February 2026
February 2026 was, similarly to February 2025, a bit of a 'month of two (very different) halves' weather-wise in this area. The first two weeks, with the winds from the north and high pressure in control, were generally cold, calm and dry, with just occasional snow, whilst the last two weeks, with low pressure and south-westerlies dominating, were milder, but often wetter and breezier.
Overall though, when compared to some previous, more extreme February's, with the exception of a few days in weeks three and four, it wasn't a bad month for wildlife watching.
Temperatures ranged considerably from a chilly -7c to a balmy +10c during the month, with the colder, snowier days reminding us that February is still very much winter this far north. However, on the warmer, brighter days, there was definitely a feeling of spring not being TOO far away now, with the lighter mornings and evenings, the return inland of some of the wading birds, and more woodland and garden birds heard singing.
The days are lengthening noticeably now, with up to 9-10 hours of usable daylight, and dawn (for the Black Grouse) is still a relatively sociable 7am, with dusk at around 5pm.
Full-day local safari bird lists usually top-out in the 30's or 40's, though a trip to the nearby (one hour by car ) Moray Coast can boost this total considerably, whilst mammal day lists can vary between 3 and 8 species, depending on the time of our start and number of habitats visited, with early starts usually proving to be best.
I always think that wintertime gives some of the best opportunities for scenic landscape photography in this area, and I felt very priviledged to enjoy some beautiful vistas again this month, so I have scattered a few of my photos around this report...
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| Late winter near the source of the River Spey |
To give you an idea of what you may realistically hope to see if you are considering a future February visit, I hope the following more detailed information, illustrated with photos taken at sites in and around the Cairngorms National Park, and sometimes further afield, by myself, my friends or my safari clients this month and in previous February's will help....clicking on the picture enlarges it to full-screen.
All photographs of wildlife, especially Schedule 1 and other protected or vulnerable bird species shown on this website were taken by myself, my safari clients or friends (thanks all :) 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 (usually first hour of light only), Red Grouse, Snow Bunting, Goosander, and Dipper, we also managed some good views of Crested Tits on our forest walks , and a few reasonable Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle sightings on local marshes and glens...though Crossbills proved very elusive, with just a few brief glimpses....
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....
February 2026 bird sightings in more detail:
Up in the glens:
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| February in a local u-shaped glacial valley |
Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle are nearly always on my safari clents' "wish-lists", and as I have said before, the shorter days of the autumn/winter months , and no nesting distractions definitely give us the best chance of seeing them. That trend continued this month, and although I have only seen 2 WTE this year, a number of good sightings of GE were achieved, though not as frequently as we had enjoyed in the 3-4 months before this, as many of the adult birds will now be paired-up and nesting....
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| Golden Eagle |
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| Golden Eagle |
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| Golden Eagle - Photo from Feb 2017 |
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| White Tailed Eagle |
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| White Tailed Eagle |
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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| Kestrel |
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| Peregrine Falcon |
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| Goshawk |
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| Red Kite |
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| Common Buzzard |
Up on the moors....
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| A local upland heather moorland |
Dawn in February (still a pretty user-friendly 7 am) on my safaris is usually spent visiting one (or more if needed!) local Black Grouse lek sites, usually a flat, grassy area on an upland heather moorland with forest not too far away, and we enjoyed the spectacle of up to 6 of these attractive, but sadly now increasingly rare, blue-black cock birds displaying, posturing aggressively and flutter-jumping in a bid to out-display and intimidate their opponents in a bid to secure their little patch of the 'arena' for the forthcoming breeding season, all accompanied by their distinctive bubbling and whooshing calls drifting across the moor... surely one of British wildlife's 'must-see' (and 'must hear') experiences? 'Performances' are usually noticeably better on cold, still mornings.... but please be aware that we have to view from a respectful (and legal) distance, and that sightings are not 'guaranteed' as the birds can fail to show for no apparent reason, as was the case on a few occasions this month...
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| Lekking Black Grouse |
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| Lekking Black Grouse - Photo from Feb 2019 |
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| Lekking Black Grouse - Photo from Feb 2019 |
Still on the moors, the cock Red Grouse too, are now becoming very territorial and full of aggression, but they have a very different method to the other Grouse species, as they defend their chosen 'territory' from rivals and try to attract a mate with much calling and posturing and their red eye wattles aglow, usually from one of the few higher vantage points, making them (occasionally) nice and easy for us to find, although numbers of birds do seem to be down on previous years, possibly due to the repercussions of the huge wildfires on our local moors last summer.....
