November 2025 started off mild and frequently wet, but generally calm in this area, we then experienced an unusually early Arctic blast mid-month due to northerly winds, which brought sub-zero temperatures down to minus 8c and our first proper snow down to lower levels this autumn, before the month ended with a much milder but more breezy and showery feel...
Many trees have retained some of their colourful autumn leaves, but the already sparse local berry stocks have taken a bit of a hit after a couple of months of attention from the local Blackbirds and thrushes and the incoming Redwings and Fieldfares....
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| Common Buzzard by Ron Mitchell |
Up on the moors....
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| A local upland heather moorland |
Red Grouse, being birds of very specific upland heather moorland habitat, are absent from much of the UK these days . Thankfully though, we have reasonable numbers of them in this area, and though not guaranteed, sightings were pretty reliable. It was interesting to note that a few of the cock birds (identifiable by their darker plumage and red 'eyebrows') are already starting to get a bit more 'showy' and aggressive, with a few seen seemingly staking their claim to prime territory, often while uttering their characteristic cackling "go-bak, go-bak" calls..
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| Female Red Grouse |
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| Male Red Grouse - Photo by Ron Mitchell from November 2015 |
On the more remote upland moors, Black Grouse are always popular with my safari clients, probably because of their relative rarity, and sadly, declining numbers over much of the UK.
However, we are fortunate to still have decent numbers in Highland Scotland, and our dawn (7:30am approx) visits to their traditional local moorland 'lek' sites produced some good sightings of up to 6 cock birds displaying, though it should be noted that we also had a few mornings when the birds failed to show, and that the 'lekking' season between January and late May is far more reliable...
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| Black Grouse |
Most of the birds of prey that we see in the glens, can sometimes be seen hunting over the moors too, as well as the occasional more typical moorland raptor species like Merlin, Hen Harrier and Short-Eared Owl, we also saw Merlin, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Red Kite , Goshawk, and one White Tailed Eagle on local moorlands this month..
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| White Tailed Eagle |
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| Female Merlin by James Ball - Photo from November 2017 |
In the Caledonian pine forests...
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| Early morning in a local Caledonian Pine Forest |
Winter is usually by far the best time of year to see Crested Tits, as the weather turns colder and snowier, with the easy pickings on offer at Caledonian forest feeding stations, especially soon after dawn, seemingly proving to be very enticing. With only around 1500 of these birds in the UK, and their distribution very localised, it was a great feeling to show off these true 'Speyside specialities' to my safari clients, especially those who were seeing them for the very first time, though it was noticeable that sightings were less frequent on the milder days.....
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| Crested Tit |
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| Crested Tit (and Coal Tit) by Ron Mitchell |
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| Crested Tit by Ron Mitchell - Photo from November 2015 |
As I have mentioned previously, it is well worth noting that the colder winter months (October-Feb), when they regularly visit feeding stations, are actually the best time of year for seeing the 'wee Cresties', as these characterful little birds can be frustratingly secretive, unobtrusive and almost silent during the breeding season, with sightings being much more difficult to obtain between March and September....
Still in the Caledonian pine forests, rather frustratingly, Crossbills continued to be a bit of a 'bogey-bird', with (yet again) sightings mainly restricted to snatched glimpses of calling birds flying around the tree tops, us only identifying them by their characteristic "jip-jip" calls...with the exception of one group that perched nicely in a hedge, and then dropped down to drink from a puddle on a track for just a few seconds on the 4th....
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| Crossbill |
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| Male Crossbill - Photo from November 2016 |
A bonus by-product of regular winter feeding is sometimes (especially on colder days) being able to feed the incredibly confiding Coal Tits and (sometimes) Great Tits and Robins by hand, an experience much enjoyed by my safari clients of all ages...
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| Hand feeding Coal Tits |
Capercaillie
As is usual, sadly, we failed to manage any sightings of Capercaillie this month, though to be honest, we did not visit any known sites, and these days I tend to keep any random sightings a bit hush-hush, for obvious reasons.....
