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Day Guiding Blog September 2026
September is a quieter month for wildlife sightings, but there is still plenty to be found within the Cairngorms.
One day, I took some guests up Cairngorm Mountain, but before that we wandered through a nearby pine forest and managed to see Chaffinches, Coal Tits and Crested Tits, with several of the Crested Tits coming to close range in some small Scot’s Pine trees. Afterwards, we stopped at another car park higher up and saw four male Black Grouse at a distance, pecking
Harris Brooker
1 day ago3 min read


Evening Wildlife Watching Hide Update September 2026
Introduction It’s been a great month for sightings from the Evening Wildlife Watching Hide. We have been seeing Badgers, Pine Martens, the Scottish Wildcat, Red Deer, Roe Deer, Wood Mice and Tawny Owls. The nights are getting darker earlier and this is being reflected in the times the animals are appearing, with many arriving earlier than before. This will likely continue as the year goes on and hopefully we’ll have many more sightings to come. Badgers Badgers have been comin
Harris Brooker
Oct 52 min read


Fair Isle in Autumn: Migrants, Merlins and Island Life
Fair Isle might not have given us the easterly winds we were hoping for, but there was still plenty arriving on the island. Lapland Buntings, Common Rosefinches, Barred and Yellow-browed Warblers were among the highlights, alongside hunting Merlins and the first Pink-footed Geese arriving from Iceland.

Speyside Wildlife
Sep 302 min read


Learning to Identify Raptors: Our Raptor Masterclass
Golden Eagle or Buzzard? Sparrowhawk or Goshawk? Identifying raptors isn’t always easy, especially when the view is brief or distant. Our recent two-day Raptor Masterclass combined classroom learning with a day in the field, where the group put their new skills into practice with some fantastic sightings, including Golden Eagles, White-tailed Eagles and Hen Harrier.

Speyside Wildlife
Sep 302 min read


Orkney Odyssey: Autumn Wildlife and Ancient Landscapes
Ancient tombs, Neolithic settlements, migrating waders and daily Hen Harrier sightings all featured in our recent Orkney Odyssey. From the cliffs of Westray to Orkney’s sandy beaches, Craig and the group enjoyed a week combining fantastic autumn wildlife with some of the islands’ most remarkable prehistoric sites.

Speyside Wildlife
Sep 282 min read


British Columbia 2026: Whales, Bears and a Very Special Wolf
Orcas hunting through rocky channels, Humpback Whales feeding, Grizzly and Black Bears, Sea Otters and some fantastic birdlife made our latest British Columbia holiday one to remember. But for Darren, one encounter stood above them all: a chance sighting of one of the Pacific Northwest’s elusive coastal Grey Wolves.

Speyside Wildlife
Sep 252 min read


Day Guiding Blog August 2026
August is a quieter month for wildlife sightings, but there is still plenty to be found, both within the Cairngorms National Park and beyond. One day, I took some guests out within the National Park and along the Moray coast. We started in a moorland area, where we managed to see Mallards and a Red Breasted Merganser with chicks. As there wasn’t much else happening, we moved to a lochside and found Mallards, Goldeneyes, Little Grebes and two Slavonian Grebes with a chick. We
Harris Brooker
Sep 213 min read


August Evening Wildlife Watching Hide Update 2026
August has proved to be an exceptional month for sightings at the hide, with Badgers, Pine Martens, the Scottish Wildcat, Wood Mice, Tawny Owls, Roe Deer and Red Deer all being seen. Autumn is on its way and, with it, I hope the sightings continue to be just as good as they have been this month.
Harris Brooker
Sep 73 min read


Spain Eclipse
A journey across the Bay of Biscay, four days exploring Northern Spain and one unforgettable natural spectacle. Julian’s latest trip combined dolphins, shearwaters and whales, with some fantastic birding in the Picos de Europa, including Lammergeier, Egyptian Vulture and Snowfinch.
But the magic moment was undoubtedly watching a full solar eclipse from the Spanish mountains.

Speyside Wildlife
Aug 303 min read


Aardvarks in Africa
Aardvark was the big target on this very different South African adventure, but it was just one of an incredible variety of sightings. From Aardwolves, Springhares and African Porcupines, to Caracals, African Wild Cats and black-maned Lions, there was plenty to keep everyone watching.
Add some fantastic birdlife and a memorable Cheetah family in the Kalahari and this was a trip packed with highlights.

