Highland Wildlife & Birdwatch Safaris

January 2026

January 2026 started with a real arctic blast in this area, with 10 days of heavy snow and temperatures down to -10c giving the area a real 'winter wonderland' feel, weather welcomed by the snowsports community, and Aviemore was really buzzing with activity. However, the middle part of the month saw everything change, as the wind direction changed form a northerly to a south-westerly, bringing milder Atlantic air, and the accompanying wind and rain, which rapidly melted much of the snow, and the month finished with the weather still changeable but often a little colder...

The days are lengthening noticeably now, with up to 8-9 hours of usable daylight, and dawn (for the Black Grouse) is still a relatively sociable 7:30-8:00 am, with dusk at around 5pm.

Full-day local safari bird lists usually top-out in the 30's or 40's at this time of year, 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.

I always think that winter time gives some of the best opportunities for scenic landscape photography in this area, and I felt very priviledged to enjoy and share some beautiful vistas again this month, so I have scattered a few of my photos around this report...

Ruthven Barracks and the Monadhliath Mountains

To give you an idea of what you may realistically hope to see if you are considering a future January 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 January'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/roost sites, and no disturbance was caused to any wildlife..

Local speciality/upland bird species seen regularly during the month included:

Local winter visiting birds were represented by a few Redwings and Fieldfares, family groups of Whooper Swans, several species of 'grey' Geese, and a few flocks of Redpolls were spotted too, though Bramblings seem to be very few and far between again this winter....

Mammal species seen regularly included:

Red Squirrel, Red Deer, Reindeer, Roe Deer, Rabbit and (white) Mountain Hare.....with just a couple of (mainly dawn) views of Brown Hare , and a few brief glimpses of Wood Mouse and Bank Vole underneath bird feeders....whilst sadly, our local feral Mountain Goats again proved to be very elusive....

January 2026 bird sightings in more detail:

Up in the glens:

January in a picturesque local u-shaped glacial valley

Although sightings of Eagles were a little less frequent when compared to the usual annual peak viewing time of October-December, both Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle were seen in favoured local glens this month, and they are always always an awesome sight, even though they were usually some distance away.......

Golden Eagle

Golden Eagles by Steve Nicklin

Golden Eagle by Steve Nicklin

Immature Golden Eagle by Wayne Biddlecombe

White Tailed Eagle duelling with Common Buzzard - Photo from Jan 2023

White Tailed Eagle - Photo from Jan 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....

Common Buzzard

Peregrine Falcon

Kestrel

Red Kite

Up on the moors....

A local upland heather moorland

Black Grouse are one of my favourite local speciality birds, and always prove popular with my safari clients, especially from January to May when they often display and lek at dawn. However, our early morning visits to their traditional 'lek' sites gave 'patchy' results this month, with a few 'no shows' offset by up to 6 cock birds showing beautifully on one occasion...please be aware though, that they are not totally reliable, are easily 'spooked' and are legally protected from disturbance, so we have to keep a respectable (and lawful) distance away...

Displaying Black Grouse - Photo from Jan 2019

Displaying Black Grouse - Photo from January 2019

Still on the moors, and with no early start needed, the Red Grouse are becoming a little easier to see each week now, as the cock birds become ever bolder, often posturing aggressively from a raised position, and calling 'go-bak, go- bak' loudly to establish a territory and attract a mate, often with their red 'eyebrows' bulging impressively.

Female Red Grouse

Male Red Grouse

Upland moorlands can also produce bird of prey sightings, and this month we were lucky enough to see Kestrel, Common Buzzard, and Red Kite reasonably frequently.......

In the Caledonian pine forests...

A snowy morning in a local ancient Caledonian pine forest

In the Caledonian pine forests, although we did have a few 'no-shows', our local Crested Tits occasionally showed well at my favourite forest feeding stations, especially soon after sunrise, and particularly on the colder days, when they are presumably at their most desperate for food, and they are often a 'life tick' for my safari clients, though it should be noted that they are very 'flitty' by nature, rarely perching for more than a few seconds, so decent photos are not easy to obtain...

Crested Tit

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....

