Scottish Wildlife

[Chris Hawes]

Hi everyone,
I'm planning a holiday to Scotland next year (April/March), with the aim of seeing and photographing some of the local wildlife. I'll be concentrating on two locations- The Isle of Mull and the Cairngorms/Aviemore area.
I'm looking for tips and advice on good spots for seeing wildlife, organised trips, tour companies, wildlife viewing, photography hides, feeding stations etc etc.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreicated!
Many thanks,
Chris

[Boddie]

Dont let them tell you on the Isle of Mull that they have the oldest stones in the world. Every island in Scotland claims this.

[Jon]

Originally Posted by Chris Hawes

Hi everyone,
I'm planning a holiday to Scotland next year (April/March), with the aim of seeing and photographing some of the local wildlife. I'll be concentrating on two locations- The Isle of Mull and the Cairngorms/Aviemore area.
I'm looking for tips and advice on good spots for seeing wildlife, organised trips, tour companies, wildlife viewing, photography hides, feeding stations etc etc.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreicated!
Many thanks,
Chris

Chris just look up Mull wildlife on google and you will find several tour operators who provide guided trips. I have not used them myself but I am considering :
Pam & Arthur Brown
Ardrioch Farm
Dervaig
Isle of Mull
Argyll
PA75 6QR
01688 400415 Mobile 07780 600367
Hope this helps Jon

[aeshna5]

Heatherlea + Speyside Wildlife are 2 companies with excellent reputations for Scottish wildlife. It will be more expensive than a DIY holiday, but with them you'll have advantage of local knowledge, access to sites not open to public for stuff such as Capercaillie + baiting for Pine Martens.

Have fun when you go!

[canny]

Hi Chris,
Mull is a fantastic place for wildlife.
Try the whale watching tours based in Tobermory, the centre is in the main carpark. There are various length tours, 4hrs, 8hrs. I did an 8hr last June and saw Minke Whale, fantastic.
You may be too early in the year for the Loch Frisa eagle watch but if not it is a must.
We saw sea eagles nearly every day while on the Island.
Trips to the Treshnish Isles.
Loch na Keal good for otter spotting also the head of Loch na Keal is good for sea eagles and red and roe deer.
There are safari trips as well but if you do all the tours and trips you can end up spending a fortune.
Where are you staying?

[Alan]

For the Speyside/Cairngorms area, I can also recommend Speyside Wildlife, and also Wildshots: Wildshots Photography Holidays in the Highlands of Scotland

If you want to do your own thing, Pete Cairns who also runs Wildshots and is also involved with Speyside Wildlife, rents out a self-catering bungalow on the same site, here: Self Catering Accommodation at Ballintean. If you stay there, he’ll give you all the info you’ll need to see the local wildlife for yourself.

Alan

[Nicola Main]

Try this website Chris

Wildlife Scotland - Wildlife Activities and Bird Watching Holidays in Scotland UK

It has everything from accommodation to where to go to see a particular species. I often go on this website to check things and have a chat (it also has a forum which is useful). You might find something there. Regards, Nicola.

[Mustela]

I'll be going to Aviemore myself for a weekend in April.
It's a LONG time since I've been but I seem to remember crested tits are fairly easy to come by in most places, and you could bump into Scottish parrot crossbills almost anywhere. Ptarmigan on Cairn Gorm; ospreys and Capercaillies at Loch Garten (latter early morning only).
but oh yes, this is a mammals forum... I'd reccommend ringing round a number of B&Bs & any wildlife cenres you know of to see if any have pine martens coming to a bird table. You'll find otters somewhere on Mull if you look hard enough (dusk is best). Red squirrel and red & roe deer should be plentiful.

The one thing you probably won't see is wildcat. I spent a week on the Ardnarmurchan Peninsula (generally considered best area) without any sightings, though I did get otter & pine marten at my B&B (not to mention porpoises just offshore). I want to try for wildcats again but unless you have some kind of stake-out a lot of luck or determination is required. Or you could see captive ones in the Highland Wildlife Park.

[Boddie]

What about haggis. Me and my two Czech girls, who visited the Isles this summer, kept just missing them, according to the locals. Everywhere we went, they had 'just left'. It was so frustrating.

[Chris Hawes]

Thanks for all the tips - I'm starting to think I need more than the two weeks I'd originally planned!

Canny - I think the Loch Frisa eagle watch starts up again in April, so fingers crossed for some sightings.

Boddie - I'll be sure to look out for some haggis - keep checking the Gallery, you never know!