Something we do very well at Speyside Wildlife is watch wildlife. We go to all corners of Scotland and the world, in pursuit of some of...

Badgers A trickle of normality is returning following the end of winter at our hide near Aviemore in the Cairngorms. The Badgers have...

This blog focuses on finches, a group of colourful songbirds known for their diet of seeds and insects. It will discuss how to recognise them, their sizes, habitats and sometimes their relationship with humans. These can all be found in Speyside, within the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland. Chaffinch One of the commonest finches in Speyside. The male has an orange breast, which looks duller in the wintertime, but brighter in summer. Its wings have white patches, the exten

Our local Badgers Winter is a quieter time at the hide for Badgers. Stormy and cold weather can sometimes keep them at bay and when they...

Autumn in the Cairngorms is a good time to view the mammals from the hide, they now have their thick winter coats and come in to feed and...

The air in the Cairngorms is noticeably colder, the days are becoming shorter and nature is slowing down. In the past few weeks, I have...

Here is our monthly update from our hide near Aviemore in the Cairngorms. Our Local Badger Clan - There are at least eight Badgers in our...

Here is our monthly update from our Evening Mammal Hide in the Cairngorms, near Aviemore. Badgers - They’ve been coming in every day...

Red Deer ( Cervus elaphus ) are the largest species of deer in the UK and its largest land animal. They can stand up to one metre thirty-seven centimetres at the shoulder and for males the nose to tail length is just over two metres. They live in the forests, moorlands and mountains of Scotland and other parts of the UK. In the summertime they are more social and feed on grasses, sedges and rushes. They will also browse young trees, especially Rowan ( Sorbus aucuparia ). In t

Here is our monthly update from our Evening Mammal Hide in the Cairngorms, near Aviemore. Badgers - The Badgers have continued to amuse...

Our Local Badger Clan - There are at least nine Badgers in our group, one of which is a cub from this year which took almost a month to...

At our Evening Mammal Hide near Aviemore, the Badgers are still coming regularly to feed and delight our visitors at every turn. There’s...

The action has kept going at our Evening Wildlife Watching Hide and the Badgers have been coming every night. No sign of the cubs yet but...

Watching wildlife up close in the Cairngorms without disturbing it, whilst we sit inside our large hide, protected from midges and the weath

When we are out and about on our Guided Day’s Out, we are always on the look out for evidence of where wildlife has been. It’s always...

Scottish Badger Week this year is 6-14 May and so we thought this was an ideal time to focus on the other species that people hope to see...

At our Evening Wildlife Watching Hide, the Badgers have continued to entertain visitors. They feed peacefully most of the time but now...

One of our most elusive mammals in Britain, the Pine Marten captures human imagination. It is a member of the weasel family Mustelidae, alongside the Eurasian Badger, Weasel, Stoat and Polecat. In this post I attempt to capture what makes the Pine Marten so special and why they draw visitors from far and wide. Pine Marten (Photo Credit: Jane Hope) Pine Marten (Photo Credit: Jane Hope) Diet Firstly, I should say that they are a versatile adaptable species that mainly eats mice

At our Evening Mammal Watching Hide near Aviemore, the days are getting longer and we are starting later in the evening. We have had up...

We are spoiled for choice with amazing wildlife here in the Scottish Highlands. From Golden Eagles soaring high above open hills to Red Squirrels scurrying through the canopy of pine woodlands, there is bountiful choice when it comes to wildlife encounters. However, one species that is often overlooked when visiting this area is the European Otter. These elusive members of the weasel family (mustelids) are always a joy to see on our guided days out and often provide a ‘magic