May 2025
May 2025 contined where April left off, with high pressure dominating and more calm, dry sunny weather, often after a chilly start, in this area, and amazingly, with the exception of a more changeable final week, it continued for most of the month...making for pretty much ideal safari conditions, which I was very grateful for, as it's always my busiest and best month for wildlife-watching.
With around 16 hours of usable daylight, and most of our summer visiting birds arrived by mid-month, our local full-day (10 hours+) bird species day-lists climbed ever higher, with 50+ species a regular occurrence, and the early starts - when animals are more active - (now 4am or earlier) for the Black Grouse 'leks', also helped us to see up to 7 different mammals in a day too!!
With the 'dawn chorus' still in full swing, the wild flowers in full bloom, and butterflies, bees and other insects on the wing, a day out in the wilds, visiting a huge variety of habitats, in May in this area really could truly be described as a 'whirlwind of wildlife'
A few day-trips further afield to various favourite places, including the Aberdeenshire Coast, the West Coast, and the Moray Coast, gave me my annual 'fix' of seabirds , including Terns, sea ducks and Auks including Puffins, and some decent rare birds, and sea mammal sightings.
 |
| May in the Cairngorms National Park |
To give you an idea of what you may realistically hope to see if you are considering a future May 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 May'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:
Black Grouse (at or soon after dawn only), Red Grouse, Osprey, Ring Ouzel, Slavonian Grebe, Red-Throated Diver, Black-Throated Diver, Goldeneye, Goosander, and Dipper, with a chance of Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher...
We also had a couple of half-decent local sightings of Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle - usually sub-adult birds, though, as is normal for this time of year, they are definitely getting harder to see...
It should be noted that, due to their very secretive and almost silent nature at nesting time , Crested Tits continue to be extremely difficult to see during their breeding season (April-May), and we usually struggle to see them until they fledge their young late in the month....and Crossbill sightings, are usually largely restricted to brief fly-over glimpses...
With the snow largely restricted to the mountain tops by May, that's where you have to go to have a chance of seeing Snow Bunting, Ptarmigan (and from mid-month) Dotterel....please be aware that this would usually take a good part of a day, and a pre-booked walk with a licensed guide, incorporating a ride up on the Cairngorm Funicular railway, or a lot of strenuous hill walking to achieve, and would need to be a separate adventure from a 'normal' safari excursion.....
Summer migrant birds continued to flood in throughout the month, with Common Swift, Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher , Wood Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, and Whinchat, joining Wheatear, Common Sandpiper, Sand Martin, House Martin, Swallow, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Redstart, and Tree Pipit, to name just a few....
Mammal species seen regularly included:
Rabbit, Brown Hare (mainly very early in the day) , Red Squirrel, Red Deer, Roe Deer, Reindeer, and feral Mountain Goat, with just a couple of views of Mountain Hare (now a mottled blue-grey), whilst trips to the coast usually provided both types of Seal.
May 2025 bird sightings in more detail:
On the lochs..
 |
| A quiet local loch |
Our local Ospreys continued to entertain and excite my safari clients, often being voted as 'Bird of the day', though it should be noted that, with the female birds spending much of the month deep in their nests incubating eggs with just their heads visible, and later in the month, brooding young, sightings could be a bit frustrating, as we needed a bit of luck to coincide our visit with the male birds being 'at home' or delivering a fish or more nest-building materials.....though we did also see birds fishing local lochs and rivers on a few occasions, and sometimes we even witness a successful 'plunge-dive'!! always a treat....
.JPG) |
| Osprey by Jan Shields |
 |
| Osprey by Steve Nicklin |
 |
| Osprey by Ron Mitchell |
Slavonian Grebe, Red-Throated Diver and Black-Throated Diver UK-wise, are only usually found breeding, and in their dapper summer plumage, on suitable secluded lochs in northern Scotland and it's islands, and we are very fortunate to get a handful of nesting pairs locally. Though the Slavonian Grebes can be quite obliging, due to the Divers' general wariness of humans, and in order to avoid disturbing them, most of the views we get of them are through a scope at a fair distance, and any decent ripple on the water makes finding them very difficult to find, but on a few occasions, and with a little patience we got lucky and obtained a slightly closer look, without risk of disturbing them or breaking any laws, and even managed a few rare photo opportunities....
