Ullswater diaries. Day 3. Aira force and Red Squirrel Watch begins

Nowadays, I tend to look for interesting nature reserves to visit whilst on our holidays. Not to sit in a hide, mind, or to stroll through gently. Any reserve must incorporate fantastic scenery, good medium to hard walking, and can either be part of a walk or, as in the case of St Bees head, all of a walk. I get a chance to photograph wildlife, while my other half gets lots of rest stops, sometimes pointing out good photographic opportunities to achieve her aim. Sneaky!

Anyway, I discovered RSPB Haweswater was in next valley to us. Then I discovered they had Red Squirrels. And then I discovered that the lakes were a stronghold for said beasties. Further investigation revealed that the National Trust Aira force property was noted for its Red Squirrels, and was only 4 miles from where we were staying. Result! Unfortunately, the best chances to see a Red Squirrel was either early in the morning or in the evening when the hoards of visitors were not there.

Neither I or my other half had ever seen a Red Squirrel. Thus, one focus of our holidays to to attempt to see one. Plans were hatched.

Most mornings, at about 4:30am, I was woken by this beauty, signing his heart out about 40 yards from the flat we were staying in. He was still belting out the decibels at 8:14am on day 3 of our hols, but this time in a place where I stood a chance of photographing him.

It's a rather nice way to be awoken. Beats the jets flying over our house on their approach to Heathrow.

By now we had settled on our attempts to see Red Squirrels. Plan A, visit Aira force. Plan B, visit RSPB Haweswater if no Reds were to be seen a Aira force.

We contemplated taking a bus to Aira force. The £2 fare cap was in place. Unfortunately, the earliest bus was sometime after 9:00am. As tight fisted Yorkshireman, I didn't fancy shelling out over £8 parking for a short visit to Aira force, especially as it was so close. We decided to walk there and back instead.

Photographing the myriad of UBBs (Unidentified Brown Birds) proved frustrating, even with my long lens, which I lugged with me. Every time I managed to get a bird in focus, it would either dive into bushes or fly further away from me. Chaffinches were, however, surprisingly tolerant. This one posed for me right at the start of our walk. A challenge to photograph. Small subject, back lit, not helped by my camera's metering being set on average for whole frame.

Thus the pattern was set for a frustrating walk of non-photography. Our walk took in Swindale forest. About halfway through, I spied two black, plastic squirrel feeders, bolted to trees at about head height, on either side of the path. Although we lurked by them, both out bound and in, no Reds came forth. Matters not helped by a surprisingly large number of joggers pounding up and down the path.

We did hear a cuckoo calling out (the first the Memsahib had ever heard), but it stayed away from us; as did all the other UBBs flitting through the trees or calling out tantalisingly.

No Reds were to be seen at Aira force - we did arrive at about 13:00, and the place was crawling with tourists. We stopped for lunch, sitting on a rock near Gowbarrow fell, when a Buzzard flew quite close.  Sadly, by the time I'd wiped lunch bits off my fingers and grabbed my camera, it was already beating a retreat.

We returned without seeing any Reds at Aira force, despite a slow stroll through the NT property and lurking around the squirrel feeders. It looked like we'd have to enact Plan B.

Then, as I was heating up my dinner, my other half, looking out our kitchen windows, announced there was a Red squirrel in a tree some 20 yards from us.

Picture this, a flurry of activity for me to check location of Red, which was scurrying away, further rush of activity as I shot out the flat, down some stairs to walk up and down, in my bare feet!, looking for the Red. Only it had scarpered. Do you know how painful small bits of gravel are on bare feet?

After eating dinner, we went out to hunt for Red Squirrels. 100 yards up the road, I spotted a squirrel feeder, on a tree, close to the road i.e. 15 yards. We lurked.

After 10 minutes of lurking a Red squirrel appeared! What!?!?! after all that researching, planning and hiking 10 miles to Aira force and back, lugging my great heavy camera, lens and monopod, we discover Reds 100 yards from where we were staying.

The Reds were incredibly tolerant of us, as we stood on opposite side of road to the feeders - about 20 yards away.

A frustrating photography session for me, as there were tiny, thing branches hanging down between me and squirrel, which the R7 would focus on. It took a lot of moving (ever so slowly and carefully) and jiggling about and careful aiming to photograph the feeding squirrel.

Eventually, it had its fill of nuts, and headed off to feed in the trees.

I followed and tried to keep track of it, craning backwards with camera pointed upward.

They are astonishingly fast. I'd say faster than Greys.

Feeding on Sycamore (well, that sort of tree) blossom.

The R7's single spot AF worked well. This is an uncropped photo.

Eventually the creature disappeared along a line of trees beside the road we were on.

You can guess who had big grins on our faces. First ever Red for us. First ever cuckoo song for my partner.