Highland Birding
SAT 20 FEB – SAT 27 FEB; SAT 27 FEB – SAT 6 MARCH PRICE £1,395 PP NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT Fabulous birding in the north of Scotland on this brilliant Bird Watching Readers’ Break!
Join the Heatherlea team in the north of Scotland on a Reader Holiday to see great winter birds
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.