February 2025

You wouldn't think that after a decade of guiding people to photograph wildlife, I would still get nervous and anxious about doing just that, but I do, and it's more pressure still, when I'm guiding a friend to photograph something they've been wanting to see for years.

Mountain hares, and there haven't been many around this winter. That said, I've not (touch wood) had a blank day yet, and fortunately on our day up the hills, that trend continued.

I spotted a couple of hares that didn't have any admirers close by, and chose one on the lower slopes. Turned out to be "Smokey" the hare with a damaged eye. Initially I was concerned, as it has a habit of running away, but we got lucky.

The hare not only stayed for a couple of hours, it cleaned, and took quite a few pellets. And luckier still, we enjoyed some calm, settled and mild weather. It's usually utterly freezing on those hills, but we didn't feel cold at all.

While the sense of relief of getting a client or in this case, a dear friend, close to their chosen subject, is satisfying, the look of joy on their face at being close to such a creature, is wonderful and so rewarding.

Happy days.

The hare stayed with us for a while, before deciding, as it usually does, to lollop off to another form, and settle down again.

I probably have better images of the hares I've photographed in February, and of other subjects, but this day, this moment and this feeling, is something that is special, and deserves to be on here.