An amateur photographer has told how he captured a once-in-a-lifetime shot of a red squirrel leaping through the air in the Scottish Highlands.
Kenny MacLeod, 58, waited hours to grab the perfect shot of the creature looking like a superhero as it leapt 10ft across a fence.
Mr MacLeod, of Nairn, caught the squirrel as it reached out for food on a station set up in a forest near the town.
He has been amazed at the reaction to the snap with admirers from across the globe praising his lens work.
He said: “My friend has set up a feeding station there and we watched in awe as the squirrel leapt about 10ft to get its just rewards.
“As with most wildlife lots of patience is required and after a two hour wait I managed to capture this shot.
“I have been amazed at the response the photo has received with messages from as far away as Pakistan, Canada, Indonesia and Australia.”
Kenny, who works for Scotrail, added: “I enjoy photographing wildlife, sports and landscapes.”
Fans of the photo praised Kenny on his Twitter page.
Highland Focus wrote: “Top work Kenny. To have caught the leap coming towards you must have taken considerable stealth and patience. Great focus point.”
The UK is home to red and grey squirrels.
Populations are currently estimated at approximately 140,000 red squirrels and 2.5 million grey squirrels.
Red squirrels are our native species and have lived in the UK for around 10,000 years.
Grey squirrels were introduced to the UK from North America by the Victorians in the 1800s, the first record of them escaping and establishing a wild population is 1876.