Stuart Hardie

02/04/2026

Colourful Scottish Birds - Green (Greenfinch)

Next up on my series of colourful Scottish birds, representing green, is the Greenfinch! Not a common bird in my area, I’m always delighted to see them in the garden (where this photo was taken). I think they are also underrated birds - beautiful, and I feel that the emerald green background here helps to complement the colours on the bird. Sadly they are one of the species which have declined significantly in numbers in the UK/Scotland in recent years, fingers crossed the population can recover soon. Enjoy the photo!!!

01/04/2026

Colourful Scottish Birds - Beige (Short Eared Owl)

Next up on my series of colourful Scottish birds, representing beige, is the Short Eared Owl! In reality the SEO’s plumage is more mottled than a single colour, but I had to find an excuse to include my favourite species in this series!!! This photo was taken last year, on a trip with .ballantine.photos . Using the car as a mobile hide, and creeping forward on a very quiet back road, we were able to get to full frame distance from this beautiful SEO. The evening light was excellent, meaning it was a near perfect encounter! Enjoy the photo!!!

31/03/2026

Colourful Scottish Birds - Yellow (Eurasian Siskin)

Next up on my series of colourful Scottish birds, representing yellow, is a beautiful male Siskin! There were a few choices I could have made for yellow, but male Siskins have perhaps the most vibrant colour, and as a bonus are regular in my garden in winter/spring. This photo was taken in the garden in the spring - hope to have lots of these beauties visiting the garden again soon!!! Enjoy the photo!!!

30/03/2026

29/03/2026

Colourful Scottish Birds - Pink (Eurasian Bullfinch)

Next up on my series of colourful Scottish birds, representing pink, is a beautiful male Bullfinch, photographed in our garden. Bullfinches are one of my favourite small bird species so I’m always happy to see them in the garden! Enjoy the photo!!!

28/03/2026

Colourful Scottish Birds - Brown (European Dipper)

Next up on my series of colourful Scottish birds, representing brown, is the charismatic Dipper, our only native aquatic songbird. I photographed this Dipper last year by lying at water level, using a bag hide. First I had to identify a rock which the Dippers frequently landed on, then I set up the hide nearby. I positioned myself to ensure a clean background, which was a sand coloured riverbank a fair distance away. The plan worked perfectly - great when that happens! Enjoy the photo!!!

27/03/2026

26/03/2026

25/03/2026

24/03/2026

Favourite Perch (European Stonechat)

One from my archives this time, and a great example that studying the behaviour of wildlife can help you to capture the photos you are looking for. In this case, I observed a Stonechat which kept returning to the same perch, time after time. I positioned myself near the perch, with a distant pine forest as the background, and waited in cover. The Stonechat obliged nicely, and allowed me to capture this photo. I like the fact that the bird is small in the frame but you can clearly see that it is a Stonechat! Enjoy!

23/03/2026

Little and Large (White Tailed Eagle)

It’s great in wildlife photography when you can give a sense of scale in your photos, and I think I achieved that with this photo! While out in the boat offshore Smøla, Norway, we spotted a majestic White Tailed Eagle perched on a navigation marker. Periodically, the WTE would be harassed by Common Gulls, which divebombed them - a common annoyance for raptors. The gulls are not small themselves, but you can see this gull is made to look very small next to the WTE! Enjoy the photo!!!