Please note that Capercaillie numbers would still appear to be alarmingly low, they are now very rare and elusive, possibly on the brink of extinction, and I would only rate our chances of seeing one on my safaris as "very slim" at best, and we are now requested not to go in search of them, or even entering Caledonian forests before 09:30am, for fear of disturbing them.....and please be aware that Police Scotland and the Cairngorms National Park Authority Rangers patrol 'known' Capercaillie areas for the first few hours of light throughout the spring/summer in an attempt to dissuade anyone from entering the forest and potentially disturbing the birds during lekking/breeding season.....with prosecution an option if you fail to heed their 'advice'....you have been warned....
https://cairngormscapercaillie.scot/lek-it-be/
On the lochs..
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| A picturesque local loch |
With the summer-visiting water birds all gone now, our resident Goldeneyes and Goosanders, are now joined by winter-visiting Whooper Swans 'grey' Geese, Teal and Wigeon, alongside the more common species like Mute Swan, Tufted Duck and Mallard....
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| Whooper Swans |
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| Male Goldeneye |
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| Greylag Geese |
On the marshes:
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| Autumn at RSPB Insh Marshes |
Alongside the ever-present Grey Herons, ducks like Mallard, Teal and Wigeon were noted, along with Whooper Swans and 'grey' Geese , and raptors such as Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Red Kite, and Hen Harrier were seen reasonably regularly, and the occasional Merlin, Goshawk, Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle also reported - Though it should be noted, that generally, views of the birds at this site are at long range, so photo opportunities are limited....
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| Ringtail Hen Harrier by Ron Mitchell - Photo from November 2024 |
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| Whooper Swans and wildfowl |
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| Lapwing |
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| Grey Heron |
On the rivers...
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| Nice autumn colours at the River Spey |
Our local Dippers are definitely becoming more aggressive now, with much displaying, dawn singing and chasing each other around being witnessed as they presumably seek to establish winter and breeding territories, and it still makes my safari clients and I shiver every time we see them disappear under the icy water in search of food - they sure are hardy little critters!
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| Dipper |
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| Dipper |
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| Dipper by Ron Mitchell |
Other birds seen regularly on the rivers this month include Grey Herons, Mallards, and a few Goosanders....
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| Grey Heron |
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| Male Goosander |
Up in the mountains....
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| November snow at Cairngorm Mountain |
Unfortunately, my only trip up to higher levels this month coincided with the arrival of a decent fall of snow, the official opening of snowsports season and the accompanying hordes of snowsports enthusiasts swarming all over the mountain, which obviously made it less than ideal for wildlife watching........ though a few other local birders took advantage of the less disturbed times and calm weather early in the month to do so, and were rewarded with sightings of a few Ptarmigan morphing into their winter-white plumage now, which can make them less difficult to spot amongst the rocks, at least until the snow comes anyway.
The first snow on the tops can sometimes encourage Snow Buntings, a mix of our few resident birds and 'incomers' from further north and east, down to lower levels, and having seen the forecast of snow, the morning of the 21st saw me in position soon after first light, with my bag of mixed wild bird seed, as they can sometimes be quite confiding once tempted in by a free feed, and I'm pleased to report that my cunning plan worked well, with first just 2, then a handful , and eventually 17 of these beautiful little birds 'performing' well at reasonably close range on and off for a while, until the increase in disturbance caused by the inevitable 'invasion' of snowsports enthusiasts/hillwalkers/tourists later in the morning spooked them away....
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| Snow Buntings |
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| Snow Buntings |
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| Snow Buntings |
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| Artistic shot of Snow Buntings taking off |
On local farmland...
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| Typical local farmland |
Although almost all the waders have gone to the coast, 'grey' Geese and Whooper Swans can often be seen on local farmland, and flocks of winter Thrushes were also noted, along with the more common Pheasants and Red-Legged Partridges....
