Barbara, Little Miss and Nosy are just a few of the red squirrel friends Neil McIntyre has made over the last 30 years.

The Perthshire wildlife photographer has spent most of his days sitting in the solitude of Scotland's wilderness, with nothing but his camera, a bag of nuts and the mischievous mammals for company.

In fact, he occasionally prefers the latter to the company of humans.

The bushy-tailed creatures have individual "character and charm" according to the 50-year-old, who has always felt a special connection to the natural world.

He now plans to release a book of his own photography, documenting the lives, quirks and personalities of the protected species.

Neil was brought up in one of Scotland's most isolated regions, having moved to the Cairngorms aged 13, where his father worked as a gamekeeper.

He followed his dad around the region's mountainous paths and woodlands, growing an appreciation for all manner of wildlife.

For over two decades, Neil has travelled down an old path each day to visit the same red squirrel feeding spot - a beautifully secluded woodland of oak, birch and pine.

"It's purely time and patience, that's the whole key to red squirrels," he says.

"It's a daily visit down to feed them, keeping it roughly to the same time so you get them into a routine.

"They live on average about five years, so there have been a few generations that have come and gone over the years. They're all very much individuals."

Over the years Neil has become increasingly attuned to the behaviour of different creatures that live near his home in Aviemore.

Two females that caught his attention in recent years have been named Little Miss, for her cheeky demeanour, and Barbara - after Barbara Streisand.

"They were right little characters," Neil says fondly. "The one I nicknamed Little Miss literally became like a pet.

"I take a bag of nuts with me and one snowy day they were lying at my feet. I noticed her going right in the bag to steal the nuts.

"With her movement, the bag slid in the snow and took off down the bank with her in the bag. She's wriggling about and the nuts are going everywhere.

"A couple of days later she came back over and ran up my trouser leg, and it's been the same every day since. She'd sit on top of my camera and follow me about like a wee dog."

At the heart of Neil's book is the idea of conservation - an issue more prevalent than ever with recent efforts to relocate red squirrel populations from Inverness-shire and Moray to Wester Ross.

Scotland is considered the last stronghold in the UK for red squirrels, as 95% of the animals in England and Wales have been wiped out since 1952, largely from squirrel pox.

Of the UK's 138,000 remaining population, over 120,000 are thought to be in Scotland.

Recent discoveries show the animals are further afflicted as they are thought to carry a strain of leprosy - an disease that has not fazed the intrepid photographer.

"It doesn't bother me personally, I'm more worried about my squirrels - they're my biggest concern," he says.

"Through the book, I hope people will see elements of red squirrels that they've never seen before - a true story of the animal through the pictures."

"They're very popular little creatures," Neil adds. "So hopefully it'll boost their profile even further. The book delves into the history and folklore of squirrels, as well as the importance of woodland habitats.

"Without the woodland the squirrels will no longer be there. Hopefully in decades to come we won't need to relocate them."

The Red Squirrel: A future in the forest is due for publication in April 2017, with text written by conservationist Polly Pullar, and in partnership with Scotland: The Big Picture.