It’s Super Squirrel! Red rodent soars through the sky in stunning snap from Scottish Highlands
- These hilarious pictures were taken in the Scottish Highlands by wildlife photographer Andy Howard, 49
- It is the culmination of more than 6 months of planning, clearing the area and arranging a hazelnut feeder
- Mr Howard said he’s seen the squirrels jump four or five times further than what they did in the shot
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A red squirrel was captured soaring through the air like Superman as he leaps a forest.
These hilarious pictures were taken in the Scottish Highlands by wildlife photographer Andy Howard.
It is the culmination of more than six months of planning, clearing the area and arranging a hazelnut feeder at the end of a log they jump from.
Mr Howard, 49, specialises in photographing wildlife found in the Cairngorms and surrounding areas.
A red squirrel was captured soaring through the air like Superman in the Scottish Highlands. The images were captured by wildlife photographer Andy Howard
The squirrel looked strikingly like Superman as it soared through the air. Photographer Mr Howard has just published his second book, The Secret Life of the Cairngorms
He said: ‘I’ve opened out a whole new area in the woodland where we’ve been photographing the squirrels for over ten years.
‘This was the first attempt at this new location and it’s taken over six months of planning to get the area cleared and the “jump shot” set-up.
‘They run to the end of the log, pause for a second or two to compose themselves then launch themselves like Superman.
‘Their reward? Organic hazelnuts, which are costing me a fortune but it’s well worth it.’
The pictures are a culmination of more than six months of planning, clearing the area and arranging a hazelnut feeder at the end of a log they jump from
He added: ‘They are more than capable of jumping far greater distances than this. I’ve seen them leap four or five times that distance in our local forest.
‘If my tripod is just a few centimetres out it can make the difference between success and failure.
‘Fine tuning is the key to these kind of shots, they don’t just happen, they can take many months to get right.
‘To say I’m delighted with the results is an understatement.
‘They are such wonderful animals to watch; they are always busy and are extremely characterful.
Mr Howard, 49, specialises in photographing wildlife found in the Cairngorms and surrounding areas. He said: ‘This was the first attempt at this new location and it’s taken over six months of planning to get the area cleared and the “jump shot” set-up’
‘We have a healthy population at our squirrel feeding site and have at least six individuals visiting it on a daily basis.’
Mr Howard has just published his second book, The Secret Life of the Cairngorms.
The book chronicles Andy’s work over the past decade and the mishaps and adventures he experienced while capturing the images he features in the book.
There has been a sharp drop in population of red squirrels in Scotland with around 120,000 today.
They are under threat from destruction of woodland as well as their grey cousins who are larger and more robust and out-compete the red squirrel for food.
Grey squirrels were introduced in the 19th century from north America but soon expanded through England and Wales, replacing the red squirrel.
Grey squirrels were introduced in the 19th century from north America but soon expanded through England and Wales, replacing the red squirrel (stock image)