April 2023
April 2023 started - and ended - in quite a wintry fashion, with more hill snow and low temperatures, but after the first week or so, high pressure soon kicked-in and went on to dominate the middle third of the month meaning that we enjoyed predominately sunny and dry, and occasionally warm weather with light winds, but with regular overnight frosts, and it was often almost perfect for safaris!
The days really are lengthening nicely now, with around 14 hours of usable daylight, but dawn (for the Black Grouse lek) is now a slightly less sociable 5:30 am, so if this species is on your 'wish-list', be prepared for an early start...
Although many of the winter visiting birds had departed by mid-month, the ever increasing influx of summer migrant birds north into this area helped bird species day-lists creep ever higher, and 50+ species would not be uncommon on a full day local safari, or considerably more if you include a visit to the nearby Moray coast, whilst full day mammal species day-lists can creep up towards double figures, with early starts usually providing best results for the shyer ones.
The dawn chorus is at it's best in April, and it is always great to have your early start rewarded by getting to enjoy hearing the resident birds being joined by the newly arrived migrants like Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Tree Pipit.
Add to this the first butterflies and bees on the wing, the explosion of spring flowers into full bloom and frogs and toads on the move, and the feelgood factor of this time of year is hard to beat...
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| Early Spring in the Cairngorms National Park |
To give you an idea of what you may realistically hope to see if you are considering a future April visit, I hope the following more detailed information, illustrated with photos taken at sites in and around the Cairngorms National Park by myself, my friends or my safari clients this month and in previous April's will help....clicking on the picture enlarges it to full-screen.
Local speciality/upland bird species seen regularly during the month included:
Black Grouse (at, or soon after dawn only), Osprey, Red Grouse, Ring Ouzel, Slavonian Grebe, Red-Throated Diver, Black-Throated Diver, and Dipper, with a few decent sightings of Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle early in the month... and just a few brief glimpses of Crested Tit and Crossbill......
Snow Buntings were seen at low level sites early in the month, but seemed to retreat high up to the mountain tops, when the snow line receded...where Ptarmigan can also sometimes be seen...
Winter visiting birds were represented early in the month by a few remaining family groups of Whooper Swans, flocks of Greylag and Pink-Footed Geese, wildfowl such as Wigeon and Teal, and a few lingering Bramblings, Redwings and Fieldfares , but most had departed by mid-month...
Summer migrant birds flooded in throughout the month, with the first sightings this year of Osprey, Wheatear, Common Sandpiper, Sand Martin, House Martin, Swallow, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Tree Pipit, Redstart and Cuckoo, to name just a few...
A good variety of seabirds, waders, wildfowl , Divers and Geese can be enjoyed at the Moray Coast and the nearby inland lochs...
Mammal species seen regularly included:
Red Deer, Roe Deer, Rabbit, Brown Hare, Red Squirrel, and Feral Mountain Goat, whilst Mountain Hare became a little trickier as they morphed into their spring coat..and both types of Seal were seen at the nearby Moray coast...
April 2023 bird sightings in more detail:
On the lochs...
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| Early Spring at a picturesque local loch |
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| Ospreys |
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| Osprey with fish |
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| Osprey by Steve Nicklin |
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Mating Ospreys by Jan Shields
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One of my most eagerly-awaited wildlife moments every year, is the return of our local Ospreys to their nesting sites, and these impressive birds of prey are always popular with my safari clients, with their dashing good looks, large size, aerial acrobatics and spectacular plunge diving to catch fish. Many of our local pairs were reunited by mid-month after a winter apart in West Africa, and were soon seen building up their nests with sticks, chasing off intruders and mating frequently, and by the very end of the month some of the hen birds appeared to be incubating eggs as the cock birds began to perform all of the fishing duties, whilst the females presumably carried out brooding duties..
