Tufties

Its a great treat to watch red squirrels and one of the best places to observe them is in the wildlife hide at Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, Aberfoyle. They are smaller and faster than grey squirrels and have long ear tufts. The tufts provide a bit of extra insulation in winter and they can use them for communication.

Today I saw five all at once, either taking peanuts from a feeder or chasing each other off the feeders. Three feeders and five squirrels leads to some fun squirrel action. This one was happily munching away when another came up from behind to ambush it.

At one point there were three vying for the nuts.

Can you spot the three in this next photo?

Today was an excellent chance to practise photographing the squirrels. My challenge was to try and capture shots of them away from the feeders. However they move so fast this was difficult to do.

It’s always pretty dark in the forest and so fast shutter speeds lead to dark photos. However I experimented with different settings.

It was easiest to take shots when a squirrel paused briefly, pondering what its next move would be.

Some people came to have their lunch in the hide and this bit of disturbance caused one squirrel to take his food up onto a high up branch. This was to my advantage, as I was able to point upwards and capture the red in a more natural setting.

Then it was my feeding time. I left very happy after my morning with the tufties.