Lessons learned in good natured lens operation

While out on the photographic hunt for the rare breed, Fiona’s husband finds himself coming up short on the red squirrel front

The chief finds himself in a bit of a hole this week. Well, a bit of a hide, to be exact. Not that that is anything new. Not after 18 years in the army. This time, though, things are hopefully not quite as dangerous. Because this time, the subject under review has four legs, not two.

The MacGregor is testing out a wildlife photographic course. It is taking place on a friend’s farm – and they want a professional verdict on the operation.

With him are other expert photographers, including one of Scotland’s leading natural history snappers.

Laurie Campbell has spent more than 40 years documenting the world’s wildlife flora and fauna.

From heather to hares, ferns to foxes, he has loitered in lanes and ducked down in ditches to record the natural world around us.

Laurie now has an archive of 180,000 images. He also boasts a lifetime achievement award from an animal charity.

My husband is a landscape photographer. From baking desert dunes, to snow-covered mountain peaks, his forte is capturing the majestic and the dramatic.

He is at home in the wild. So how hard can it be to get a shot of a wee red squirrel? I turn up at the end of day two. Not for the pictures, but to partake in a bit of supper.

With me are the MacNaughties. One of whom has sneaked out of the car – and is now weighing up whether to take on our host’s two sheep dogs.

The Norfolk Terrier sizes up the Collies. Before deciding that an easier playmate might be the large pet lamb that is grazing on the front lawn.

Rummie sets off to introduce himself to the small sheep. I am bellowing. Then a remarkable thing happens.

One of the Collies runs after and nips the tearaway on the leg. He then puts himself between Rummie and the lamb; “come no further” is the message; this creature is part of our pack and we will protect it.

Rummie is bundled back into the car and I go off into the woods in search of the nature watchers.

And there I find the chief sorely midged and with an aching bottom.

He has been perched in the hide for several hours. Red squirrels generally abound here, but today they are in short supply. Never work with children

Red squirrels generally abound here, but today they are in short supply

or animals. Even if one does make an appearance, it is refusing to sit still.

My husband has managed to get a picture of a badger and a hare, albeit from some distance away.

But Laurie already has a whole filing cabinet of badgers and hare shots. So he is training his camera on a wild orchid.

Lessons are learned. Pictures are compared on computers. As dusk falls, a bottle of wine is uncorked.

The dinner is delicious. Shepherd’s pie followed by rhubarb meringue.

I could stay the night. But they all are up at dawn in search of curlews, so I take my errant dogs home.