Highland Wildlife & Birdwatch Safaris

May 2020 for me, unfortunately, followed a very similar theme to April, with all tourism and accommodation still completely shut down due to the Coronavirus crisis, access to many of my favourite reserves and sites still denied, and unable to provide my guided safaris due to travel restrictions and social distancing regulations, rather than dwell on the potentially business threatening implications of no work and no income at what is usually my busiest time of year,  in an attempt to retain as much 'normality' as possible,  I again decided to turn my allowed daily local exercise walks into 'solo mini-safaris', often setting off before dawn, walking many miles,  and visiting as many different types of habitat as possible, in search of a good selection of local speciality wildlife, always with my camera to hand of course.

The plan was that I would get some great (and much-needed) exercise, continue to keep my 'finger on the pulse' of the local wildlife comings and goings, avoid the 'crowds' of people all using the popular local walks later in the day, hopefully still get a few photos for my monthly blog to illustrate what it is possible to see here in May, and of course, keep my sanity intact as far as possible, as being very much an 'outdoor person',  I'm not great at staying home!!

So, my sightings report this month will be an amalgamation of  'actual' May 2020 sightings combined with archived reports from May in previous years....

The month actually started with a surprisingly wintry feel, with cold northerly winds dominating, bringing some frosts and even fresh snow down to low levels for a few days..but it soon changed, and the rest of the month was generally warm and dry and more spring-like, with temperatures rising, and even topping 25c on one occasion in late-month. The conditions were a little changeable  though, with snow, sleet, hail, rain, wind and sun all being experienced at some stage during the month, and occasionally even in the same day!
So although May is actually statistically usually one of our warmer and drier months, my advice to those considering a visit would still to be to prepare for anything and everything weather-wise!
With around 18 hours of usable daylight, and all of our summer visiting birds usually arrived by mid-month, our local full-day bird species day-lists climb ever higher, with 50+ species  a realistic proposition, and the early starts (now 4am or earlier) for the Black Grouse 'leks', also help us to see up to 9 different mammals in a day too!!
With the 'dawn chorus' in full swing, the wild flowers  in full bloom, and butterflies,  Bees and other insects on the wing, a day out in the wilds in May in this area really could truthfully be described as a 'whirlwind of wildlife'
Though it was not possible this year due to the travel restrictions, typically this month, a few day-trips further afield to various places, often including the Isle of Mull, RSPB Fowlsheugh , the Ythan Estuary and SWT Handa Island usually give me my annual 'fix' of seabird colonies, including Skuas, Terns, sea ducks and Auks including Puffins, and often some decent raptor and mammal sightings.

Early morning on a local heather moorland with the Cairngorms in the background

To give you an idea of what you may realistically hope to see if you are planning a future May visit to this area yourself, I hope the following more detailed information, illustrated with photos taken in and around the Cairngorms National Park  (and occasionally beyond) by myself,  my friends or my safari clients (thanks everyone!) will help - clicking on the picture enlarges it to full screen.

Wildlife highlights include:

Local speciality and upland bird species seen regularly on my safaris throughout a typical May usually include 
Black Grouse (pre-dawn 4am start required), Red Grouse, Osprey, Ring Ouzel, Slavonian Grebe, Red-Throated Diver, Black-Throated Diver,  Goldeneye and Dipper, with a chance of Wood Warbler...and Pied Flycatcher...and a (very slim) chance of a glimpse of Capercaillie....
We also usually get one or two decent local sightings of Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle, and the occasional dawn view of Barn Owl and Short-Eared Owl...

It should  be noted that, due to their very secretive nature at nesting time , Crested Tits continue to be extremely difficult to see during their breeding season (April-May), and we usually struggle to see them well until they fledge their young late in the month....and Crossbill sightings, are usually largely restricted to brief fly-over glimpses...

With the snow largely restricted to the mountain tops by May, that's where you have to go to have a chance of seeing Snow Bunting, Ptarmigan (and from mid-month) Dotterel....please be aware that this would usually take a good part of a day, and a lot of strenuous hill walking to achieve, and would need to be a separate adventure from a 'normal' safari excursion.....

