Highland Wildlife & Birdwatch Safaris

May 2026

May 2026 started with generally dry weather, but with frosty nights and cold early mornings, often followed by warm sunny afternoons, but week 3 was much more changeable with some wet and wintry spells, before the month ended with a week of high pressure and warm, calm, dry sunny conditions

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 9 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 and the Moray Coast, gave me my annual 'fix' of seabirds, including Terns,  sea ducks and Auks  and some decent rare birds, and sea mammal sightings.

I always think that wintertime (and this year, early May sometimes felt more like late winter, than early spring here!) 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...

May in the Cairngorms National Park - Photo by James Ball

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 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 (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 much 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' multi-habitat 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),  and Black Water Voles  whilst trips to the coast usually provided both types of Seal.

May 2026 bird sightings in more detail:

On the lochs..

A picturesque 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....

Female Osprey sitting on eggs

Osprey

Osprey by Steve Nicklin

Male Osprey delivering headless fish to his female - Photo from May 2023

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....

Slavonian Grebes by Steve Buckland

Slavonian Grebe by Steve Buckland

Slavonian Grebe by Steve Nicklin

Red Throated Divers - Photo from May 2015

Red Throated Diver

Black Throated Diver

Black Throated Diver by Steve Nicklin

The same could be said of our Goldeneyes, 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 and female Goldeneye

Goldeneye chicks

Goosanders can often be seen on our local lochs too....

Female Goosander

The edges of the local  lochs can be good for seeing wader species such as Common Sandpiper, Oystercatcher, Lapwing and Redshank.....

Common Sandpiper by Steve Nicklin

Oystercatcher by Steve Nicklin

Redshank by Steve Nicklin

Up on the moors....

A local upland heather moorland

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!!

Female Black Grouse at the lek with the males

Lekking Black Grouse by Steve Buckland

Lekking Black Grouse

A female Black Grouse seen near to a lek site

Lekking Black Grouse - Photo taken from a hide in May 2015

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 in 2024  - 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, respectful (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/late May we usually start to see the hen birds with their newly fledged families of very cute fluffy youngsters...

Male Red Grouse

Male Red Grouse

Female Red Grouse with chick

With more potential food available now, in the form of small birds such as Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Stonechat, Wheatear etc,  moorlands can also produce decent bird of prey sightings in spring and summer, and this month we managed to see - in order of size  -  Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, and Red Kite, though similarly to last year, a Merlin sighting has still evaded me so far....

Male Northern Wheatear

Male Stonechat 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...

Meadow Pipit

Cuckoo by Steve Buckland

Up in the glens:

Springtime in a 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 ......

Red Kite

Common Buzzard

Golden Eagle

White Tailed Eagle

In the Caledonian pine forests...

A local Caledonian 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 - Photo from May 2018

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....

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, to be honest, scope views and photographic opportunities are usually a rare occurrence though...

Male Crossbill - Photo from May 2016

Female Crossbill - Photo from May 2018

We also get decent numbers of the slightly more common, but still very attractive Spotted Flycatcher , Tree Pipit, and Common Redstart in local Caledonian forests too....

Male Common Redstart

Spotted Flycatcher

Tree Pipit by Steve Nicklin

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/

In the birch woods:

A local birch woodland

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...

Tree Pipit

Male Pied Flycatcher

Male Pied Flycatcher

Wood Warbler

Singing Wood Warbler

On the rivers...

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.

Dipper

Dipper

Dipper

Common Sandpipers , Goldeneyes, and Grey Wagtails can also be seen on our local rivers in spring and summer, along with the resident Goosanders.....

Female/young Goosanders

Grey Wagtail

Common Sandpiper

Up in the mountains....

Cairngorm Mountain plateau

A ride up on the Cairngorm Funicular Railway, followed by a walk up another 1'000ft to the summit (not permitted for the general public) , using my Cairngorm Mountain Guiding License, on the 21st, proved to be reasonably  productive for the 'mountain species', with Ring Ouzel and Snow Bunting,  seen and enjoyed, with great views of Mountain Hares as a bonus...though sadly, we failed to see any Ptarmigan or Dotterel, so I have included some photo's of those species from previous May's for illustration purposes....

Ptarmigan - Photo from May 2017

Dotterel - Photo from May 2017

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, 

Unusually for May, a late dump of snow mid-month, saw Snow Buntings briefly drop back down to lower levels for a couple of days, and on the 15th we were treated to great close-up views when a flock of 15+ took advantage of the food I put out for them....

Snow Buntings

Male Snow Bunting

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.....

Female Ring Ouzel by Steve Buckland

Male Ring Ouzel

On the marshes:

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....

Curlew

On local 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, Golden Plovers,  and Common Snipe all being noted.....

Common Redshank

Lapwing by Steve Nicklin

Oystercatcher

In local gardens/At local feeding stations:

My garden on the outskirts of Aviemore

With lots of natural food around, we reduced the amount of food on offer in our garden this month, but still had plenty of birds visiting.... 

