Mountain Hare – Blair Atholl estate

Posted on August 6, 2014 by John Mallaney

During my annual visit back home to Bonnie Scotland we stayed at the Blair Atholl Palace hotel in Pitlochry. Whilst there I had the opportunity to go on a land rover safari on the stunningly scenic Blair Atholl estate. Opting for a dusk safari (7 – 9.30pm), we gradually climbed up to 2,300 feet, regularly stopping to view the mountain hare and the distant sight of red deer. These were the only wildlife sightings during the evening – sadly, we were not fortunate enough to see golden eagles or grouse. Nevertheless, the safari was still a worthwhile experience, especially to witness the spectacular scenery.

Blair Atholl castle

Mountain Hare

Blair Atholl estate

Mountain Hare

Blair Atholl estate

© [John Mallaney] and [john mallaney In The Frame], [2014]. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to [John Mallaney] and [john mallaney In The Frame] with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Red Squirrels

Posted on August 5, 2014 by John Mallaney

I recently had the pleasure of photographing red squirrels at a private sanctuary near Dundee, Scotland. Currently, owing to the rapid spread of the grey squirrel, only 120,000 red squirrels remain in Scotland. This is the reason why the Scottish Wildlife Trust is attempting to prevent the grey moving northwards in order to save the red from the real threat of extinction. Having seen the red at close quarters this would indeed be a tragedy.

Red Squirrel

Up close and personal

Posted on July 27, 2014 by John Mallaney

Here are a few shots of a Meadow-Brown butterfly which conveniently landed on a pear discarded by my Grandson.

Meadow-Brown

Goat Eye!

Posted on July 21, 2014 by John Mallaney

Fact – The pupil of a goats eye allows it to see at a 320 degree angle.

Goat Eye

Damsel and Dragonflies

Posted on July 21, 2014 by John Mallaney

Here are a few shots of both damselflies and dragonflies taken at Claydon House a National Trust property in Buckinghamshire. As per my previous post all were taken hand held due to the lack of tripod on the day.

Female Common Blue Damselfly

Unknown

Common Blue Damselfly

Broad-bodied Chaser and Common Blue

Common Blue Damselfly

Broad-bodied Chaser

Ladybirds

Posted on July 21, 2014 by John Mallaney

A few shots of ladybirds taken recently at Claydon House which is a National Trust property in Buckinghamshire. All were taken hand held with my macro lens.

Ladybird

Buttercup

Posted on July 15, 2014 by John Mallaney

A sign of a fine summers day is the golden yellow glow of a buttercup against a warm blue sky.

St James’s Park – London

Posted on July 15, 2014 by John Mallaney

Although bang in the centre of urban London, St James’s park certainly has a surprisingly large variety of wildlife. The shots below are only a small sample of what’s on offer.