SCOTTISH ISLAND HOLIDAYS

The Scottish islands are simply stunning, and with Heatherlea the best wildlife watching experiences are readily available. Fancy seeing Corncrake on Iona? How about shearwaters as you cruise to Canna? Many itineraries are unique, and in 2023 we offer more holiday choice than ever, all designed to give you the best of wildlife at the best time of year. You don’t even need a car to visit some of the most beautiful and wildlife-rich places on earth, we take care of your travel arrangements by including transfers (see below).

These holidays are ideal if you want to see some of the rarest and difficult-to-find birds of the British Isles. Some holidays target specific species, including Corncrake and White-tailed Eagle, though on all we are keenly interested in mammals (especially Otter and cetaceans), insects, flora and more. We move at a leisurely pace, giving you time in the evenings before a relaxed dinner, though we move quickly when rare migrants and vagrants are in our sights. We also take time to enjoy the scenery; after all, we are visiting some of the most beautiful places on the planet!

We have a maximum number of seven clients per guide for most holidays. This means more personal attention, and more time with your Guide to help you get the best possible sightings. Heatherlea is a small company run BY birders FOR birders, where our clients really do come first. Come and see!

• comfortable en-suite accommodation. Any exceptions will be identified in advance. We choose from our personally inspected shortlist, where birders are welcome, and the hospitality is special. Guests are never expected to share. Full details with your joining pack.

• all meals from dinner on arrival, then packed lunch each day, until breakfast on the final day.

• all ferries, other boat trips and flights as stated in the itinerary. Please note that transport to the joining point is not included, nor are flights from mainland airports to islands (eg Aberdeen – Shetland). All access fees.

• the services of your Heatherlea Guide.

• transfers from Nethy Bridge (See below).

Many holidays, particularly to northern islands, begin here in Nethy Bridge, with courtesy transfers to ferry points or airports, saving you money. This is often the most economical way to visit the remotest parts of Scotland – Heatherlea make it easy and give you real savings.

You may book an extra night’s stay at either end of your holiday, and drivers may leave vehicles safely parked at Mountview Hotel free of charge. Please note that extra nights are rarely available within Mountview Hotel, which has only twelve guest rooms. Our near neighbours Nethy Hotel are within easy walking distance, and we can transfer luggage on request. See ‘Getting Here is Easy’ on p7 for suggestions to help you reach Nethy Bridge.

If using public transport, we provide a courtesy transfer service between Aviemore and The Mountview Hotel. We pick-up at 16.30 hours and 19:30 hours, on SATURDAYS ONLY. If arriving by public transport on a different day, you can transfer to your overnight hotel by taxi (please contact us for up-to-date taxi details). Morning dropoffs to Aviemore train station are until 10.30am on the day of departure. As an alternative you can join the holiday at a point closer to our destination if that is more convenient - Oban, Aberdeen, Fort William and Uig on Skye are regular meeting points on some itineraries.

You can take any SCOTTISH ISLAND holiday singly, but most are conveniently arranged to be enjoyed alongside either a Heatherlea week in the Highlands, or a second holiday elsewhere on the islands. If you combine, you make good use of time and minimise travel expenses too. Many Heatherlea clients choose this option, and there are lots of possible combinations; please see individual holiday text for suggestions.

We can’t put everything in this brochure, there just isn’t space! To read an ‘Tour Info Pack’ or a ‘Trip Report’ with more information, please visit www.heatherlea.co.uk or ask our office for a printed copy.

The Scottish islands are wonderful for wind-blown rarities and sometimes ‘mega’ birds, perhaps never before or very rarely seen in the UK. Many Heatherlea birders have enjoyed exceptional birding on the islands, where we always expect the unexpected!

Heatherlea offer several spring and autumn itineraries where we concentrate particularly on the birds which can take your British list to new heights, and these are designated ‘for birders’ in this Brochure. Select specific ‘for birders’ holidays to North Ronaldsay, Outer Hebrides, Cornwall, Isles of Scilly and Shetland!