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| Greylag Geese |
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| Whooper Swans |
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| Fieldfare |
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| Male Pheasant |
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| Red Legged Partridges - Photo by Jan Shields from November 2021 |
In local gardens/At local feeding stations:
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| November in my garden on the outskirts of Aviemore |
With natural food becoming more difficult to find as autumn arrived, I noticed an increase in the variety and numbers of birds visiting my garden feeding station and other forest feeding stations this month, with Siskin, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Blackbird, Starling, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Wood Pigeon, and Collared Dove all seen...though I have yet to see a Redpoll or a Brambling....
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| Wood Pigeon |
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| Coal Tits |
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| Male Chaffinch |
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| Greater Spotted Woodpecker |
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| Male Blackbird |
Berry bushes and garden bird feeding stations are a real magnet for most birds, especially the hungry winter visiting birds from further north, and Redwings and Fieldfares were seen locally alongside the more common tits and finches, though I have yet to see any Bramblings or Redpolls a few local birders have, and there are no reports (locally) yet of any Waxwings, though some have been reported nearer to the east coast....
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Redwing
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Feeding stations, and the large numbers of birds that visit them, also attract the attention of Sparrowhawks, and we had several sightings of these impressive and very attractive birds of prey this month...
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| Male Sparrowhawk |
A few photos of more common birds seen locally this month:
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| Tufted Ducks |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Female Blackbird |
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| Wren |
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| Male Bullfinch |
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| Long Tailed Tit |
Other good/scarce birds seen/reported locally this month included:
1 Waxwing at Feshiebridge on the 4th, a very late Swallow at Loch Insh on the 5th, a Long Tailed Duck also at Loch Insh on the 6th, 3 Waxwings at carrbridge on the 18th, 2 Tree Sparrows at Nethybridge on the 23rd, and a Barn Owl at Lochindorb on the 28th....
Adventures 'out of area'
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| The ruggedly beautiful Moray Coast |
The nearby Moray Coast is always worth a visit, especially in autumn and winter, and a visit at this time of year should give a good selection of auks, waders, wildfowl, seaducks, Scoters, gulls, a few lingering terns, and recently arrived Pink Footed Geese and Whooper swans, and nowadays Egrets are also becoming less rare....
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| Great White Egret |
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| Whooper Swan |
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| Purple Sandpiper |
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| Cormorants |
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| A Grey Heron and an Oystercatcher |
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| Turnstones, Purple Sandpipers and an Oystercatcher |
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| Bar Tailed Godwits |
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| Curlew |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Purple Sandpiper by Ron Mitchell |
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| Male Eider |
Whilst the Moray Coast farmland also gives you a chance of seeing birds such as Whooper Swan, 'grey' Geese, Skylark, Yellowhammer, Grey Partridge, and Tree Sparrow.....
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| Pink Footed Geese |
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| Whooper Swans |
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| Tree Sparrow |
The freshwater lochs and nature reserves just inland from the Moray Coast can be productive too....
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| The view from the hide at Loch Spynie |
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| Little Grebe |
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| Greylag Geese, with Mute Swan and Cormorant |
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| Wigeons |
November 2025 mammal sightings in more detail:
Up in the glens, although the annual autumn 'rut' is now over and apparently already forgotten by the participants!, it was still a treat to see the magnificent fully antlered Red Deer stags, seemingly now all friends again and concentrating on feeding and chilling out after the demands of October....
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| Red Deer Stags |
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| Red Deer Stags |
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| Red Deer Stag |
Still in the uplands, Mountain Hares , being very rare in the UK, and now they are turning 'winter white' are often voted as 'mammal of the day' by my safari clients at this time of year, and although they were pretty elusive this month, and, often with the help of my thermal imager, we were fortunate enough to see them on several occasions, ...please be aware though, that most of our views are at long distance through a scope, and several hours and a fair bit of rough uphill walking may be required for photography purposes
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| Mountain Hare |
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| Mountain Hare |
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| Mountain Hare by Ron Mitchell |
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| Mountain Hare by Ron Mitchell |
Feral Mountain Goats always prove to be popular with my safari clients, and they were seen on a few of our visits to their upland habitat, though they generally kept their distance - many of the females look to be pregnant - so photo opportunities were a bit limited..