Summer migrant birds continue to flood in throughout the month, with Common Swift ,  Spotted Flycatcher and a few Dotterel joining Wheatear, Common Sandpiper, Sand Martin, House Martin,  Swallow, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff,  Blackcap, Garden warbler, Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher and Tree Pipit to name just a few...

A small local river

Mammals seen regularly locally by my safari parties during May usually include:
Rabbit, Brown Hare, Red Squirrel, Roe Deer, Red Deer,  Reindeer, Feral Mountain Goat, Mountain Hare (now a mottled blue, grey and brown), with maybe a couple of views of Sika Deer, Stoat and Bank Vole.....
Whilst trips to coastal areas usually produce Seals of both types, and possibly Dolphins and maybe even Otters........

Ancient Caledonian forest

May 2020 bird sightings in more detail:

Black Grouse lekking at dawn on a frosty May morning

A bonus - and unusual - well after dawn - Black Grouse sighting 

Black Grouse 'lekking' is surely one of British wildlife's top 10 sights (and sounds), and our local birds usually continue to 'perform' throughout the month, with up to 10 cock birds fighting it out, though not quite as vigorously as in April  and sometimes with a few females 'spectating' early in the month,  though with dawn at around 4 am, and the performance only lasting for around 90 minutes on average, it should be noted that a very early start is needed if you want to see them...and that we have to view from a respectful distance to avoid disturbance........but with a quality spotting scope, this is still a highly recommended and memorable experience, especially as on a few occasions whilst watching the lek, we can have a supporting cast of Barn Owl and Short-Eared Owl hunting across the moors and fields close to the lek sites, as well as a number of sightings of displaying Snipe and calling Cuckoo, and up to 5 different mammal species including Mountain Hare , all in the first hour and a half of daylight!!
Please note though, that by the end of May the lekking season is usually over, with the birds seemingly losing interest, and generally 'disappearing' until the winter....

An Osprey fishing over a local loch

A male Osprey keeping watch over his mate in the nest

Our local Ospreys continue to entertain and thrill my safari clients, often being voted 'Bird of the day', though with the female birds spending much of the month deep in their nests incubating eggs with just their heads visible, and later in the month, brooding young, sightings could be a bit frustrating, as we needed a bit of luck to time our visit with the male birds being 'at home' or delivering a fish or more nest-building materials.....though we did also see birds fishing local lochs and rivers on  a few occasions...and sometimes even witness a couple of successful 'plunges'!! always a treat....

A cock Red Grouse keeping watch over his moorland territory

On our local heather moorlands, the Red Grouse continue to show well, with some cock birds even still displaying and calling whilst defending their territory,  their guttural 'go bak go bak' calls echoing across the moor, and late in the month we usually begin to see the hen birds with their newly fledged families of up to 8 very cute fluffy youngsters...

Slavonian Grebe

On suitable secluded local lochs, the extremely beautiful (and in the UK, incredibly rare) Slavonian Grebes can usually be seen and enjoyed regularly,  with the male birds seen fishing and delivering food to the nests hidden in the bankside sedge beds...and we always keep our fingers crossed for a glimpse of some youngsters towards the end of the month, for a bird that is only just clinging on as a breeding species in the UK.....

Red-Throated Diver (photo from May 2018)

Black-Throated Diver (photo from May 2016)

Still on the lochs, Red-Throated and Black-Throated Divers too, UK-wise, are only really found breeding, and in their dapper summer plumage, on suitable lochs in northern Scotland and it's islands. Due to their general wariness of humans, most views we get are through a scope at a fair distance, and any decent ripple on the water makes finding them very difficult,  but on a number of occasions, and with a little persistence, we can get lucky and obtain a slightly closer look,without risk of disturbing them, and even manage a few rare photo opportunities....

Wait for us Mum! Female Goldeneye with her ducklings.

The same could be said of our Goldeneye, with this attractive tree-nesting duck (yes, really!!) being a north of Scotland breeding speciality too, and late in the month we get to see a few females with their ridiculously cute youngsters too... nice!

