Aigas

[Richard G.]

Spent the last week at the Aigas Field Centre up near Inverness on one of their wildlife weeks and thought I’d provide a little feedback here, just in case anyone has considered visiting and wanted to know what it’s like.

These holidays cram in a massive amount, almost too much in some ways. Each day you visit a different region, some close by, such as Strathfarrar or Black Isle, others further a field, such as Wester Ross and Speyside. This can mean quite a bit of time on a minibus on winding roads, up to 4-5 hours on some days, so bear this in mind if you don’t travel well!

Having said this, when you’re part of a group of 10 people, a minibus makes for a good hide and allows you to watch wildlife without disturbing it so much as would inevitably be the case if the same people fell out of the door every 5 minutes.

There’s a bewildering array of wildlife to see within what is a relatively small area. I counted 76 different birds and 12 mammals, but probably forgot to record a few, didn’t count others that I didn’t see well and a few we searched for didn’t show. Add to that spectacular scenery, flora, interesting geology, history, and of course the Aigas Estate itself and there really is something for everyone here.

I have to single out the Rangers who were our guides for the week. They were all exceptional in their level of knowledge, enthusiasm, fieldcraft and energy. Without a doubt these young men and women make the trips what they are.

Highlights for me were a good Sea Eagle sighting, Pine Marten at Aigas, Bottlenose Dolphins showing well at Chanonry Point, Slavonian Grebe in a couple of places, an Osprey catching a fish in Beauly Firth, an Otter in Loch Garten.. you get the idea

A few photo’s as a taster. I should mention that the photography opportunities are not that good. You don’t stay long at any location really and being part of a group means you’re never as close as you’d need to be for good pictures, but you get a flavour of a big part of Scotland and know where to return if you want a closer view.

[jmack]

Thanks for the info Richard. I've had the Aigas brochure sent out and I've been keen to go for some time now. I've been to some of the places you mention like Chanonry Point. No dolphins when I was there so it must be good to have rangers there who have up to date knowledge. When you went to Loch Maree did you visit any of the islands?
By the way, I like the photos you took - the pine marten must have been great to see and the detail on the lapwing is fantastic.

[ron1863]

An excellent report Richard and I am glad you enjoyed it. Looks like you made good use of your short time with the camera.

[Richard G.]

Massive help having people not only with the local knowledge, but the great fieldcraft too jmack. Trick at Chanonry seems to be to visit when the tide is incoming, they are more active then apparently. Also, at this time of year, the salmon are returning to the rivers, so I think that played a big part too, as you can see!



Didn't go onto Loch Maree, just a quick visit to the shoreline at Slattadale to look for Black Throated Divers (which were a no show ). Spotted a chap loading his kayak onto the car and drying out his tent though, looks like a fabulous loch for a bit of kayak touring . Sea Eagles visit this loch too.

Pine Marten hide was definitely one of the highlights, but only one visit, since it's a short drive from Aigas House and you had to be accompanied, that was a slight dissapointment. With the light nights though and the female Marten arriving before 8.30 in the evening, it was a great photo opportunity.

I think it's possible to book a visit to both the PM and Beaver hides at Aigas without being a guest, so worth contacting them if you're in the area.