HIGHLANDS and CORNCRAKE

SAT 13 MAY – SAT 20 MAY 2023

SAT 11 MAY – SAT 18 MAY, SAT 18 MAY – SAT 25 MAY 2024

PRICES: from £1795pp

Early Birder Prices from £1695pp (subject to availability).

Contact us before booking!

No single supplement. Full details and a Trip Report are on our website. Please read FIELD NOTES on page 9.

May is a wonderful month for wildlife watching in the Highlands. Summer visitors have all arrived, the breeding season is in full swing, and the weather is normally warm and pleasant. On this exciting two-centre holiday we spend time enjoying all the species which make Scotland so special. We combine the tranquil Caledonian pinewoods and the vast Cairngorm mountain plateau with two nights on the Outer Hebrides, as we add soughtafter Corncrake to our enviable target list. This is our only seven-night itinerary which combines all the key Scottish mainland species with Corncrake, a unique opportunity!

Each year Heatherlea watch Corncrake on the Outer Hebrides from early May, so by these dates we know where the birds have been showing, with excellent chances to see them before the vegetation grows too high and obscures the view. On this brief visit Corncrake are our principal target, though with a full day to explore, both White-tailed and Golden Eagle can be expected in reasonable weather. Hen Harrier and Short-eared Owl are frequently seen, and on our ferry crossings we can expect any (or all!) of the four skuas plus auks including Puffin and Black Guillemot, Gannet, Manx Shearwater, Shag, Fulmar and Kittiwake. Waders in bright breeding plumage and birds of the ‘machair’ including perhaps Corn Bunting will add to a memorable experience.

Back home in Strathspey, all the specialities are settled and breeding, and we search with care for Black Grouse, Red Grouse, Ptarmigan, Dotterel, Snow Bunting, Crested Tit, Scottish Crossbill, Osprey, Ring Ouzel, Dipper, Goldeneye, Black-throated Diver, Red-throated Diver, Slavonian Grebe, and many more. Capercaillie are increasingly scarce, and we no longer look for them at this time of year, though incidental sightings are possible. We visit a variety of habitats from the Caledonian pinewoods adjacent to Mountview Hotel, open moorland, lochs, rivers and fields of Strathspey and neighbouring areas which hold these special birds. We will spend most of one day on the Cairngorm plateau targeting key species and another birding the Moray Coast where farmland birds and perhaps a rarity may feature!

Combine with:

SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

Birding the Highlands in May (p17), Highlands & Corncrake (p18).

SCOTTISH ISLANDS

North Ronaldsay & Orkney in Spring for birders (p32), Outer Hebrides in Spring (p33).

Total species c. 120. Mammals may include Red Squirrel, Red Deer, Roe Deer, Grey Seal, Common Seal. Otter, Mountain Hare, Minke Whale, Bottle-nosed Dolphin and Harbour Porpoise are possible.

Five nights at Mountview Hotel. Two nights on the Outer Hebrides.

Combine with:

SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

Birding the Highlands in May (p17), High Season across the Highlands (p19).

SCOTTISH ISLANDS

Outer Hebrides in Spring (p33), Shetland in Spring for birders (p33), Shetland Island Explorer (p34), Islands on the Edge (p35).