Scotland's Birds
| Speyside in Winter |
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Featuring Speyside, the Moray coast and the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. This is a six day tour to Speyside, the Moray coast and Loch Lomondside aiming to see Golden Eagle, Capercaillie, Scottish Crossbill, Crested Tit , Ptarmigan and a fantastic range of wintering divers, wildfowl and waders which include Bean and Greenland White-fronted Goose. Dates: 19th-24th November 2010. Hotel: The Grant Arms Hotel incorporating the Birdwatching and Wildlife Club, Speyside and The Rosslea Hall Hotel, Helensburgh on a Dinner, packed lunch, Bed and Breakfast basis. Cost: £725.00 per person. Just £100 deposit per person secures you place. Friday mid morning arrival in Glasgow, you will be picked up and transferred free of charge to your holiday base in Speyside. En route we will stop off at a couple of birding hotspots, in past years we have picked up Barrows Goldeneye, Red Breasted Goose, Lesser Scaup, Common Rosefinch, Waxwings and Britain’s largest population of Bean Geese.... all at the start of the holiday! Once arrived and settled in you will be given a short presentation on your chosen birding break before enjoying your evening meal and hospitality in the hotel. In the morning, we will go for a short walk to look for Crested Tit and other Caledonian pinewood specialities. The Caledonian pine forest is a truly remarkable place and has a rich diversity of both animal and plantlife. Dawn within the forest is a beautiful experience and wandering amongst the ancient Caledonian Pines is wonderfully atmospheric. With Red Deer and Red Squirrel moving quietly through the ancient pines, it promises to be a memory you will never forget. At this time we will visit some excellent sites for Capercaillie and Scottish Crossbill. Last year proved very successful and the same reliable sites will be visited this year. The forest is home to all three crossbill species, Common, Scottish and Parrot and we will dedicate as much time as we can to try to see such special species. No visit to Speyside would be complete without an excursion to the Cairngorms. We will have the option of walking on an upper trail or letting the train take the strain and take the funicular to enjoy Tea and Ptarmigan at the top. 4000ft up we should see these enigmatic birds hopefully supported by Snow Buntings. The Moray coast boasts some fantastic birding sites at each will be visited in pursuit of Common and Velvet Scoter, Long tailed Duck, Scaup, Brent Goose and all three regular diver species. In past years Glaucous and Iceland Gull as well as Velvet Scoter have been recorded. Locally Red Kites, Merlins and Hen Harriers can be seen hunting the coastal farmland. Raptors make everyone’s holiday and we will spend time at the Findhorn Valley watching for Golden Eagles hunting over the moors. The valley also has a range of other birds of prey but is also excellent for mammals and we will certainly enjoy wonderful views of herds of Red Deer and Arctic Hares browsing the lowers slopes of the mountains. The valley has a small population of feral goats or as they are better known, Golden Eagle prey items. Our last day will see us return through scenic Perthshire to the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park again stopping off to visit some excellent sites and meet up will friends of Wild Caledonia to see Greenland White fronted Geese and a host of Loch Lomondside specialities. There is every chance of encountering on of east Scotland’s released immature White tailed Eagles which have taken to hunting the farmland and wetland environment of central Scotland. A lovely winter holiday full of speciality species and wonderful winter landscapes.
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