Holidays > UK Holidays

This is an excellent trip taking in the very best of Scotland, not to be missed. Our target birds include such marvellous birds as Corncrake, White-tailed Eagle, Ptarmigan, Dotterel, Snow Bunting, Scottish/Parrot Crossbills, Golden Eagle, Hen Harrier, Crested Tit, Osprey, Red and Black Grouse, Capercaillie (we will stick to the Caper code) , Red and Black-throated Divers, Ring Ouzel, Slavonian Grebe and Goldeneye. If the weather is fine we hope to see a variety of insects whilst birding on the trip, dragonfly species may include Northern Damselfly, Azure and Common Hawker, Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Downy, Brilliant and Northern Emerald, Highland, Black and White-faced Darters and butterflies should also feature.

Expected Birds

Below is a list of the birds that we can reasonably expect to see at this time of year in this location.
This is intended only as a guide and we cannot guarantee that we will see every species listed, however we may also see birds which are not listed

• Ptarmigan
• Dotterel
• Snow Bunting
• Parrot Crossbills
• Scottish Crossbills
• Golden Eagle
• Crested Tit
• Osprey
• Red Grouse
• Black Grouse
• Capercaillie
• Black-throated Divers
• Red-throated Divers
• Ring Ouzel
• Slavonian Grebe
• Goldeneye

Itinerary

Below is our planned itinerary for the trip, although we try our best to stick to our itineraries, occasionally it does become necessary to change things around a little bit due to the weather or the presence/lack of birds at particular sites during the time of our visit.

This will be spent travelling to Scotland, maybe twitching some birds along the way. We shall meet up with Jeremy Squire in Perthshire before travelling northwards to stay at Pitlochry. We shall look for Red Kite, Ring Ouzel, Short-eared Owl, Hen Harrier, Osprey and Red and Black Grouse along the way the get the trip off to a great start.

3 Continuing on we will travel to what will be our base for a couple of days in or around Grantown on Spey. It is here we shall be looking for Capercaillie, Crossbills and Crested Tit in the surrounding forests. We shall also make excursions further north to look for Red-throated and Black-throated Divers, Slavonian Grebe and Golden Eagle. A search of the Cairngorms for Ptarmigan and Dotterel will be factored in but is weather dependant. Northern speciality odonata will also be searched for. An optional evening visit to the Pine Martin hide on the Rothiemurchus estate can be organised. With suitable weather and forecast we will be trekking up and into the mountains to search for Dotterel, Ptarmigan and Snow Bunting as well as other mountain and moorland birds. This will take most of the day as we will be taking it steady with plenty of time to rest. We are likely to walk from either the Cairngorm Funicular railway centre (about 1-1.5 hour walk to the birding areas) or Carn Ban Mhor (about 2-2.5 hrs walk to birding areas). Anyone not wishing to try this or non-birding partners can be dropped and collected at/from an alternative day programme. The afternoon spent around Glen Affric and Loch Ness for Golden Eagle, divers, forest birds such as Crested Tit and Crossbills and Azure and Common Hawker, Golden-ringed Dragonfly, Northern Emerald, Highland and White-faced Darters.

A transfer across Scotland and ferry to our next stop that will be the mountainous Isle of Mull which is around 25 miles from N to S. Here we will look out for Short-eared Owl, Hen Harrier, White-tailed Eagle and Golden Eagle. We will keep a keen eye out for Otters around the island. We will spend the night on Mull with an early finish to rest up.

An early start will be made to catch the Ferry to Tiree, a low lying well farmed island of about 10 x 6 miles. It is here that we shall search for Corncrakes, up to 100 calling birds can be heard from May to July. There is a vast array of breeding waders present on the Island utilising the wet moor and machair habitats. The ferry journey out to Tiree can be very productive for seabirds and other sea-life. Large flocks of Manx Shearwaters will be present in midsummer and there is also a good chance of Storm Petrel, Minke Whale, Common and Bottlenose Dolphin and Basking Shark. We will stay on Tiree and the next morning we take the lunchtime ferry back to the mainland spending the evening somewhere between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

The rest of the day will be spent travelling back to Gloucestershire stopping off for any interesting birds on the way home.

