On a walk around Loch Brandy in Glen Clova we spotted an unusual patch of snow, which then started lolloping about. We think it was a Mountain Hare, also known as the Blue Hare. The pictures are terrible, as light was very poor and the critter was quite a long way away.

Trying to get closer with full 720mm zoom in bad light… this photo looks about as genuine as the Essex Lion pictures a few months ago - just wait til the tabloids get hold of this one.

The Mountain Hare is reasonably common in Scotland above 500m elevation, the population thought to be around 350,000 according to the Hare Preservation Trust, but it is under threat from persecution on grouse estates and hunting.