Pictures of a Scottish mountain hare braving blizzard conditions have been captured by an intrepid photographer.
The animal appears to grimace as it is blasted by the hurricane-force winds which have caused widespread chaos.
Photographer James Moore spent an hour creeping to within a few feet of the hare and was so cold he could barely press the shutter.
The picture was captured in the hills south of Inverness.
Mr Moore, 43, from Dingwall, just north of the city, said: “I went to the site to look for hares and the weather was awful – blizzard conditions with strong winds and driving snow.
“I spotted this hare and slowly made my way towards it in the hope of getting close enough for a photograph.
“I got about 10ft away and the hare was happy with that. The fact that his ears are down shows he was comfortable with me being there.
“After about 20 minutes, by which time I was numb with the cold, he sat up, had a stretch and a yawn then settled back down.
“I decided to leave when my hands were so cold that I could hardly press the shutter button.”
Mountain hares, which usually turn white in the winter, shelter in shallow depressions in the ground.
The animals are becoming more and more rare as they are shot for sport and have been subject to culling because they allegedly carry a tick-borne virus which can kill grouse chicks.