Adult Dipper

Newly-fledged Dipper chicks

On our local rivers, Dippers always prove to be popular with my safari clients, being absent from large parts of the central, eastern and southern UK, and from mid-month we sometimes get to see the pale looking youngsters being fed by their parents...

Crested Tit by Steve Nicklin (photo from May 2018)

In the Caledonian forests, Crested Tit sightings are usually very hard to come by in May, with the birds nesting very secretively, and only rarely heard singing or calling. To give you an example, one May we spoke to a party of birders who had spent 10 hours one day,walking round several local woods, without a hint of a sighting...though with a lot of persistence, we can sometimes manage a couple of decent glimpses, though you really do need to be familiar with their distinctive calls and song...

As I have mentioned previously, it is well worth noting that the colder winter months (October-Feb) 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....

Male Crossbill (photo from May 2019)

Continuing the forest theme,  Crossbills are all too often the cause of much frustration on my safaris, with me regularly hearing their distinctive 'jip' jip' jip' calls overhead, and my safari clients getting just a brief glimpse of the birds flying away, usually never to be seen again! But occasionally they can actually be very obliging, with us getting some super views, sometimes even through the scope, of family parties feeding together on pine cone seeds, giving us the chance to admire the brick-red males, greeny-yellow females and streaky youngsters . Photographic opportunities usually continue to be a rare occurrence though...

A very rare photo of a male Capercaillie (photo from May 2019)

Still in the forests, Capercaillie, despite numerous walks and drives , being so rare now, usually prove to be very elusive, and I only managed one very brief glimpse of a female bird soon after dawn whilst walking a local logging track....

Snow Bunting (photo from May 2018)

Ptarmigan (photo from May 2017)

Dotterel (photo from May 2017)

Up in the mountains, as I mentioned earlier, although I did not make a trip up to the the tops myself this month - the Cairngorm Funicular railway is still out of action , and , being a popular tourist destination, access to Cairngorm Mountain was still closed off,  However, walks up to the summit in May can often give good views of a few Snow Buntings and Ptarmigan , and from mid month there are usually a few newly-arrived Dotterel showing too....
Please be aware though, that several miles of strenuous hill-walking is required, so a good level of physical fitness is needed, and some basic survival/navigation skills preferable, as well as suitably friendly weather, 

Male Ring Ouzel (photo from May 2015)

At slightly lower levels, but generally still above 1,500ft/450m,  Ring Ouzels can usually be seen regularly in their upland and mountainside habitat, especially early in the day, though when compared to April, they now become a little harder to find, as most will no longer be singing or calling, and sightings are mainly restricted to male birds collecting beakfuls of worms, as the females will presumably mostly be still on nests.....

Common Buzzard (photo from May 2019)

Golden Eagle (photo from May 2016)

Up in the glens, bird of prey sightings usually become less frequent during the longer days of spring and early summer, with many of the adult female birds now nesting, often with the adult males in attendance, and many more hours of daylight available for hunting, , however, we still usually manage reasonably regular sightings of Osprey , Common Buzzard , Red Kite, Peregrine, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk, a couple of views of Barn Owl and Short-Eared Owl at dawn, and there is always a chance of Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle, and maybe even a Merlin....

Wood Warbler

Male Pied Flycatcher

May is always the best month to see a couple of interesting and locally scarce bird species in our local birch woodlands - Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher, and I was delighted to get to see both on my early morning walks on many occasions.
Both species are quite active and 'flitty', and can easily be missed, so I would really recommend learning their distinctive songs, to give yourself a better chance of picking them out among the other more common birds...

Other good/scarce in this area birds seen or reported locally this month included:

Cuckoo, Woodcock, Spotted Flycatcher, Redstart, Golden Plover (in breeding plumage), Marsh Harrier, a singing Spotted Crake, Green Woodpecker, Lesser Whitethroat,   Nuthatch, Honey Buzzard, Common Crane....

