Hungry squirrel and bird fight over pile of nuts

By Adam Dutton via SWNS

A hungry red squirrel and a great tit were caught squabbling over a pile of nuts in a stunning night-time scene.

The creatures were caught fighting over the hazelnuts the squirrel was collecting ahead of fall.

Amateur photographer Ian Glendinning, 64, lay in a hide just a few feet away for several hours before being rewarded with the amazing images.

The retired police officer took the pictures in woodland near his home in Upper Coquetdale, Northumberland, England on September 1.

“I had a camera trap in a wooded area so I was testing it before I use it properly and then this squirrel turned up," Ian said.

“I thought it would be rude not to photograph him.

Red squirrel drinking.(Ian Glendinning via SWNS)

« ‹ of 4 › »

“The red squirrel was coming to get the hazel nuts on the rock, I was using that as the focal point on the camera trap.

“I was just focusing and getting the camera trap right.

“There was a great tit having a look and working out if it could manage to carry one of these nuts in its beak.

“Then the squirrel came out of nowhere and frightened the great tit off. There’s the expression ‘nimble as a squirrel’ and you can see why.

“For red squirrels they can be very challenging to shoot, certainly challenging to get an image of one close up.

“It's extremely difficult to get them in their natural environment when the light is very poor.”