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I say at the start of every blog I’ve written since I relocated to the Scottish Highlands how lucky I feel to live here, but I feel this more strongly now than ever before. How life has changed since I last wrote. We’re now three weeks into the Covid 19 lockdown with no end in sight. However being based at the edge of a rural community has made this considerably more bearable for me than for many…

New #photoblog: March in the Scottish Highlands: magical mountain hare moments... & then the world changed @BBCHighlands @HPT_Official @onekindtweet @RSPBScotland @ScotsMagazine @Natures_Voice #thephotohour @BBCSpringwatch @Mammal_Society

March began as a great month for me. Not only did we enjoy a few more wind-free, sunny days, but the first signs of spring arrived, coupled with copious amounts of snow in the Cairngorms (and even a tiny amount where I am too!)

Until the world changed due to Corvid 19 I spent a whole lot of time on the hills guiding for mountain hares / recovering from guiding for mountain hares (I’m not as…

New #photoblog about February in Scottish Highlands - #mountainhares, #redsquirrels and more! @HPT_Official @onekindtweet @RSPBScotland @ScotsMagazine @Natures_Voice @BBCSpringwatch @VisitCairngrms @jroddiephoto @markhamblin

As I say repeatedly, I’m loving living in the Highlands, best decision I’ve ever made, but boy do I hate the weather this winter. Don’t get me wrong, there’s been a fair amount of snow down in the Cairngorms although it often hasn’t lasted long, but the strong winds have been endless with only the odd one or two day lull. I’m finding it hugely frustrating as there’s little enjoyment to be had…

New #photoblog featuring primarily images of #mountainhares and #crestedtits: January in the Scottish Highlands - winds please go away!! @BBCHighlands @BBCEarth @HPT_Official @onekindtweet @RSPBScotland @VisitScotland @ScotsMagazine @wildlifemag

I’m settling in to my new Highland home and loving living in my dream location – I do still have to pinch myself somewhere as it does still feel a little like I must be on holiday and will have to return to Glasgow at some point soon! Opening my bedroom curtains and seeing Ben Wyvis (when it makes an appearance) and hearing the geese flying over and the garden birds chattering away to each other…

New #photoblog - I've Moved to the Scottish Highlands! Mountain hares, cresties, otters & more!! #highlands #otter @BBCSpringwatch @BBCEarth @wildscotland @RSPBScotland @Mammal_Society @Natures_Voice @BBCHighlands @iNatureUK @wildlife_uk @ScotsMagazine

Way back in 2016 I made the decision that I wanted to relocate from Glasgow up to the Scottish Highlands, ideally somewhere along the A9 corridor between Aviemore and Inverness. The Highlands have always felt more like home to me than Glasgow, whenever I drive up the A9 and pass the sign saying I’ve entered the Cairngorm National Park I feel a weight lift off me, it’s where I feel most complete. …

New #photoblog - August in the Scottish Highlands. It was all about the heather & red squirrels! @markhamblin @NeilMcIntyre3 @Rothiemurchus @cairngormsnews @ScotsMagazine @ScotSquirrels @CitroenUK @Mammal_Society #mountainhare #TwitterNatureCommunity

August arguably isn’t one of the stronger months of the year for wildlife in Scotland, the summer migrants have mostly departed and the winter visitors yet to arrive. However, one thing the Scottish Highlands have in August that makes them well worth a visit is the stunning heather, the flowers of which briefly carpet the moors and forests in glorious pinks and purples. I love it, and, given the…

Pine Martens, Red Squirrels & a wonderful Mountain Hare - a fab July week in the Scottish Highlands @BBCHighlands @BBCEarth @HPT_Official @onekindtweet @RSPBScotland @wildscotland @wildlife_uk @ScotsMagazine @wildlifemag @jroddiephoto RSPBNorthScot

It was great to return to the Scottish Highlands and my home away from home in Tomatin in late July. My first time back in the area since the 7 weeks I spent in there in February/March. I’ve had a stressful and frustrating few months since my return to Glasgow so the break was very much needed although I have come home to more of the same… I love the Highlands, when I’m driving up the A9 and I…

New #blog: Mull 2019 - #Otters, #SeaEagles and #Puffins! Another fab April/May trip to #Mull & Lunga. @Turus_Mara #puffinplanet @VisitMull_Iona @RSPBScotland @Natures_Voice @SeabirdCentre @mullcharters @VisitScotland @WildlifeMag