Lesser Whitethroat

A few photos of more common birds seen locally this month: 

A pair of Goosander

Common Sandpiper

Oystercatcher

Curlew

Juvenile Stonechat

Meadow Pipit

May 2020 mammal sightings in more detail:

With the lack of human activity and it being so quiet everywhere, I actually found mammals much easier to see than usual, and some were even seen in places unusually close to civilisation...

Red Squirrel by Dave Wetherell (photo from may 2018)

In the Caledonian forests, with a bit of patience, Red Squirrels can normally be relied upon to make an appearance, and I reckon I saw at least one on every forest walk I did this month, sometimes more, with feeding stations still tending to be a 'hotspot'....

Red Deer hinds

Red Deer are most commonly encountered up in the hills and glens, but early and late in the day, or in secluded locations, they can sometimes be seen at lower levels, especially on the moorland edges of forests....

Can you spot the Feral Mountain Goats amongst the rocks? (photo from May 2017)

Feral Mountain Goats can often be seen in my favourite upland glens, often in large family groups, and always prove to be popular with my safari clients, as , being largely a remnant of the 'crofting' community, they are not found in many places in the UK...

Mountain Hares (photo from early May 2019 by Nigel Wedge)

Mountain Hares are now mainly in their mottled blue, grey and brown spring pelage, and often prove to be a bit elusive as their camouflage can be very effective in their upland habitat...

Roe Deer buck

Roe Deer can be encountered just about anywhere, except for the high tops, but being very wary, nervous animals, they are usually quite 'crepuscular' in their behaviour, but with so few folk about, I also had plenty of daytime encounters this month too...

Brown Hare

Brown Hares too can be a bit elusive away from dawn and dusk, and tend to 'spook' easily, but with so little human disturbance at the moment, I did also manage a few 'middle of the day' sightings this month too....




Rare/nocturnal mammals:

I get a lot of enquiries about the possibility of seeing 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. 

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 16 years of providing wildlife safaris should give you an idea of how difficult they are to see.

A lovely patch of wild Violas

Other wildlife:

The sunnier, warmer days see more species of butterfly join the early flyers, with Red Admiral and Speckled Wood both noted...there are  lots more Bees around now, taking advantage of the abundance of wild flowers coming into bloom....we also see lots of Bats feasting on insects at dawn/dusk, and in the forests the Wood Ants are now becoming more active..... 



News:

I am keeping a very close eye on the situation regarding the easing of the 'lockdown' , the changing regulations, and what adjustments and additional equipment will be required by myself to allow me to re-commence providing safaris, and can assure you all that I intend to get going again as soon as it is safely possible and legal to do so... watch this space....

Following a recommendation by the VisitScotland 'mystery shoppers' after their day out with me to assess my 'wildlife experience star grading' last year, I can advise that my safaris website now has a 'translate' option on the home page, which will allow non-English speakers to understand it better and hopefully enjoy it more.....





Summary:

What a strange May that was..... spending the most productive, and my favourite month of the bird watching year out in the wilds all by myself! Enjoyable though it was , seeing so many rare and local speciality birds and animals in the beautiful Highland scenery, my overall feeling is undoubtedly one of sadness that I was unable to share it with my safari clients, many of whom were due to travel from overseas for their first Scotland adventure, some hoping to get their annual Highland 'year-ticks', and especially those of you who have been 'regulars' for many years, and who have become good friends through a shared love of the natural world.....
I missed you all.....
I hope my sightings blog gave you an idea of just how special May, and spring in general, is in this area though, and would highly recommend a future visit to see it for real, under better circumstances.....


A message to my safari clients:

I want to say a huge "Thank you" to all my safari clients who have been in touch to check that I am OK, and wish me well, and also those who, having had to cancel due to the current situation -  have re-scheduled for either later this year or for next year , and especially those who have  let me 'carry-over' their deposit, or who have paid a deposit well in advance to help me out financially - this crisis and being a self-employed person unable to earn during 'peak season' is proving to be very challenging where money is concerned  - and it is that sort of loyalty, thoughtfulness and kindness that makes what I do seem worthwhile....Cheers!

Sunset over the River Spey

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 booking - if you wish, you can check out my 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

Gift Certificates:

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 at any time within a year from the date of purchase....