Daniel Stunell
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danielstunell.bsky.social
Daniel Stunell
@danielstunell.bsky.social
550 followers 840 following 220 posts
Researcher, Evaluator, Policy Analyst, Critical Thinker | Environment & Social Science | Mountains & Photos

In the very unlikely event you wish to use any images beyond a BlueSky share or repost, please ask permission.
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danielstunell.bsky.social
Midwinter light in the #Cairngorms, #Scotland. Taken on the winter solstice - a walk that ended, predictably, in the dark. If I could photo edit, it might be a better photo, but here it is for now...

#scape #landscape #mountains #mountaineering #photography #winter #EastCoastKin
A wide photo showing a wide glen running away through large rounded shadowed hills slightly left of centre. The sky has dark grey cloud with a lighter band at the horizon. Low angled afternoon sunlight just slants through on the right, but overall this is a gloomy sombre picture - the sun does not get high at this time of year and if it also cloudy it is never really bright.
February 6, 2026 at 11:48 AM
danielstunell.bsky.social
Taken *in* the mountains but not a photo *of* mountains today. Iconic #marmots / #marmottes in the Alps this summer.

#France #wildlife #nature #photography #mountains #mountaineering #EastCoastKin
Two marmots mid picture, the first facing right, and the second directly behind facing left so only the head shows. Foreground is grass and pebbles, with some long grass partially in the way of the marmots; background is boulders.
February 5, 2026 at 6:27 PM
danielstunell.bsky.social
Cascade de Luc, Cantal, #France, for #WaterfallWednesday. Great waterfall, with a somewhat treacherous (but short) approach path.

#waterfalls #water #forest #photography #landscape #scape #EastCoastKin
A waterfall drops 12m over a cliff edge at the very top of the image. Slightly long exposure to blur the flow. The stream at the bottom flows towards the camera through mossy boulders. This is the top end of a mini-ravine in woodland so trees and greenery abound, with some autumn leaves also scattered over the rocks.
February 4, 2026 at 5:25 PM
danielstunell.bsky.social
Upended strata pile-up in the Alps for #RockinTuesday. Parc National des Écrins (Yes, again! I had a fab time there last summer!), #France. Pointe des Estaris/Crête de Martinet (from the other side from yesterday...)

#mountains #mountaineering #geology #landscape #scape #photography #EastCoastKin
Top half of the photo has high white clouds on a blue sky. The sky line is sharp ridge line in profile. The side facing us is steep bare gray rock showing clear strata line running vertically up, with a particularly prominent set in the centre, with slight shadows picked out by the sun. Clouds cast a little shadow on the ground between the viewpoint and the ridge.
February 3, 2026 at 7:02 PM
danielstunell.bsky.social
Crête de Martinet, Parc National des Écrins, #France, August. #MountainMonday #BlueSkyMonday

#landscape #scape #mountains #mountaineering #photography #EastCoastKin
A shallow pool reflects a blue sky and white rocks, though we can also see stones on the bottom. It is mirror calm, and banked by rock scree and bare rock on left and right. At the low point we can see out to a far horizon of a much darker rock ridge, Crête de Martinet. The sky is perfectly blue. A still calm day, even at nearly 3000m.
February 2, 2026 at 9:23 PM
danielstunell.bsky.social
Aiguille de Cédera (left), Parc National des Écrins, #France, August. #stunday

#mountains #mountaineering #landscape #scape #photography #EastCoastKin
Top third of the photo is sky, covered with mid level grey to white cloud running left to right, with a slight patch of blue on the right. Beneath is a dramatic mountain view, with a steeply rising valley cutting from bottom left to mid-right where it becomes more of a steep-sided corrie, with a splash of sun falling on the bottom. The left side of the picture is dominated by steep rock cliffs, while a sharp edged ridge enclosed the top of the corrie.
February 1, 2026 at 11:32 AM
danielstunell.bsky.social
#Clouds move in from the west at all levels in the #Cantal, #France. #BlueSkyArtShow.

#mountains #autumn #weather #photography #landscape #scape #EastCosstKin
Top half of the photo shows flatter high level cloud, with a lower distinct set of clouds above hazy hill and mountain summits in the mid distance. The hills and foreground are muted greens and browns.
January 31, 2026 at 10:11 PM
danielstunell.bsky.social
A mushroom in the woods for #ForestFriday.

#fungi #mushrooms #nature #forest #photography #EastCoastKin
Close up of an orange funnel shaped mushroom from the side, showing stalk and gills.
January 30, 2026 at 4:54 PM
danielstunell.bsky.social
#ThickTrunkTuesday on the shores of Loch Leven, #Scotland.

