October 2025
October 2025 Got off to a bit of a wild and windy start in this area, courtesy of named storm Amy, but otherwise, things were fairly calm weather-wise this month. Temperatures ranged between a chilly -1c, with a light dusting of snow on the higher tops, and an unseasonably mild 15c, with lots of cloudy days, a few sunny ones, and although we had a few rainy days, overall it was drier than average, so actually pretty decent for wildlife-watching, however, any prospective future October visitors would be wise to pack a good variety of clothing, just in case, as it is usually a very 'changeable' month....
Though the days are certainly shortening now, we still have around 10 hours (7am-5pm approx) of usable daylight, and the Highland scenery is still ablaze with glorious autumn colours, with most of the leaves still clinging on, the ferns a picture in copper, and many of our berry trees still fully laden.
The autumn rains in the final third of the month helped the local rivers to rise up to their normal levels, allowing the Atlantic salmon to finally reach their spawning grounds in the upper reaches.
October is a really great month to witness visible bird migration in action, with large flocks of Geese, Swans, and Thrush species often witnessed flying noisily overhead, and this influx of winter visitors from colder areas further north, helped full-day safari bird lists increase up into the 30's, (or more if you include a trip to the Moray Coast), whilst mammal day-lists varied between 3 and 7 depending on the start time and number of venues visited, with early starts, as usual, proving to be best.
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| Autumn colours at a local loch |
To give you an idea of what you may realistically hope to see if you are considering a future October 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 October'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, Goldeneye, Goosander and Dipper, we also had several good dawn sightings of Black Grouse, some decent views of Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle, a few Crested Tits were seen, and we had a few fleeting glimpses of Crossbills....
Newly-arrived winter visiting birds were represented by Whooper Swans, several species of 'grey' Geese, and from the first week onwards, good numbers of Redwings, and from mid-month, Fieldfares....
A good variety of sea ducks, geese, waders and wildfowl were seen at the Moray Coast.
Mammal species seen regularly included:
Red Squirrel, Red Deer (rutting ), Roe Deer, Reindeer , Mountain Goat , Brown Hare and Rabbit......with a few sightings of Bank Vole and Wood Mouse at forest feeding stations.
The end of the month also saw us enjoy views of Atlantic Salmon starting to spawn in the upper reaches of our local rivers....
October 2025 bird sightings in more detail:
Up in the glens:
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| October in a beautiful local u-shaped glacial valley |
Golden Eagle is truly an iconic bird of the Scottish Highlands, and one that always seems to be on the 'wish-list' of my safari clients, and our regular visits to my favourite upland glens paid off on a good number of occasions this month, with some pleasingly frequent and often decent sightings of these hugely impressive creatures, sometimes hunting , occasionally in aerial combat with other raptors or Ravens, or sometimes just soaring around....and, presumably lured in by the spawning Salmon, we also saw the even larger White-Tailed Eagle on a few occasions....
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| Golden Eagle |
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| Golden Eagle by Steve Nicklin |
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| Young Golden Eagle by Steve Nicklin (Photo from October 2018) |
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| White Tailed Eagle |
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| Young White Tailed Eagle |
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| White Tailed Eagle by Steve Nicklin - Photo from October 2021 |
In fact, raptors in general were noticeably more active than in the spring and summer months, with us also regularly seeing Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Common Buzzard and Red Kite, often in family groups, and we also managed a couple of views of Goshawk too....
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| Kestrel |
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| Peregrine Falcon - Photo from October 2018 |
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| Common Buzzard |
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| Red Kite by Steve Nicklin |
Up on the moors....
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| Autumn on a local upland heather moorland |
Red Grouse, though not a 'banker' sighting since the huge summer moorland wildfire, and still largely in family groups, were occasionally obliging, and by using my vehicle as a 'mobile hide', we achieved a few decent close-up views and photo opportunities.. and later in the month, a few of the more 'frisky' cock birds appeared to be getting a little aggressive and territorial in their behaviour....
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| Male Red Grouse |
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| Female Red Grouse |
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| Male Red Grouse |
Visits to Black Grouse leks were a little less predictable however, with results varying from none showing at all on some occasions, to 6 displaying males on one memorable frosty morning...with seemingly no reliable pattern emerging yet. .
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| Black Grouse |
Most of the birds of prey that we see in the glens, can sometimes be seen hunting over the moors too, as well as the occasional more typical moorland raptor species like Merlin, Hen Harrier and Short-Eared Owl, and although we didn't see any Eagles on local moorlands this month, we did see Merlin, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Red Kite and Goshawk .....
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| Male Hen Harrier by Nigel Wedge - Photo from October 2017 |
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| Merlin by Steve Nicklin |
In the Caledonian pine forests...