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| Feral Mountain Goat - Photo from November 2020 |
In the Caledonian forests, Red Squirrels always prove to be popular with my safari clients , and who am I to disagree? Being rare in the UK outside of Highland Scotland, attractive, charismatic and cute, they certainly tick a lot of boxes, and thankfully, with a bit of patience, they can usually be relied upon to put in an appearance at feeding stations in the winter months (they love peanuts!)....though we also get the odd random sighting whilst on forest drives and walks too...
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| Red Squirrel |
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| Red Squirrel |
Roe Deer, although much more common UK-wide than Red Deer, can often be overlooked due to their crepuscular nature and nervous disposition... but several were seen, usually at dawn or dusk, but also during the day in less-disturbed places...though they rarely stick around once they've spotted us....
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| Roe Deer |
Brown Hares, similarly to the Roe Deer, can also be very nervous and 'crepuscular' in nature, and most of our best sightings happen in the first hour of daylight, though sightings were very few and far between this month...
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| Brown Hare |
Hairy Highland Coo's always prove to be popular with my safari clients, especially those who do not have them close to home, so don't be afraid to ask me if you fancy going to see them, and maybe even get to feed and 'pat' them, as I have a couple of great sites....though sadly, lovely old Murdo, and his mate Buster the friendly Sheep, are now no longer with us, having both succumbed to old age and poor health late last year...
Thankfully, our 'new' ginger Hairy Highland Coo's - Hamish and Dougal - are proving to be very popular with my safari clients....
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| Hamish and Dougal |
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| Carrot time for Hamish and Dougal |
Marine mammals:
The nearby Moray coast , Black Isle and Aberdeenshire Coast are pretty reliable for sightings of Seals, with a decent chance of Harbour Porpoise and Dolphins, and even a slim chance of Whales....
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| Grey Seal |
Rare/nocturnal mammals:
I get a few enquiries about the possibility of seeing Badgers and Pine Marten from my safari clients, many of whom I suspect are unaware that they are actually a largely nocturnal creature, and although we do get the occasional (maybe one or two a year) dawn glimpse of one, you would definitely have a much higher chance of seeing them at a specific dusk Badger/Pine Marten watching hide - Please contact me for more information.
Similarly, our inland Otters too are mainly active during the hours of darkness, and again, although we do get a few early-morning sightings on local lochs and rivers each year, looking for them feeding in a suitably quiet, kelp - filled bay on the coast on a rising tide, but at any time of day, would give you a much better chance.
Whilst we are still on the 'tricky to see stuff', the Scottish Wildcat too, as well as being incredibly rare now, is also generally nocturnal, and the fact that I have had a mere handful of (dawn or dusk) sightings in over 20 years of providing wildlife safaris should give you an idea of how difficult they are to see.
Other wildlife:
Mid October-early December is usually the time of year to see our Atlantic Salmon spawning.
These remarkable and often very large fish spawn in the shallow waters in the upper reaches of our rivers, at the very spot where they themselves were hatched several years before, having originally spent 2-3 years in the river, then another 2-3 years feeding, growing and maturing out in the mid Atlantic, before undertaking a perilous journey many miles upriver, often involving avoiding poachers, anglers and predators and negotiating high falls and rapids on the way , an amazing migration story! However, sightings are very reliant on the rivers water levels - too little water and the Salmon cannot access the upper reaches - too much water, and they can get there... but we can't see them....fortunately, for the first week at least, it all fell into place and we enjoyed some decent views
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| Spawning Atlantic Salmon - Photo by Rob Ellett from November 2019 |
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| Spawning Atlantic Salmon - Photo by Ron Mitchell from November 2024 |
News:
I am very pleased to announce that Highland Wildlife & Birdwatch Safaris has recently been awarded - for the fourth consecutive year - a Travelers Choice accreditation from Trip Advisor, for being ranked in the top 10% of visitor attractions worldwide, based on customer reviews and feedback.
