November 2024
November 2024 started with us, very unexpectedly, enjoying unseasonably mild, dry and calm weather, and for the first couple of weeks we experienced temperatures more akin to spring than autumn.... However, things changed dramatically from the 18th onwards, with an Arctic blast from the north bringing us much colder temperatures, down to -8c, and our first proper snow and frosts at this end of the year, but the cold spell was fairly short-lived, and the month ended with south-westerly winds dominating due to Storm Bert, and a milder, wetter, and more changeable feel...overall though, for November, it was a pretty decent month for wildlife-watching weather-wise...
The more frequent show showers and dropping temperatures mid-month meant that the snow level on the Cairngorm Mountains is gradually creeping lower, as autumn most definitely turns to winter this far north.
Many trees have retained some of their colourful autumn leaves, and although the local berry stocks have taken a bit of a hit after a couple of months of attention from the local Blackbirds and thrushes and the incoming Redwings and Fieldfares, there are still plenty of berries remaining....
Though the days are shortening noticeably now, with only around 8-9 hours of usable daylight (7am-4pm approx), a further influx of winter-visiting birds from further north, helped to boost local full-day bird day-lists into the 30's , or more if you include a trip to the nearby Moray coast, whilst mammal day-lists varied between 3 and 6 species, depending on the time of our start, and variety of habitats visited, with early starts usually proving to be more productive.
Although the water levels in the rivers were much lower than normal early in the month, thankfully, there was just enough water for the Atlantic Salmon able to reach their traditional spawning grounds and they provided great entertainment for most of the month.
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| A typical autumn scene in the Cairngorms National Park |
To give you an idea of what you may realistically hope to see if you are considering a future November 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 November's will help....clicking on the picture enlarges it to full-screen.
All photographs of wildlife, especially Schedule 1 and other protected or vulnerable bird species shown on this website were taken legally 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..
Local speciality/upland bird species seen regularly during the month included:
Red Grouse, Dipper, Goldeneye, Goosander, Golden Eagle, and White-Tailed Eagle.
Black Grouse were occasionally seen at or soon after dawn at traditional lek sites, though they were a little unreliable, Crested Tits proved to be a bit uncooperative, and Crossbills were generally frustratingly elusive again, and (not unusually) we failed to see any Capercaillie...
Mammal species seen regularly included:
Red Squirrel, Reindeer, Red Deer, Roe Deer, Mountain Goat, and Rabbit , with just a couple of sightings of (now mostly white) Mountain Hare..... a few early morning sightings of Brown Hare, a couple of brief glimpses of Bank Vole, and we also enjoyed great close-up views of Atlantic Salmon spawning in the upper reaches of our local rivers...
November 2024 bird sightings in more detail:
Up in the glens:
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| A picturesque local U-shaped glacial valley |
As I have mentioned in previous years, and with no apologies for repeating myself... given favourable weather conditions, November is in my opinion, THE month for raptor sightings in this area, and so it proved again this year, with my favourite local upland glens (and moors and marshes) providing my safari clients and I with pleasingly regular sightings, and even the odd (very rare) photo opportunity, of the iconic and much coveted Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle, with these huge, awesome and majestic 'Kings of the skies' providing great entertainment, numerous memorable 'life-ticks' for my safari clients, and putting big smiles on many faces....
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| Golden Eagle |
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| Golden Eagle by Steve Nicklin - Photo from November 2020 |
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| Young Golden Eagle by James Ball - Photo from November 2018 |
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| Golden Eagle by Jon Worthington - Photo from November 2022 |
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| White Tailed Eagles by Josh Allan - Photo from November 2022 |
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| White Tailed Eagle by Josh Allan - Photo from November 2022 |
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| White Tailed Eagle - Photo from November 2017 |
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| White Tailed Eagle - Photo from November 2023 |
Should the Eagles fail to show, the regular 'raptor back-up cast' of Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Buzzard , Red Kite, and the chance of even the occasional Merlin, Hen Harrier and Goshawk often provide good entertainment by way of consolation though....
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| Merlin by James Ball - Photo from November 2017 |
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| Kestrel by Jon Worthington - Photo from November 2022 |
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| Peregrine Falcon by Jon Worthington - Photo from November 2022 |
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| Goshawk by Jon Worthington - Photo from November 2022 |
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| Common Buzzard by Jon Worthington - Photo from November 2022 |
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| Red Kite by Rob Ellett - Photo from November 2019 |
Up on the moors....