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| A local Caledonian Pine Forest |
Crested Tits, having been typically 'uncooperative' and elusive through the spring and summer months, started to become more regular visitors to forest feeding stations, especially soon after dawn on the colder days, and we were fortunate enough to enjoy a few decent and sometimes close views of this true 'local speciality' as well as a couple of more random sightings of them in mixed winter flocks on our forest walks...
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| Crested Tit by Rob Ellett |
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| Crested Tit by Rob Ellett |
As I have mentioned previously, it is well worth noting that the colder winter months (October-Feb), when they regularly visit feeding stations, 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....
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 a Coal Tit |
Still in the forests, Crossbills, sadly, but rather typically, were generally somewhat less obliging , with our views once again usually being restricted to snatched glimpses of birds flying overhead...identified only by their distinctive 'jip- jip' calls....an annoyingly familiar tale...with the exception of the 5th, when a family perched long enough for a brief view through my spotting scope, and a few snatched photos...
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| Female Crossbill |
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| Male Crossbill by Jan Shields |
As is usual, sadly, we failed to manage any sightings of Capercaillie this month, though to be honest, we did not visit any known sites....
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/
On the lochs..
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| Nice autumnal colours at a local loch |
With the summer-visiting water birds like Osprey, Divers and Slavonian Grebe all departed now, our resident Goldeneyes and Goosanders are now joined by winter-visiting Whooper Swans, Geese, Teal and Wigeon, alongside the more common species like Grey Heron, Mallard and Tufted Duck....
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| Whooper Swans |
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| Goosander |
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| Goldeneye |
On the marshes:
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| Autumn at Insh Marshes |
Alongside the ever-present Grey Herons, numbers of newly-arrived Whooper Swans and 'grey' Geese increased throughout the month, raptors such as Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Red Kite, Marsh Harrier, and Hen Harrier were seen regularly, with the occasional Merlin, Goshawk, Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle also sighted - It should be noted though, that most of our raptor sightings at Insh marshes are at long distance, so photo opportunities are rare...
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| Pink Footed Geese |
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| Grey Heron |
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| Hen Harrier |
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| Whooper Swans |
On the rivers...
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| A picturesque local stretch of the River Spey |
Dipper is a bird absent from large areas of central, southern and eastern Britain, preferring clear, fast-flowing upland rivers over murky, slow-flowing lowland waterways. Fortunately, if you position yourself on a bridge, they can be a fairly common sighting in this area, often seen swimming and diving to feed, or perching prominently on a rock, and always prove popular with my safari clients.
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| Dipper |
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| Dipper |
With a similar UK distribution to Dipper, Goosander can be tricky to see in much of Britain, but we often see family groups of them in this area, though they can be very wary of humans.
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| Goosander |
Up in the mountains....
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| A sunrise view from Cairngorm Mountain |
I didn't venture up into the mountains this month, and I didn't read any reports of local sightings of mountain species.....and although we have managed to find a few Ptarmigan in previous October's, I will be honest and say that it is usually pretty quiet for birds up there in autumn...though with snow returning to the hills, it shouldn't be too long before we start seeing Snow Buntings at lower levels....
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| Ptarmigan - Photo from October 2017 |
On local farmland...
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| Typical local farmland |
Although all the waders have gone to the coast, 'grey' Geese and Whooper Swans can often be seen on local farmland, and big flocks of winter Thrushes were also noted, along with the more common Pheasants and Red-Legged Partridges....
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| Whooper Swans |
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| Greylag Geese |
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| Red Legged Partridge |
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| Male Pheasant |
In local gardens:
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| October in my garden on the outskirts of Aviemore |
With natural food becoming more difficult to find as autumn arrived, I noticed an increase in the variety and numbers of birds visiting my garden feeding station and other forest feeding stations this month, with Siskin, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, House Sparrow, Dunnock, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Blackbird, Starling, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Wood Pigeon, and Collared Dove all seen...
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| Coal Tit |
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| Blue Tit |
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| Great Tit |
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| Siskins |
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| Wood pigeon |
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| Collared Dove |
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| Robin |
Berry-bearing trees and bushes and garden bird feeding stations are a real magnet for hungry newly-arrived winter visiting birds from further north, with Redwings and Fieldfares seen locally from mid-month, though we appear to have a lot less berries than last autumn...
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| Redwing (top) and Fieldfare |
A few photos of more common birds seen locally this month:
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| Treecreeper by Rob Ellett |
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Male Chaffinch
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| Reed Bunting |
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| Greater Spotted Woodpecker by Jan Shields |
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| Mistle Thrush by Jan Shields |
Other good/scarce birds seen/reported locally this month included:
A Sabine's Gull near Kingussie on the 7th, 2 Nuthatches at Kinrara on the 11th, small groups of Barnacle Geese at various sites throughout the month, and a Brambling at Laggan on the 27th....
