2011 – AS IT HAPPENED TRIP SUMMARIES FROM OUR GUIDES Our holidays based here at the Mountview Hotel in the heart of the Cairngorm National Park run continuously throughout the year. Beginning in February and running through until November, we have 15 different holiday itineraries which change with the seasons to give you the best of Scottish Wildlife. Here are some of the highlights from 2011! Your gateway to Scottish birds and wildlife! During the last twenty‐one years we have led more than 700 full week birding and wildlife holidays here in the Scottish Highlands. That means over 4000 days of dedicated guiding, showing wonderful wildlife to a total of over forty thousand guests! With this wealth of experience, and holidays running continuously from February until late November, it isn’t surprising we know the wildlife of Scotland extremely well. Our expert guides judge weather and season to give you the best possible wildlife sightings, and our thanks go to all those who have joined our holidays to date. We hope to enjoy many more fantastic experiences with you in the future. This Report gives just a flavour of our holidays. Not every sighting is included, only highlights, and all reports have been edited to protect wildlife locations. Please read as a general guide given to help you decide whether our holidays might be suitable. ................................ DECEMBER 2010 – JANUARY 2011 The Last and first Birds of the Year – notes from our guides! We seek Capercaillie, Black Grouse, Ptarmigan (weather permitting!), Crested Tit and Scottish (Parrot) Crossbill TWICE, once during the last two days of 2011, and again after ‘The Bells’ during the first four days of 2012. We also have time after New Year to visit the Moray Coast, where winter bird lists can reach 60 species per day, the Black Isle, where wintering passerine flocks can number into the hundreds. We will have our finger on the pulse to show you any rarities within reach, and daylight allows us a good seven hours or so birding every day. ................................ HEATHERLEA TRIP REPORT Heatherlea (Scotland) Ltd THE LAST AND FIRST BIRDS OF THE YEAR The Mountview Hotel, Nethy Bridge, Inverness-shire PH25 3EB WEDNESDAY 29 DECEMBER 2010 – Tel: 01479 821248, Fax 01479 821515 Email: [email protected] WEDNESDAY 5 JANUARY 2011 www.heatherlea.co.uk Heatherlea Guides: Ian Ford & Jonny Pott GROUP HIGHLIGHTS: A great birding week, the highlights perhaps being three cock Capercaillie (seen by most but not all guests), and a superb King Eider, close-in and displaying all key plumage features. Other good birds enjoyed by all were Black Grouse, Crested Tit and Golden Eagle, and ‘rarities’ included Great Grey Shrike and a confiding Bittern, both at Insh Marshes. Our total list of 101 species also included Slavonian Grebe, 14 duck species including both Velvet and Common Scoter and Long-tailed, Red Grouse, Woodcock, Black Guillemot, Waxwing, Brambling, Parrot Crossbill and Snow Bunting. A very healthy start to the New Year’s list for all participants! Hogmanay itself is a key part of this holiday, and after Dinner some of our Group joined in with the Nethy Bridge fireworks celebration, followed by a bird ID quiz and singing (by Jonny, resplendent in his kilt) back at the Mountview. Some hardy souls were taken into Grantown, to join in with locals in the outdoor party, with live music and dancing, whilst the rest of us saw in ‘The Bells’ at the Hotel, followed by a chorus of Auld Lang Syne and more fireworks. Most were in bed at a reasonable hour, though a generously late breakfast on New Year’s Day allowed people the choice of early morning birding around the Hotel or a lie-in. Thanks to Heatherlea guides Ian Ford and Jonny Pott. A thoroughly enjoyable time was had by all – many thanks to all who joined and made it such fun! INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS: Birding Highlights (selected) ‘three lifers, King Eider, Scaup, Great Grey Shrike, plus good views for the first time of Golden Eagle and Bittern... ‘The drama of a Buzzard and Sparrowhawk sitting next to each other ... ‘King Eider and Capercaillie, two great birds ... ‘Moray coast was special, with all the seaduck, not least King Eider, a lifer ... ‘unexpected birds, including Brambling, Waxwing, and finding Bittern for the group was a highlight ... ‘flurries of snow and scurrying voles at the head of the Findhorn, plus 200 red deer ... ‘best viewing was the Golden Eagle, really quite special ... ‘Burghead Harbour and a group of Long-tailed Duck all in different plumage – like the bird book ... ‘the King Eider so close, showing all plumage details ... ‘for once, really good close-ups of Rock Pipit ... Non-birding Highlights At the end of the week, our round-up