A Siskin, a Goldfinch and a Great Spotted Woodpecker

Collared Doves

A young Blackbird

Male Chaffinch

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

Female Sparrowhawk - Photo from May 2018

A few more recently-arrived summer visiting migrant birds:

Male Cuckoo

Sedge Warbler

Singing Willow Warbler by Steve Buckland

Wheatear by Steve Nicklin

Barn Swallow

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

Greylag Geese

Mallards

Male Bullfinch

Young Stonechat

Female Chaffinch with nesting material

Singing Male Chaffinch

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

A Long-Tailed Duck on Loch Insh for the first 2 weeks of the month, 4 Dunlin  and 5 late Whooper Swans at Loch Insh on the 3rd , a Black Tailed Godwit at Insh Marshes on the 4th, a Pied Flycatcher at Loch Insh on the 5th, the first reported Swift in this area at Laggan, and at least 1 Pied Flycatcher at Craigellachie NNR from the 6th onwards, a Red Throated Diver at Loch Insh from the 7th onwards, 15 late Pink Footed Geese at Insh Marshes on the 13th, 2 Turnstones at Lochindorb on the 16th, a Wood Warbler and several Tree Pipits at Craigellachie NNR from the 19th onwards, a Little Ringed Plover at Lochindorb on the 27th, a Pied Flycatcher at Glenmore Lodge on the 28th, a couple of real rarities, in the form of a Collared Flycatcher at Insh, and Red Breasted Flycatcher at Culloden, both on the 29th, and 3 Shovelers at Loch Insh on the 30th......

I was also fortunate to connect with a family of Long Eared Owls locally, at a location I need to keep quiet, from the 15th onwards...

A young Long Eared Owl

Adventures 'out of area' 

Spey Bay on the Moray Coast

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, terns and gulls etc....

Male Red Breasted Merganser

Dunlin by Steve Nicklin

Ringed Plover by Steve Nicklin

Whimbrel by Steve Nicklin

Whilst on and around the sea cliffs and stacks, nesting birds included: Shag, Cormorant, Fulmar, Kittiwake, Gannet, Common Guillemot, Razorbill, and we also saw a few of the less common Black Guillemots....

Ruggedly beautiful sea cliffs on the Moray Coast

Black Guillemots

Male Eider

Shag by Steve Nicklin

Fulmar by Steve Nicklin

Kittiwake by Steve Nicklin

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

Moray Coast farmland and hedgerow

Linnet by Steve Nicklin

Corn Bunting

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

Loch Oire

Little Grebe

Tufted Ducks

Adventures out of area - The Aberdeenshire Coast: 

Sea cliffs at RSPB Fowlsheugh

A couple of trips to the Aberdeenshire coast, visiting the sea cliffs at RSPB Fowlsheugh , and the wetlands of RSPB  Loch of Strathbeg were very enjoyable and pretty good for bird sightings too.

Konik Ponies at RSPB Loch of Strathbeg

Razorbills at Fowlsheugh

Common Guillemots at Fowlsheugh

Spoonbill at RSPB Loch of Strathbeg

April 2026 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 by Jo and Russ Thompson

Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

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.

Red Deer hinds

We also saw several large herds of stags, most 'in velvet', with their new antlers growing rapidly.

Red Deer stags

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 - Photo from may 2019

Sightings of Mountain Hare , now sporting their mottled blue/grey/white spring pellage,  tend to be few and far between in the spring and summer months, and true to form, we only managed a few brief glimpses whilst up in the mountains, very early in the mornings....

Mountain Hare

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 buck and doe

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, having been native here thousands of years ago, 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

Black Water Voles  - a different 'race' to the brown water Voles found in England and Wales - are  present on our local waterways, and we were lucky enough to see them on a couple of occasion this month, though they are not easy to spot...... 

Black Water Vole

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....

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 at the Moray Coast

Bottlenose Dolphins at the Moray Coast - Photo by James Ball 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.

Beavers have been released on some of our quieter local lochs, and like Otters, are mainly only active during darkness, however, they can occasionally be seen at dawn and dusk, by those patient enough to sit and wait, but they are easily spooked , and are definitely not easy to get a glimpse of....

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..... 

Meadow Brown

Red Admiral

Orange Tip

Wood Ant nest

News:

I am very pleased to announce that Highland Wildlife & Birdwatch Safaris has recently been awarded - for the fifth 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 :)

My current safari vehicle is a 2019 Land Rover Discovery5 HSE LUX 7-seater, and this has, along with excellent off-road and all-weather ability, heated/cooled front and rear seats, and all the usual luxuries such as multiple charging points,  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

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

Positive prescriptions | The RSPB

www.scotlandbigpicture.com

https://cairngorms.co.uk/documents/fire-management-byelaw-owner-guidance

Dawn on a local moorland

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.

Bluebells

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, fun times with fellow birders 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 decent 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!

A typical May scene in the Cairngorms National Park

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

Sunrise at the foot of the Cairngorm Mountains

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........