Adventures 'out of area'
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| An atmospheric scene from the Moray Coast by Jan Shields |
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 auks, waders, wildfowl, seaducks, Scoters, gulls, a few lingering terns, and newly arrived Pink Footed Geese and Whooper swans.....
Whilst the Moray Coast farmland also gives you a chance of seeing birds such as Skylark, Yellowhammer, Grey Partridge, and Tree Sparrow.....
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| Barnacle Geese by Jan Shields |
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| Curlew by Jan Shields |
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| Pink Footed Geese by Jan Shields |
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| Common Redshank by Jan Shields |
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| Eiders by Jan Shields |
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| Gannets by Jan Shields |
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| Scaup by Steve Nicklin |
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| Whooper Swans by Jan Shields |
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| Tree Sparrow by Jan Shields |
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| Rock Pipit by Steve Nicklin |
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| Pink Footed Goose by Steve Nicklin |
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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| Grey Heron |
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| Little Grebe |
October 2025 mammal sightings in more detail:
'Mammal of the month' for October just has to be the 'Monarch of the glen', the Red Deer, with their spectacular annual 'rut' providing my safari clients with some superb entertainment - the fully antlered stags 'bolving' roars echoing through the glens, as they spend much of the month posturing , fighting off rivals and attempting to mate with as many of their 'harem' of hinds as possible - surely one of British nature's 'must-see' experiences? Please be aware though, that we can usually only view the rut from a fair distance away, so photography opportunities are usually limited....
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| Red Deer Stag with his 'harem' of hinds.... |
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| Red Deer Stag |
In the Caledonian forests, our Red Squirrels never failed to charm and entertain, with their cute looks, acrobatic leaping from tree to tree , reliable use of peanut feeders, gathering of drey materials and chasing off of rivals, and of course, with them being largely absent from most of the UK now, many of my safari clients were seeing them for the first time....
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| Red Squirrel |
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| Red Squirrel by Jan Shields |
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| Red Squirrel by Jan Shields |
Feral Mountain Goats are mainly restricted to a few remote upland areas of the UK, and we are fortunate to have them locally in a few quiet glens, and although they proved to be a bit elusive this month... a few of my safari clients get to see them for the first time while out with me,
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| Feral Mountain Goats |
Our local Mountain Hares - Britain's only native lagomorph - though still mainly in their browny-grey summer coats are gradually turning whiter from their feet upwards as autumn progresses, in preparation for the snow to come, though actual sightings of them were not forthcoming this month... but that is not unusual during the 'milder' months..things should hopefully improve next month as things turn more wintry...
Roe Deer, although relatively common in most of the UK, can actually be quite tricky to see due to their naturally 'nervous' nature, and the fact that they can be very 'crepuscular' - being more active at dawn and dusk...but we did manage a few daytime sightings on quiet farmland , marshland and woodland edges this month..
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| Roe Deer Buck by Jan Shields |
Brown Hares, similarly to the Roe Deer, can be very nervous and 'crepuscular' in nature, and most of our best sightings happen in the first hour of daylight, and that proved to be the case again this month, though the light was often too poor for decent photos...
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| Brown Hare - Photo from October 2018 |
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...
Thankfully, our 'new' ginger Hairy Highland Coo's - Hamish and Dougal - are proving to be very popular with my safari clients....
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| Hamish and Dougal |
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| 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....
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| Grey Seal by Steve Nicklin - Photo from October 2020 |
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:
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, from the 20th onwards it all fell into place and we enjoyed some decent views.......
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| Spawning Atlantic Salmon |
News:
I am very pleased to announce that Highland Wildlife & Birdwatch Safaris has recently been awarded - for the fourth 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....
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| 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
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| Autumn colours |
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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| Autumn leaves |
Summary:
Well, aided by the reasonable weather conditions - with the eception of named storm Amy!! - the beautiful autumn colours, the influx of winter-visiting birds from further north, the increase in raptor sightings, the spawning Salmon and the Red Deer rut, I reckon October 2025 turned out to be a very enjoyable month for wildlife-watching in this area, with a good selection of local specialitiy birds and animals (and fish!) seen, lots of carrots fed to hamish and Dougal, lots of fun had, lots of tea, coffee, hot chocolate and shortbread enjoyed, and lots of safari clients from all over the UK, and all round the world going home with happy memories of their visit to the special and varied habitats of the Cairngorms National park...
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An atmospheric scene in a local forest
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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 400 reviews online, so if you wish, you can check out our clients comments at the link below....
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186537-d3335134-Reviews-
Highland_Wildlife_Birdwatch_Safaris-Aviemore_Aviemore_and_the_Cairngorms_Scottish.html
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| The Old Drover's Bridge at Carrbridge |
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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