Day Guiding Blog April 2026
- Harris Brooker
- May 18
- 3 min read
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 our day guiding trips, and hopefully the sightings will keep on coming.
One morning I collected guests early to look for Black Grouse. I suggested a 6am start as they come out early to lek. When we arrived, there was no sign of them and I began to wonder if we’d somehow come too early. That didn’t quite make sense, though, as it was already light and I’d seen them here later than this before.
I considered moving to another site, but it was further away and any birds would likely be more distant. Here, we had the best chance of seeing them well without disturbance. So we waited.
After a while, a male appeared at the top of the hill, then another. Soon there were four, and we could hear their far-carrying gobbling calls as they displayed. Two faced off and briefly fought. Instead of disappearing over the hill, as I’d seen before, they began moving towards us, which made for a great encounter.
Later we drove to a nearby loch and stopped at a layby, where two Black-throated Divers were present. We watched them for some time, and it was good to confirm they had returned.
We moved on to plantation woodland near the loch and saw Siskins, Chaffinches and a pair of Crossbills perched on a telephone wire. The orange male and greenish female showed well, though their bill size suggested they were likely Common Crossbills.
In another area of pine forest, we went in search of Crested Tit and Crossbill. A Tree Pipit, a summer visitor, was seen, and Crossbills flew over, possibly Scottish Crossbills. Crested Tits were both heard and briefly seen, but only fleetingly, and further stops produced more calls than views.
We finished the day in a valley looking for Golden Eagles. None showed, but Buzzards, a Kestrel, Teal and a pair of Wheatears rounded off the day nicely.
On another day guide, I took guests to a different valley in search of Red Deer. We set off at 8am and saw Pheasants, Red-legged Partridges, Brown Hares, Oystercatchers, Common and Black-headed Gulls, and some Red Deer. I wasn’t certain if the first group were wild or captive, so we continued further to be sure.
Deeper into the valley we passed a field with captive Red and Fallow Deer. Around them were Oystercatchers, Lapwings, Curlews, Pied Wagtails and Golden Plovers, with Redshank and Greenshank in the nearby stream.
Further on, we encountered five more herds of Red Deer which were clearly wild. One group by the roadside gave particularly close views of both stags and hinds.
On the way back, we stopped again and found even more Golden Plovers, along with Song Thrushes, Mistle Thrushes and Redwings. At the loch, Goldeneye, Canada Geese and Mallards were present, along with a male Sika Deer walking along the fence, trying unsuccessfully to reach the woodland.
Two Black-throated Divers then appeared on the loch, a surprise as I’d never seen them at this site before.
Returning to the fields where we’d seen the Brown Hares, we found female Sika Deer with calves. Then a Stoat appeared, a rare sight, and was quickly chased off by Common Gulls. A Red Kite was also seen but didn’t stay long, being mobbed by a Carrion Crow and Lapwing.
The final surprise was a male Bullfinch alongside Chaffinches and Siskins. It was a tremendous day from start to finish, and I’m hoping May will be just as good.
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