Break down of where we will be staying

Night 1 - Pitlochry

Night 2 & 3 - Grantown on Spey

Night 4 - Mull

Night 5 - Oban

Night 7 - Somewhere along the A1

Holiday date:

19th - 26th June 2009

Holiday Cost:

£899.00

Cost to WWT Members

£854.05

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Deposit:

£250.00

Please read our Terms & Conditions for more information about Deposit payments

Single Room Supplement:

£80.00

If you are travelling alone but willing to share we maybe able to find a roommate for you to reduce the cost.
Please see the booking form for more information

What is included in the cost of your holiday?

All ground transport to (subject to numbers booking; a minimum of five clients needed to proceed with the trip) and around the Highlands and Islands, accommodation, meals (except lunch), entrances to reserves and services of guides, additional transport hire if applicable on Tiree. Drinks, lunches and items of a personal nature are not included in the price. Accommodation will be in a comfortable guest house/hotel as close to our birding locations as possible. All rooms are en-suite. For breakfast you will be able to choose from simple coffee and toast or full Scottish. Lunches can be eaten in the field or in the mini-bus and daily stops are made for provisions. Evening meals can be a home cooked three-course meal and are usually at the accommodation although we may eat elsewhere when out and about if it helps to maximise our time. Extra activities that we can offer which are not included in the price is Mammal watching for Pine Marten and other creatures.

What is included in the cost of your holiday?

All ground transport to (subject to numbers booking; a minimum of five clients needed to proceed with the trip) and around the Highlands and Islands, accommodation, meals (except lunch), entrances to reserves and services of guides, additional transport hire if applicable on Tiree. Drinks, lunches and items of a personal nature are not included in the price. Accommodation will be in a comfortable guest house/hotel as close to our birding locations as possible. All rooms are en-suite. For breakfast you will be able to choose from simple coffee and toast or full Scottish. Lunches can be eaten in the field or in the mini-bus and daily stops are made for provisions. Evening meals can be a home cooked three-course meal and are usually at the accommodation although we may eat elsewhere when out and about if it helps to maximise our time. Extra activities that we can offer which are not included in the price is Mammal watching for Pine Marten and other creatures.

Other Information

The climate should be mild with the as we are in midsummer and the day’s long, freak cold/wet weather is always possible. It is best to bring suitable waterproof gear and waterproof boots. A fleece is also essential if we have any cooler days and for birding at dawn/dusk. Early starts are needed on one or two of these days (possibly 0400-0500) Lunch is not included but stops will be made each day to collect provisions. If you would like a hot drink then bring a flask of hot water, further effort will be made to stop at cafes for refreshments. This is a good trip for digi-scoping and photography.
Please bring RSPB and WWT membership cards with you

Clothing & Equipment

Dress for normal British weather, warmer clothing like a fleece and waterproof gear are essential should it be chilly or we encounter showers. Sun-block is essential as it is easy to burn even on cloudy days. Footwear with ankle support and a good grip are essential for visiting the Highlands. Anser guides carry Leica/Swarovski telescopes which are shared with clients. Binoculars are essential and telescopes are desirable. It is worth bringing suitable insect repellent as midges may be on the wing.

Environment

Mostly flat and easy going but we will encounter some boardwalks and steps into hides. Some steep slopes and hill walking will be encountered. When searching for mountain birds it is highly likely that rough terrain will be encountered. This is optional but a basic degree of fitness is needed, Anser guides will keep the pace to the slowest member of the group for this outing but our client’s safety and wellbeing is a priority. We will be using ferries and boats on this tour.

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01452 741591

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01452 741591

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