Reader Holiday
SAT 20 FEB – SAT 27 FEB; SAT 27 FEB – SAT 6 MARCH PRICE £1,395 PP NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT
Join the Heatherlea team for some brilliant birding in Scotland
Fabulous birding in the north of Scotland on this brilliant Bird Watching Readers’ Break!
February is an exciting month for birding in the extreme north of the British mainland. And this holiday is something a little bit different, featuring remote northern hideaways, as we locate the very best Scottish birdlife in winter.
Our speciality birds include Capercaillie, Ptarmigan, Black Grouse, Crested Tit, Scottish Crossbill, Golden and Whitetailed Eagle, and we look for these during a couple of absorbing days birding the Scottish interior, which may be frozen and/or snow-covered. Flocks of Waxwing, Lesser Redpoll, Twite and Brambling are very possible while northern rarities, including Great Grey Shrike, are often found at this time.
Activity at the coast features concentrations of winter visitors offshore, and rarities and scarce British birds sheltering in harbours. Gulls, waders, geese and ducks, divers, passerines and raptors, just about anything can turn up! We make an exciting expedition over three days to the very far north, staying in Thurso for two nights, and visiting secluded harbours and windswept lochs to find the birds that make this holiday so special. You will visit very different Scottish coastlines; the very far north in Caithness, the rugged east-facing coast north of Inverness, and the long expanse of the Moray Firth, depending on available birding opportunities and, of course, weather.
This is a time of year when tourists are few on the ground, and wild landscapes and solitude (you won’t see many other birders!) are combined with exceptional birding.
DAY 1:
Saturday: Arrival, welcome, dinner and briefing. Don’t forget our courtesy collection service from Aviemore.
DAY 2:
Sunday: Local specialities Let’s begin as we mean to continue, with fantastic birding! We visit a moorland location in our minibus to see Black Grouse ‘popping’ and ‘cooing’ at the lek. Next we take a safari in the Heatherlea Private Estate to search for Capercaillie. Staying inside our large minibus, we have a good chance of coming upon birds in the open, ‘The Big Grouse’ can show well at this time of year, and our chances are good. In the Caledonian Forest Crested Tit are noisy, and we look for Scottish Crossbill. Buzzard, Treecreeper, Siskin, Hen Harrier, Sparrowhawk and even Golden Eagle are all more than possible on this first day.
DAYS 3-5
Monday to Wednesday: Birding the far North!
We cross the Black Isle north of Inverness, heading for Sutherland and Caithness – the most remote and most under-birded counties on the British mainland. We call at key sites on the journey, a fascinating part of a unique holiday. Glaucous and Iceland Gull are regular in harbours and we can reasonably expect to see both of these. In secluded lochs and coastal bays, wintering Red-throated, Black-throated and Great Northern Divers are occasionally joined by rare White-billed Diver. Other uncommon seabirds might include Black Guillemot or storm-driven Grey Phalarope and Little Auk.
The Caithness coast can be excellent for flocks of Twite, Snow Bunting and perhaps many thousand migrating Fieldfares, Redwings and Starlings. Rarities can often feature, and in previous years we have seen Crane, American Wigeon, Snow Goose, Longbilled Dowitcher, Ring-necked Duck, Smew, Ring-billed and Bonaparte’s Gulls and Great Grey Shrike. Waxwing and Jack Snipe are possible, too, on this real birding adventure.
Our two-night stay in Thurso gives the chance to search harbours and bays, with views to the Orkney Isles across the Pentland Firth.
We spend time looking at large lochs and fertile pastures to check the wildfowl, with large numbers of geese and ducks expected. In previous years we have seen Brent
( both races), tundra and taiga Bean, and White-fronted ( both races) in among good numbers of Pink-footed Geese.
Time will be dedicated to birding the ‘Flow Country’ where a late afternoon drive through expanses of peaty moorland can produce Short- eared Owl, Hen Harrier and Merlin.
Our return journey sees us call at estuaries and mudflats, returning south in time for dinner on Wednesday.
DAY 6:
Thursday: Cairngorm Mountain
Today we visit the Cairngorms with Ptarmigan in mind. The birds are mainly white in plumage, and our quest is usually successful.
We round-up a few more interesting birds, perhaps including Peregrine, Snow Bunting, Dipper and Goldeneye.
Local fields may contain returning waders, and Lapwing, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Redshank and Golden Plover will be among the targets. We also target any birds we may have missed on Sunday.
DAY 7:
Friday: Moray Coast
Back to the coast, this time in Morayshire. We will almost certainly see Common and Velvet Scoters, and Long-tailed Duck, possibly at very close quarters. Great Northern and Red-throated Divers are highly likely; and rarities are frequent at this time of year.
Previous winter visits have yielded Glaucous and Iceland Gulls, Black Duck, Greenwinged Teal, American Wigeon, Surf Scoter and King Eider – a feast of seawatching! Red Grouse, Corn Bunting, flocks of grey geese and waders, including Purple Sandpiper, are on the agenda too. Expect about 70 species.
DAY 8:
Saturday: Departure Breakfast and departure. Don’t forget our courtesy return service to Aviemore.
FURTHER INFORMATION and BOOKINGS
Contact Heatherlea. Telephone: 01479 821248 / Email: info@heatherlea.co.uk / Web: heatherlea.co.uk