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| Female Red Grouse |
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| 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.......
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| Common Buzzard |
In the Caledonian pine forests...
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| A local Caledonian pine forest |
Crested Tit sightings in local Caledonian pine forests were actually more numerous than this time last year, with a pretty decent 'strike-rate' achieved. The vast majority of our sightings were at local feeding stations, but we also managed a few 'random' sightings on our forest walks, though it should be noted that you can enhance your chances by learning their distinctive trilling calls and songs, otherwise they can easily be missed, especially if they are in mixed winter flocks of several species....
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| Crested Tit |
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| Crested Tit by Wayne Dixon |
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Crested Tit by Wayne Dixon
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| Crested Tit by Wayne Dixon |
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....
Crossbill sightings were, disappointingly, really few and far between this month, and I don't actually recall seeing a single perched bird, with sightings restricted to just fleeting glimpses of birds flying over the forests, with us only identifying them by their characteristic 'jip jip' calls....
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| Female Crossbill - Photo from Feb 2020 |
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| Male Crossbill - Photo from Feb 2019 |
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 |
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| Hand feeding a Coal Tit - Photo from Feb 2019 by Jan Shields |
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..
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| A picturesque local loch |
Star birds on our local lochs during the winter are probably the Goldeneyes, with the males now in their dapper breeding plumage with some already seen performing their elaborate courtship display, and the winter-visiting Whooper Swans, with a back up cast of Goosander, Teal, Wigeon , Mute Swan, 'Grey' Geese and Tufted Ducks.
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| Whooper Swans |
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| Male Goldeneye |
On the marshes:
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| Insh Marshes |
Although the marshes were partially 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 the ice thawed, alongside the ever-present Grey Herons, ducks like Mallard, Teal and Wigeon were noted, along with Whooper Swans and several species of 'grey' Geese, and the first few returning waders such as Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Curlew and Golden Plover were also reported.....
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| Whooper Swans |
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| Greylag Geese |
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| Grey Heron |
On the rivers...
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| The River Spey |
Our Dippers are in full 'breeding season mode' now, and early morning visits to known favourite sites (keeping a respectful distance of course) occasionally give us great views of these characterful and hardy little birds singing their hearts out, with wings back and chests pushed out... and towards the end of the month we sometimes see one or two carrying nesting material....and it still makes me shiver every time I see these tough little birds submerge themselves when feeding amongst or even under the ice in the freezing winter months...
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| Dipper with nest material |
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| Dipper |
Other birds seen regularly on the rivers this month include Grey Herons, Mallards, and a few Goldeneyes and Goosanders....
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| Female (redhead) Goosander |
Up in the mountains....
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| The Cairngorm Mountains |
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....
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| Snow Buntings |
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| Snow Buntings |
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| 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...
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| Ptarmigan by Wayne Dixon |
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| Ptarmigan by Wayne Dixon |
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| Ptarmigan by Wayne Dixon |
On local farmland...
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| 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...........
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| Greylag Geese |
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| Whooper Swans by Bob Smith |
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| Red Legged Partridge |
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| Male Pheasant |
In local gardens/At local feeding stations:
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| 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....
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| House Sparrows |
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| Male Blackbird |
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| Coal Tit |
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| Robin |
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| Blue Tit |
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| Male Chaffinch |
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...
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| Sparrowhawk in my garden |
A few photos of more common birds seen locally this month:
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| Mallards |
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| Robin |
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| Great Tit |
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| Male Blackbird |
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| Mistle Thrush |
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| Greater Spotted Woodpecker |
Other good/scarce birds seen/reported locally this month included:
A Bittern at Milton Loch, Boat of Garten on the 1st, a Nuthatch at Rothiemurchus also on the 1st, 6 drake Pochards at Loch Insh on the 10th, a Long Tailed Duck at Loch Insh on the 11th and Loch Alvie on the 14th, a Barnacle Goose at Insh Marshes on the 11th, a Brambling at Nethybridge on the 19th, a Snow Goose (2 on the 22nd) around Insh Marshes, and a female Smew at Loch Insh, both throughout the month,
Adventures 'out of area'
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| The wild and rugged 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 auks, waders, wildfowl, seaducks, Scoters, gulls, 'grey' Geese and Whooper swans.....