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| Slavonian (Horned) Grebe |
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| Slavonian (Horned) Grebe by Jan Shields |
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| Red-Throated Divers |
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| Red-Throated Diver close-up by Shannon Anderson |
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| Black-Throated Diver |
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| Black-Throated Diver close-up by Steve Nicklin |
Now the local lochs are no longer in danger of freezing over, some of our highly prized local speciality water birds are back on their summer breeding territories, and we managed to see some of the most attractive and rare examples regularly this month - namely Slavonian (Horned) Grebe, Red-Throated Diver and Black-Throated Diver, all in their splendid summer plumage.
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| Displaying male Goldeneye by Ron Mitchell - Photo from April 2019 |
Also on the lochs (and rivers), we must not forget our breeding Goldeneye population , and we were fortunate enough to see them regularly this month, with many of the dapper males still performing their unique and spectacular 'head-banging' mating display!
Up on the moors....
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| A local upland heather moorland |
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| Lekking Black Grouse by Jan Shields |
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| Lekking Black Grouse by Ian Dennis |
April is definitely THE month to see Black Grouse, and dawn (now around 5:30am) visits to local Black Grouse leks usually delight and amaze my safari clients with as many as 8 blue-black cock birds seen 'performing' in spectacularly aggressive fashion, their incredible bubbling and whooshing sounds drifting across the moor, and late in the month, we are often lucky to witness the hen birds walking among them, watching the action, and presumably 'rating' the contestants, only around 20% of whom will 'get lucky', and previously we have even been lucky enough to see them mating with their chosen partner - a truly fantastic wildlife spectacle and a great way to start the day!
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| Male Red Grouse |
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| Male Red Grouse close-up |
Our local moorlands continued to echo with the characteristic cackling calls of the cock Red Grouse, many of whom were seen still actively displaying from raised positions, with red 'eyebrows' aglow, presumably 'guarding' their territory and nesting female, and from mid-month I saw very few hen birds, suggesting that many may already be incubating eggs.....
Up in the glens...
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| Early spring at a local upland glen |
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| Ring-Tail Hen Harrier |
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| Common Buzzard by Ian Dennis |
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| Goshawk by Steve Nicklin |
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| Red Kite - Photo from April 2022 |
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| Golden eagle - Photo from April 2022 |
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| White-Tailed Eagle - Photo from April 2022 |
Up in the local glens, it is worth noting that bird of prey sightings usually become less frequent during the longer days of spring and early summer, with many of the female birds nesting and many more hours of daylight available for hunting meaning that our chances are reduced. However, we still managed reasonably regular sightings of Osprey, Common Buzzard, Red Kite, Peregrine, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk, and also a few views of Goshawk, Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle, though I am still yet to see a Merlin this year...
In the forests...
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| Ancient Caledonian forest |
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| Crested Tit |
In the Caledonian forests, Crested Tit sightings became much more difficult to obtain this month, with one or two birds seen using forest feeding stations on the colder mornings, but generally they were pretty elusive, seemingly quietly going about their business breeding.....and I should point out that you really need to be familiar with their 'chuckling trill' of a song to have a realistic chance of seeing them... but I usually plan a short Caledonian forest walk in order to give us a chance...
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....
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| Male Crossbill |
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| Female Crossbill by Steve Nicklin |
Continuing the forest theme, unusually, we actually did ok for Crossbill sightings , though most of them were of the typical and rather annoying fly-over variety, we also had a couple of better views, and (unusually!) on the 3rd and the 6th, we even managed a few photos, when birds perched obligingly for a few seconds!
We finally got our first glimpse (3 seconds of a male flying) of a Capercaillie on the 25th of the month, rather ironically, whilst on a mid-morning forest walk in search of Cresties and Crossbills!
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| Male Capercaillie by Ian Dennis |
One of my regular safari clients also got lucky whilst on a drive through a local Caledonian forest, when a male Capercaillie poked it's head up out of the heather for a few seconds...
Please note that Capercaillie numbers would still appear to be declining alarmingly, and I would only rate our chances of seeing one my safaris as "very slim" at best, and now we are into 'lekking' season, I will be 'responsible' by staying out of 'sensitive' areas at dawn through April and May to allow this now very rare and elusive bird to (hopefully) lek and breed in peace....
On the rivers...
