Highland Wildlife & Birdwatch Safaris

June 2026

June 2026 was very 'changeable' weather-wise for the first fortnight in this area, with seemingly no two consecutive days the same. The  northerly winds early in the month bringing low overnight temperatures, a few light dustings of snow on the mountain tops, daytime temperatures struggling to hit low double figures, and a lot of cloud around, however, more southerly winds later in the month saw us enjoy some calmer, sunnier, drier days, and even a mini-heatwave for a short period,  perhaps more in keeping with what you might expect or hope for in June....

With nearly 20 hours of usable daylight and all of our summer visiting bird species on territory, but some of the 'spring' species now more elusive, bird day-lists are usually just below the highest in the year now, with full-day (8-10 hours with starts no earlier than 6am needed) multi-habitat safaris regularly producing 40 - 50 species - many with youngsters - and June is definitely 'fledgling month' up here - so if you enjoy seeing baby birds, this is definitely the month to visit!

The combination of sun and occasional rain this month gave the spectacular highland scenery a lush, green, almost spring-like appearance, and helped to top-up the rivers to near normal levels, whilst the wild flowers, especially Orchids,  are really starting to bloom now, and a few patches of pink and purple heather began to appear on south-facing banks towards the end of the month.

A few more butterfly and day-flying moth species were noted on the sunnier days, and the Wood Ant nests are now very active...

The wide variety of habitats in this area - mountains/moorland/lochs/rivers/Caledonian pine forest/birch woods/rivers/farmland/valleys - In my opinion, give some of the best opportunities for scenic landscape photography in the entire UK, 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...

June in the Cairngorms National Park

To give you an idea of what you may realistically hope to see if you are considering a future June 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 June'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:

Osprey, Red Grouse, Slavonian Grebe, Red-Throated Diver, Black-Throated Diver, Goldeneye and Dipper, with a few hard-earned sightings of Ring Ouzel, Pied Flycatcher, Wood Warbler, and Crossbills, just a couple of glimpses of Crested Tits and sadly, but not unusually now,  Capercaillie was not seen at all, and , as is normal for this time of year, we only managed a couple of brief distant views of Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle...

With the snow largely restricted to the mountain tops by now, that's where you have to go to have a chance of seeing Snow Bunting, Ptarmigan and Dotterel....but 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 visiting birds continued to be seen throughout the month, with Common Swift, Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher,  Wood Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler,  Whinchat,  Wheatear, Common Sandpiper, Sand Martin, House Martin,  Swallow, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff,  Blackcap,  Redstart, and Tree Pipit, all spotted.....

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  provided Bottlenose Dolphins, and both types of Seal.

June 2026 bird sightings in more detail:

On the lochs..

An idyllic scene at a local loch

Osprey is usually the 'star bird' of the mid-summer months in this area, and that proved to be the case this month, with my safari parties often fortunate enough to see them sat in, on or around their nest, occasionally plunge-diving spectacularly to catch a fish, or delivering a fish on several occasions, and from mid month we started to see the rapidly growing 'downy' youngsters being fed and stretching their wings  for the first time this year....a marvelous and heart-warming sight!

My first view this year of a young Osprey - with one of it's parents

Adult Osprey with a sizeable Pike - Photo from June 2015

Osprey by Jan Shields

Slavonian Grebes, in their beautiful summer plumage, were seen and enjoyed - from a safe, legal and respectable distance - on their favoured quiet lochans,  the males frequently observed collecting food to be delivered to the female birds on their nests hidden deep in the sedge beds , though we are not yet able to confirm any evidence of breeding success for this now (UK wise) very rare bird....

Slavonian (Horned) Grebe

Slavonian Grebes by Jan Shields

Black-Throated Divers in their strikingly beautiful summer plumage, were seen reasonably regularly on suitable secluded local lochs,  though they were not totally reliable, and it should be noted that generally we had our best views on calmer days, with little or no ripple on the water, and usually had the closest encounters early in the day, when human disturbance was it it's lowest...