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| Eiders |
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| Wigeon (background) and Teal (foreground) |
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| Male Long Tailed Duck |
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| Shag |
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| Purple Sandpiper (centre) and Turnstones |
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| Common Redshank |
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| Oystercatcher |
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| Flying Long Tailed Ducks by Ron Mitchell |
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| Turnstones by Ron Mitchell |
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| Male Long Tailed Duck by Ron Mitchell |
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| Purple Sandpiper by Jan Shields |
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.....
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Moray farmland
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| Linnets |
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| Yellowhammer |
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| Tree Sparrows |
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Male Tree Sparrow
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| Pink Footed Geese |
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| Whooper Swans |
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| Grey Partridge - Photo from Feb 2021 |
The freshwater lochs and nature reserves just inland from the Moray Coast can be productive too....
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| Loch Oire in Moray |
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| Cormorants |
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Whooper Swans
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| Tufted Ducks (foreground) and a male Goldeneye (background) |
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| Male Goldeneye |
February 2026 mammal sightings in more detail:
Star mammal for February is usually that much sought-after local speciality the Mountain Hare, and rightly so, as Britain's only native 'lagomorph' and with their UK distribution being restricted to just a few remote upland areas, seeing one is always a treat, especially in their white winter coats...
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| Mountain Hare |
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| Mountain Hare |
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| Mountain Hare |
Seeing them was tricky during the snowy conditions early in the month, and I often had to resort to using my thermal imager to find them, but it actually became easier than usual for the second half of the month with the lack of snow meaning that their white coats made them much more obvious against their green/brown/grey mountainside background...
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, and maybe a bit of scrambling around on rocks, often in deep snow....
In the same upland glens, Red Deer, mainly in large same-sex herds, can usually be seen, although a number of factors such as the weather, in particular the wind strength and depth of the snow, and whether there is any local shooting activity , can dictate whether we get nice close-up views, or distant views through the telescope....
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| Red Deer Stags |
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| Red Deer Stag |
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 althoughg we struggled this February, at this time of year it is not unusual to see them with the first , very cute, new-born youngsters ....
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| Feral Mountain Goats |
Red Squirrels are a true Highlands speciality, and we are usually fortunate enough to see at least one on most of my safaris, mainly chomping on peanuts at forest feeding stations, but with the occasional random sighting whilst walking or driving in suitable habitat.
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| Red Squirrel |
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| Red Squirrel |
Roe Deer are most commonly seen at dawn or dusk and generally at the quieter, more remote sites well away from human disturbance, their shy, nervous nature making them much harder to see than Red Deer, despite being considerably more numerous and widespread than their larger 'cousins'...
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| Roe Deer - Photo from Feb 2019 by Steve Nicklin |
We managed a few (mainly early morning) sightings of Brown Hare this month, usually on the quieter farmland areas, but sadly they were mainly very fleeting glimpses. with very few decent photo opportunities.....
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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....
Our favourite 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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| Common Seal - Photo from Feb 2019 by Steve Nicklin |
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:
Apart from a few brave bugs seen flying around on the milder days, I don't recall seeing any other wildlife this month.... although the early flowers like Snowdrops and Crocuses are finally starting to bloom...
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....
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 wintry moorland scene |
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 although COVID-19 no longer appears to be a serious problem, we usually have very little interaction with other people anyway, and this is something that I intend to continue.
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| A typical February scene in the Cairngorms National Park |
Summary:
Although I only had 5 safari bookings all month, I was also out and about, both with friends and by myself as often as I could manage, and despite the 'changeable' weather, by taking advantage of the better days, we actually did really well for sightings of some sought-after local speciality birds and mammals this month, and a good time was had by all.
Thankfully, my bookings diary is filling up fast for the months ahead, and with the daylight hours lengthening, the weather gradually improving, the temperatures slowly rising, and more birds singing every day, I am optimistic that 2026 will turn out to be a good year.....
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 well 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.htm
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| Snowdrops in bloom... at last! |
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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