UNEXPLORED ORKNEY Westray, Papa Westray, Sanday & Mainland

SAT 23 SEPTEMBER – FRI 30 SEPTEMBER 2023

SAT 28 SEPTEMBER – FRI 4 OCTOBER 2024

PRICES: from £1895pp

Single supplement: £140. Deposit: £300pp

Max 7 clients. Leader Mark Warren (2023)

An exploration of the more remote parts of the archipelago, focused on birding while also enjoying some of the outstanding heritage of the islands. Birding possibilities are great, as early October is a rich time for southbound migrants, and local expertise gives us every chance of connecting with rare and scarce visitors. This exciting itinerary includes birding on Papa Westray and Sanday, all three remote and stunningly beautiful islands with huge potential, not previously available to birding groups. Most terrain is flat and easy to negotiate, while largely unrestricted access allows us to ‘get off the beaten track’ and explore.

Our daily schedule may include sea-watching, with passing Sooty and Manx Shearwaters, skuas, divers and auks possible. General birding might bring Pinkfooted, Greylag and Barnacle Geese plus other wildfowl. Waders feature strongly, with coastal bays, beaches and harvested fields often full of birds, there will certainly be plenty to look through in the hope of unearthing our own rarities!

Raptors are very much a feature, with Hen Harrier, Merlin, Peregrine and Shorteared Owl the most likely. At this time, large numbers of thrushes will be on the move from Scandinavia, as will finches and warblers. Just about anything is possible in the right conditions, and rarities vary each year depending on the prevailing winds, though the location of the islands makes Orkney ideal to receive wandering species from all points of the compass – a brilliant birding experience.

As Orkneys reputation grows a number of rarities have been found in autumn recently, including Siberian Accentor, Red-flanked Bluetail, Rustic and Little Bunting, Buff-breasted Sandpiper and American Golden Plover. On this holiday we spend two nights on Westray, giving time to fully cover the island, its habitats, and places us in prime position to visit nearby Papa Westray where pioneering birding awaits. Orkney offers stunning scenery and historical interest, and we visit important Neolithic sites on the mainland and also the wonderfully well-preserved Knap of Howar on Papa Westray while the beaches on Sanday are among the best in Britain. No of centres: 2.

Combine with:

SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

Outer Limits Adventure (p27), Highlands & Skye in Autumn (p28).

SCOTTISH ISLANDS

North Ronaldsay & Orkney in Autumn for birders (p42), Outer Hebrides in Autumn for birders (p43).

SAT 7 OCTOBER – FRI 13 OCTOBER 2023

SAT 5 OCTOBER – FRI 11 OCTOBER 2024

PRICES: from £1845pp

Single supplement: £225. Deposit: £300pp

Max 7 clients per leader. Leader Mike Coleman & Dave Pearce (2023)

The Outer Hebrides are famous for rarities in autumn, and this is a real birders’ treat as we seek wind-blown rarities at a great time of year. A good amount of our effort will be spent looking for rare birds, checking patches of cover, ditches and gardens and we also work through the flocks of waders, ducks or passerines, as vagrants hide amongst their commoner cousins. Our recent finds have included a good number of American vagrants following westerly gales, with White-rumped, Baird’s, Pectoral and Spotted Sandpipers, American Golden Plover and Lesser Yellowlegs.

If winds are from the east Yellow-browed Warbler, Rose-coloured Starling, Arctic Redpoll and Red-breasted Flycatcher occur annually. Almost anything is possible here, with incredibly rare birds recorded at this time in recent years including Wilson’s Warbler, Hermit Thrush, White’s Thrush, Buff-bellied, Pechora and Olivebacked Pipit, Long-billed Dowitcher, Least and Semi-palmated Sandpiper, Snowy Owl, Red-eyed Vireo and Ovenbird. If migration is slower, superb resident Golden and White-tailed Eagle, Hen Harrier, Merlin and Twite and not forgetting Otters are all there to entertain! Regular, expected migrants at this time of year include all three divers, Long-tailed Duck and scoter, Snow and Lapland Bunting, Jack Snipe and good numbers of Purple Sandpiper, Golden Plover and Sanderling, with Whooper Swan and Barnacle Geese arriving from the north. With the Atlantic Ocean to scan, and ‘The Minch’ to cross twice, we are sure to pick up a good list of seabirds with Sabine’s Gull, Sooty Shearwater and Pomarine Skua perhaps featuring alongside Storm Petrel, Manx Shearwater, auks and skuas. Cetaceans have included Minke Whale and Common and Bottle-nosed Dolphins. Our exact itinerary will be based on your guide’s judgement regarding wind, tide and recent sightings. With stunning autumnal light on the rugged landscape, we are sure of a memorable trip.