This achievement would not have been possible without the support of all my family, friends, safari clients, social media followers, regular blog readers , the Visit Scotland 'mystery shoppers', and everyone else who has advised, helped and encouraged me along the way to ‘living my dream’ of being a wildlife safari guide, since 2004, especially over the last few very difficult COVID affected financial recovery years, so a big THANK YOU to you all :)
We have also upgraded our safari vehicle to a slightly newer Land Rover Discovery5 HSE LUX 7-seater, and this one has, along with excellent off-road and all-weather ability. Heated/cooled front and rear seats, and all the usual luxuries such as rear-seat entertainment DVD screens, a panoramic sunroof, and height-adjustable air suspension, and it is also more spacious and 'greener' than my previous versions with (ULEZ compliant) ultra-low emissions and improved fuel economy....
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| My new(er) safari vehicle on it's 'debut' outing in February 2024 |
All tourism/hospitality/activities in Scotland are open, are free of restrictions and I have now completed well over 4 years of (thankfully!) increasingly busy and extremely enjoyable safaris with clients with no major issues arising.
Scotland is officially 'open for business' for visitors from all over the UK, and from abroad.
For those considering a visit, these wildlife/outdoor tourism websites may prove useful:
June - September is midge season - But thankfully, this area is not usually affected too badly - This link explains why:
Bumper midge hatch alert after warm spell - BBC News
https://www.gov.scot/collections/coronavirus-covid
NatureScot (outdooraccess-scotland.scot)
Can Nature Help Health? | Nature Prescriptions - YouTube
Scotland, Yours to Enjoy. Responsibly. - YouTube
Cairngorms National Park Authority
Highland Wildlife Park
Positive prescriptions | The RSPB
www.scotlandbigpicture.com
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| Enjoying a mid-morning hot drink and shortbread break |
COVID-19
The Scottish Highlands, being very sparsely populated, has had very few COVID-19 cases in comparison to most of the UK, and on my safaris we tend to visit remote , wild habitats well away from the more popular tourist areas, and usually have very little interaction with other people, and this is something that I intend to continue.
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| Early morning mist on the River Spey |
Summary:
Well, looking through my notes and photos for this month, helped by the (generally) decent weather and despite the shortening days and changeable, and sometimes challenging weather conditions mid - month, I reckon it turned out to be very decent for wildlife-watching in this area.
As usual though, sadly, it was a bit of a quiet month for safari bookings, as I guess potential visitors can be put off by the thought of potentially bad weather and shorter days, but I can actually wholeheartedly recommend November as a great time to see some of our most sought-after local speciality birds and animals, before the weather turns REALLY wintry, and it has become one of my favourite wildlife-watching months in recent years...
With lots of great wildlife enjoyed, some of our 'local speciality species' at their easiest to see, a few rarities spotted, spectacularly picturesque and often snowy scenery, and plenty of hot chocolate and shortbrtead, the 'winter blues' were well and truly kept at bay....
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| A fiery sunrise over a local upland heather moorland |
Reviews:
I know a lot of visitors to this area very wisely check out reviews of attractions/experiences at TripAdvisor before 'taking the plunge' and making a booking - We now have over 400 reviews online, so if you wish, you can check out our clients comments at the link below....
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186537-d3335134-Reviews-
Highland_Wildlife_Birdwatch_Safaris-Aviemore_Aviemore_and_the_Cairngorms_Scottish.html
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| A snowy scene in a local Caledonian pine forest |
Gift Certificates:
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Safari gift voucher
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If you think you know someone who may enjoy a taste of what I do, why not treat them to a safari gift certificate? They make a thoughtful and imaginative present, are available for any amount and are valid for a whole year from date of purchase........
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