Wildlife Photographs

The Diary is very grateful to Brian Culcheth for sending the following lovely photographs of West Ardnamurchan wildlife. Brian takes his photography very seriously: that's him, pictured above, camouflaged, attempting to get a picture of a ring ousel, the first he had seen on the peninsula.

This is a green hairstreak butterfly, an insect which is widespread throughout the British Isles, its success being down to the wide range of habitats to which it's adapted, and its ability to subsist on a variety of foodstuffs. There's more about it here.

This close-up of a slow worm was taken by Brian's son. We've seen a number of slow worms recently, so perhaps they're having a good year. Sadly, several have been on the road, squashed.

This little beauty is a common toad, a useful character to have in the garden as he's a great destroyer of pests such as insects, slugs and larvae.

The Diary has been struggling to get a picture of these pretty little birds. They're redpolls, and there seem to be a lot of them around, many more than in previous years. But they're shy, and unwilling to sit quietly while a photographer creeps up on them to take their portrait.

Many thanks to Brian and family for sending in the pictures. Brian and Sheila have a letting cottage in Kilchoan, Otter's Holt - more details here.