ITINERARY: 

Day 1 – Arrival day – Sunday June 15th
Today is an arrival day and the tour will start with dinner tonight at our wonderfully based Grant Arms Hotel, in Grantown on Spey. There are many ways to arrive and we will help you to get transfered from either the train station at Aviemore or the airport at Inverness. (D)

Day 2 – Strathdearn – Farr Rd – Loch Ruthven Reserve – June 16th
Today we will head into the Monadhliath Mountains and make our way through Strathdearn – a spectacular glen which follows the river Findhorn. This glen is one of the best places to watch raptors anywhere in the UK, especially large raptors including Golden and White-tailed Eagles, both of which are resident in this area. Other raptors we hope to find include Goshawk, Sparrowhawk, Red Kite, Peregrine, Merlin, Kestrel, Osprey and Common Buzzards. The floodplain of the glen is an important site for breeding waders including Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Redshank and Curlew and the pine plantations hold Crossbill species as well as Tree Pipit and Common Redstart. As we scan the ridges for eagles we should find herds of Red Deer grazing on the high slopes, with the area around Coignafearn also a  stronghold for Mountain Hares. Ring Ouzels breed on the upper slopes and as we bird our way through the glen, we will be followed by the almost ever-present background song of Willow Warblers.  After exploring Strathdearn we will take the ‘Farr Rd’ which takes us over the top of the mountains and across grouse moor habitat. Species we hope to find include Red Grouse, Merlin, and Northern Wheatear and there’s always the chance of connecting with eagles and other raptors once again. The Farr Rd will drop us down towards the RSPB’s Loch Ruthven reserve, which is a stronghold for one of our rarest breeding birds the Slavonian Grebe and we should get good views of this enigmatic grebe from the shoreline and from the purpose-built hide. Ospreys regularly fish the loch and Red-breasted Mergansers and Red-throated Divers are often present.
Night at the Grant Arms Hotel.  (B,L,D)

Day 3 – Dava Moor – Loch Lochindorb – Mammal Hide – June 17th
Today we will take a walk through a secluded area of Scots Pine woodland which holds breeding Crested Tits, Crossbill species, Tree Pipit, Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher and Common Cuckoo amongst other woodland birds. Osprey nest in the area and are regularly seen flying over and White-tailed Eagles are sometimes seen over the forest and surrounding hills. We will discuss the regeneration of the indigenous woodland and see first-hand how the forests are expanding and creating more habitat. Golden-ringed Dragonfly is possible at this location and we will look at some of the plants found on the forest floor such as Blaeberry, Cowberry, Black Crowberry and Heather species. After our walk we will drive over the vast expanse of Dava Moor where we will look for Hen Harrier, Merlin, Peregrine and Red Grouse before making our way along the shores of Lochindorb. This large freshwater loch houses a thirteenth century castle on an island as well as being a traditional site for a pair of breeding Black-throated Divers which we hope to find on the loch. Other species present in the area include breeding Greylag Geese and shorebirds including Common Sandpiper and Common Redshank and a very active breeding Common Gull colony, which can hold between two to three hundred birds and makes for an interesting spectacle should a large raptor decide to fly overhead. Heath Spotted and Northern Marsh Orchids can be found around the edges of the loch and a range of butterflies and day flying moths can often be found amongst the heather. After an early high tea we will visit a purpose built hide near to Rothiemurchus Forest to hopefully have a close encounter with Pine Marten and Badgers. The hide is floodlit, heated and very comfortable and food is put out directly in front of the hide which draws in the local Badgers and very often Pine Martens, giving superb up close and personal views. We will return to the hotel after dusk. Please note the evening visit to the hide could change to a different day depending on many local factors.
Night at the Grant Arms Hotel. (B,L,D)

