Black(ish) squirrels in the borders

We're currently off up North of the border for a week of visiting relatives - and hopefully, a bit of wildlife watching - before we need to bring a passport to come back to Scotland!

We decided to break the journey - and tick off one of my target species- by taking the opportunity to spend a day in the borders, visiting Jo McIntyre's fantastic Red Squirrel hide. What really attracted me to Jo's hide was the fact that it's visited by several squirrels with increased melanin pigmentation, giving them very dark coats. Always on the lookout for something a bit out of the ordinary, I decided a visit was a must-do this trip (not to mention that Lou is a big fan of 'squiggles'; always sensible to keep the photographer's assistant happy!).

Red Squirrel - Black

The comfortable hide is very nicely set up just on the edge of a mixed pine & broadleaf woodland. You know it's going to be a good session when you arrive & there are not only three squirrels in view already, but also one actually inside the hide itself! It's a very attractive setting, with lots of mossy, weathered logs & stumps for the squirrels to clamber around on.  The light conditions were a bit challenging, as today was rather grey & overcast - but actually, I enjoyed experimenting with different effects.

Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel - Black

The squirrels came thick & fast all morning - and Lou was sent out regularly to replenish the hazelnut supplies to keep the wee beasties happy.  We were visited by up to six individuals at once; at times it was difficult to decide which one to point my lens at! Although dark morphs of animals are normally a recessive trait, there is clearly a strong population with the genes in the area, as four of the six we saw had blackish coats, and only two were the classic red. We had great fun watching their antics and snapping away like mad for several hours.

Red Squirrel - Normal

As well as the squirrels, we also had some great views of a female Greater Spotted Woodpecker, plus Coal Tits, Great Tits - and a very dapper pheasant named Tony! 

Great-spotted Woodpecker

 Jo had told us that a 300mm lens would be more than big enough today - and she's absolutely right. However, I'm a great believer that when it comes to lenses, bigger is almost always better! So, I did switch to my 500mm at times too & I'm pretty pleased with some of the results. I've popped a few up here to give you a flavour of the day - these are basically as they come out of the camera, so please be kind! I'll be doing a proper edit of this week's pictures once we get back home.

Red Squirrel - Black

By mid-afternoon the wind was blowing a hoolie, which meant that the squirrels were sticking mainly to the treetops, with only one making the very occasional and fleeting foray down to snatch up a nut and bound away with it. So we headed off a little earlier than originally planned to drive the rest of the way up to Edinburgh, where we are spending a few days with my folks. On the way up, we had our first sighting of Curlews this year, feeding in a marshy field outside Carlops. We also passed good numbers of Lapwings, Jackdaws, Carrion Crows and, oddly, a large flock of Kittiwakes sitting in a field. 

Tomorrow, we'll be heading to the coast in search of Scooter, Slovenian Grebes, Eider Ducks and other seabirds.