 |
| Red Throated Diver by Ron Mitchell |
 |
| Red Throated Diver |
 |
| Black Throated Divers |
 |
| Black Throated Diver |
 |
| Slavonian (Horned) Grebe |
.jpg) |
| Slavonian (Horned) Grebe by Jan Shields |
 |
| Slavonian (Horned) Grebe by Steve Nicklin |
The same could be said of our Goldeneye, with this attractive tree-nesting duck (yes, really!!) being a north of Scotland breeding speciality too, and late in the month we often get to see a few females with their ridiculously cute youngsters too... nice!
 |
| Male Goldeneye |
 |
| Goldeneye family |
Goosanders too, are a bit of a northern/upland UK speciality, and we managed a few decent sightings on local lochs this month.
 |
| Goosanders |
Up on the moors....
 |
| A local upland moor |
Black Grouse 'lekking' is surely one of British wildlife's top 10 sights (and sounds), and our local birds continued to 'perform' throughout the month, with up to 8 cock birds seen fighting it out, though usually not quite as vigorously as in April, except for when female birds were seen 'checking out' the lek, though with dawn at around 4 am, and the performance only lasting for around 90 minutes on average, it should be noted that a very early start is needed if you want to see them...and please be aware that we have to view from a respectful distance to avoid disturbance........but with a quality spotting scope, this is still a highly recommended and memorable experience, especially as on a few occasions whilst watching the lek, we can have a supporting cast of hunting raptors, displaying Curlew and Snipe and calling Cuckoo, and up to 5 different mammal species, sometimes including Mountain Hare , all in the first hour and a half of daylight!!
 |
| Lekking Black Grouse |
.JPG) |
| Lekking Black Grouse by Jan Shields |
 |
| Lekking Black Grouse |
Please be aware that Black Grouse lek sites are very rare and precious and can easily be ruined by selfish behaviour, disturbance and encroachment - we have lost 2 previously well-established sites locally due to poor human behaviour in recent years - And I was shocked to arrive at one site at dawn in mid-April last year - where we view safely from several hundred metres away - to find a 'photographer' literally standing on the lekking area, having spooked the birds away!! Unbelievable!! I took photos of the 'intruder; and his vehicle, and reported the incident to the Police Wildlife Crime Officers, and they dealt with the culprit.... but this type of incident can easily ruin the lek, and can prevent breeding taking place , as the females only visit the lek for mating for a few days each spring.....so please bear this in mind and keep a sensible (and legal!) distance away....
Please note though, that by the end of May the Black Grouse lekking season is usually over, with the birds seemingly losing interest, numbers at the lek decreasing, and them then generally 'disappearing' until the winter....
Also on our local upland heather moorlands, the much more common and 'birder-friendly' Red Grouse continued to show well, with some cock birds even still displaying and calling whilst defending their territory and nesting female, their guttural 'go bak go bak' calls echoing across the moor, and from mid-month we began to see the hen birds with their newly fledged families of very cute fluffy youngsters...
 |
| Red Grouse chicks by Steve Nicklin |
 |
| Red Grouse chick |
 |
| Male Red Grouse |
 |
| Male Red Grouse |
.jpg) |
| Male Red Grouse by Jan Shields |
.JPG) |
| Male Red Grouse extreme close-up by Jan Shields |
Still on the moorlands, we occasionally see birds of prey taking advantage of the abundant prey items to be found there, with Merlin, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Red Kite , Hen Harrier, Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle all sighted at least once.......
 |
| Ring-Tail Hen Harrier |
 |
| Male Hen Harrier by Steve Nicklin |
With lots of nesting Meadow Pipits around - a favourite species for them to parisitize - our local moorlands proved popular for Cuckoos this month too...
 |
| Cuckoo by Ron Mitchell |
.JPG) |
| Superb Cuckoo photo by Steve Nicklin |
Up in the glens:
 |
| A picturesque local U-shaped glacial valley |
Bird of prey sightings usually become less frequent during the longer days of spring and early summer, with many of the adult female birds now nesting, often with the adult males in close attendance, and many more hours of daylight available for hunting, and that proved to be the case this month. However, we still managed reasonably regular sightings of Osprey , Common Buzzard , Red Kite, Peregrine, Kestrel and Sparrowhawk, and there is always a chance of Goshawk, Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle, and maybe even a Merlin ......