Black Throated Diver by Jan Shields

Black Throated Diver by Jan Shields

Red-Throated Divers were seen reasonably regularly on local lochs this month, with early mornings proving to be most fruitful, and although most of the views were through a telescope at long distance, we also got lucky with  a couple of closer sightings, where the birds were seen fishing close to the loch edge....

Red Throated Divers

Red Throated Diver

Goldeneye too are a 'local speciality' breeding bird, with Highland Scotland their only UK breeding area, and our local nest boxes proving popular, we enjoyed good views of families of these very attractive little ducks throughout the month.

Female Goldeneye with youngsters

Cute Goldeneye ducklings by Zayn Sargent

Common Sandpipers and Redshanks can be seen around the shorelines of local lochs during spring/summer too....

Common Sandpiper

Common Redshank

Up on the moors....

A local upland heather moorland

Red Grouse sightings were a bit hit or miss this month, occasionally we got lucky with a family group showing well, but often they were unusually difficult to find on the heather moorland this month, not that surprising I suppose, when you consider their impressive camouflage and the danger to their chicks from predators,  but if you could be persistent, and eventually spot the heads of the adults popping up like periscopes above the dense heather, waited patiently, and looked carefully, you then usually got to see their brood of very cute, fast-growing youngsters too...

Male and female Red Grouse

Male Red Grouse

Female Red Grouse with chick

Cuckoos were seen regularly on local moorlands again during the first half of this month....often being harassed by Meadow Pipits....

Cuckoo by Jan Shields

Golden Plover used to be reasonably easy to see and hear on our local moorlands but they seem to have become very scarce in recent years, and we only managed one brief sighting all month...

Golden Plover

In the Caledonian pine forests...

A local Caledonian pine forest

Crested Tit (finally!!!) became a little less difficult to see on our Caledonian forest walks, though they could still not be described as 'easy', as the recently-fledged youngsters learned to forage for food with their parents in family groups, but please be aware that they are extremely 'flitty', rarely sitting still for photo opportunities, often only alerting us to their presence in the Caledonian pine forests with their distinctive rippling trills.... and you need to be able to hear and recognise this to have a decent chance....don't worry, I will use the apps on my ipad and mobile phone to train you up!!

Crested Tit by Byron Taylor - Photo from June 2017

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....

The same could definitely be said of Crossbills, usually one of the more tricky species to see well regularly due to their unpredictable 'irruptive' behaviour,  but by listening out for their trademark 'jip jip' calls and for falling pine cones....although most of our sighting were still of the frustrating fly-over variety, we actually got lucky and managed decent sightings on a couple of occasions this month,

Male Crossbill

Female Crossbill

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 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 in the UK, 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 commonly 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 late April-August, and although they are much more difficult to spot now the trees are fully leafed, with a bit of persistence, and by using our ears to follow their distinctive calls and songs, we managed to get a few half-decent views of both species  early in the month, though I haven't seen any evidence of breeding yet.....

Singing Wood Warbler by Jan Shields

Male Pied Flycatcher by Zayn Sargent

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

Spotted Flycatcher by Bob Smith

Tree Pipit

On the rivers...

A picturesque scene at the local River Spey

Dippers actually proved to be a bit tricky to find this month. Having mostly bred early again this year, the birds appear to have deserted their nest sites, and appear to be much more mobile along their territories....apart from one pair who still had young in the nest....

Adult Dipper

Young Dipper

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

Common Sandpiper

Goosander family

Grey Wagtail

Up in the glens:

A local u-shaped glacial valley

Golden Eagle and White-Tailed Eagle are iconic 'Scottish' birds which always seems to be on visiting birders 'wish-lists', and we are fortunate to have a number of suitable upland glens nearby, however.... it should be noted that, with most females still with young chicks, and 20+ hours of daylight available for the males and sub-adults to use for hunting, the chances of us just happening to be in the right place at the right time to see them are fairly low during  spring and summer  (when compared to the autumn/winter months) and generally raptor sightings in this area were pretty hard to come by this month...but we did manage to get a couple of distant views of sub-adult examples of Golden and one of White-Tailed....

