A YOUNG Flintshire photographer's dreams came true when he had the chance to take pictures of some red squirrels.
When the Leader spoke to Marcus Roberts earlier this year he told us that the curious critters are one of his favourite animals and that he would jump at the chance to take pictures of them.
This week, that opportunity arose for the 17-year-old as he travelled up to Anglesey alongside the Red Squirrel Survival Trust (RSST).
Reporter Arron Evans joined Marcus, who is from Mold, and others at the Dingle Nature Reserve in Llangefni to see if he could spot some wonderful red squirrels.
And, as he found out, they were very keen to pose for a photo or two!
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I joined Marcus - who is a keen member of our Leader Camera Club - and the RSST team at the Dingle carpark for just after 9am.
The weather wasn't the best to say the least with torrential rainfall falling in Llangefni - but that wasn't to be a deterrent for us nor the squirrels as it turned out.
Also joining us was Hugh Rowlands, the man responsible for setting up the tranquil habitat that the Eurasian red squirrels we were about to meet now live in.
We ventured deeper into the Dingle to discover this site created by Hugh and, having only been there minutes, spotted our first red squirrel who eagerly rushed over to grab one of the hazelnuts put on offer on a piece of bark.
PIC: There are plenty of Red Squirrels to be found at the Dingle Nature Reserves on Anglesey. Picture by Red Squirrel Survival Trust.
Red squirrels are considered a near threatened species in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and are now absent from most parts of the UK - with the grey squirrel contributing to its decline.
So, to see as many of them as we did scurrying around excitedly in the three hours I was at the Dingle, was rather surreal.
Work has been carried out on Anglesey for many a year in order to protect the red squirrel species, with the grey squirrel believed to have been completely eradicated from the island in 2005.
Hugh tells me that there are now around 2,000 red squirrels in Wales - with 1,200 of those believed to be on Anglesey. That is down to the efforts of people like himself.
He began to set up the surroundings for the Dingle red squirrels around 10 years ago and says that he now has 'hundreds' of people come from all over the UK to visit them.
@leaderlive_ Bit of red squirrel spotting up on Anglesey with @Marcus roberts 📸 today - how cute! 😍🐿 #squirrel #tiktok #anglesey #wales #animals #forest ♬ Suns - Official Sound Studio
Marcus, a former Mold Alun pupil, first took up a passion for photography around five years ago and went on to study it in sixth form.
Armed with his Canon camera, he set about taking pictures of the reds who came up close to investigate the lens as they enjoyed the nuts laid out for them (TikTok video above of some of the action!).
Speaking about the experience, Marcus said: "It's gone really well so far, I didn't think there would be this much activity. I just think they (the squirrels) are the strangest but cutest creatures I've seen around North Wales.
"After seeing the red squirrels online and being inspired by the Leader Camera Club's behind the lens series, I decided to photograph what I want to photograph and red squirrels IS definitely one of them. It's a good opportunity to get into wildlife photography."
PIC: Marcus Roberts, from Mold, had the chance to photograph some red squirrels on Anglesey.
Also on site on the day was the RSST's Mark Henderson, who said: "What Hugh is doing here is enormously important really. It's rare to see a set-up where you can see the animals in the wild where an area has been built where they (the squirrels) trust and come to feed and it gives people the opportunity to see them, as Marcus has seen today, really close up. It's a great opportunity to take photographs and learn more about them."
Marcus tells me that he is currently building up his photography portfolio and has recently been booked for weddings too.
He adds that he also likes to go to Chester Zoo to practice taking pictures of animals.
Keep an eye on the Leader website over the coming days (and our paper) as Marcus will be sending in his pictures from the squirrel spotting adventure!
You can also follow him on TikTok (Mprphotography) and Instagram (mpr_photography7).
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