#trees #photography #nature #photography #EastCoastKin
A think cracked trunk in the right hand side of the photo with a gnarled branch stretching left across the remaining two thirds. It's winter and the tree is leafless. The ground has tall dry grass. Grey sky and loch in the background are indistinguishable.
January 27, 2026 at 8:08 PM
danielstunell.bsky.social
Late afternoon light and the summit of Ben Lui, Highlands, #Scotland, for #MountainMonday. A December trip a few years ago.

#mountains #mountaineering #winter #snow #photography #EastCoastKin #BlueSkyMonday
Pale blue sky in the top third of the photo. At horizon height on the right is Ben Lui's true summit's shadowed side of broken rocks - the photo is taken from the not-quite-summit about 100m away, and some sunshine catches this in the bottom right. A ridge runs down from the true summit to the bottom left, also in shadow and dappled with snow. Further peaks (Ben Oss and Beinn Dubhchraig most prominent) are red brown in afternoon winter light from a low sun.
January 26, 2026 at 8:48 PM
danielstunell.bsky.social
#Sunset near #Cairngorms ski centre a few winters ago, as the last kilometre of my walk ended up on the road but with an amazing skyscape. #Stunday

#mountains #mountaineering #snow #winter #photography #Scotland #EastCoastKin
Top two thirds of the photo show grey clouds uplit in orange and pink by the setting sun which leaves a narrow patch of yellow and white on the horizon. The foreground shows an empty road in shadow leading up the mountain. Some pine trees are silhouetted above a snow back on the left side of the road, on the right side the land drops away giving a longer horizon. It was getting dark so much of this detail is in shadow.
January 25, 2026 at 4:58 PM
danielstunell.bsky.social
Pré de Madame Carle in Parc National des Écrins, #France, in September for #scape.

#mountains #mountaineering #landscape #clouds #photography #EastCoastKin
Portrait photo looking down a u-shaped glacial valley. Foreground shows some pine trees, and then a flat gravel glacial outwash in the middle distance with steep slopes on either side. A further ridge is partly showing through torn clouds and the sky is starting to clear but with clouds still hugging the sides of the frame especially.
January 23, 2026 at 4:27 PM
danielstunell.bsky.social
Exploring the focus stacking feature on my camera... Still not mastered it, but improving...
#AlphabetChallenge #WeekCforCloseUp

#photography #plants #succulents
Close up of a succulent houseplant with green leaves and white spines. The shot looks down the heart of the cluster on the centre left, while leaves spiral out elsewhere in the frame.
January 23, 2026 at 3:57 PM
danielstunell.bsky.social
A once and future forest with a lone survivor high on the mountains: a Scots pine beneath Creag Mac Ranaich. Big trees can grow up here, but overgrazing (sheep or deer) prevent regeneration. #ThickTrunkTuesday

#Scotland #trees #nature #photography #mountains #mountaineering #EastCoastKin
Black and white photo. A lone well crowned Scots pine stands against the sky half way up the picture and slightly to the right. The bottom third of the picture shows scrubby more grass. Behind the tree the further horizon shows a hill summit touching cloud. The sky is grey - yes, it's black and white, but it was quite a dreich afternoon, and this is pretty much the true sky tone!
January 20, 2026 at 5:55 PM
danielstunell.bsky.social
Glacial meltwater in Parc National des Écrins, #France, September. #MountainMonday

#mountains #river #mountaineering #landscape #scape #photography #BlueSkyMonday #EastCoastKin
In the bottom third a blue/white river flows away from us, curving right then left - it's not apparent here but it then drops into a significant ravine. The left bank is shingles and the right is more vegetated. Blue sky with a couple of clouds is above with two mountain slopes forming a v that aligns with the stream, though the left hand slope is a nearby cliff, while the right hand of the v is a major mountain ridge across the far larger valley into which our stream will soon drop. For those that know the area this is on the walk between Pré de Madame Carle and Glacier Blanc.
January 19, 2026 at 9:11 PM
danielstunell.bsky.social
Rocks and pebbles atop glacier smoothed bedrock for #RockinTuesday. Barre des Écrins, #France.

#mountains #mountaineering #glaciers #geology #photography #landscape #EastCoastKin
Near horizontal glacier-smoothed rock catches afternoon sun with small rocks and pebbles appearing much darker as we are looking at their shaded sides. In the background low vegetation marks the edge of the rock, while in the foreground is a rough pit where weak rock has broken out of the smooth slab.
January 13, 2026 at 6:27 PM
danielstunell.bsky.social
Ben Nevis, Highlands, #Scotland, for #MountainMonday. April (I think) a few years ago, *not* current conditions! Taken from Càrn Mòr Dearg.

