A family of one of the most persecuted bird of prey species in the UK has been captured on camera living next to a power line in the Highlands.
The photo, which shows three young female hen harrier chicks with their mother, was snapped by a trail camera on overhead cables between Beauly and Loch Buidhe.
Heads Up For Harriers, a Scottish Government initiative, installed the kit to remotely monitor the birds during upgrade works.
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Brian Etheridge, of the scheme, said: "By monitoring the nest, we were able to see that three female chicks successfully fledged the nest and I was delighted that Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks were able to suspend work on the towers nearby for nearly three months until the young had successfully fledged.
"The number of hen harriers is declining across the UK and the Heads Up For Harriers project aims to better understand the threats facing Scotland's hen harriers, and ultimately promote recovery of the species by working in partnership with land owners and managers."
Hen harriers are the most intensively persecuted of the UK's birds of prey, according to the RSPB.
They nest on the ground, usually in long heather on open moorland, making them vulnerable to predators such as foxes, badgers and wild cats - or humans.
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When a breeding pair is detected, the land owner is approached for permission by Heads Up For Harriers for a trail camera to be installed at the nest to monitor and detect any threats or problems that can happen at this "critical" time.
Kenneth Reid, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks environmental manager, said: "We knew through previous surveys that there were hen harriers in the general area, but they had never nested this close to the power line before.
"So, when we observed a pair of hen harriers attempting to nest in very close proximity to our works we were keen to ensure that we did not disturb them.
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"When breeding was confirmed, a remote trail camera was installed to remotely monitor the nest to minimise disturbance and we reprogrammed our works to ensure no works were undertaken in the sensitive breeding period.
"This is an excellent example of working responsibly and demonstrating a high level of care for the natural environment."
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