On the hills again yesterday afternoon and couldn't find 'my' friendly hare but after a good stomp came across this chap. Light rain and dark clouds but I was pleased with the result.

I know us photographers would live in the Highlands are always banging on about the weather but this year's snow has been unprecedented and we have just had another 40-50cm in the past 36 hours and it's still falling. Whilst this looks great, local wildlife is struggling. I found a dead roe deer a few weeks back that had succumbed to the harsh conditions as well as two brown hares. Along with putting out peanuts for the garden birds I also put out carrion for buzzards and a male kestrel that hangs around near the house. Today for the first time he was feeding on a road-killed blackbird just metres from the kitchen window, so hoping to get my lens trained on him over next few days. This is one of the same bird taken last year.

Its now been over 2 months with snow on the ground save for a few days last week with another 6 inches arriving today. Not that I'm complaining - it has been great  for photography. Last week I hosted Edwin Kats a friend and fellow photographer from Holland and we enjoyed a pretty intensive 5 days out in the field. To be honest, on all bar one of these days I would have normally stayed in behind the monitor but as is often the case when you make the effort to get out there it yields results. A windy day on the tops was perhaps the highlight of the week with good numbers of ptarmigan and interesting conditions to help capture something different. These are a couple of minimalist images I liked.

With the forecast for the rest of the week looking grim, I ventured out this afternoon for a yomp in the hills in search of mountain hares. I soon flushed several, which high-tailed it up the hill and over the horizon. Feeling a little cheesed off at their lack of approachability I munched my way through a half frozen snickers, when for no apparent reason a hare decided I was interesting after all and ran straight towards me, quickly followed by a second and then a third. Sometimes you just get lucky!

Perfect conditions for winter walking in the Cairngorm mountains don't occur that often so last Saturday we grabbed the chance to make the long walk up onto Briariach. At 1296m, this is the UK's third highest peak but what makes this peak so special are the spectacular views across to Ben Macdui (1309m) and Cairn Toul (1291m) and beyond, down the Lairig Ghru and into Deeside.


The walk is not overly difficult but involves a fair walk in and then a steady pull out of the Lairig Ghru up onto the broad plateau of Sron na Lairige and then a final short climb up to the summit. Things were going pretty well until we made it onto the plateau where upon we were engulfed in thick mist and cloud billowing over from the south side of the hill. Visibility was poor, navigation potentially hazardous and the prospect of a decent view minimal. But we decided to crack on for a further 15 minutes and re-assess the situation. By now we were only maybe 30 minutes from the top so having found the main path we pushed on with little expectation of seeing much. As we neared the top, blue sky became visible and I could just make out Ben Macdui poking through the mist. Much of the view southwards was still obliterated but gradually the mist began to peel away to reveal the summit peaks of Cairn Toul and The Angel's Peak.


We had already taken longer to reach the top than expected and time was short but I shot continuously for 30 minutes or so in all directions and every few yards as we descended, but with a 3 hour walk ahead of us and no head-torches (big mistake!) I had to reluctantly drag myself away. By 1630, the light was getting gloomy and we still had to negotiate the ice-coated giant boulders of the Chalamain Gap. This was tricky enough in the light on the way up, but in almost complete darkness it was not a pleasant prospect. We reached the gap by 1700, gingerly made it through and trudged the final hour back to the car somewhat relieved. Next time I'll remember the torch!