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| A local upland heather moorland |
Red Grouse, being birds of very specific upland heather moorland habitat, are absent from much of the UK these days . Thankfully though, we have no shortage of them in this area, and though not guaranteed, sightings were pretty reliable. It was interesting to note that a few of the cock birds (identifiable by their darker plumage and red 'eyebrows') are already starting to get a bit more 'showy' and aggressive, with a few seen seemingly staking their claim to prime territory, often while uttering their characteristic cackling "go-bak, go-bak" calls..
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| Male Red Grouse |
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| Female Red Grouse |
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| Male Red Grouse by Ron Mitchell - Photo from November 2015 |
On the more remote upland moors, Black Grouse are always popular with my safari clients, probably because of their relative rarity, and sadly, declining numbers over much of the UK.
However, we are fortunate to still have decent numbers in Highland Scotland, and our dawn (7:30am approx) visits to their traditional local moorland 'lek' sites produced some good sightings of up to 6 cock birds displaying, though it should be noted that we also had a few mornings when the birds failed to show, and that the 'lekking' season between January and late May is far more reliable...
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| A distant dawn view of displaying Black Grouse |
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| Displaying Black Grouse |
Our local moorlands can also produce sightings of birds of prey, and this month we saw Kestrel, Common Buzzard, Red Kite and Hen Harrier.....
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| Ring-Tail Hen Harrier by Ron Mitchell |
In the Caledonian pine forests...
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| Nice morning light in a local caledonian Forest |
Winter is usually by far the best time of year to see Crested Tits, as the weather turns colder and snowier, with the easy pickings on offer at my Caledonian forest feeding stations, especially soon after dawn, seemingly proving to be very enticing. With only around 1200 of these birds in the UK, and their distribution very localised, it was a great feeling to show off these true 'Speyside specialities' to my safari clients, especially those who were seeing them for the very first time, though the unusually mild weather in the first half of the month meant that sightings of them were less frequent than usual....
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| Crested Tit |
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| Crested Tit |
Still in the Caledonian pine forests, rather frustratingly, Crossbills continued to be a bit of a 'bogey-bird', with (yet again) sightings mainly restricted to snatched glimpses of calling birds flying around the tree tops, us only identifying them by their characteristic "jip-jip" calls...with the exception of one group that perched nicely in a tree, and dropped down to drink from a stream for just a few seconds on the 4th....
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| Crossbills |
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| Crossbills by Ron MItchell |
A bonus by-product of regular winter feeding is sometimes (especially on colder days) being able to feed the incredibly confiding Coal Tits and (sometimes) Great Tits and Robins by hand, an experience much enjoyed by my safari clients of all ages...
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| Hand feeding Coal Tits |
As is usual, sadly, we failed to manage any sightings of Capercaillie this month......and to be honest, even if we did get a sighting of one, in the interests of conservation, I am inclined to keep it quiet these days.... sorry...
Please note that Capercaillie numbers would still appear to be alarmingly low, they are now very rare and elusive, possibly on the brink of extinction, and I would only rate our chances of seeing one on my safaris as "very slim" at best, and we are now requested not to go in search of them, for fear of disturbing them.....and please be aware that Police Scotland and the Cairngorms National Park Authority Rangers patrol 'known' Capercaillie areas for the first few hours of light throughout the spring/summer in an attempt to dissuade anyone from entering the forest and potentially disturbing the birds during lekking/breeding season.....with prosecution an option if you fail to heed their 'advice'....you have been warned....
https://cairngormscapercaillie.scot/lek-it-be/
On the lochs..
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| Nice autumn colours at a picturesque local loch |
With the summer-visiting water birds all gone now, our resident Goldeneyes and Goosanders, are now joined by winter-visiting Whooper Swans 'grey' Geese, Teal and Wigeon, alongside the more common species like Mute Swan, Tufted Duck and Mallard....
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| Whooper Swans |
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| Female Goldeneye |
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| Goosander by Ron Mitchell |
On the marshes...
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| late autumn at Insh Marshes |
Alongside the ever-present Grey Herons, ducks like Mallard, Teal and Wigeon were noted, along with Whooper Swans and 'grey' Geese , and raptors such as Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Red Kite, and Hen Harrier were seen reasonably regularly, and the occasional Merlin, Goshawk, Barn Owl, Tawny Owl, Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle also reported - Though it should be noted, that generally, views of the birds at this site are at long range, so photo opportunities are limited....
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| Grey Heron |
Up in the mountains....
