Bird and Wildlife Guiding in Scotland
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Dotterel, Divers & Dolphins

27th July - 1st August 2017               Cost :  £550pp

​We can also book you extra nights either side of your break for you to enjoy exploring the local area at your leisure.

             

Join us at Highland's "Wildlife Hotel", The Grant Arms to discover some of the special Wildlife of the Highlands during mid-summer. Divers and Slavonian Grebe nesting on secluded lochs and Dotterel on their breeding grounds high on the Cairngorm plateau as well as it being one of the best times of the year to see the famous Bottle-nosed Dolphins of the Moray Firth. It is also one of the best months for Butterflies so we will also take time to search for species such as Northern Brown Argus, Large Heath and Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary weather permitting.

Day 1 : Arrival. We meet up for an evening introduction at the hotel before dinner.

Day 2 : We spend the day around the local forests lochs and glens in search of a wide variety of species special to the Highlands. Slavonian Grebe hopefully with chicks on a secluded local lochan, Black & Red-throated Divers, Crested Tits, Crossbills, Ring Ouzel Golden and White-tailed Eagles our main targets.

Day 3 : Cairngorm Mountains : A full day on the Cairngorm Mountain plateau for Dotterel, Ptarmigan, Snow Buntings and Ring Ouzel amongst other species. Please note although not too strenuous, this walk does require a reasonable degree of fitness. We would expect to be walking for about 6 hours with an initial climb of around 1500ft on well used track.

Day 4 : We head to the beautiful Moray Firth and Scotland's only mainland Gannetry at Troup Head, the sights and sounds of the seabirds below us on the cliffs and flying just feet away one of summer's greatest wildlife experiences. We'll then make our way along the coast checking secluded harbours for Black Guillemots and visit Spey Bay where we hope to spot Bottle-nosed Dolphins, as well as many other species of birds including Little and Common Tern, Goosanders, Red-breasted Merganser and a very good chance of Osprey fishing in the river mouth. The surrounding farmland one of the few places where Corn Bunting and Tree Sparrows are still regularly seen. You can also take time to visit the WDCS visitor centre there and enjoy a welcome coffee in the cafe if you wish.


Day 5 : Departure

Please note the exact itinerary is for guidance only and may change order depending on suitability of weather, particularly for looking for Butterflies and Dragonflies where a fine day is key.


What's included in your package?


     *  4 nights Dinner bed & Breakfast at the three star Grant Arms Hotel, packed lunch and hot drinks during the day.
      
     * Transport throughout the holiday including ferry and boat crossings.

      * The services of local guide John Poyner throughout the break. John lives locally and has been working as a Bird & Wildlife Guide  throughout the Highlands and Islands for 15 years, previously working for RSPB Scotland as an assistant warden and two of  Scotland's leading wildlife tour companies. He now runs Highland Nature, and is Wildlife Guide for the BWWC at the Grant  Arms Hotel. In any spare time, John also works as a freelance environmental consultant surveying upland birds for renewable energy developments.




What's Not Included in your Package?

All alcoholic drinks, tips, any incidental expenses of a personal nature.

For further details contact us on 01479 821357 /  (07875) 094666 (mob)  Email info@highlandnature.co.uk or fill out the form below and we will make a preliminary booking for you.
To secure this we can take a deposit by Cheque or Bank Transfer, details will be sent.
If you wish to pay by card we can do this through PayPal, there is a 3.4% transaction charge for this.

Once we have received your balance we will confirm the booking in writing. Please read our Terms & Conditions prior to booking.

And finally..........HOW DO I GET HERE?

By Car: Main roads are kept well cleared in Scotland in winter, local councils are well equipped and used to snow! Grantown is accessed via the main A9 north from Glasgow, a major trunk road.

By Train: Services daily to Aviemore from Kings Cross. We offer a free pick up and drop of service to the station by arrangement.

By Air: Inverness airport is just over an hours drive away. Full details of flights available here.






Autumn Short Break, October 2013 : 
"Anne and I would just like to thank you for all your good work, you really couldn’t have done
more to both make us feel at home and to show us as much as possible. We
really appreciated your detailed knowledge of the area – without guidance
we would have wasted a lot of time and seen a lot less of both the birds
and the landscape. Your knowledge of the local tide times, something we
seem to get wrong too often,  meant that when we were on the coast we were
always at the best place at the right time and when the weather was not all
it might have
been you still came up with good locations that afforded some
protection from the weather and good opportunities for seeing birds. 
We have been busy recommending you and the Grant Arms to all our birding

friends at home and we are looking forward to returning next year."



Bill & Anne Neil, Oct. 2013

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