My 2018 April trip to Mull was a little disappointing– the weather was rubbish, the tide times completely wrong for otter spotting and my puffin trip was cancelled 3 times, so I was, understandably I think, a little trepidatious about the 2019 visit.  I needn’t have been, it was a great week!  Weather was mostly excellent for the time of year, tide times were good initially and the puffins were a…

New #blog - a return visit to the Bamff #beavers. @paulramsaybamff @ScotlandTBP @strathearnrose ‏@NewsRewilding ‏ @Mammal_Society ‏ @RSPBScotland ‏ @RewildingEurope ‏@ScottishBeavers ‏@Team4Nature @Aigas ‏@BamffEcotourism ‏@ScotsBeavers ‏

Last June I finally fulfilled a long-time dream – to see beavers.  I spent 3 nights at Bamff Ecotourism where Paul and Louise Ramsay have had beavers on their Estate since 2002 when Paul brought in two animals from Norway they were joined by others from Poland and Bavaria and kept in a couple of enclosures and their descendants are now part of the Tay beaver network. You can read more about them…

New #blog - a return visit to the Bamff #beavers. @paulramsaybamff @ScotlandTBP @strathearnrose ‏@NewsRewilding ‏ @Mammal_Society ‏ @RSPBScotland ‏ @RewildingEurope ‏@ScottishBeavers ‏@Team4Nature @Aigas ‏@BamffEcotourism ‏@ScotsBeavers ‏

Last June I finally fulfilled a long-time dream – to see beavers.  I spent 3 nights at Bamff Ecotourism where Paul and Louise Ramsay have had beavers on their Estate since 2002 when Paul brought in two animals from Norway they were joined by others from Poland and Bavaria and kept in a couple of enclosures and their descendants are now part of the Tay beaver network. You can read more about them…

A day out at RSPB #TroupHead - gannets & fulmars galore! #NaturePhotography #TwitterNatureCommunity @NatureUK @Team4Nature @iNatureUK @PicPublic @BBCSpringwatch @wildlife__pics @Natures_Voice @rspbscotland @BirdWatchingMag @RSPBNorthScot @birdguides

One of my absolute wildlife highlights was landing on the Bass Rock back in 2017. To be surrounded by many thousands of gannets was incredible – really awe-inspiring and very memorable. They are magnificent birds with beautiful beaks and startling blue rings round their eyes, and so elegant in flight.

The Bass Rock

Aberdeenshire plays host to the largest UK mainland gannet/seabird…

New #photoblog: Living the Wildlife Dream. A wonderful week with #redsquirrels #brownhares & much more! #NaturePhotography #TwitterNatureCommunity #ThePhotoHour @RedSquirrelsUtd @NatureUK @iNatureUK @rspb_scotland @visitscotland @HPT_Official

Whenever I holiday in the Scottish Highlands I tend to stay at the same self-catering cottage in Tomatin – a great central location halfway between Inverness and Aviemore & close to the mountain hares. However, it was unavailable for my end of March week and after spending hours trawling through the internet looking for a reasonably priced cottage within my catchment area I finally came across a…

New #photoblog: "Snow" - making the most of a brief return of wintery weather in the Scottish Highlands @inatureuk @ScotsMagazine @RSPBScotland @VisitScotland @nature_scot @wildlifemag @cairngormsnature @HPT_Official @onekindtweet

Finally after a few weeks of unseasonably mild (and windy, oh so windy) weather, winter returned for a brief spell to the Scottish Highlands in early March much to my delight. Although working during the week I was able to take advantage of the conditions for a couple of weekends, although it proved more than a little challenging!

Sunday 10th of March I headed to the mountain hares bright and…

#MountainHare #blog - 1st 3 weeks in the highlands with the hares @HPT_Official @onekindtweet @BBCEarth @WildlifeMag @iNatureUK #thephotohour @ScotsMagazine @RSPBScotland #earthcapture @VisitScotland #HareCare @snapagency #photoblog

I’m already three weeks into a 7 week stay in the Scottish Highlands – two weeks leave with a five week work attachment sandwiched between. I was excited to be up at this time of year to hopefully photograph some of the iconic species of the region in snow – I’d watched BBC Winterwatch the week before and see the incredible weather they experienced and I arrived at my week one base in Tomatin, to…