Still in the Caledonian forests, sadly, Crossbill sightings were, as usual, mainly restricted to the fly-over variety, and we usually only identified them by their characteristic 'jip jip' calls......though as they are early nesters, we now have a chance of some better views of singing and displaying birds over the next couple of months...

Male Crossbill - Photo from Jan 2020

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...

Hand feeding a Great Tit

Capercaillie

As is usual, sadly, we failed to manage any sightings of Capercaillie this month, though to be honest, we did not try for them or visit any known sites, and these days I tend to keep any random sightings a bit hush-hush, for obvious reasons.....

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..

A frosty morning at a picturesque local loch

Though they were frozen and almost devoid of birds in the early part of this month, when they did thaw, star birds on the lochs during the winter are probably Goldeneyes, with the males now in their dapper breeding plumage, and some even seen performing their elaborate 'head-banging' courtship displays, and the winter-visiting Whooper Swans, with a back up cast of grey Geese, Goosander, Teal, Wigeon and Tufted Ducks. We were also lucky to see a pair of winter plumage Slavonian Grebes, and a female Smew on a local loch this month...

Whoopers Swans

Male Goldeneye

On the marshes:

RSPB Insh Marshes Nature Reserve

Although the marshes were frozen 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 they began to thaw and flood with meltwater, alongside the ever-present Grey Herons, ducks like Mallard, Teal and Wigeon were noted, along with Whooper Swans , several species of 'grey' Geese , and one Snow Goose, and the first few returning waders, in the form of Lapwings and Golden Plovers were reported....

Whooper Swans

Greylag Geese

On the rivers...

Midwinter on the local River Spey

Our local Dippers are now most definitely in territorial mode, and we were lucky enough to see them posturing and displaying and sometimes singing their distinctive 'scratchy' song from a prominent rock on several occasions, often near a bridge, where they are likely to nest...

Dipper

Other birds seen regularly on the rivers this month include Grey Herons, Mallards, and a few Goosanders....

Up in the mountains....

The Cairngorm Mountains viewed from the upper car park

Snow Buntings can often be seen well at relatively low level (around 2'000ft/650m)on local mountainsides during the winter as they usually begin to frequent known lower altitude sites, possibly driven down from the mountain tops by the snow and cold, and with their numbers likely to have been swelled by visitors from Scandinavia...and I am always sure to have a bag of wild bird seed on board, as they can sometimes be tempted to come and feed at quite close range....as was the case several times during the month....

Snow Buntings

Snow Bunting

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 local farmland...

Typical local grazing farmland

Although most of the waders are still at the coast - but due to return soon - 'grey' Geese 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...........

Greylag Geese

Red Legged Partridges - Photo from Jan 2022

Male Pheasant - Photo from Jan 2023

In local gardens/At local feeding stations:

My garden on the outskirts of Aviemore

Feeding stations are always a magnet for many species of birds at this tough time of year, and well-stocked feeders and a sprinkling of wild bird seed, sultanas and sliced apples for the ground feeders attracted species such as Dunnock, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Siskin, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long-Tailed Tit, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Redwing, Fieldfare, and occasionally Bramblings....

Male Blackbird

Starlings

Robin

Dunnock

Brambling by Steve Nicklin

Greater Spotted Woodpecker

Long Tailed Tit

Feeding stations, and the large numbers of birds that visit them, inevitably, also attract the attention of Sparrowhawks, and we had several sightings of these impressive and very attractive birds of prey this month...

Male Sparrowhawk

A few photos of more common birds seen locally this month:

Long Tailed Tits

Great Tit and Blue Tit by Bob Smith

Male Chaffinch

Grey Heron

Herring Gull by Steve Nicklin

Greylag Goose by Steve Nicklin

Mistle Thrush

Redwing by Jan Shields

Fieldfare

Treecreeper

Other good/scarce birds seen/reported locally this month included:

A white morph Snow Goose on and off throughout the month, usually around the Insh marshes/Kingussie/Newtonmore area, an early returning Grey Wagtail at Spey Dam on the 3rd, a Kingfisher at Boat of Garten on the 4th and another at Kingussie on the 5th, a Jack Snipe at Insh Marshes on the 16th, a redhead Smew at Loch Insh on and off for the second half of the month, a Hawfinch at Grantown on Spey on the 24th, and a Russian White Fronted Goose at Insh marshes on the 30th...