Day 4 – Spey Bay – Loch Spynie – June 18th
Today we will venture outside of the National Park and make our way towards Spey Bay on the Moray Coast, which is a beautiful reserve managed by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, with the largest shingle beach in Scotland. The river Spey flows out into the sea here and the changes caused by the flow of the river create a range of habitats from coastal grasslands to brackish saltmarsh and wet woodlands. Breeding terns can be found on the reserve including Common, Arctic, Sandwich and Little Terns and Ospreys regularly fish the river Spey where it flows into the sea, sometimes giving spectacular views as they plunge into the water close to the bank. Common Redshank, sometimes Greenshank, Common Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Eurasian Curlew and Oystercatchers can be found in the channels and on the shingle banks and Otters are often sighted here. Large flocks of Goosander (Common Merganser) sometimes numbering into the hundreds congregate in the estuary mouth, with Red-breasted Mergansers mixed in as well. The farmland around the reserve is becoming an important habitat for breeding Corn Buntings, Skylarks and Tree Sparrows. A short walk around some wetland grass habitat can be very productive for a range of butterflies including Orange Tip, Green-veined White, Large White and Peacock, and birds such as Sedge Warbler and Reed Bunting breeding. On the sea we will look for any non-breeding divers which may be present as well as Northern Gannets, Kittiwakes and Auk species such as Common Guillemots and Razorbills. There’s always a chance of a marauding Arctic Skua and Bottle-nosed Dolphins are regularly seen at this time of year off the estuary mouth feeding on the Atlantic Salmon as they enter the river system. From Spey Bay we will make our way to the RSPB’s reserve at Loch Spynie which has the largest freshwater reedbed in Scotland. Tree Sparrows and Yellowhammers are common here thankfully and we should also see Great-Spotted Woodpecker, Willow Warbler, Siskin and Chiffchaff on a short walk through the woodlands. On the loch we may find Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Little Grebe, Wigeon, Teal and Goosander and the reedbeds hold Water Rail, Bearded Tits and Otters are regularly seen.
Night at the Grant Arms Hotel. (B,L,D)

Day 5 – Cairngorm Mountain – June 19th
Today we will go birding in some local birch woodlands to look for Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher and Tree Pipit before we venture towards the high slopes of Cairngorm Mountain. We would have taken the funicular railway, but it seems that it may now be in permanent closure which now prevents us reaching the top. We may well walk on part of the firm and designated path around the side of Cairngorm in the hope of seeing Red Grouse or Ring Ouzel. Our progress on this path will be slow with plenty of stops to scan for some of the montane specialties which breed higher up. Birds we will be searching for include the delightful Snow Bunting, but our chances of both Dotterel and Ptarmigan are now very slim without the use of the funicular. This area offers a unique habitat and the closest we have to Arctic tundra in the UK. The views are spectacular looking back down into the Spey Valley and over Abernethy and Rothiemurchus Forests and also looking east over the Cairngorm massif. Other birds we will be looking for include Rock Pipit, Ring Ouzel and there’s always the chance of a passing Golden Eagle overhead. Butterflies can be evident if the sun is out, and the tundra habitat holds some specialized plant species such as Dwarf Cornell, Trailing Azalea, Starry Saxifrage and Cloudberry among others.
Night at the Grant Arms Hotel. (B,L,D)

Day 6 – Gruinard Bay – June 20th
Our destination today is the spectacular and rugged west coast of Scotland, specifically the area around Gruinard Bay. This is a longer day for us but a very rewarding one, with magnificent scenery and some wonderful wildlife. We will of course break up the journey with some birding stops and we will be looking for breeding inland waders including Greenshank, Dunlin, Common Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper as well as breeding Black-throated Divers. Birding our way around Gruinard Bay we will be looking for magnificent Great-northern Divers in summer plumage, Red-throated Divers, Black Guillemot, Kittiwakes and Northern Gannets. The area is home to a population of White-tailed Eagles and they can often be found perched on rocks on Gruinard Island or soaring over the ever-present backdrop of mountains. Golden Eagles are also present and one of our target species for the day will be Otters and we stand a good chance of finding them in the many secluded bays along this rugged coastline.
Night at the Grant Arms Hotel. (B,L,D)

Day 7 – Black Isle – Strathspey – June 21st
For our last full day, we will have an early pre-breakfast start to visit a local Black Grouse lek. The males will lek more or less right through the year, even when the females are not in season or present at the lek and this particular lek site that we will visit is a reliable location to see them. We will return to the hotel for breakfast before heading north past Inverness and onto the Black Isle, making our way to Chanonry Point, a spit of land projecting into the Moray Firth and arguably the best place to see Bottle-nosed Dolphins in the UK. The Dolphins follow Atlantic Salmon into the Moray Firth and the rising tide pushes the Salmon close to the shoreline which brings the hunting pods of Dolphins very close, allowing great views. Sometimes the Dolphins seem as keen to watch us as we are to watch them and put on a show by breaching and jumping just a few meters off the shoreline. Birds in the area might include Red-throated Diver, Common Guillemots and Razorbills, Northern Gannets, various Tern species and perhaps Arctic Skua. For the rest of the day, we will consider any species that we may have missed during our week and look to target those by visiting some specific locations in and around Strathspey.
Night at the Grant Arms Hotel

Day 8 – Departure day – Sunday June 22nd
Today after breakfast we will end this fabulous tour. We will help get you transferred from either the train station at Aviemore or the airport at Inverness. (B)