#mountains #mountaineering #landscape #scape #snow #winter #EastCoastKin
Righthand side of photo dominated by snowy cliffs in shadow beneath Ben Nevis summit. Bottom left is sunlit snow tapering to a narrow snowy ridge that then curves up to Ben Nevis summit plateau. Above this ridge multiple snowy summits at distance recede to the horizon. White clouds and a washed out blue sky fill the top third. Bright and cold looking and a scene that would not be out of place in the Alps.
January 12, 2026 at 3:52 PM
danielstunell.bsky.social
In the air, above the water, and what could be more natural than that? #BirdOfTheDay #natural
A very dreich day in the Forth esturary, but a first visit to Cambus Pools nature reserve which I would now like to revisit in sunshine...

#birds #wildlife #nature #photography #EastCoastKin
A sombre, grey picture, which although in colour looks monochrome. Grey water predominates, with a lone - and lonely looking - bird at a distance in the bottom left third. The bird (a duck I think) flies low above the water, wings at the bottom of their flap, and is mirrored in the slightly ruffled water beneath.
January 11, 2026 at 10:39 PM
danielstunell.bsky.social
Back to early autumn for #ForestFriday by la Dronne, #France.

#trees #water #forest #scape #landscape #photography #EastCoastKin
In the bottom right the black surface of the river reflects the glow of the trees. A not quite sun star cuts through the canopy in the upper left. The left hand side has a thicker of thinner trunks that arch over the water. The rest of the upper space is a lattice of branches and green glowing leaves. Some tones are quite springlike but it was autumn late afternoon hence the lower angled sun.
January 9, 2026 at 12:22 AM
danielstunell.bsky.social
Alva Glen, Clackmannanshire, #Scotland. #WaterfallWednesday

#waterfall #water #nature #landscape #EastCoastKin
Slight time lapse (1/3 second?) photo of a taller thinner waterfall (15 metre drop maybe) fanning out into different threads, especially around a final step two thirds of the way down. Dark rock and vegetation frame the falls. This is a bit of a hidden gem, with most people walking Alva Glen probably turning back before the slightly sketchy out and back path to the viewpoint for this fall. This shot involved getting close up which additionally involved a sketchy stream crossing.
January 7, 2026 at 12:22 AM
danielstunell.bsky.social
I don't usually, but I have one that fits the bill perfectly: #BirdOfTheDay #BlackAndWhite

#birds #nature #wildlife #photography
Close up of a Canada goose head and neck, against smooth slightly out of focus blue-grey water.
January 6, 2026 at 5:52 PM
danielstunell.bsky.social
A very angry ent in a long deforested glen. #ThickTrunkTuesday
Ben Vorlich and Stùc a' Chroin brush the clouds on the sky line.

#Scotland #trees #mountains #mountaineering #landscape #scape #nature #stories #photography #EastCoastKin
Black and white photo taken at dusk on a largely overcast day. Gloomy and perhaps sinister feel. The jagged silhouette of an old larch tree (or ent) with a ragged needle-free crown at the top, and one snapped side trunk below, is set against the sky, which is most of the top half of the photo. Two distant mountains make up a horizon below the tree crown. The bottom of the trunk and the lower part of the photo are lost in shadow. (If I did post production I might try and rescue this a bit - perhaps a task for a winter night when the rain is beating on the windows).
January 6, 2026 at 12:36 AM
danielstunell.bsky.social
Cold weather haze. Ben Cruachan from Stob Ghabhar. #Scotland #MountainMonday

#mountains #winter #mountaineering #landscape #scape #photography #EastCoastKin
Top half of frame has washed out blue sky with milky grey horizontal could bands. Low winter sun highlights haze and silhouettes in the shadow of the mountain peaks at mid-height in the photo.
January 5, 2026 at 9:06 PM
danielstunell.bsky.social
Rannoch Moor, Highlands, #Scotland, seen from Stob a' Choire Odhair, late December 2025. Rannoch Moor was the site of the last ice field in Britain at the end of the last glaciation. Here it has only a thick frost. #scape #landscape #mountains #photography #winter #EastCoastKin
Flat(ish) landscape strewn with lochans and small hillocks as seen from an adjacent mountain, so something of a drone-eye view. Scene recedes into haze, under a washed-out blue sky in the top third. Muted tones - white frosted ground but with facing slopes browner where the sun has warmed them. Looks cold - and it was - but also a glorious crisp Highland day.
January 2, 2026 at 10:48 AM
danielstunell.bsky.social
A #ptarmigan (in summer) in the #Cairngorms for #MountainMonday. Unusually, this is a case where the Gaelic name has been adopted into English, which says a lot about the distribution of this species in the British Isles.
#mountains #mountaineering #birds #nature #wildlife #photography #Scotland
A ptarmigan in summer colours - grey with some splashes of white on the underside - in the centre of the image, with a foreground rock partly in shot bottom right. Ptarmigan usually freeze first if they think they are spotted, so you have a good chance for a photo if you see them, but they camouflage among rocks very well. This one is near an edge and the background is a more distant slope of our of focus green and grey.
December 29, 2025 at 9:49 PM