Total species c. 85. Number of centres: 2.

Combine with:

SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

Outer Limits Adventure (p27), Highlands and Skye in Autumn (p28), Highland Autumn Birding (p28).

SCOTTISH ISLANDS

Unexplored Orkney (p44).

SAT 21 OCTOBER – THURS 26 OCTOBER 2023

SAT 19 OCTOBER – THURS 24 OCTOBER 2024

PRICES: from £1645pp

Single supplement: £295. Deposit: £300pp

Max 7 clients. Leader Mike Coleman (2023)

Islay is beautiful, with soft, rolling scenery and wonderful birdlife. We see large goose flocks including thousands of Barnacles and Greenland White-fronted. The sight and noise are unforgettable, and our mobile-hide minibus is invaluable when scouring flocks at close quarters. We may find Brent (pale-bellied), Greylag, Pink-footed and perhaps wild Canada Goose, but our real effort will go into rarity hunting! Snow, Red-breasted, and races of Lesser Canada and Cackling Goose have all been seen.

Chough breed on Islay, and we should see them floating on the breeze at very close quarters. Other regulars include Twite and Snow Bunting. We search for three diver species, Black Guillemot and other auks, and ducks with numbers of Scaup, Eider and perhaps a few Long-tailed and Common Scoter. We watch for local Golden and White-tailed Eagle and also present are Hen Harrier, Peregrine and regular Merlin. Waders include Golden Plover, Curlew, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Sanderling and a few Purple Sandpiper, with the chance of American rarities. Jura is well worth a visit for the scenery alone and is renowned for its population of Red Deer and we search for Otter along the coastline. c. 80. Number of centres: 1.

Combine with: SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

Highlands and Skye in Autumn (p28).

SAT 4 NOVEMBER – THURS 9 NOVEMBER 2023

PRICES: from £1395pp

Single supplement: £100 Deposit: £300pp

Max 7 clients. Leader Ian Ford (2023)

A vast, internationally important area for wildfowl, Solway Firth offers great birding. Caerlaverock is alive with tens of thousands of geese. We scour flocks of Barnacle Goose for rarities including Red-breasted, Richardson's Cackling and Snow Goose, or perhaps a Lesser White-fronted. At the daily feed, the spectacle of wild Whooper Swan is something to both see and hear!

RSPB Mersehead holds many Barnacle Goose and wintering ducks including Pintail, and feeders have Reed Bunting, Yellowhammer and Tree Sparrow. We have to be lucky to connect with large Starling murmurations, though we hope to see them as the light fades, and Merlin, Sparrowhawk, Hen Harrier and Peregrine are regular.

Westward at Loch Ryan we seek flocks of Scaup, Common Scoter and Eider, with Long-tailed Duck, Black Guillemot, Red-breasted Merganser, plus wintering divers and grebes. Waders include Purple Sandpiper, Turnstone, Knot, Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit and Ringed Plover, and Pale-bellied Brent Geese winter in small numbers. We close beside a large area of rough grassland, where Hen Harrier, Merlin and the odd Short-eared Owl roost.

The Ken-Dee Marshes host Greenland White-fronted and Greylag Geese. Later at the local Red Kite feeding station, expect a very close first-hand experience of these gregarious birds. In the Galloway hills the major prize is locally scarce Golden Eagle, and Merlin, Peregrine, Siskin, Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Redwing, Fieldfare and Common Crossbill are found.

Five nights in a very comfortable country house hotel and the services of your Heatherlea guide make this a perfect late-autumn break. Total species c. 90. Number of centres: 1.

Combine with: SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS Birders Blast (p12).

Heatherlea offer a few carefully selected holidays around the British mainland, from the east coast of Scotland to Cornwall, and onward to the Isles of Scilly. We explore remote, littleknown corners where birding is excellent and all are ideal for birders and general wildlife enthusiasts alike, of any level of experience. Everyone is welcome!

Each holiday has a maximum number of seven clients per guide. 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!

4 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.

4 all meals from dinner on arrival, including packed lunches, until breakfast on the final day.

4 all ferries and other access fees as stated in the detailed itinerary. Travel to the joining point has been carefully considered for your convenience, details on our website.

4 the services of your Heatherlea Guide.

To read a Heatherlea Tour Pack with more information please visit our website or ask our office for a printed copy.