Weather-wise, July 2023 was probably best described as very changeable, as it was sometimes calm, sometimes breezy, with most days seeing a combination of sun, cloud, and drizzle, and although it was cooler and wetter than average, we only had a few really heavy rain downpours and thunderstorms, and no really extreme conditions were experienced, though with daytime temperatures varying between 8c and 20c, a layered approach to clothing was definitely the best plan!
Full-day (8 hours) safari bird species day lists dropped a little, down into the 40's or 30's, as some of our wader species moved away from their upland breeding territories to the coasts, and bird-wise things have definitely quietened down , with much less singing noted, as just about every species seems to have successfully raised and fledged youngsters now, and some will be preparing to leave the area soon...
Mammal day lists varied between 3 and 8, depending on the length of day, and variety of habitats visited...with early starts generally producing more and closer sightings, with again, many species seen with youngsters..
With plenty of warm sunshine and regular showers giving the area a very lush, green appearance, more heather starting to turn a beautiful vivid purple, and the wild flowers and butterflies at their most abundant, the Cairngorms National Park really was a beautiful and unspoilt place to be this month, and my safari clients certainly seemed to enjoy being here....
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| July in the Cairngorms National Park |
To give you an idea of what you may realistically hope to see if you are considering a future July 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 July's will help....clicking on the picture enlarges it to full-screen.
Local speciality/upland bird species seen regularly during the month included:
Osprey, Red Grouse, Goldeneye and Dipper. and Slavonian Grebe, Red-Throated Diver and Black-Throated Diver (all with young) were seen occasionally, a few reasonable , if unreliable, views of Crested Tit and Crossbill were managed, and we enjoyed a couple of distant Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle sightings ...Sadly, but typically at this time of year, we failed to see Capercaillie or Black Grouse at all this month, and our local Ring Ouzels appear to have already headed south.....
Mammal species seen regularly included:
Red Squirrel, Rabbit, Brown Hare, Roe Deer, Red Deer, Reindeer and feral Mountain Goat, with just one sighting of a Mountain Hare , a couple of brief glimpses of Bank Voles scuttling across tracks, and one good view of a Stoat ...
All photographs of wildlife, especially Schedule 1 and other protected bird species were taken at long range with powerful zoom lenses, or from my vehicle on public roads, well away from nest sites, and no disturbance was caused to any wildlife....
July 2023 bird sightings in more detail:
On the lochs...
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| A local loch |
Our local Ospreys stole the show again this month, these attractive and impressive raptors were often voted as 'Bird of the day' by my safari clients, with the adult birds seen fishing, delivering fish and feeding and encouraging the fast growing 'scaly' looking , orange-eyed youngsters to take their 'maiden flights', and by late-month they had indeed fledged and could be seen perched in adjacent trees and flying for the first time.. I can therefore highly recommend July as THE month for Osprey watching and photography in this area...
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| Osprey |
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| Young Osprey |
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| Adult Osprey |
As I reported last month, a pair of Slavonian Grebes, undoubtedly one of the UK's rarest and most beautiful breeding birds, had nested and fledged two young on a quiet local loch, and although they were often difficult to spot in the middle of large beds of lily pads, the youngsters appear to be almost fully grown now, so hopefully they will be ok.....
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| Adult Slavonian Grebes |
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| Young Slavonian Grebe |
Divers (Loons), being very rare in summer south of here, and looking resplendent in their dapper summer plumage are always popular with my safari clients, and we were fortunate enough to get some good views of both Red-Throated and Black-Throated throughout the month, both with their rapidly growing youngsters on their favoured local lochs. It should be noted however, that they are rarely seen close to the shore, can be difficult to find in 'choppy' conditions, and are easily disturbed by non wildlife-friendly tourists dog-walking, swimming and boating etc, so the less windy days and early morning starts in search of them usually gave us our closest sightings, and sightings became noticeably less frequent as the month progressed, as some presumably moved out to the coast where they will spend the autumn and winter...
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| Red-Throated Diver |
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| Young Black-Throated Divers |
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| Adult Black-Throated Diver |
Goldeneyes only breed in the UK in northern Scotland, and their numbers have increased greatly in recent years, mainly due to the RSPB providing nest boxes on trees around most local lochs - yes, they really are a duck that nests up a tree! - and we got to see several families of these very attractive little ducks this month...
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| Young Goldeneye |
Up on the moors....