 |
| Kestrel |
 |
| Common Buzzard |
 |
| Red Kite |
 |
| Young Golden Eagle |
 |
| Young Golden Eagle |
 |
| Young White Tailed Eagle |
.jpg) |
| Young White Tailed Eagle by Jan Shields |
In the Caledonian pine forests...
 |
| A local caledonian Pine Forest |
Crested Tit sightings are usually very difficult to obtain in May, with the birds nesting very secretively, rarely visiting feeders, and only occasionally heard singing or calling. To give you an example, one May we spoke to a party of birders who had spent 10 hours one day, walking round several local pine forests without a hint of a sighting...though with a lot of persistence, we can sometimes manage a glimpse, though you really do need to be familiar with their distinctive calls and song...
 |
| Crested Tit by Steve Nicklin |
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....
Continuing the forest theme, Crossbills are all too often the cause of much frustration on my safaris, with me regularly hearing their distinctive 'jip' jip' jip' calls overhead, and my safari clients getting just a brief glimpse of the birds flying away, usually never to be seen again! But occasionally they can actually be more obliging, with us getting some good views, sometimes even through the scope, of family parties feeding together on pine cone seeds, giving us the chance to admire the brick-red males, greeny-yellow females and streaky youngsters, Photographic opportunities are usually a rare occurrence though...
%202.JPG) |
| Female Crossbill by Steve Nicklin |
Capercaillie
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, or even entering Caledonian forests before 09:30am, 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/
We were very lucky to spot a young Tawny Owl perched on a low branch in a local forest on the 20th of the month, a nice 'bonus' sighting....
 |
| Young Tawny Owl |
In the birch woods:
 |
| Nice morning light in a local birch wood |
Although Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher are more usually found in the ancient Atlantic oak woods on the west coast of the UK, we are usually fortunate to get a few in our local birch woods from May-August, and with a bit of persistence, and by using our ears to follow their distinctive calls and songs, we managed to get some decent views and even a few photos this month. We also get decent numbers of the slightly more common, but still very attractive Spotted Flycatcher , Tree Pipit, and Common Redstart too...
 |
| Wood Warbler |
 |
| Wood Warbler -Photo from May 2015 |
 |
| Male Pied Flycatcher |
%209.JPG) |
| Male Pied Flycatcher by Steve Nicklin |
On the rivers...
 |
| Low water levels on a local stretch of the River Spey |
Dippers always prove to be popular with my safari clients, being absent from large parts of the central, eastern and southern UK, many struggle to see them, but we are fortunate to have healthy populations in this area. Most of our sightings recently, were of males collecting and delivering food for the females in the nest, but from mid-month, we got to see the first newly-fledged, pale looking youngsters being fed by both parents.
 |
| Young Dipper |
 |
| Adult Dipper |
.JPG) |
| Dipper by Jan Shields |
 |
| Dipper by Ron Mitchell |
Common Sandpipers , Goldeneyes, and Grey Wagtails can also be seen on our local rivers in spring and summer, along with the resident Goosanders.....
 |
| Common Sandpipers |
 |
| Grey Wagtail |
 |
| Female Goosanders |
Up in the mountains....
 |
| A view from the summit of Cairngorm Mountain |
A ride up on the Cairngorm Funicular Railway, followed by a walk to the summit (not permitted for the general public) , using my Cairngorm Mountain Guiding License, on the 9th, proved to be very productive for the 'mountain species', with Ring Ouzel, Snow Bunting, Dotterel and Ptarmigan all seen and enjoyed, with a flyover adult White-Tailed Eagle as an added bonus!
 |
| Ptarmigan |
 |
| Male and female Ptarmigan - Photo from May 2018 |
 |
| Snow Bunting |
.JPG) |
| Snow Buntings by Jan Shields |
 |
| Snow Bunting by Steve Nicklin |
 |
| Female Dotterel by Steve Nicklin |
 |
| Male Dotterel |
 |
| Female Dotterel by Steve Nicklin |
Please be aware though, that several miles of strenuous hill-walking on steep gradients is required, so a good level of physical fitness is needed, and some basic survival/navigation skills preferable, as well as suitably friendly weather,
At slightly lower levels, but generally still above 1,500ft/450m, Ring Ouzels can sometimes be seen in their upland and mountainside habitat, especially early in the day, though when compared to April, they now become a little harder to find, as most will no longer be singing or calling, and sightings are mainly restricted to male birds collecting beakfuls of worms, as the females will presumably mostly be still on nests.....
