A Pine Marten sniffing the ground for traces of food

So my last night in Oban came far too fast. I was keen to try again in the woodland area but this time to create a different feel to the images. I decided to use a blue flash gel on 3 flashes for this set-up, trying to create a look of moonlight. I’m not sure how well I achieved that, but I’m happy with the image above and below nonetheless!

The visits from the Pine Marten were far more fleeting than the first night, and the image above is the best from the series.

On reviewing the images on the back of the camera, I was also surprised to see a Hedgehog had found the set-up as well. It was great to add another species to the collection and, more importantly, great to see a Hedgehog! Sadly the species is in desperate need of our help, and their numbers are rapidly declining.

If you live in an area where Hedgehogs are known, and you have a fence around your garden, please leave a small hole to allow them to pass through. While females will stay in a garden and find food, males travel large distances and, without passages to get from garden to garden, they’re restricted. Also, they’re lactose intolerant so don’t leave anything out that will affect them. You can buy specially designed Hedgehog food which doesn’t cost a lot, and leaving a small dish of water works wonders.