Speyside Wildlife
Aug 282 min read


Day Guiding Blog July 2026
July is another fantastic month for seeing wildlife in Speyside and some great days out have been had. Although most the breeding season is now finished, there are plenty of birds and mammals still around, including many juveniles that are now learning how to be independent and looking for their own territories. Various species of raptors including Golden and White Tailed Eagles have a decent chance of being seen because of new juveniles being around, with this trend likely t
Harris Brooker
Aug 173 min read


Evening Wildlife Watching Hide Update July 2026
The nights are getting earlier as the year goes on, but there are still plenty of things to see from our Evening Wildlife Watching Hide, with plenty of sightings of Badgers, Pine Martens, the Scottish Wildcat, Red Deer, Roe Deer, Wood Mice and Bank Voles. Hopefully there’ll be many more things to see as August approaches. Badgers There are still plenty of Badgers appearing and there are at least six in the family just now. One night, the dominant male Badger came in while it
Harris Brooker
Aug 33 min read


Island Hopping in the Outer Hebrides - July 2026
Seabirds galore, Puffins galore, spectacular scenery, phalaropes, eagles, Hen Harriers, Short-eared Owls, Manx Shearwaters, exclusive boat charters, great accommodation and food. We all fell in love with this holiday.

Speyside Wildlife
Jul 293 min read


Celebrations in Kenya - July 2026
Private Celebratory Tour to Kenya: Big cats, big elephants, a big bird list and the biggest mountain in Africa. Starting at an elephant rehabilitation centre, we continued through Tsavo National Park to iconic Amboseli at the foot of Kilimanjaro, ending with rhinos at the first African National Park in Nairobi.

Speyside Wildlife
Jul 292 min read


Farne Islands 2026
From rare Turtle Doves and Red-necked Phalaropes to point-blank Puffins, Roseate Terns and Atlantic Grey Seals, this year's Farne Islands tour delivered memorable wildlife at every turn. Boat trips to the Farnes, Coquet and Holy Island, alongside visits to Kielder Forest and Druridge Bay, produced a fantastic mix of birds, stunning landscapes and unforgettable experiences.

Speyside Wildlife
Jul 212 min read


Day Guiding Blog June 2026
June is one of our busiest months for day guiding in Speyside. The summer visitors are all here and there are lots of breeding birds around and lots of wildflowers. One day guide started off with a request to see Crested Tit and Crossbill before going up Cairngorm and looking for mountain species. We began early and managed to hear Crossbills but not see them. We walked around and managed to briefly see and hear a Common Redstart. We wandered an area with smaller pines lookin
Harris Brooker
Jul 204 min read


Yorkshire in Summer 2026
Highlights from our ‘Yorkshire in Summer’ holiday have been Bempton Cliffs, visits to varied habitats, gorgeous scenery and witnessing a spectacular evening performance from local Nightjars. We’ve thrilled at fly-pasts from Bittern, Goshawk, Spoonbill and Gannets, drifts of glorious wildflowers, 21 species of butterflies and dazzling Dragonflies and Damselflies.

Speyside Wildlife
Jul 163 min read


Shetland Isles - June 2026
From magical evenings on Mousa surrounded by swirling Storm Petrels to close encounters with Puffins, Otters and Red-necked Phalaropes, this year's Shetland tour was packed with unforgettable wildlife experiences. Add spectacular seabird cliffs, Arctic Skuas, Bonxies and thousands of Gannets, and it was another memorable week exploring one of Britain's most wildlife-rich island archipelagos.

Speyside Wildlife
Jul 151 min read


Evening Wildlife Watching Hide Update June 2026
The Evening Wildlife Watching Hide is getting plenty of sightings, with daily sightings of Badgers, several of Pine Marten and a few Scottish Wildcat. On many nights we have seen Roe Deer, Red Deer, Wood Mice, a Barn Owl, Woodcock and both Soprano and Common Pipistrelles. There have been the occasional sightings of Buzzard flying over the trees. Leopard Slugs, Black Slugs, Common Toads, Common Frogs and Palmate Newts have also been seen.
Harris Brooker
Jul 63 min read


Northern Highlands - June 2026
Sally looks back on a trip where dramatic coastlines, seabird colonies, eagles, divers and rare Scottish Primroses combine with breathtaking scenery. A relaxed, small-group holiday with an unforgettable Highland wildlife experience.

Speyside Wildlife
Jun 302 min read
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