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| A local upland heather moorland |
Red Grouse are always popular with my safari parties, as being a bird of largely uninhabited upland heather moorlands, most of my clients do not have them close to home. We, however, are fortunate to have lots of suitable habitat in this area, and although they were sometimes elusive, we often enjoyed good close up views of families of up to 6 of these very characterful and beautifully marked birds, though with the 'glorious 12th' rapidly approaching... I suspect they may not be quite so obliging next month...
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| Young Red Grouse |
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| Adult female Red Grouse |
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| Adult male Red Grouse |
In the Caledonian forests...
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| Ancient Caledonian Forest |
Crested Tits were seen occasionally on our walks through Caledonian pine forests, usually in family parties, though there didn't appear to be any 'pattern' to our sightings, and I must stress again, that they can be very elusive in the spring and summer months, and knowing their distinctive rippling trills is a huge advantage in helping you to see these very 'flitty' little local specialities....
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| Crested Tit |
It was a similar story with Crossbills too, with most of our sightings being of the rather frustrating 'fly-over' variety, with them only being identified by their characteristic 'jip' 'jip' calls as they flew between different parts of the forests, and despite my best efforts, we only managed a couple of brief views of perched birds this month...
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| Crossbills |
In the birch woods:
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| A local Birch Wood |
Although there were a few reports of sightings of Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher in our local birch woods early in the month, they were extremely difficult to find now they have stopped singing, fledged young, and with a full canopy of leaves....so we had to make do with the odd sighting of Willow Warbler, Redstart and Spotted Flycatcher....
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| Spotted Flycatcher |
On the rivers...
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| The local River Spey |
Dipper sightings were a bit 'random' this month, with the birds seemingly quite mobile up and down the rivers. On some days, despite our best efforts, we saw none, and on other days we saw one or more on each river we visited! Which just goes to show that although local knowledge and experience are important, nothing is ever guaranteed, and sometimes you need a bit of luck too......
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| Dipper |
Large families of Goosanders were also seen on local rivers on a few occasions...
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| Goosanders |
Up in the glens...
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| A local upland glen |
Eagles are probably hardest to see in mid-summer (in this area at least), as the birds are still concentrating on fledging their young, and have so many hours of daylight in which to hunt, meaning that the likelihood of us just happening to be in the right place at the right time only happens rarely, and sadly, but true to form, we only managed a couple of distant Golden Eagle and White -Tailed Eagle sightings this month, ......but if previous years are anything to go by, things should improve in the coming weeks as the youngsters take to the wing for the first time....
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| Sub-adult Golden Eagle |
Other birds of prey seen reasonably regularly on my safaris this month included Osprey, Common Buzzard, Kestrel, Peregrine, Sparrowhawk and Red Kite.........
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| Common Buzzard |
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| Red Kite |
Up in the mountains....
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| July in the Cairngorm Mountains |
July is 'last chance saloon' for seeing all 3 of our mountain top species ( Ptarmigan, Snow Bunting and Dotterel) in one trip, as the Dotterel often depart in early August , but being pretty busy with safaris, and with no sightings reported, I didn't venture up myself...so I have included some photos from previous years, to show what is (or was) possible ....
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| Snow Bunting (photo from July 2018) |
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| Juvenile Dotterel (photo from July 2017) |
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| Ptarmigan family by Bob Smith (photo from July 2019) |
On farmland....
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| Typical local grazing farmland |
Although wader numbers on local farmland are definitely reducing post-breeding, we still managed a few views of families of Lapwing, Curlew and Oystercatcher.....
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| Curlew |
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| Lapwing |
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| Oystercatcher |
Other good/scarce birds seen/reported locally this month included:
A Nuthatch at Carrbridge on the 3rd, a Shoveler , a Common Scoter, and a Marsh Harrier at Insh Marshes/Loch Insh, and a Kingfisher on the River Gynack, near Kingussie....
A few photos of more common birds seen locally this month:
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| Sky Lark |
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| Redshank |
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| Goldfinch |
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| Curlew Chick by Bob Smith |
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| Stonechat |
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| Barn Swallow |
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| Common Sandpiper |
Adventures 'out of area':
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| Lossiemouth East Beach and lagoon |
A very enjoyable day at the nearby Moray Coast (about an hour's drive away), on the 8th, visiting a variety of saltmarshes, bays, headlands, and harbours saw us enjoy great sightings of Ospreys, Terns and Gannets - all fishing, a nice selection of Auks, waders, wildfowl and seaducks, and a bonus rarity in the form of a Ruddy Shelduck, with mammals well represented by Seals and leaping Dolphins....