Adventures 'out of area'

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, Pink Footed Geese and Whooper swans, and early this month we were even treated to a visit by 2 Wood Larks - Incredibly rare in mainland Scotland! I also managed to find the reported Green Winged Teal in amongst the many Common Teal...

Lossiemouth East Beach and lagoon

Winter plumaged Red Throated Divers

Greater Scaup

Green Winged Teal (left bird) with Common Teal

Common Redshank

Curlew

Male Common Eiders

Male Long Tailed Duck

Wood Larks

Common Redshank by Jan Shields

Purple Sandpiper

Turnstone by Jan Shields

Ringed Plover by Steve Nicklin

Woodlark by Steve Nicklin

Whilst the Moray Coast farmland and hedgerows also give you a chance of seeing birds such as Whooper Swan, 'grey' Geese, Skylark, Linnet, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Grey Partridge, and Tree Sparrow.....

Stubble fields on the Moray Coast

Grey Partridge

Tree Sparrow

Pink Footed Goose by Steve Nicklin

The freshwater lochs and nature reserves just inland from the Moray Coast can be productive too....

The view from the hide at Loch Spynie

Whooper Swans by Steve Nicklin

Cormorants

Male Goosander

Female Goldeneye

Male Goldeneye

I also managed a couple of trips up the east coast to Dornoch (about 90 mins by car from Aviemore) as some rare/scarce sea ducks had been reported, and I was lucky enough to see the King Eider, and although I saw Common Scoter and Velvet Scoter, sadly, I 'dipped-out' on the Surf Scoter and Black Scoter....

Dornoch Beach

King Eider by Steve Nicklin

January 2026 mammal sightings in more detail:

Star mammal for January 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.

Mountain Hare

Mountain Hare by Steve Nicklin - Photo from January 2018

Seeing them is often actually easier said than done though, with snow making the job of finding a white animal on a white background pretty tricky, with using a thermal imager, or following their pawprints in the snow proving to be the best methods of finding them...

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....

Red Deer

Red Deer Stag

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, although we struggled to see them this month, at this time of year it is not unusual to see them with the first , very cute, new-born youngsters ....

Feral Mountain Goats - Photo from Jan 2020

Britain's only free-roaming Reindeer can be found in the Cairngorms National Park, and we are sometimes lucky enough to get decent views of them around Cairngorm Mountain .......

Reindeer

Reindeer - Photo from Jan 2019

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 forest habitat.

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'...

Roe Deer by Steve Nicklin - Photo from January 2018

Although we managed a few early morning sightings of Brown Hare this month, mainly on the quieter farmland areas, they were usually very fleeting glimpses, in poor light......

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 succumbed to old age and poor health in November 2024...

Thankfully, our 'new' ginger Hairy Highland Coo's - Hamish and Dougal - are proving to be very popular with my safari clients....

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....

Grey Seal

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:

I can't recall seeing any other wildlife this month.....but I will be keeping my eyes peeled for my first sightings this year of bees, bats etc, in the weeks to come...

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. Heated/cooled front and rear 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 4 years of (thankfully!) increasingly busy and extremely enjoyable safaris with clients with no major issues arising.

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

Avian influenza (bird flu) outbreaks - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

Positive prescriptions | The RSPB

www.scotlandbigpicture.com

A distant view of the Cairngorm Mountains

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.

Glen Tromie

Summary:

Similarly to last January, though I was only booked for 2 safaris this month - sadly, January is always 'quiet' - I am pleased to report that I managed to get out and about in the wilds to enjoy the spectacularly scenery and wildlife of the Cairngorms National Park on a regular basis by myself, or with friends and family, not so good for my bank balance, but great for my physical and mental health, general well-being , and my ever-increasing 2025 bird 'year-list', and thankfully, my safari bookings diary is filling - up nicely for future months....

A local u-shaped glacial valley, surprisingly snow-free..

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

The Aurora Borealis over my home in Aviemore

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........

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Saturday, January 31, 2026

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