produced a few interesting non-birding highlights amongst all the great sightings enjoyed, including: ‘the look of the Hotel Lounge as we came up the drive … ’the guides’ skills of listening in the field makes me want to learn more about birdsound … ’excellent hotel ambience, food and crack … ‘our first group in Britain and we didn’t have to organise it! ’Strathdearn never fails to lift my heart … ’Ian and Jonny’s patience … ’good weather and great light, particular on the morning of the partial solar eclipse … ’Hogmanay! … ‘ The Last and First Birds of the Year w/c 29 December 2010 – BIRDLIST . Red‐throated Diver 1 Slavonian Grebe 2 Little Grebe 3 Fulmar 4 Cormorant 5 Shag 6 Bittern 7 Grey Heron 8 Mute Swan 9 Whooper Swan 10 Greylag Goose 11 Shelduck 12 Mallard 13 Wigeon 14 Teal 15 Scaup 16 Tufted Duck 17 Eider 18 King Eider 19 Common Scoter 20 Velvet Scoter 21 Long‐tailed Duck 22 Goldeneye 23 Goosander 24 Red‐breasted Merganser 25 26 Golden Eagle Red Kite 27 Buzzard 28 Sparrowhawk 29 Kestrel 30 Peregrine 31 Red Grouse 32 Capercaillie 33 Black Grouse 34 Grey Partridge 35 Pheasant 36 Moorhen 37 Coot 38 Oystercatcher 39 Ringed Plover 40 Lapwing 41 Knot 42 Purple Sandpiper 43 Turnstone 44 Dunlin 45 Redshank 46 Black‐tailed Godwit 47 Bar‐tailed Godwit 48 Curlew 49 Woodcock 50 Snipe 51 Black‐headed Gull 52 Common Gull 53 Herring Gull 54 Great Black‐backed Gull 55 Black Guillemot 56 Guillemot 57 Rock Dove (Feral Pigeon) 58 Woodpigeon 59 Collared Dove 60 Tawny Owl 61 Long‐eared Owl 62 Great Spotted Woodpecker 63 Rock Pipit 64 Pied Wagtail 65 Wren 66 Dipper 67 Waxwing 68 Dunnock 69 Robin 70 Redwing 71 Mistle Thrush 72 Fieldfare 73 Blackbird 74 Goldcrest 75 Great Tit 76 Coal Tit 77 Blue Tit 78 Crested Tit 79 Long‐tailed Tit 80 Treecreeper 81 Great Grey Shrike 82 Jay 83 Magpie 84 Jackdaw 85 Rook 86 Carrion Crow 87 Hooded Crow 88 Raven 89 Starling 90 House Sparrow 91 Tree Sparrow 92 Chaffinch 93 Brambling 94 Linnet 95 Redpoll 96 Mealy Redpoll 97 Goldfinch 98 Greenfinch 99 Siskin 100 Bullfinch 101 Parrot Crossbill 102 Snow Bunting 103 Yellowhammer 104 Other wildlife of note Common Seal Grey Seal Red Deer Sika Deer Roe Deer Mountain Goat Red Squirrel Field Vole Rabbit Brown Hare HEATHERLEA BIRDWATCHING THE MOUNTVIEW HOTEL, NETHY BRIDGE, INVERNESS-SHIRE, PH25 3EH TEL: 01479 821 248 FAX: 01479 821 515 WEBSITE: www.heatherlea.co.uk Email: [email protected] Your gateway to Scottish birds and wildlife! During the last twenty‐one years we have led more than 700 full week birding and wildlife holidays here in the Scottish Highlands. That means over 4000 days of dedicated guiding, showing wonderful wildlife to a total of over forty thousand guests! With this wealth of experience, and holidays running continuously from February until late November, it isn’t surprising we know the wildlife of Scotland extremely well. Our expert guides judge weather and season to give you the best possible wildlife sightings, and our thanks go to all those who have joined our holidays to date. We hope to enjoy many more fantastic experiences with you in the future. This Report gives just a flavour of our holidays. Not every sighting is included, only highlights, and all reports have been edited to protect wildlife locations. Please read as a general guide given to help you decide whether our holidays might be suitable. ................................ FEBRUARY 2011 The Top 20 in Winter – notes from our guides! This winter wildlife holiday combines key mammals and birds with the stunning scenery of the Highlands and the West Coast. Beneath the crystal clear winter skies, wildlife is highly active during the shorter days, and with less human disturbance at this time of year, Otter, Pine Marten, both eagles, Crested Tit, Capercaillie and Black Grouse are easier to find, and Ptarmigan and Red Deer are at lower altitudes to avoid the snowy hilltops. This is a time to see the real Scotland – unspoilt, undeveloped and with unbelievable wildlife. ................................ HEATHERLEA TRIP REPORT Heatherlea (Scotland) Ltd THE TOP TWENTY IN WINTER The Mountview Hotel, Nethy Bridge, Inverness-shire PH25 3EB SAT 5 – SAT 12 FEBRUARY 2011 Tel: 01479 821248, Fax 01479 821515 Email: [email protected] www.heatherlea.co.uk Heatherlea Guides: John Poyner and Jonny Pott GROUP HIGHLIGHTS: A great birding week, one of the highlights being a rogue Capercaillie, close-in and displaying all key plumage features. Other good birds enjoyed by all were Golden Eagle, Great Northern Diver, Long-Tailed Duck and Velvet Scoter. Our total list of 105 species also included Parrot Crossbill and Snow Bunting. On our first day on the West Coast we had fantastic views of three otters, and another highlight was hearing a Great Northern Diver wailing on the sea loch.