.JPG) |
| Male Ring Ouzel by Jan Shields |
 |
| Female Ring Ouzel |
 |
| Male Ring Ouzel |
.JPG) |
| Female Ring Ouzel by Jan Shields |
On the marshes...
 |
| Early spring at Insh Marshes |
With the winter-visiting wildlfowl, 'grey' Geese and Whooper Swans now all gone, wader species such as Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Common Snipe and Redshank are the birds most likely to be seen on the marshes in spring and summer, with the occasional report of a marauding bird of prey....
 |
| Oystercatcher |
 |
| Redshanks |
 |
| Lapwing |
On farmland...
 |
| Typical local farmland |
Lots of waders have now returned to their spring/summer breeding grounds on local farmland, with Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Redshanks, and a few Curlew and Common Snipe all being noted.....
 |
| Lapwing |
.jpg) |
| Curlew by Jan Shields |
 |
| Oystercatcher by Jan Shields |
In local gardens:
 |
| My garden on the outskirts of Aviemore |
With lots of newly-fledged youngsters to feed, my garden feeding station was very busy this month!
 |
| Young Starlings |
 |
| Wood Pigeon |
 |
| Collared Dove |
 |
| Young Blackbirds |
 |
| Male Blackbird |
 |
| Goldfinch |
A few more newly-arrived summer visiting migrant birds:
 |
| Willow Warbler |
 |
| Spotted Flycatcher by Steve Nicklin |
 |
| Cuckoo |
 |
| Tree Pipit by Steve Nicklin |
.JPG) |
| Female Wheatear by Steve Nicklin |
A few photos of more common birds seen locally this month:
 |
| Grey Heron |
 |
| Meadow Pipit |
 |
| Little Grebe |
 |
| Male Mallard |
.jpg) |
| Red Legged Partridge by Jan Shields |
 |
| Male Bullfinch |
.JPG) |
| Common Gull by Jan Shields |
.jpg) |
| Cuckoo by Jan Shields |
Other good/scarce birds seen/reported locally this month included:
2 Nuthatches near Loch an Eilean and a Tree Sparrow near Cromdale on the 1st, a few reports of Grasshopper Warblers heard 'reeling' early in the month, and one or two reports of Whimbrel throughout the month....
Adventures 'out of area' - The Moray Coast:
 |
| Spey Bay |
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 a selection of waders, auks, gulls, wildlfowl, seaducks etc....
 |
| Bar Tailed Godwits by Steve Nicklin |
 |
| Common Tern by Steve Nicklin |
 |
| Common Gull by Steve Nicklin |
%2010.JPG) |
| Male Long Tailed Duck by Steve Nicklin |
 |
| Whimbrel by Steve Nicklin |
 |
| Red Knot by Steve Nicklin |
.JPG) |
| Great Northern Diver by Steve Nicklin |
.JPG) |
| Red Breasted Merganser by Steve Nicklin |
Whilst on and around our sea cliffs and stacks, nesting birds included: Fulmar, Kittiwake, Gannet, Common Guillemot, Razorbill, and we also saw a few of the less common Black Guillemots....
 |
| Portknockie |
 |
| Black Guillemots |
 |
| Common Guillemots |
 |
| Razorbill |
 |
| Fulmar by Steve Nicklin |
The freshwater lochs , nature reserves and farmland just inland from the Moray Coast can be productive too....
 |
| Loch Oire |
 |
| Tufted Duck |
 |
| Little Grebe |
 |
| Goosanders |
 |
| Corn Bunting by Steve Nicklin |
Adventures out of area - The Aberdeenshire Coast:
 |
| RSPB Fowlsheugh |
A trip to the Aberdeenshire coast, visiting the sea cliffs at RSPB Fowlsheugh , and the wetlands of RSPB Loch of Strathbeg was very enjoyable and pretty good for bird sightings too.
 |
| Mating Razorbills |
 |
| Rock Dove |
 |
| Kittiwakes |
 |
| Puffin |
 |
| Puffin |
 |
| Puffin |
 |
| Cinnamon Teal at Loch of Strathbeg (Origin unknown...) |
May 2025 mammal sightings in more detail:
Red Squirrels can be surprisingly elusive, but a walk or slow drive through Caledonian forest always give you a chance, and we did manage a few 'random' sightings this month, though perhaps unsurprisingly, feeding stations still tend to be a 'hotspot', giving you the best chance of a sighting....
 |
| Red Squirrel |
 |
| Red Squirrel |
.JPG) |
| Red Squirrel by Jan Shields |
Red Deer are most commonly encountered up in the hills and glens, but during late May it is not uncommon to see the hinds (females) assemble in rough fields with long grassy tussocks, in preparation for giving birth soon. Here, the new-born youngsters can be hidden, making them much less likely to fall prey to patrolling Eagles, who tend to stick to higher altitudes.