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| A local stretch of the River Spey |
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| Dipper |
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| Dipper close-up by Ian Dennis |
It was noticeable that there were increased occurrences of male Dippers seemingly delivering food and additional nest material to the now well hidden female birds at their nest sites , usually underneath bridges or under high , overhanging banks...and we also witnessed a few instances of rival males having territorial disputes....
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| Male Goosander |
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| Common Sandpiper by Josh Allan |
We also saw Goosanders reasonably frequently on local rivers this month....and the first Common Sandpipers have returned too......
Up in the mountains....
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| A snowy April morning at Cairngorm Mountain |
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| Snow Buntings |
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| Snow Bunting |
Although I did not walk up to the the summit area myself this month visits to the ski centre car park early in the month, while the snow was still down to lower levels, gave us some good views of a few lingering Snow Buntings, but they seemed to retreat high up to the mountain tops as the snow line receded.... Those that do walk up though, can get some decent sightings of Ptarmigan as well, with both species now morphing into their summer plumage...
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| Male Ring Ouzel by Martin Stillion |
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| Male and Female Ring Ouzel by Josh Allan |
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| Male Ring Ouzel |
At slightly lower levels ( but still generally at 1,500ft/450m +) newly-arrived Ring Ouzels - sometimes called the Blackbird's mountain dwelling cousin - always prove to be popular with my safari clients, presumably because not many will have seen them locally, as they tend to breed only in remote upland areas well away from human disturbance, and can be quite tricky to find. We are fortunate in having plenty of suitable habitat for them in this area though, and we are often able to get decent views and sometimes photographs of newly-arrived male and female birds .....
On farmland....
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Typical local rough farmland
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| Lapwing - Photo from April 2016 |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Curlew - Photo from April 2016 |
Lots of waders have now returned to their spring/summer breeding grounds on local farmland, with Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Golden Plover, and Curlew all being noted.....
Lingering winter-visiting birds seen in our area this month included:
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| Whooper Swan |
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| The last local Waxwing of the winter |
A few Whooper Swans, Grey Geese (Greylag and Pink-Footed), Redwings, Fieldfares and just one Waxwing ..though these are all likely to depart this area soon....
Other good/scarce birds seen/reported locally this month included:
A Black Redstart in Grantown on Spey, a couple of Ring-Necked Ducks on various local lochs, an Alpine Swift briefly at Strathdearn, 4 Twites near Newtonmore, and a pair of Red-Breasted Mergansers at Lochindorb
A few photos of more common birds seen locally this month:
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| Mallard family by Ian Dennis |
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| A newly-arrived Common Sandpiper by Jan Shields |
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| Canada Geese |
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| Collared Dove |
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| Common Gulls by Jan Shields |
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| Meadow Pipit by Steve Nicklin |
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| Male Stonechat by Steve Nicklin |
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| Greater-Spotted Woodpecker |
Adventures 'out of area': The Moray Coast.
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| The ruggedly beautiful Moray Coast |
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| Rock Pipit by Steve Nicklin |
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| Razorbills by Steve Nicklin |
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| Shag by Steve Nicklin |
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| Male Red-Breasted Merganser by Steve Nicklin |
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| Grey Plover by Steve Nicklin |
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| Male Long-Tailed Duck by Steve Nicklin |
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| Redshank by Steve Nicklin |
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| Fulmar by Steve Nicklin |
The very scenic Moray coast is only about a one hour drive north of Aviemore, and my April trips to favourite reserves, lochs, bays and harbours provided good views of resident and wintering birds such as Greylag Geese, Pink-Footed Geese, Whooper Swan, Wigeon, Teal, Scaup, Pintail, Bar-Tailed and Black-Tailed Godwit, Golden Plover , Rock Pipit, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Turnstone, Curlew, Dunlin, Eider, Red-Throated Diver, and Ringed Plover, and a good selection of scarcer birds including a few White-Billed Divers...
On the 'stacks' , Shag, Gannet, Fulmar, Kittiwake ,Razorbill, Common Guillemot and Black Guillemot were all seen to be nesting already. It was noticeable though, that some of the winter -visiting species were in smaller number than last month, and of course, many of these birds will disappear off north to their breeding grounds soon...