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| Late autumn in the Cairngorm Mountains |
With the Cairngorm Funicular Railway still out of action, I didn't manage a walk up this month, though a few other local birders took advantage of the calm weather early in the month to do so, and were rewarded with sightings of a few Ptarmigan morphing into their winter-white plumage now, which can make them less difficult to spot amongst the rocks, at least until the snow comes anyway.
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| Ptarmigan - Photo from November 2016 |
The first snow on the tops can sometimes encourage Snow Buntings, a mix of our few resident birds and 'incomers' from further north and east, down to lower levels, and having seen the forecast of snow, the morning of the 18th saw me in position soon after first light, with my bag of mixed wild bird seed, as they can sometimes be quite confiding once tempted in by a free feed, and I'm pleased to report that my cunning plan worked well, with first just 1, then a handful , and eventually over 40 of these beautiful little birds 'performing' well at reasonably close range on and off for a couple of hours, until the increase in disturbance caused by the inevitable 'invasion' of snowsports enthusiasts/hillwalkers/tourists late in the morning spooked them away....
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| Snow Buntings |
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| Snow Buntings |
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| Snow Bunting |
On the rivers...
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A small local river
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Our local Dippers are definitely becoming more aggressive now, with much displaying, dawn singing and chasing each other around being witnessed as they presumably seek to establish winter and breeding territories, and it still makes my safari clients and I shiver every time we see them disappear under the icy water in search of food - they sure are hardy little critters!
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| Dipper |
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| Dipper |
Other birds seen regularly on the rivers this month include Grey Herons, Mallards, and a few Goosanders....
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| Goosander |
On farmland...
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| Typical local farmland |
Although all the waders have gone to the coast now, 'grey' Geese - mainly Greylags, with a few Pink Footed -and Whooper Swans can often be seen feeding on crop remains , whilst the seeds on local farmland during the autumn and winter months often attract large flocks of mixed finches and buntings, along with the winter thrushes and more common Pheasants and occasional Red-Legged Partridges...........
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| Greylag Geese |
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| Whooper Swans by Ron Mitchell |
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| Red Legged Partridge by Nigel Wedge |
In local gardens:
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| My garden on the outskirts of Aviemore |
Berry bushes and garden bird feeding stations are a real magnet for most birds, especially the hungry winter visiting birds from further north, and lots of Redwings and Fieldfares were seen locally alongside the more common tits and finches, though I have yet to see any Bramblings or Redpolls, and there are no reports yet of any Waxwings....
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| Fieldfares 'pillaging' my Rowan berries |
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| Fieldfare |
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| Redwing |
Other good/scarce birds seen/reported locally this month included:
6 Pochard on Loch Insh on the 2nd, and several sightings of a Great White Egret there early in the month, an unseasonal Ring Ouzel at Cairngorm Ski area on the 4th, a Barn Owl at Insh Marshes on the 9th, a probable Pallid Swift near Nethybridge on the 10th, a Green Sandpiper at Insh Marshes on the 10th, a Tree Sparrow near Nethybridge on the 11th, two reports of Kingfishers, on the 13th and 14th, one from Boat of Garten and one from Kincraig, a possible Rough-Legged Buzzard on dava Moor on the 18th, and late in the month, a few reports of Bramblings from various local sites....
A few photos of more common birds seen locally this month:
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| Stonechat |
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| Male Bullfinch |
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| House Sparrow |
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| Dunnock |
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| Jackdaw |
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| Collared Dove |
Adventures 'out of area':
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| Lossiemouth lagoon on the Moray Coast |
The nearby Moray Coast is always worth a visit, especially in autumn and winter, and a visit at this time of year should give a good selection of waders, wildfowl, seaducks, Scoters, Divers, gulls etc, and newly arrived Pink Footed Geese and Whooper swans,..... and on the 28th, we got lucky , with great close-up views of a really tricky to see bird, in the shape of a Little Auk, in Lossiemouth Harbour...
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| Eurasian Teal |
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| Bar Tailed Godwit |
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| Curlew |
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| Turnstone |
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| Oystercatchers, Redshank and Purple Sandpiper |
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| Purple Sandpiper by Ron Mitchell |
The freshwater lochs and nature reserves just inland from the Moray Coast can be productive too....
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| The view from the hide at Loch Spynie |
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| Greylag Geese (background) and Pink Footed Geese (foreground) |
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| Mute Swan |
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| Little Grebe |
November 2024 mammal sightings in more detail:
Up in the glens, although the annual autumn 'rut' is now over and apparently already forgotten by the participants!, it was still a treat to see the magnificent fully antlered Red Deer stags, seemingly now all friends again and concentrating on feeding and chilling out after the demands of October....