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| Red-Breasted Mergansers |
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| Mute Swans |
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| Osprey with fish by Bob Smith |
July 2023 mammal sightings in more detail:
Red Squirrel was probably voted 'mammal of the day' most frequently by my safari clients this month, with many of them excited to see these charismatic and undeniably cute little animals for the first time, and bringing home to me the fact that, although I am lucky to see them regularly here, they are now very difficult to see in most of the UK, being confined mainly to the northern Scottish Highlands, with just a few small localised populations remaining in other areas...
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| Red Squirrel |
Similarly, another iconic 'Highland speciality', Red Deer were seen regularly in local upland glens, usually in large same-sex herds, the stags happily feeding and seemingly relaxing, and the hinds with their fast-growing young always nearby ....
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| Red Deer |
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| Red Deer Stag |
Strangely, we struggled for sightings of another scarce and very localised mammal, the feral Mountain Goat this month....interesting animals, that seem to like remote upland areas, and come in a wide variety of colours, from white, through grey and brown to black, or sometimes a mixture of all of these..
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| Feral Mountain Goats |
Though Roe Deer are actually quite common and widespread across the UK, their shy, nervous disposition means that they are more frequently found in quieter, less disturbed places, especially at dawn and dusk, meaning that most members of the general public rarely encounter them...but we saw them most days, especially if we made a reasonably early start...
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| Roe Deer |
The same could also be said of Brown Hares, with most of our sightings coming early in the day before too much human disturbance, and generally on the more remote and secluded areas of open farmland...
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| Brown Hare (photo from July 2019) |
Mountain Hares too are actually pretty tricky to find, certainly outside of the winter months, especially in their 'summer camouflage' coats of mottled brown and grey, and the one sighting that we did manage this month was a brief 'random' encounter on high moorlands, whilst in search of the special birds of that habitat..
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| Mountain 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....
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| Carrot time for Murdo |
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:
Midsummer is peak time for butterflies and wild flowers in this area, and a typical June, given some sunny and calm days, usually sees us enjoying sightings of Comma, Red Admiral, Peacock. Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillary, Small Copper, Common Blue and Orange Tip among others, with the local speciality Scotch Argus possible from late July...and a splendid range of wild flowers including several types of Orchids....and our local Wood Ants are now very active....
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| Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillary by Bob Smith |
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| Common Blue |
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| Comma |
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| Small Tortoiseshell |
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| Northern Brown Argus by Bob Smith |
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| Scotch Argus |
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| Wood Ant nest |
Midsummer is also a good time to witness leaping Atlantic Salmon making their way up to the spawning grounds in the upper reaches of Highland rivers. They can usually be seen well at a number of well known sites, though with the rivers well below 'normal' levels this year, they may be stuck in deeper stretches further downstream for a while yet....
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| Leaping Atlantic Salmon (photo from July 2017) |
News:
I am very pleased to announce that Highland Wildlife & Birdwatch Safaris has recently been awarded - for the second consecutive year - a Travellers 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 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 years, so a big THANK YOU to you all :)
All tourism/hospitality/activities in Scotland are open , are free of restrictions and I have now completed two years 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, and already this year, I have enjoyed meeting my first ever clients from Chile, and Singapore....
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
Positive prescriptions | The RSPB
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| Rosebay Willowherb or 'Fireweed' |
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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| Common Spotted Orchids in a local woodland |
Summary:
Although the bird breeding season is almost over and the birds are much 'quieter' than in springtime, July is still a pretty decent month to see a good selection of birds, animals and butterflies in this area, with no need for a really early start (6am-8am is fine) and it's also good for a mountain-top adventure, or a trip to a seabird colony with (usually) fairly good weather, and all still with plenty of daylight hours....
I must confess though, that I always tend to feel just a little sad at the end of every July , as I know that many of our iconic summer visiting birds like Osprey, Slavonian Grebe, Ring Ouzel and the Divers, are soon to vacate our area and fly south to warmer climes as summer turns to early autumn next month, so I try to savour every sighting of these species....
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| My trusty LandRover Discovery out on safari |
Reviews:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186537-d3335134-Reviews-
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| Purple heather on a local hillside |
Gift Certificates:
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| Safari gift voucher |
