Highland Wildlife and Birdwatch Safaris, Guided wildlife excursions, Aviemore, Scotland
Highland Wildlife and Birdwatch Safaris, Guided wildlife excursions, Aviemore, Scotland Highland Wildlife and Birdwatch Safaris, Guided wildlife excursions, Aviemore, Scotland

Friday, February 15, 2008



February saw a mix of weather conditions with snow, floods, frosts and sunshine all making an appearance and temperatures ranging from -11c to +11c! Though still very much Winter in this area, there were a few early signs of Spring approaching.




Wildlife highlights included:



A memorable close encounter with a juvenile
Golden Eagle, seen hunting along a ridge in a beautiful steep-sided glen.




Great close -up views of an Otter fishing in the River Spey at dawn - meaning the early start and -9.5c temperature were soon forgotten.




Dawn bird-song starting up for the first time for many months.




Lapwings & Oystercatchers being seen returning to their breeding grounds along the River Spey.




Super close-up views of Mountain Hares in upland areas (see pic).




11 Common Cranes remaining in fields near Elgin (see Jan).




Regular sightings of Barn Owls hunting over fields at dawn & dusk.




Excellent close views of a feral Mountain Goat and her very cute newly - born kid.




Cracking views of a pair of Peregrine Falcons displaying over a ruined castle.




A brief glimpse of an almost pure white Stoat running across a road between two fields.




Black grouse numbers increasing at their traditional lek sites on woodland edges.




Red Grouse males becoming noticeably more vocal on the heather moorland.




Nice views of a pair of Scottish Crossbills in the Caledonian pine forest.