Scotland Winter Wildlife — The Best of Strathspey & Moray Firth (copy)

Highlights

• Golden & White-tailed Eagles amongst a plethora of raptors possible in this area
• We could find up to five species of Deer on this short break
• Searching for Scottish, Parrot & Common Crossbills and Crested Tits in the Caledonian Pine Forests
• Bottlenose Dolphins are likely in the Moray Firth
• Looking for Otters and Seals along the coast
• Black & Red Grouse and potentially Ptarmigan & Capercaillie
• The spectacle of thousands of geese, wildfowl and waders including Purple Sandpiper and many seaducks
• The professional leadership of husband & wife team, Dan & Rachael
• Every one of our short tours donates to an exciting, local conservation project
• To maintain social distancing, this will be a self-drive tour.

Join us over three full days as we head out in search of Golden & White-tailed Eagles, Bottlenose Dolphins, Crested Tits, Scottish & Parrot Crossbills, Common Seals, Black & Red Grouse, Red Squirrels, Long-tailed Ducks, Reindeer and maybe even the likes of King Eider and Waxwing, not to mention a plethora of waders and wildfowl, mammals and a superb suite of wintering raptors.

The area holds some of the UK’s most highly prized and enigmatic species and we will be focused on making the most of daylight and finding as many as we possibly can. As well as Golden and White-tailed Eagles we will hope to see Mountain Hares, Wild Goat, Sika Deer, and find Goshawk, Peregrine, and Merlin. In contrast the coast is rich in wildlife with dolphins, seals and Otters as we as some brilliant farmland birds with Corn Bunting, Tree Sparrow and Grey Partridge all possible. Here, the large geese flocks are spectacular to watch and the coastal mudflats and marshes can throng with birds.

Itinerary

Day 1:

Explore the secluded mountain glens around Strathspey in search of Golden & White-tailed Eagles, Peregrines, Red and Sika Deer, Mountain Hares, Wild Goats, Black & Red Grouse, Dippers and Grey Wagtails. The glens and straths afford some spectacular views and when combined with great wildlife are sure to kick off our wildlife extravaganza in style.

Day 2:

Today we will delve into the ancient Caledonian Pine forests of Abernethy where we will search for Scottish, Common and possibly even Parrot Crossbills, Crested Tits and Red Squirrels. We may even find Black Grouse amongst the Juniper scrub and statuesque Granny Pines. The slopes of Cairngorm will occupy us in the afternoon where we will look for Red Grouse, Snow Bunting, Mountain Hare and with luck the local herd of Reindeer.

Day 3:

In stark contrast to the mountain and valley landscapes of the Cairngorms and Strathspey we will head the short distance to the Moray and Cromaty Firths, home to thousands of waders and wildfowl including Scaup, Velvet Scoter and Long-tailed Ducks, skeins of Pink-footed Geese and a plethora of waders. With luck we will see Bottlenose Dolphins, Common and Grey Seals along the coast. Inland Red Kites have now become widespread and we will look for these as well as other raptors such as Merlin, Peregrine and Hen Harrier. The area is also very good still for farmland birds such as Yellowhammers and Tree Sparrow and with luck we may even find Corn Bunting and Grey Partridge.

Visit our website for more details about his tour.

Why not recreate this experience with friends on dates that suit you? Build on our existing itinerary to customise your experience.