Day 1: Edinburgh to Grantown-on-Spey (Scotland)

After a morning meet in Edinburgh, we’ll our way through rolling lowlands and up into the Cairngorm Mountains that form the

very heart of the scenically spectacular Scottish Highlands. We will stop several times on the way to our historic but very comfortable castle-hotel in Grantown-on-Spey, seeing plentiful Willow Ptarmigan (Red Grouse), breeding shorebirds, and

(with luck) perhaps even Rock Ptarmigan or Golden Eagle on the way. This evening we will scour local Caledonian pine forests

for the elusive Western Capercaillie, the enigmatic Crested Tit, and undeniably cute Red Squirrel. The night will be spent in Grantown-on-Spey.

 

Day 2: The Cairngorms

The whole of today will be spent in the core of the Highlands. This morning we plan to search again for Capercaillie and also for ‘bubbling’ Black Grouse, all the time keeping an eye and an ear out for flocks of Crossbills that may contain Common, Parrot and Scottish Crossbills within their midsts. After admiring gorgeous breeding-plumaged Horned Grebes and Common Goldeneye on a glassy, tranquil loch, and a spot of lunch, we will ascend the Cairngorms to look for snow-line breeders such as Snow Bunting, Rock Ptarmigan, Mountain Hare, and, if lucky, Eurasian Dotterel too, which can be remarkably confiding at times. A final night will be spent within the same, beautiful castle come hotel, in Grantown-on-Spey.

 

Day 3: Grantown-on-Spey to The Hebrides

Though today involves a fair amount of travel, it is through some of the most scenic parts of Scotland, with several great stops to include both photos of the pretty panoramas available, and birds besides. We will visit a small, scenic loch for Horned Grebe if we missed them previously, search for Golden Eagle, enjoy hundreds of Red Deer in a hidden valley, and skirt the shores of Loch Ness. Along the way we’ll stop for photos of recognisable and fairy tale-esque loch castles before making our way onto the fabled Isle of Skye, stopping for White-tailed Eagles and our first try for Eurasian Otter along the way. We’ll spend this afternoon exploring Skye, having our first look at breeding Parasitic Jaegers and a plethora of breeding shorebirds, and if there’s time, a wee dram of whiskey at a local distillery, famous for its slightly salty kick. In the evening, we’ll take the short but scenic ferry ride to the island of North Uist, hopefully encountering Manx Shearwater, Parasitic, Pomarine and Long-tailed Jaegers, Great Skua (a.k.a. “Bonxie” in these lands), Gray and Harbour Seals, and a chance of Harbour Porpoise, Common, Risso’s and Bottlenose Dolphins, Orca and Minke Whale. We’ll spend the next two nights on North Uist, and one night on the island of South Uist.

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Days 4-5: The Hebrides

The Uists, part of the remote Outer Hebrides island chain, off the west coast of Scotland, are a paradise unlike any other in the UK, offering arguably the finest landscapes in all of the British Isles. We’ll spend two full days on the islands, exploring the unique machair habitat that is dotted with wonderful crofters cottages, flanked by idyllic beaches, and steeped in Celtic history. As well as plenty of birding, we’ll take time to look at some of the rich history of the islands, including Neolithic stone circles and standing stones, Iron Age roundhouses, and the burial site of mummies as old as Tutankhamun. We’ll make our way slowly around the islands, stopping for breeding loons, jaegers and shorebirds, fly-over Golden and White-tailed Eagles and low-flying Short-eared Owls and spectral Northern Harriers. Our first morning will be spent at the quaint RSPB reserve of Balranald where Corncrakes rasp from deep cover in typical fashion, but atypically here, also often show extraordinarily well. This site can also be superb for jaeger passage at this time of year, with favourable onshore winds. We’ll also search small pools and lochs for gorgeous breeding Red-necked Phalaropes and stunning breeding-plumaged Arctic shorebirds. Aside from the common British birds, including an assortment of tits, finches, thrushes and migrants, this frontier of Scotland continually produces surprises, and we may be lucky enough to see any of a number of scarce migrants and vagrants. The night of day 5 will be on North Uist, and we’ll switch to South Uist for our final night on the Hebrides. In some years, a pair of Snowy Owls breed on these outlying islands. When they do, the island on which they breed is kept a closely-guarded secret, so it will take some focused searching and a fair deal of luck, but we may be lucky enough to see these high-Arctic icons.

 

Day 6: The Hebrides to Fort William

This morning we’ll take the long ferry to Oban and back to mainland Scotland. The ride is around six hours, but provides some superb scenery and great wildlife watching and serves as a mini pelagic of sorts. We’ll leave the Outer Hebrides early and pass the isle of Coll and the Ardnamurchan Peninsula and finally skirt the inner shore of the Isle of Mull all the way to Oban. The birding can be great and varied, and may include all three jaegers and Great Skua, Manx and Sooty Shearwaters, European Storm Petrel, 3 species of loon, fishing White-tailed Eagles, and Golden Eagles soaring over the mountains of Mull. Marine life is also rich here and we should encounter cetaceans, possibly including Risso’s, Bottlenose and Common Dolphins, Harbour Porpoise, Long-finned Pilot Whale, Orca, and Minke Whale. Even Humpback and Sei Whales are sometimes seen. We could also see the second largest fish on Earth, the colossal Basking Shark, and the strange Sunfish. Arriving in Oban by mid-afternoon we’ll make our way up the coast toward Fort William. We’ll have time to explore the local lochs, streams and forests for birds like “Goosander” (Common Merganser), Wood Warbler, Common Redstart and Pied Flycatcher, and of course see Ben Nevis, the tallest mountain in the British Isles. Our lodgings for tonight also boast a resident population of Pine Marten, which come to the garden each evening and often offer phenomenal views. The night will be spent in Fort William, a Scottish settlement located on the side of scenic Loch Linnhe, within the rolling Caledonian highlands.

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Day 7: Fort William to Glasgow for departure (OR to Ireland)

We will have time this morning for a last search of the local area for any additional birds, and a quick stop for a local celebrity – the extremely rare Chequered Skipper butterfly – before making our way gradually south, along the shores of Loch Lomond, to the modern city of Glasgow, in order to connect with departing flights out, or to Ireland for the Emerald Isle Extension.