During these holidays we maintain our ‘less intensive’ approach, and sometimes birds are trapped at observatories where we can observe them closely at leisure or are available in roadside locations. At other times, birds are flighty or in places which might be difficult to reach, and then we change plan and move more quickly to find them. You will need a reasonable level of mobility to appreciate these holidays to the full. At all times, we observe the Birdwatchers’ Code of Conduct, following common sense and good practice in the interests of both wildlife and wildlife enthusiasts.

Our exceptional guides have a massive amount of experience in finding rare birds in Scotland. Mark Warren was previously employed at North Ronaldsay Bird Observatory (where Heatherlea’s George Gay is now Assistant Warden), Peter Cosgrove works in conservation on Shetland, and Mike Coleman, Ian Ford, Scott O’Hara and Toby Green have been birding Scotland’s outlying islands for many years. Keep in touch with our sightings by subscribing to our social media.

For birdwatchers across the UK, autumn can be an exciting time and especially so here on the islands. With holidays on the Shetlands, Orkneys and Outer Hebrides there is a great variety!

The first rarity of the second half was a Sabine’s Gull found by Mike in mid-July, and by August it was seabirds to the fore, the unprecedented numbers of Sooty Shearwater the main talking point. Our early-autumn tour of North Ronaldsay enjoyed some 500 in just a few hours, a tally you wouldn’t imagine beatable until a conservative 700 were logged crossing the Minch, a Great Shearwater among them. An unseasonal adult Woodchat Shrike was found out in the wilds by Holly and her bespoke American group, arguably bird of the month. Goes to show what might be out there! Much more familiar (to our American friends at least) was the Pectoral Sandpiper she found two days later! North Ronaldsay was clearly the place to be in August, easterly winds bringing a nice selection of scarcities to the island. Mike and his early-autumn group again profited scoring sightings of Wryneck, Red-backed Shrike, American Golden Plover and Little Ringed Plover, the latter the rarest of the lot in the Orkney archipelago!

The spell of easterly winds continued into September, Mark and our Autumn Migration group really hitting the jackpot with migrants and rarities on both the east and west coasts. Featuring were a stunning female Brown Shrike, three Red-backed Shrike, Melodious Warbler, Common Rosefinch plus Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, and common warblers in good numbers. Birds were everywhere, while the Minch delivered again with eight Great Shearwater on the crossings. Nearctic waders often feature this month, and we scored on two consecutive days. Firstly, Jenna and the Outer Limits group found a juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper on Lewis, followed by Chris and the North Ronaldsay group with a lovely Long-billed Dowitcher. Other successes included Nightjar and more Great Shearwaters.

Being in Shetland for two weeks at the end of September had its advantages for Holly, as her first group enjoyed Citrine Wagtail, Wryneck, Barred, Yellow-browed, Wood and Western Bonelli’s Warbler to name but a few. Her second, late-September tour with Mark enjoyed at least one rarity daily. Top billing went to a late afternoon Swainson’s Thrush, although the rarest bird (and Heatherlea’s entire autumn) was a homeyeri Great Grey Shrike, a likely first for Britain identified retrospectively.

With a supporting cast including King Eider, Surf Scoter, Wryneck, Woodchat and Red-backed Shrike, Blyth’s Reed, Barred and Yellow-browed Warbler, Hornemann’s Arctic Redpoll and Common Rosefinch, this was a wonderful tour; Shetland will always be a favourite for Heatherlea clients! Also in September, Lewis and Harris really came up trumps for our Outer Limits group, guides Chris and Dave barely believing their own eyes when a superb whitemorph Gyr flew over their heads and perched on a hillside! An epic raptor for sure, and with Leach’s Petrel, masses of Sooty Shearwaters and the world’s second largest mammal – a Fin Whale also featuring, there were plenty of ‘write-ins´ on the weekly checklist!

Still in the west, a Ring-necked Duck was a nice rarity from the west, with point blank views of Grey Phalarope, Lapland Bunting and one of the only Long-tailed Skuas of the autumn too. What a wonderful autumn!