We also saw several large herds of stags, most 'in velvet', with their new antlers growing rapidly.
 |
| Red Deer |
 |
| Red Deer Stag |
Feral Mountain Goats too, can often be seen in my favourite upland glens, often in large extended family groups, and always prove to be popular with my safari clients, as, being largely a remnant of the 'crofting' communities, they are not found in many places in the UK...
 |
| Feral Mountain Goats |
Mountain Hare sightings tend to be few and far between in the spring and summer months, and true to form, we only managed a couple of brief glimpses .......
 |
| Mountain Hare by James Ball - Photo from May 2019 |
Roe Deer can be encountered just about anywhere, except for the high tops, but being very wary, nervous animals, they are usually quite 'crepuscular' in their behaviour, but we saw plenty whilst out on our early morning adventures...
 |
| Roe Deer by Steve Nicklin |
Brown Hares too can be a bit elusive away from dawn and dusk, and tend to 'spook' easily, so, as usual, most of our sightings this month, were during the first couple of hours of daylight..
 |
| Brown Hares |
Reindeer were reintroduced to Cairngorm Mountain in the 1950's, and as most of them are 'free-roaming', we sometimes get to see them on our travels, and at this time of year, they usually have very cute youngsters.
 |
| Reindeer with young |
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 succumbed to old age and poor health late last year...
 |
| Hamish and Dougal |
 |
| Carrot time for Hamish and Dougal |
Marine mammals:
The nearby Moray coast , Black isle and Aberdeenshire Coast are pretty reliable for sightings of Seals, with a decent chance of Harbour Porpoise and Dolphins, and even a slim chance of Whales....
 |
| Seals |
 |
| Bottlenose Dolphins by James Ball - Photo from May 2018 |
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.
Other wildlife:
The sunnier, warmer days saw more species of butterfly join the early flyers, with Red Admiral , Orange Tip, Meadow Brown, Small White, and Speckled Wood all noted...there are also lots more Bees around now, taking advantage of the abundance of wild flowers coming into bloom....we also see lots of Bats feasting on insects at dawn/dusk, and in the forests the Wood Ants nests are now becoming more active.....
 |
| Orange Tip |
 |
| Red Admiral |
 |
| Wood Ants nest |
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 advised, 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....
 |
| My new(er) safari vehicle on it's 'debut' outing in February 2024 |
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
 |
| The Strathspey Steam Railway |
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
 |
| The traffic's bad again.... :) |
Summary:
Wow! Similarly to previous years, and I apologise for repeating myself, but what a marvelous May that was! It feels like the saying "tired but happy" could have been invented especially for me this month, as it seems to have flashed by in a whirlwind of pre-3am alarms, spectacular sunrises, picturesque backdrops and memorable wildlife sightings!
After all those early starts, epic adventures and long days, I think it is definitely fair to say that I am feeling a little mentally and physically tired... but also very happy that by being out almost every day, I definitely feel that we managed to really make the most of my favourite month of the year!
As well as being a very busy month for safaris (a big thank you to all my clients!) in mostly fantastic weather, now I have finally had time to sit back and reflect, whilst putting together this report, I reckon that it will definitely rate as one of my most memorable too... for the sheer enjoyment of being in such a beautiful part of the world, at (in my opinion) the best time of year, in majestic , incredibly varied, and largely unspoilt scenery, sharing special wildlife sightings with fellow wildlife enthusiasts from around the globe... as far as 'job satisfaction' goes, I may never be a rich man, but this'll do very nicely for me, thank you!
 |
| Bluebells |
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 370 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
 |
| Sunrise at a local loch |
Gift Certificates:
 |
Safari gift voucher
|
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........
.JPG)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpg)
%202.JPG)
%209.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.jpg)
%2010.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
