February 2024
February 2024 was very changeable weather-wise in this area, with no really settled spells of weather, just about every type of conditions experienced, and temperatures ranging from -10c to +10c with the colder, snowier days reminding us that February is still very much winter this far north. However, on the warmer, brighter days, there was definitely a feeling of spring not being TOO far away now, with the lighter mornings and evenings, the return inland of some of the wading birds, and more woodland and garden birds heard singing.
The days are lengthening noticeably now, with up to 9-10 hours of usable daylight, and dawn (for the Black Grouse) is still a relatively sociable 7am, with dusk at around 5pm.
Full-day local safari bird lists usually top-out in the 30's or 40's, though a trip to the nearby (one hour by car ) Moray Coast can boost this total considerably, whilst mammal day lists can vary between 3 and 8 species, depending on the time of our start and number of habitats visited, with early starts usually proving to be best.
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| Dawn on a local upland moorland |
To give you an idea of what you may realistically hope to see if you are considering a future February visit, I hope the following more detailed information, illustrated with photos taken at sites in and around the Cairngorms National Park, and sometimes further afield, by myself, my friends or my safari clients this month and in previous February'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 (usually first hour of light only), Red Grouse, Snow Bunting, and Dipper, we also managed a few decent views of Crested Tits on our forest walks , and a few reasonable Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle sightings up in the glens...sadly, Crossbills proved very elusive, with just a few brief glimpses, and despite many hours spent walking and driving around local Caledonian forests, just one brief glimpse of a Capercaillie was enjoyed.....
A good variety of seabirds, waders, wildfowl and Geese were seen at the Moray Coast and the nearby inland lochs...
Mammal species seen regularly included:
Red Deer, Roe Deer, Red Squirrel, Rabbit, Mountain Goat, with just a few sightings of Mountain Hare (still white), Brown Hare, Wood Mouse and Bank Vole ...
February 2024 bird sightings in more detail:
Up on the moors....
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| Late winter on a local heather moorland |
Dawn in February (still a pretty user-friendly 7 am) on my safaris is usually spent visiting one (or more if needed!) local Black Grouse lek sites, usually a flat, grassy area on an upland heather moorland with forest not too far away, and we enjoyed the spectacle of up to 7 of these attractive, but sadly now increasingly rare, blue-black cock birds displaying, posturing aggressively and flutter-jumping in a bid to out-display and intimidate their opponents in a bid to secure their little patch of the 'arena' for the forthcoming breeding season, all accompanied by their distinctive bubbling and whooshing calls drifting across the moor... surely one of British wildlife's 'must-see' (and 'must hear') experiences? 'Performances' are usually noticeably better on cold, still mornings.... but please be aware that we have to view from a respectful (and legal) distance, and that sightings are not 'guaranteed' as the birds can fail to show for no apparent reason, as was the case on a few occasions this month...
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| Displaying Black Grouse |
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| Dueling Black Grouse - Photo from Feb 2021 |
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| Take your partners for the Blackcock Tango! - Photo from Feb 2019 |
Still on the moors, the cock Red Grouse too, are now becoming very territorial and full of aggression ,but they have a very different method to the other Grouse species, as they defend their chosen 'territory' from rivals and try to attract a mate with much calling and posturing and their red eye wattles aglow, usually from one of the few higher vantage points, making them (occasionally) nice and easy for us to find!
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| Male and female Red Grouse by Chris Moncrieff |
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| Female Red Grouse by Chris Moncrieff |
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| Male Red Grouse by Chris Moncrieff |
Up in the glens...
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| Late winter in a picturesque local glen |
Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle are nearly always on my safari clents' "wish-lists", and as I have said before, the shorter days of the winter months , and no nesting distractions definitely give us the best chance of seeing them. That trend was continued this month, with several sightings of GE and a couple of WTE being achieved, though not as frequently as we had enjoyed in the 3-4 months before this, as many of the adult birds will now be thinking about pairing-up and nesting....
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| Golden Eagle |
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| Golden Eagle - Photo from Feb 2020 |
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| White-Tailed Eagle |
Should the Eagles fail to show, the regular 'raptor back-up cast' of Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard , Red Kite, and the chance of the occasional Peregrine, Merlin, Hen Harrier or Goshawk often provide good entertainment by way of consolation though, and some of these species were seen performing courtship displays this month, another sign that breeding season will soon be upon us...
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| Kestrel - Photo from Feb 2023 |
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| Goshawk - Photo from Feb 2021 |
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| Common Buzzard |
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| Red Kite |
In the forests...
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| A local ancient Caledonian Forest |
Similarly to last February, Crested Tits proved to be a little elusive this month, with fewer sightings than normal achieved, though thankfully, it wasn't just me, as guides from other safaris experienced the same disappointment, with the favourite theory as to why, being that the often strangely mild and spring-like weather in the second half of the month may have made them less dependent on feeding stations and may even have prompted them to begin courtship season very early....
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| Crested Tit |
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| Crested Tit |
Generally though, 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...