April 2023 mammal sightings in more detail:
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| Red Deer by Jan Shields |
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| Red Deer stag |
Red Deer always prove popular with my safari clients. Being an iconic animal of the Scottish Highlands, the 'Monarch of the Glen' is on most visitors 'wish-lists', and we usually manage to see them regularly in large same-sex herds in upland glens this month, though views are usually quite distant, many of the stags have now lost their old fully-grown antlers, and look a little less impressive while they are growing a new set...
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| Mountain Hare |
Despite most of them now sporting their mottled white and blue-grey spring outfits, Mountain Hares usually seem to be the one to beat in our 'mammal of the day' awards in April - if we get to see them - far from guaranteed- as they certainly become tricky to find among the mottled white and blue-grey rocks of their upland homes!!
It should be noted though, that most of our views are at range through my telescope, and that a closer view or photographic opportunity usually involves some considerable amount of rough uphill walking, sometimes on snow, yes, even in April!
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| Feral Mountain Goats |
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| Feral Mountain Goats by Jan Shields |
Feral Mountain Goats too are only found in a few remote upland areas of the UK, and we are often fortunate enough to have good views of these wild looking, multi-coloured creatures, with the fast-growing youngsters now almost as big as the adults...
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| Red Squirrel |
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| Red Squirrel by Jan Shields |
Seeing a Red Squirrel is always a treat, especially for those who don't have them locally - sadly, most UK residents - but we have good numbers here, and we were fortunate enough to see them regularly this month, sometimes at forest feeding stations, and sometimes running around or climbing trees...
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| Roe Deer |
Roe Deer however, are common and numerous over most of the UK, but due to their nervous nature and crepuscular habits, they are rarely seen well unless you are out and about early or late, or in a really quiet place, well away from human disturbance..
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| Brown Hare by Steve Nicklin - Photo from April 2018 |
As spring tends to reach us a little later this far north, where Brown Hares are concerned, we tend to get 'Mad April Hares' rather than 'Mad March Hares'' , and that proved to be the case this month, with lots of frisky behaviour being witnessed.
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| Seals at the Moray Coast |
As I mentioned earlier, both types of seal can be seen at the nearby Moray coast at a number of well known 'haul-out' sites. Please give them plenty of space though, and avoid disturbing them....
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| Carrot time for Murdo |
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....
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 17 years of providing wildlife safaris should give you an idea of how difficult they are to see.
Other wildlife:
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| A Wood Ant nest |
Some of the warmer days saw a few pioneering butterflies - Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma and Small White - on the wing, joining the increasing numbers of bees, the first activity this year was noted in the Wood Ant colonies, and a few Bats were seen hawking insects over water at dusk.
News:
All tourism/hospitality/activities in Scotland are open , are free of restrictions and I have now completed well over a year and a half of (thankfully!) increasingly busy and extremely enjoyable safaris with clients with no major issues arising.
With all national travel restrictions lifted too, 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:
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
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| Insh Marshes - flooded due to snow-melt |
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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| Spring colours |
Summary:
I apologise for repeating myself, but It is only when I have time to sit down and compile my monthly wildlife sightings blog and look back through my notes and the photos that I and my safari clients have taken during the month that I really become aware of what a great time we have had, appreciate how lucky I am to live and work here, and see how successful our safaris have been.... and it would appear that , despite the changeable weather, April 2023, turned out to be a really excellent and very enjoyable month for wildlife watching in and around the Cairngorms National Park. With the returning summer visiting birds flooding northwards to join our local speciality resident species, the dawn chorus, the days lengthening, flowers (finally!) blooming, the huge variety of unique and stunning scenery and the weather ( generally! ) improving, I can honestly say that I would not want to be anywhere else in the world than here in the majestic Scottish Highlands at this time of year, and it was especially nice this month to be able to show it all off, and spend time with, lots of my valued regulars, and also a number of new safari clients from all round the world, who were visiting this area for the first time.......happy days!!
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 - We now have over 280 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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| Spring at the nearby Moray Coast |
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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