Yesterday I headed out to the North Pennines (it is an area I have found and not a public lek, so I am unable to share an exact location for the birds’ protection), and I was greeted by the low rumble of the black grouse all around me. I then found a couple of fields with twelve or more grouse in, and they kept returning to the site. With permission kindly granted by the farmer and gamekeeper, I woke up at 3.30am the next day and set up my hide just as the first light was beginning. Almost as soon as I zipped up the hide door, the black grouse woke up and flew down to the fields from the surrounding hills, and the familiar low rumble was echoing around once more.

It was very exciting when the first grouse landed right in front of my hide, something I did not expect as I thought they may stay well clear of me. Battling against the low light was difficult, but I managed to get some pictures I am happy with. I was also treated to the sight of two curlews courting, where the male follows the female lifting his wings in the air and pulling on her tail feathers.

Eventually the birds flew off, and so I left without disturbance.

The snow began to fall, looking like it wasn’t settling. However, 7 hours of solid snow fall and the fields were turned completely white! With my hopes high, I woke up at 6.30am the next day and was relieved that the snow was still there. I headed off to the red squirrel hide, and thankfully they turned up just before the snow all melted.

Here are the results!

This was shot using my remote release technique with a Nikon 14mm f/2.8 lens.

This was shot with my 200-400mm f/4 VRII telephoto lens.

The first target was the rare capercaillie. The first location involved a walk through some stunning Caledonian woodland, however it proved unsuccessful and there were no sightings. A second much longer walk provided views of lots of different birds, including the crossbills but this was, unfortunately, only of them flying away.

Walking up a path, a female capercaillie flew away from a tree to our right. Suspicions would suggest that a male was nearby, but it was nowhere to be seen. We continued walking, and suddenly spotted it away in a field to our right. I almost walked straight past it, and am very pleased that I didn’t as it was an incredible experience just watching such an impressive bird. Capercaillie are very aggressive birds that offer amazing courtship displays, making a low grumbling noise along with sharp clicks. Furthermore, they make an even deeper noise in their call that cannot be heard by humans as the frequency is too low.

You may be surprised to know that these huge, turkey sized birds actually spend some of their time in trees feeding off pine needles!

The next Scottish creature I was after was the timid mountain hare. This is a gorgeous mammal that I have wanted to photograph for a long time. Previous experiences with England’s brown hares, and their habit of haring away from me whenever I tried to get close, left me sceptical as to whether or not I would have any success in photographing them. On saturday I headed up to some hills in search of the hares. Success! I found 5 mountain hares sitting in the heather. I climbed up the hillside (a very steep hillside/mountain) and managed to crawl to about 15 feet from a mountain hare, having had four of them run away during previous attempts. I knelt up from my hiding place to take a photograph, and a red grouse took off from next to me and annoyingly scared the hare away. You would think that white hares are extremely vulnerable when the snow has gone, but it is incredible how well camouflaged they are. The hills they choose to live on have white rocks scattered all over them, and the amount of times that I mistook a rock for a hare are countless.

The next day I took to the hills again, and this time with more success. I crept very slowly, moving only when the wind was blowing and carrying my sound away from the hare. I managed to get just 10 or 12 feet from the gorgeous white hare, and took many shots. However, these were harshly lit by the high sun so I felt I needed to try again. After this hare ran away, I walked round the mountain looking for more. Spotting some ears poking above a grassy hollow, I dropped down to the ground and crept inch by inch down to its level. I was faced with a problem, the only way to get a photograph was to move round the hare and face it, however this would mean I was exposed to it whilst moving round. Amazingly, the hare stayed put and my stealthy approach was successful!

The final photograph in this blog is of a feral goat kid. This shot was taken whilst leaving the valley, and it really shows the camouflage that these goats have developed. I found it fascinating how it blended so well into the background.

I have spent many hours perfecting this technique, each time adjusting a setting just slightly to ensure the next session’s photographs are an improvement on the previous. I have finally got some photographs that I am willing to post online and that I am pleased to have taken.

To get the shots, I placed my camera on a piece of wood to protect it from the damp ground, ensuring that it was close to the rock on which the squirrels would be appearing. The focus point was set manually before hand, along with the aperture and shutter speed. From then on, it is just a case of timing and setting off the shutter at the right time from the hide!

The camera which I used to take the red squirrel photographs.

Here is the first shot that I am very pleased with, and is my personal favourite. “How Do You Do?”

And the second, “Too Close For Comfort”.

I’ll be continuing this project from now on, hopefully getting some more and even better shots of the reds!

Due to the success of the last talk, I’ve decided to put on a second talk on the 30th March 2012 at the Allendale Forge Studios. During the evening I will talk about my wildlife photography and experiences so far, including how I got the shots and a bit about the wildlife itself. My images will be projected by an HD projector throughout the evening.

There will be a raffle at the event as well with some great prizes, including a print of one of my photographs. The event will be raising money for my Borneo expedition again where I will be working with the Kelabit tribe of Sarawak. This will include building a museum and establishing trekking routes to help further the ecotourism of the area. As well as this, I will be trekking through the jungle and gaining valuable experience for my future aspirations.

Doors will open at 6.30pm, and the talk will begin at 7.00pm. Tickets are £7.50 each and refreshments will be available, including a complimentary glass of wine. If you would like to book tickets, please contact me.

The first photo is my personal favourite out of all the photos I have taken so far.

I took this photo of a juvenile little owl in July at a nest site close to my home. Usually it takes hours and hours of waiting, mostly unsuccessful at first, to get a photograph that I am happy with. However, having left the hide opposite the nest for a couple of weeks, I managed to get this shot within an hour and a half on my first session waiting! It was a magical evening with the whole family, two owlets and two adults all screeching around my hide. The best part was that the owlet actually chose such a photogenic branch from all the other hidden, obscured branches around.

Next up is my first remote release shot of a red squirrel.

For this shot I hired a wide-angle lens and used a cheap remote release to get this shot. I wanted to try out a new perspective to my photographs, there are only so many red squirrel shots you can take with a telephoto! Annoyingly, the remote only worked with my Nikon D80 and also required the camera to be pointed towards you, so my hide is just out of the shot on the left! I now have bought my own set up, a much more wide-angle Nikon 14mm f/2.8 lens with ML-3 remote. More shots coming in the near future.

The third picture is a more dramatic wildlife shot.

This is of a yearling atlantic seal which has been attacked by a bull seal. Some people may not like this photograph, but I like the story behind it and the fact that the raised flipper looks as if it is wiping away a tear.

Fourth is a white-tailed eagle on the Isle of Skye.

For this shot I spent three days taking trips out from the harbour on Skye, drifting in front of the eagle’s nest. After much waiting, the eagle came down and allowed me to get this shot of it being chased by a great black-backed gull.

Finally, I think it has to be my latest success!

This photograph of a red squirrel in evening light was taken a few years ago in Kielder Forest, Northumberland. It has just been announced as the 16-18 year old category winner and overall winner in the RSPCA Young Photographer Awards! Very unexpected, as I mentioned in my last blog post, but I think it has earned a place on my top 5 of the year.

And that is all! Happy new year and all the best for 2012!

Here is my entry:

Admittedly, I had no confidence that I would be bringing back a prize from the competition. However, I managed to win the 16-18 years category and the overall winner as well!

Part of my prize, along with two glass trophies, is a 3 day photography break with wildlife photographer Danny Green and his team to photograph the deers rutting in October next year – something I am really looking forward to!

Well done to all involved in the competition, it was great meeting lots of different people there.

Photograph by Philip Toscano/RSPCA