The late summer blooming heathers surrounded the squirrel in a sea of purple. CAIRNGORM NATIONAL PARK, SCOTLAND: BRITAIN?S elusive red squirrels fatte

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The late summer blooming heathers surrounded the squirrel in a sea of purple. CAIRNGORM NATIONAL PARK, SCOTLAND: BRITAIN?S elusive red squirrels fatten up for winter in this rare sighting. In one image, the eight-inch red squirrel perched atop a log, amidst the blooming heathers, as it snacked on a nut in preparation for winter. In another, it flew through the air in search of more pre-hibernation snacks. Photographer, Bret Charman (32), from Alresford, Hampshire, UK, captured the picturesque images this week, in Cairngorm National Park, Scotland, using a Canon EOS 1DX MK2 with a 500mm lens. Red squirrel populations have been rapidly declining in the UK since the 1950s due to urbanisation. As Britain?s only native squirrel, there used to be several million. There is now thought to be around 120,000 ? many of which reside in Scotland. / Bret Charman

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Size: 3354px × 5032px
Photo credit: © Media Drum World / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: animals, drum, heather, mdrum, mdrumf, mdw, mdwf, mdwfeatures, media, mediadrumworld., nature, red, scotland, squirrel, squirrels, uk, wildlife, world