I'm with eeyore on the highland wildlife zoo - went in for the first (and last time) a couple of springs back cos I wanted to see a live capper. The cages are way too small - there is absolutely no need whatsoever to have creatures in cages so small - I was furious
Do they do it so that the animals are constantly on view and that allows them to charge an exhorbitant entry fee? I suspect so.
But the animals are stressed out with humans walking round and hemming them in - they have no where private to retreat to - it must be hell - esp to the wild cats who hate confinement and human proximity. The pine martin female was apparently in season and the male was being kept from her - so he was running round a circuit in his cage - breathless - wheezing he was so worked up - the circuit should have been 3 foot deep and his paws ought to have been bleeding. Starting off I photographed the wild cats thro the wires quite easily - same with capper - then got upset watching the pine martin, refused to visit the wolves at all and finally lost it completely with the snowy owl pair in a small cage at the top of the site - talk about mental cruelty - the female was avoiding eye contact with humans - she had the worst 1,000 yard stare I've ever seen on any living thing .............
Its the sort of place that makes me want to break in at the dead of night and let everything go free...........
Aside from the above horrible experience I love the Cairngorms and have got into the habit of going every spring, end of March using up annual leave. Last year our days off ran into 1st and 2nd of April so we were able to get up and go on the first capper watch at Loch Garton at 5am on the 1st. I saw my first ever live capper and it was the first for the hide in the 2008 season
It was very funny - I had squeezed into the far right corner after asking a chap if he minded if I shared his viewpoint and before he could answer I had slid in - everyone was looking out front - which I couldn't see - and the male capper - bless him - came walking out from the far right - a bit like the whiskey ads - da da da da dadada da
I casually announced 'Isn't that a male over there' and the hide erupted and almost tipped up! Hahahahaha!!
The cafe on the right of the road up Cairngorm has feeders out and gets red squirrels and crested tits. And I've been told the Rothiemurchus Garden Centre on the way to Loch an Eileen has feeders and a tea room where you can sit and watch.
I can recommend speyside wildlifes night viewing experience for badgers and pine martins - we've had some good times there - but this year we dipped out twice in one week and will have a complimentary visit in 2009!
I have pics in my wab
Gallery of pine martin, badger, red squirrel, brambling, siskin and cresties all from Cairngorms ..........
Pauline