On the 18th September 2013, a mixture of twenty male and female red squirrels were released into Tresco’s woodland, joining two other squirrels that were introduced the previous year. Thanks to Tresco’s relative isolation, there are no grey squirrels to be found on the island, the non-native grey squirrels being the main reason for the low numbers of red squirrels found in the UK today. As well as invading red squirrel’s dreys (homes) and forcing the reds to have to compete for resources, the grey squirrels carry the squirrel pox virus which does not affect them but can be spread to the red squirrels, often killing them. Just three years after the introduction of red squirrels on Tresco, the population is booming, with multiple pairs raising successful litters of kittens. With feeding stations set up at the entrance to Tresco Abbey Gardens, all you must do is stand and wait quietly and as many as seven red squirrels will pounce around the tree, chasing each other playfully and noisily chomping away on the hazelnuts.

​These photos were all taken in the Isles of Scilly, an archipelago off the southernmost tip of England, from 13th August to 30th August. The range of species found on just two islands (Tresco and Bryher, and the channel between) is huge, especially seeing as neither one of the islands extends much over two miles long. In this portfolio, I have posted photos of fifteen different bird and insect species. It is an amazing place to visit during the summer and you are guaranteed to see a real mix of different species on as little as a ten minute stroll down the beach. My particular favourite thing to do is visit Stinking Porth on Bryher, where in the evening at low tide the Sanderlings come out to make the most of the moist sand. They scuttle across the beach like little clockwork toys, jabbing at the sand multiple times per second, scooping up the invertebrates that live just a few centimetres under the ground. As a photographer, all you must do is lie down and be prepared to wait for a little while, and so long as you do not disturb them, they will get closer and closer to you as they sweep across the beach.