Sub-adult Golden Eagle - Photo from June 2016

White Tailed Eagle by Steve Nicklin - Photo from June 2024

Similarly to the Eagles, and for the same reasons, other birds of prey are also less easy to see at this time of year, but we did manage to get views of Osprey, Common Buzzard, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk,  and Red Kite , and just a couple of glimpses of Peregrine.......

Kestrel

Common Buzzard

Red Kite

Up in the mountains....

The view south from the summit of Cairngorm Mountain

Along with the second half of May,  June is probably the best month to have a chance of seeing all 3 of our mountain top bird species in one trip  - Ptarmigan, Dotterel and Snow Bunting , and a couple of walks up, on the 5th and the 15th proved succesful, with all of the target species seen over the two trips, though only in small numbers and only briefly....

Snow Bunting

Snow Bunting

Dotterel

Male Dotterel

Female Dotterel

Ptarmigan

A male Ptarmigan pretending to be a rock! - Photo from June 2016

Please be aware though, that several miles of strenuous hill-walking on steep gradients is required, so a good level of physical fitness is needed, and some basic survival/navigation skills preferable, as well as suitably friendly weather, 

At slightly lower levels, but generally still above 1,500ft/450m,  Ring Ouzels can sometimes be seen in their upland and mountainside habitat, especially early in the day before human disturbance, though when compared to April and May they are now  definitely harder to find, as most are no longer be singing or calling, and sightings are mainly restricted to adult birds collecting beakfuls of worms to take to their newly fledged youngsters.

Ring Ouzel (with Mountain Hare in the background!) by Zayn Sargent

Female Ring Ouzel by Jan Shields

Male Ring Ouzel by Jan Shields

Male Ring Ouzel

On the marshes:

June at RSPB 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 , along with the ever-present Grey Herons, are the birds most likely to be seen on the marshes in spring and summer, with just the occasional report of a marauding bird of prey....

Grey Heron

Lapwing with chick

Oystercatcher with chick

On local farmland...

Typical local farmland

Plenty of  Oystercatcher , Redshank, and Lapwing families were seen, and a few Golden Plovers, though Curlews seem (to me)  to be in smaller numbers than in previous years,

Golden Plover

Oystercatcher

Lapwing

Curlew by Jan Shields

In local gardens/At local feeding stations:

My garden on the outskirts of Aviemore

With lots of recently-fledged youngsters to feed, my garden feeding station was again very busy this month!

Blue Tit family

Juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker

Blackbirds

A few more summer visiting migrant birds:

Whinchat

Barn Swallows

Wheatear by Jan Shields

Spotted Flycatcher by Jan Shields

Cuckoo

Willow Warbler by Steve Nicklin

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

Common Gull by Jan Shields

Male Reed Bunting by Jan Shields

Stonechat

Male Chaffinch

Male Pheasant

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

A singing male Red Breasted Flycatcher in Culloden Woods from the 1st to the 25th , a Parrot Crossbill in Glenmore Forest on the 9th, and a Lesser Whitethroat near Kincraig on the 17th...

Red Breasted Flycatcher at Culloden Woods

Adventures 'out of area' 

The Moray coast is only about an hour drive north of Aviemore, and although I didn't manage a coast trip myself this month, visits to favourite reserves, lochs, bays and harbours usually give good views of a selection of waders, auks, gulls, wildlfowl, seaducks, terns and gulls etc....

The ruggedly attractive Moray Coast

  

Common Tern

Male Eiders

Red Breasted Merganser by Jan Shields

Whilst on and around the sea cliffs and stacks, nesting birds include: Shag, Cormorant, Fulmar, Kittiwake, Gannet, Common Guillemot, Razorbill, and we usually also see a few of the less common Black Guillemots, though I am still to see a Puffin this year.....

Moray Coast sea cliffs

Common Guillemots

Razorbill

Black Guillemots

Fulmar

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

Moray Coast farmland and hedgerow

Yellowhammer

Linnet

Male Reed Bunting

The freshwater lochs and nature reserves just inland from the Moray Coast, though 'quieter' than in autumn/winter,  can still be productive too....

