order to catch their own food when they are old enough to fledge and fend for themselves.

Eyes from above

Hiding way up in the tree canopy, a tawny owl roosts during the daytime. Their perfectly coloured feathers blends easily into its surroundings.

Swallow in flight

Photographing small birds in flight is one of the trickiest subjects for me, as with many other photographers I imagine! But this individual was repeatedly flying across the window of the hide I was sitting in, allowing ample opportunities to photograph it as it sped by.

King of the forest

Bellowing stags are one of my favourite nature sounds. During the rutting season it is normally the older stags who are the most vocal, and I spent a couple of hours watching this one seriously defending his harem from other males, and was in awe at witnessing his brute strength and hearing his bellows above everything else in the forest.

Reunited at last

After spending months apart at sea during the winter months, puffins return to land to reunite with their partner, or find a new one, and lay their one egg. The pairs reaffirm their relationship by billing where they rub their beaks together. It was wonderful to witness these reunions and could feel the strong bond of this pair in particular.

Incoming!

A short rainfall brought in strong winds with it from the ocean. The puffins that were approaching the land were in turn caught in an updraft from the edge of the sea cliff. I took this oppourtunity to get some in-flight shots as they were temporarily suspended in the air fighting against the wind to land.

Looking on

I was especially fond of this atlantic puffin that I photographed on Lunga. His bill seemed taller in comparison to others around it, and had such a regal look about it I just had to get a portrait of it!

Meal for one

In between the moments where the red squirrels were running around caching food and socailising with each other, there were only a few times where they would stop to eat the food they found or had dug up from their own cache.

Little elf of the forest

As I entered the pine forest, this curious red squirrel emerged from the tree line and proceeded to climb up a tree close to where I was standing. For a split second, it stopped to look at me. I love how it's curious character shines through in this image.

Being polite

There are many theories as to why squirrels position their arms in this way. One is that it is the equivilent of a human relaxing their arms down by their side, another is that it helps the squirrels to maintain balance. Whatever is the reason, they just seem to be politely waiting for something!

Soaring amongst the clouds

Being followed by northern gannets on a small boat off the Shetland coast has to be one of the best experiences I have ever had so far with wild birds!

Turbulent seas

There were very few moments of calm as I watched multiple gannets hunting for fish off the Shetland coast, with very brief moments like this one where the gannet would pass around the boat before taking off to get ready to dive again.

A flurry of feathers and ocean waves

One after another, the gannets dived at speeds of over 60mph and would return to the water's surface just as fast as they dove. The sounds of them hitting the water were just as dramatic as when they re-emerged fighting one another for a mouthful of fish.

Drama in the garden

This was a dramatic moment to witness and even more increadible that it happened right in my back garden! This sparrowhawk held down this lone starling for a few minutes, before attempting to take off with it in its talons, but the starling was able to escape this time.

Hunting at sunset

Larger numbers of short-eared owls visit the east of England during the winter months, allowing for better opportunities to see these great aerial hunters in action over the fields and river dykes.

I've been spotted!

This female otter emerged from the rushes in this small lake at my local reserve, and just after this shot was taken she called to her two cubs which then followed her to the opposite side of the water, tumbling through the water as they went.

Pirate of the sky

Arctic skua, or parasitic jaeger, are renowned for dive-bombing other brids to steal their food, but despite their aggressive nature they are a stunning looking seabird!

Black and white eider

I experiemented with black and white photography while exploring the Shetland islands. This female eider was preening and flapping her wings on the edge of a small loch, and the overcast sky allowed for a clean background. I love the way that this turned out in editing and would lvoe to experiment with this edit style more!

Fulmar's lookout

This unassuming seabird is related to the albatross. These tube-nosed birds were on every cliff face I visited on the Shetland islands, and I adore their soft facial features and how masterful they are when soaring over the ocean.