Still in the Caledonian forests, we actually did ok for Crossbill sightings again this month, with a few decent views...mainly because the period between December and March is breeding season for them, which means that this is your best chance to see a male perched on a treetop, often singing to defend a territory and attract a mate....whereas they can be pretty tricky to see (apart from flyovers) for the rest of the year...
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| Male Crossbill |
Please note that Capercaillie numbers would still appear to be alarmingly low, they are now very rare and elusive, and I would only rate our chances of seeing one on my safaris as "very slim" at best, and we are asked not to go in search of them, for fear of disturbing them.....
https://cairngormscapercaillie.scot/lek-it-be/
A bonus by-product of regular winter feeding is often (especially on colder days) being able to feed the incredibly confiding Coal Tits and (sometimes) Great Tits by hand, an experience much enjoyed by my safari clients of all ages...
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| Hand-feeding a Coal Tit - Fun for all the family |
On the rivers...
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| The River Findhorn |
Our Dippers are in full 'breeding season mode' now, and early morning visits to known favourite sites (keeping a respectful distance of course) occasionally give us great views of these characterful and hardy little birds singing their hearts out, with wings back and chests pushed out... and towards the end of the month we sometimes see one or two carrying nesting material....and it still makes me shiver every time I see these tough little birds submerge themselves when feeding amongst the ice in the freezing winter months...
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| Posturing Dippers by Ron Mitchell - Photo from Feb 2023 |
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| Dipper with nesting material - Photo from Feb 2017 |
We also occasionally see Goosander and Goldeneye on our local rivers too....
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| Female Goosander |
On the lochs...
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| A picturesque local loch |
Star birds on our local lochs during the winter are probably the Goldeneyes, with the males now in their dapper breeding plumage with some already seen performing their elaborate courtship display, and the winter-visiting Whooper Swans, with a back up cast of Goosander, Teal, Wigeon and Tufted Ducks.
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| Whooper Swans |
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| Female Goldeneye |
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| Male Goldeneye by Steve Nicklin |
On the marshes...
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| A very flooded Insh Marshes |
Although the marshes were flooded for the first half of the month, raptors such as Kestrel, Buzzard, and Red Kite were seen reasonably regularly, and the occasional Hen Harrier, Merlin, Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle also reported. and once the water receded, alongside the ever-present Grey Herons, ducks like Mallard, Teal and Wigeon were noted, along with Whooper Swans and several species of 'grey' Geese, and the first returning waders such as Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Curlew and Golden Plover were reported.....
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| Whooper Swans |
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| Grey Heron - Photo from Feb 2021 |
Up in the mountains....
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| Cairngorm Mountain |
Snow Buntings can often be seen in and around the Cairngorms Ski Centre car park in the winter months, if it can be accessed in the often heavy snow and high winds!!, and that was the case on a few occasions this month, with up to 20 of these attractive and characterful little birds being seen. Their confiding nature means that you can sometimes creep reasonably close for photos too, especially if you put some wild bird seed out to attract and distract them....
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| Snow Buntings |
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| Snow Bunting by Chris Moncrieff |
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| Snow Bunting by Chris Moncrieff |
With the Cairngorm Funicular Railway still closed for repairs, the weather rarely being suitable , and the days so short now, I didn't venture up into the mountain-tops myself this month, but for future reference, a few Ptarmigan , still almost totally white, can sometimes be seen, up around the 'snow-line', usually sheltering on the leeward sides of ridges, out of the cold wind...
On farmland....
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| Typical local farmland |
The first waders were seen returning to their spring/summer breeding grounds, with Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Golden Plover and Curlew all being noted.....
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| Lapwing |
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| Oystercatcher |
In local gardens...
Berry bushes, fruit trees and garden bird feeding stations are a real magnet for hungry winter visiting birds from further north, and Redwings, Fieldfares Bramblings and Redpolls were all seen locally alongside the more common tits and finches, and we continued to enjoy our first proper 'invasion' of Waxwings for some years, with my own garden in Aviemore having up to 40 of these fantastic birds feeding on sliced apples on the lawn, picnic table , and from my garden rake 'apple tree' on and off throughout the month...
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| Lesser Redpolls |
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| Male Bullfinch |
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| Waxwings |
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| Waxwings |
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| Waxwing |
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| Waxwing |
Other good/scarce birds seen/reported locally this month included:
Big flocks of Lesser Redpolls (with the odd Mealy Redpoll among them) were seen locally throughout the month, a few White-Fronted Geese were reported at various locations, and the local Great Grey Shrike was seen up until the first few days of the month,
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| Great Grey Shrike by Steve Nicklin |
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| Lesser Redpoll by Steve Nicklin |
A few photos of more common birds seen locally this month:
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| Mistle Thrush |
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| Male Chaffinch |
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| Siskin by Steve Nicklin |
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| Great Tit |
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| Greater Spotted Woodpecker by Steve Nicklin |
Adventures 'out of area':
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| Early morning at Findhorn Bay Nature Reserve on the Moray Coast |
The Moray coast is only about an hour drive north of Aviemore, and trips to favourite reserves, lochs, bays and harbours gave good views of wintering birds such as Greylag Geese, Pink-Footed Geese, Whooper Swan, Shoveler, Wigeon, Teal, Pintail, Black-Tailed Godwit, Bar-Tailed Godwit, Knot, Golden Plover , Grey Plover , Ringed Plover, Purple Sandpiper, Redshank, Oystercatcher, Turnstone, Curlew, Common Scoter, Velvet Scoter, Long-Tailed Ducks, Eiders, Divers, and Slavonian Grebe, with the chance of rare/scarce birds such as American Wigeon, Green-Winged Teal, Tree Sparrow , Grey Partridge, and rare gulls.....