RSPB Loch Spynie

Little Grebe

Male Tufted Duck

June 2026 mammal sightings in more detail:

Red Squirrels often feature on my safari clients 'wish-lists', not surprising I suppose as they are sadly largely absent from most of the UK now, and just happen to be very attractive, entertaining and endearing little animals that can usually (with a little patience) be relied upon to appear at forest feeding stations for a free meal, though we often get more 'natural' random sightings whilst on forest walks and drives too...

Red Squirrel - Photo from June 2015

My clients always love to see Red Deer too, with the iconic 'Monarch of the glen' stags being a sought-after sighting, and although they are not at their magnificent best as they are still growing new antlers at this time of year, they still proved popular, as did the large groups of hinds gathered in their favourite birthing areas, with  new-born youngsters.... 

Red Deer Stags

Red Deer hinds with youngsters

Feral Mountain Goats  are rare across much of the UK, being a living remnant from the crofting age, and largely confined to remote upland areas, but we managed to see them a few times this month, with this year's young now almost as big as their parents..

Feral Mountain Goats

Roe Deer are actually reasonably common across much of the UK, but their nervous, wary, crepuscular nature, means that they are rarely seen well, unless you are out and about early or late in the day....

Roe Deer buck by Jan Shields

Brown Hare sightings were a little less frequent this month, probably because we were not out and about quite as early as in April and May, but we still managed a few decent views in quieter locations...

Brown Hares

Early morning visits to Cairngorm Mountain gave us a few sightings of Mountain Hare this month, though, unless they were moving,  they were really hard to see, as their blue-grey/brown summer coats provide great camouflage against the lichen-covered rocks in their upland habitat, or the grey gravel of the car park....

Mountain Hare

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 usually easy to spot...... 

Black Water Vole

Black Water Vole by Jan Shields

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....

Carrot time for Hamish and Dougal

Hamish and Dougal looking peckish! - Photo by Jan Shields

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....

Bottlenose Dolphin at the Moray Coast

Bottlenose Dolphin with large Salmon - Photo from June 2015

Common 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.

Beavers have been released on some of our quieter local lochs in recent years, 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:

Midsummer is peak time for butterflies and wild flowers in this area, and a typical June, given some sunny and calm days, usually sees us enjoying sightings of  Red Admiral, Peacock. Small Pearl-Bordered Fritillary,  Small Copper, Small Tortoiseshell, Common Blue and Orange Tip among others, and a splendid range of wild flowers including  several types of Orchids....and our local Wood Ants are now very active....

Small Copper by Bob Smith

Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary

Red Admiral

Ghost Moth

Wood Ants nest

Midsummer is the best time to see Atlantic Salmon leaping on Highland rivers, on their way upstream to the spawning grounds, and, if the water level is right,  visits to known 'hot-spots' can be very entertaining....

Atlantic Salmon by Margaret Holland - Photo from June 2016

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

Northern Marsh Orchid

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.

Wild lupins by the River Spey

Summary:

Looking back through my photos whilst compiling this blog report, although it never quite hit the 'highs' of May, which to be fair, is always a hard act to follow, I think it is fair to say that June 2026 was undoubtedly another excellent and busy month of wildlife watching, with a splendid variety of wildlife seen, despite the 'changeable' weather early on.  It was certainly great to see the much-needed breeding success of some of our local speciality and rarer bird species , lovely to utter a few "ahhhs" at the cute fledglings of so many common birds, and enjoy the general feelgood factor of just spending time out and about enjoying the long summer days in the huge variety of habitats in the beautiful Cairngorms National Park among all the lovely wild flowers and spectacular scenery....  but... the real highlight for me , as always, was sharing it with other like-minded people from all round the world, seeing their smiles and hearing the occasional sharp intake of breath, or "wow" as they saw something special, or something they had always wanted to see.....

Late June usually sees the heather start to flower on the local moorlands

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

A spectacular moorland dawn captured by Jan Shields

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........