April is a fantastic month for seeing wildlife in Speyside. The weather is warmer and birds and mammals are starting to breed. There has been plenty to see on and hopefully the sightings will keep on coming. One day I collected some guests early in the morning to look for Black Grouse. I had suggested at 6am start as the Black Grouse come out early to lek. When we got to the site there was no sign of them and I began to wonder if somehow we'd gotten there too early.

March has been an amazing month to see wildlife and there are so many highlights to choose from. One day in March I led a day guide that started in Carrbridge and I took my guests to look for Black Grouse. We had initially said we would start at 8am, but after an initial visit to one of the lek sites and not finding anything, I began to have my doubts and suggested a 7am start just to be sure. I hoped that it wouldn’t be too early in the season.

March is the month when the temperatures are getting warmer and the daylight gets longer. Although there have been flurries of snow and colder temperatures, these have been fleeting and the Badgers have visited every night, with a regularity of Pine Marten sightings too. There are also increasing sightings of Wood Mice and Tawny Owls being heard.

February is another quiet month for wildlife in Speyside. Winter is still present, but it’s otherwise beginning to change. The summer visitors are not yet here, yet the temperature is beginning to warm up and the daylight starts to get longer. I went into Inshriach Forest one morning hoping to see Goshawks, as this is a good time of year to see them.

January is one of the coldest months in the Cairngorms but there is still plenty to see. At Dalnahaittnach there are Crested Tits and Crossbills, with Roe Deer, Brown Hares, Eurasian Woodcock, Eurasian Curlews possible. I heard Crested Tits, Crossbills and saw a Eurasian Woodcock this month, the latter became an unexpected sighting. In the woods around Boat of Garten there are Crested Tits, Red Squirrels, Coal Tits, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Long Tailed Tits, Eurasian Jays and

2026 has just begun and already, plenty has happened. There have been sightings of Badgers, Pine Martens and even the Scottish Wildcat. Tawny Owls have been heard and there’s been excellent stargazing opportunities, when the nights have been clear, with Jupiter and multiple star constellations seen and enjoyed by guests.

It had been quite cold in the Cairngorms this past December. But just because it was cold, didn’t mean there was nothing to see, quite the opposite. Around Inshriach, there were plenty of songbirds such as Great Tits, Coal Tits, Blue Tits, Long Tailed Tits and Greenfinches. On occasion, I spot Buzzards and Sparrowhawk, flashing past, as it swoops after songbirds. I managed to see all of these species in December.

It’s now the end of 2025 and it has been an incredible year. We have had lots of sightings of Badgers, Pine Martens, the Scottish Wildcat, including more than one, Wood Mice, Bank Voles, Tawny Owls, Barn Owls, a variety of songbirds as well as Red and Roe Deer. Hopefully 2026 will be just as full of sightings as 2025.

The second last hide update of the year, what a thing to say. Winter is here and there are still Badgers, Pine Martens and the Scottish Wildcat to see as well as a Wood Mouse. It’s definitely colder as everything winds back for the year, but there is still plenty going on. Badgers One night, for the first time in weeks, a Badger came from the left-hand side and sniffed around before going away. Later, the same individual returned and at one point it looked as though it would

Autumn is officially here and the nights are getting darker earlier. The nights are also getting colder, as evidenced by the need to have the heaters on in the hide. There have been Badgers, Pine Martens, Wood Mice, Bank Voles and even Pygmy Shrews have been seen at the hide for the first time. Hopefully the sightings will continue as autumn progresses. Badgers There are now seven Badgers in this particular family and they have been coming every night this month. One night ev

Snow flurries and more windstorms have made February quieter in terms of guiding. The winter wildlife has been enjoying some of the...