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| Red Deer |
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| Red Deer Stags |
Still in the uplands, Mountain Hares , being very rare in the UK, and now they are turning 'winter white' are often voted as 'mammal of the day' by my safari clients at this time of year, and although they were pretty elusive this month, we were fortunate enough to see them on a couple of occasions, ...please be aware though, that most of our views are at long distance through a scope, and several hours and a fair bit of rough uphill walking may be required for photography purposes
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| Mountain Hare |
Feral Mountain Goats always prove to be popular with my safari clients, and they were seen on a few of our visits to their upland habitat, though they generally kept their distance - many of the females look to be pregnant - so photo opportunities were a bit limited..
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| Feral Mountain Goats |
In the Caledonian forests, Red Squirrels always prove to be popular with my safari clients , and who am I to disagree? Being rare in the UK outside of Highland Scotland, attractive, charismatic and cute, they certainly tick a lot of boxes, and thankfully, with a bit of patience, they can usually be relied upon to put in an appearance at feeding stations in the winter months (they love peanuts!)....though we also get the odd random sighting whilst on forest drives and walks too...
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| Red Squirrel |
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| Red Squirrel |
Roe Deer, although much more common UK-wide than Red Deer, can often be overlooked due to their crepuscular nature and nervous disposition... but several were seen, usually at dawn or dusk, but also during the day in less-disturbed places...
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| Roe Deer |
Brown Hares, similarly to the Roe Deer, can also be very nervous and 'crepuscular' in nature, and most of our best sightings happen in the first hour of daylight, though sightings were very few and far between this month...
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| Brown 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....though sadly, lovely old Murdo, and his mate Buster the friendly Sheep, are now no longer with us, having both recently succumbed to old age and poor health :(
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| Carrot time for Murdo - He put smiles on so many faces... |
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| Murdo The Magnificent |
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| Buster the friendly Sheep |
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| One last carrot for lovely old 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 over 20 years of providing wildlife safaris should give you an idea of how difficult they are to see.
Marine mammals:
The Moray coast is pretty reliable for sightings of Seals, with a decent chance of Harbour Porpoise and Dolphins, and, in the summer months, even a slim chance of Whales....
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| Common Seal |
Other wildlife:
Mid October-early December is usually the time of year to see our Atlantic Salmon spawning.
These remarkable and often very large fish spawn in the shallow waters in the upper reaches of our rivers, at the very spot where they themselves were hatched several years before, having originally spent 2-3 years in the river, then another 2-3 years feeding, growing and maturing out in the mid Atlantic, before undertaking a perilous journey many miles upriver, often involving avoiding poachers, anglers and predators and negotiating high falls and rapids on the way , an amazing migration story! However, sightings are very reliant on the rivers water levels - too little water and the Salmon cannot access the upper reaches - too much water, and they can get there... but we can't see them....fortunately, for the first three weeks, it all fell into place and we enjoyed some decent views.......
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| Spawning Atlantic Salmon by Ron Mitchell |
News:
I am very pleased to announce that Highland Wildlife & Birdwatch Safaris has been awarded - for the third 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 financial recovery years, so a big THANK YOU to you all :)
We have also upgraded our safari vehicle to a slightly newer Land Rover Discovery5 HSE LUX 7-seater, and this one has, along with excellent off-road and all-weather ability. 7 heated seats, and 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 (ULEZ compliant) ultra-low emissions and improved fuel economy....
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| My new(er) safari vehicle on it's 'debut' outing in February |
All tourism/hospitality/activities in Scotland are open, are free of restrictions and I have now completed well over three 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
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| A misty sunrise at a local loch |
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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| Nice November colours |
Summary:
Well, looking through my notes and photos for this month, helped by the good weather early in the month, and despite the shortening days and changeable, and sometimes challenging weather conditions later in the month, I reckon it turned out to be very decent for wildlife-watching in this area.
As usual though, sadly, it was a very quiet month for safari bookings, as I guess potential visitors can be put off by the thought of potentially bad weather and shorter days, but I can actually wholeheartedly recommend November as a great time to see some of our most sought-after local speciality birds and animals, and it has become one of my favourite wildlife-watching months in recent years...
With lots of great wildlife enjoyed, some of our 'local speciality species' at their easiest to see, a few rarities spotted, spectacularly picturesque and often snowy scenery, and plenty of hot chocolate and shortbrtead, the 'winter blues' were well and truly kept at bay....
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| A picturesque autumn sunrise |
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 making a booking - We now have over 350 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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