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| Common Scoters |
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| Male Long-Tailed Duck |
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| Male Eider Duck |
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| Female Scaup by Steve Nicklin |
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| Iceland Gull by Steve Nicklin |
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Wigeon
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Purple Sandpipers
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The freshwater lochs and nature reserves just inland from the Moray Coast can be productive too....
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| Loch Spynie |
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| Tufted Ducks |
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| Little Grebe |
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| Male Smew by Steve Nicklin |
February 2024 mammal sightings in more detail:
Star mammal for February is usually that much sought-after local speciality the Mountain Hare, and rightly so, as Britain's only native 'lagomorph' and with their UK distribution being restricted to just a few remote upland areas, seeing one is always a treat.
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| Mountain Hare by Chris Moncrieff |
Seeing them was tricky during the snowy conditions early in the month, and I often had to resort to using my thermal imager to find them, but it actually became easier than usual for the second half of the month with the lack of snow meaning that their white coats made them much more obvious against their mountainside background...
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| Mountain Hare by Chris Moncrieff |
It should be noted though, that most of our views are at range through my telescope, and that a closer view or photo opportunity usually involves some considerable rough uphill walking, often in deep snow....
In the same upland glens, Red Deer, mainly in large same-sex herds, can usually be seen, although a number of factors such as the weather, in particular the wind strength and depth of the snow, and whether there is any local shooting activity , can dictate whether we get nice close-up views, or distant views through the telescope....
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| Red Deer Stags |
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| Red Deer Stag by Ron Mitchell - Photo from Feb 2023 |
Still up in the glens, another local speciality mammal, our Feral Mountain Goats can often seen on the same sheltered sides of the ridges as the Red Deer , and at this time of year it is not unusual to see them with the first , very cute, new-born youngsters ....
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| Feral Mountain Goats |
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| Feral Mountain Goats |
Red Squirrels are a true Highlands speciality, and we are usually fortunate enough to see at least one on most of my safaris, mainly chomping on peanuts at forest feeding stations, but with the occasional random sighting whilst walking or driving in suitable habitat.
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| Red Squirrel |
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| Red Squirrel |
Roe Deer are most commonly seen at dawn or dusk and generally at the quieter, more remote sites well away from human disturbance, their shy, nervous nature making them much harder to see than Red Deer, despite being considerably more numerous and widespread than their larger 'cousins'...
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| Roe Deer |
We managed a few (mainly early morning) sightings of Brown Hare this month, usually on the quieter farmland areas, but sadly they were mainly very fleeting glimpses. with no decent photo opportunities.....
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| Brown Hare - Photo from Feb 2019 |
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 |
Marine mammals:
The Moray coast is pretty reliable for sightings of Seals, with a decent chance of Harbour Porpoise and Dolphins, and, even a slim chance of Whales.....
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, including one on the 10th of this month, 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 19 years of providing wildlife safaris should give you an idea of how difficult they are to see.
Other wildlife:
I don't recall seeing any 'other wildlife' this month....
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| A snowy scene at a local river |
News:
I am very pleased to announce that Highland Wildlife & Birdwatch Safaris has recently been awarded - for the second 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 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 :)
We have also recently upgraded our safari vehicle to a slightly newer Land Rover Discovery HSE LUX 7-seater, and this one has 7 heated seats, along with 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 ultra-low emissions and better fuel economy....
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| My new(er) safari vehicle on it's 'debut' outing |
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.
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
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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| Uath Lochans viewed from Fairletter Ridge |
Summary:
Although, with just two safari bookings, I felt like a bit of a 'Norman No Mates' out on my adventures in the first half of the month, thankfully, a good part of the second half was spent showing off the spectacular scenery and special wildlife of the Cairngorms National Park to a nice mix of first-timers, returners and valued regulars, some of whom have become good friends, which was much more enjoyable, and although the weather was very changeable, it wasn't that bad for February, and looking back through my sightings notes and photos, I reckon we did pretty well with a good selection of local specialities, winter visitors and common species seen and enjoyed, a few rarities thrown-in, and some good times , a few laughs, and plenty of hot drinks and shortbread enjoyed along the way ....
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| A wintry scene at a local glen |
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 well over 300 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
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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