During an extended trip back to my home of Scotland we rented a small isolated farm cottage in Dumfries & Galloway close to Newton Stewart for a week’s break. I had never visited this part of Scotland so everything was new and unexplored. The small cottage was part of a larger farm house but for two of us was perfect. The small lounge had a large panoramic view over the fields and down to the River Cree. Every morning and evening we had the local cows visit us as they meandered through the field.
The hay fields surrounding the farmhouse were in the process of being harvested during the first 2 days due to the dry and sunny weather. The local farmer was out from dawn till dusk cutting and collecting all the hay ….. “making hay while the sun shines”.
The cows in the neighbouring fields were most curious, especially during one day when we decided to walk over the fields to the river. They surrounded us, much to the dismay of my wife and it took a bit of jumping, arm waving and brandishing of a large stick before they stampeded away.
The small garden in the farmhouse was visited by a large variety of wildlife. The surrounding area had a large rabbit population and we had a few rabbits come close as they explored the garden.
There was also many large black crows who flew around the area and rested in the trees around the cottage. Swallows nesting in the eaves of the house were constantly flying around collecting insects.
We put out a variety of bird feed in the garden and were rewarded by many birds coming to feed on the seeds, nuts and suet balls. It was very relaxing to sit in the lounge with a drink and watch their antics.
Another interesting visitor to the cottage garden was a fox which came through the garden most evenings, usually to steal the suet balls put out for the birds. Unfortunately I did not manage to capture a photo of this beautiful young vixen. Apparently she had 2 or 3 fox cubs probably somewhere close to the cottage down by the river.
At the bottom of the fields down from the cottage ran the River Cree. This area was totally unspoilt and a joy to walk through in the early evening when the light was soft and subdued.
This short break in the countryside was very relaxing with fresh air, great scenery, local wildlife to watch and a great selection of local food to enjoy.
Passionate Photographer …. Lost in Asia
Stuart Taylor of HighlanderImages Photography has been making images for over 30 years and can offer a diverse range of photo imaging services with a focus on Asia and a documentary/photojournalistic style. These services include planning and executing a photo shoot on location but importantly all the post-processing and image preparation needed for the specific finished media format required by the customer. Stuart’s experience and knowledge in all of these aspects makes HighlanderImages Photography a one-stop-shop for a comprehensive and professional image production service.
Stuart can be available for a variety individual assignments or projects and he specialises in areas such as photojournalism, commercial, architectural, real estate, industrial, interior design, corporate, urbex, adventure, wilderness and travel photography.
Final image products can be delivered as high resolution images, prints, books, multimedia slideshows, videos and DVDs. Images from this website can be purchased as prints in a variety of sizes and media, as gift items or as digital downloads.
E-Mail : staylor@highlanderimages.com
Website : http://www.highlanderimages.com