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info for a trip to Scotland in June (1 Viewer)

3Italianbirders

3Italianbirders

well-known member
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Italy
Further to my earlier post about birding in mid to late June http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=341075, we seem to have decided to go to Scotland (even if we have been already), as it was a long time (12 years) ago and only for a few days.

This time we’ll have a couple of weeks so we can take it easy, but we still have doubts as to where to go as there’s so many good places to choose from.

I thought I’d write down our dates and target species, plus a list of locations that we have put together. We'd rather not travel to a different place every day, but choose 2-3 bases and take day trips from there.

Timing: roughly second half of June, from the 11th onwards. It looks like we’ll be flying into Edinburgh.

Species (in order of importance ;) or sort of)

- Skuas, Great and Arctic
- Puffins (our daughter would love to see them)
- Twite (we dipped last time) :-C
- Red Grouse
- Corncrake (we know it’s not likely)
- Capercaillie (as above)
- Rock Pipit
- Short-Eared Owl
- White-Tailed Eagle
- Great Northern Diver? wrong time? or still a chance?
- Dotterel
- Snowfinch
- Ptarmigan
- Crossbiils
- Bullfinch
- Redpoll

Places. An itinerary could be Cairngorms-Handa-Mull, but are there any other places that may be worth a look?

- Handa Island. We would stay nearby for a couple of nights.
- Mull. We were thinking of staying a week, visiting also Iona, Threshnish isles etc. Is it too much? Is it better to spend time elsewhere instead?
- Cairngorms. We have seen Ptarmigan in Sweden, and Dotterel and Snowfinch in Italy, but it would be nice to see them in breeding plumage. We would probably get a guide as we don’t feel confident enough to tackle the trek by ourselves. how long should we spend in this area?
- Farne Islands/Isle of May. Given that last time we went to Fowlsheugh and that we are going to Handa and maybe to the Threshnish Isles, are they worth a detour? if yes which of the two? Maybe Troup Head instead? given that it’s on the mainland?
- Loch Garten? Is it worth a visit outside of lekking season? I have read that Capercaillies are sometimes seen even later in the season. We wouldn’t go just for the Ospreys as we have them here.
- Lochindorb?
- Insh Marshes?
- Abernethy forest?

Any other thought on this plan is welcome. Thanks a lot for the help!
 
Please see my responses below. If you have a child with you the Seabird Centre at North Berwick may be worth a visit.

David

3Italianbirders said:
Further to my earlier post about birding in mid to late June http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=341075, we seem to have decided to go to Scotland (even if we have been already), as it was a long time (12 years) ago and only for a few days.

This time we’ll have a couple of weeks so we can take it easy, but we still have doubts as to where to go as there’s so many good places to choose from.

I thought I’d write down our dates and target species, plus a list of locations that we have put together. We'd rather not travel to a different place every day, but choose 2-3 bases and take day trips from there.

Timing: roughly second half of June, from the 11th onwards. It looks like we’ll be flying into Edinburgh.

Species (in order of importance ;) or sort of)

- Skuas, Great and Arctic -Handa
- Puffins (our daughter would love to see them) - Firth of Forth islands, Off Mull, Handa
- Twite (we dipped last time) :-C -
- Red Grouse - almost any moorland
- Corncrake (we know it’s not likely) -Islay, Iona
- Capercaillie (as above)
- Rock Pipit - any rocky shore, Firth of Forth as good as anywhere
- Short-Eared Owl -don't know, better in winter
- White-Tailed Eagle - Mull, Skye, Gruinard Island near Ullapool
- Great Northern Diver? wrong time? or still a chance? West Coast better in winter
- Dotterel - Cairngorms
- Snowfinch -as this has never been recorded in Scotland I assume you mean Snow Bunting, Schedule 1 breeding species no one should be disclosing locations, easier in winter
- Ptarmigan - Cairngorm
- Crossbills - any conifer woodland but can be tricky in June
- Bullfinch - mostly seen from just behind my house
- Redpoll -Red Moss of Balerno south of Edinburgh

Places. An itinerary could be Cairngorms-Handa-Mull, but are there any other places that may be worth a look?

- Handa Island. We would stay nearby for a couple of nights.
- Mull. We were thinking of staying a week, visiting also Iona, Threshnish isles etc. Is it too much? Is it better to spend time elsewhere instead?
- Cairngorms. We have seen Ptarmigan in Sweden, and Dotterel and Snowfinch in Italy, but it would be nice to see them in breeding plumage. We would probably get a guide as we don’t feel confident enough to tackle the trek by ourselves. how long should we spend in this area?
- Farne Islands/Isle of May. Given that last time we went to Fowlsheugh and that we are going to Handa and maybe to the Threshnish Isles, are they worth a detour? if yes which of the two? Maybe Troup Head instead? given that it’s on the mainland?
- Loch Garten? Is it worth a visit outside of lekking season? I have read that Capercaillies are sometimes seen even later in the season. We wouldn’t go just for the Ospreys as we have them here.
- Lochindorb?
- Insh Marshes?
- Abernethy forest?

Any other thought on this plan is welcome. Thanks a lot for the help!
Click to expand...
 
Troup Head;

Puffins are likely but the close and fantastic views of the breeding Gannet's,are well worth the journey.The only mainland breeding Gannet's In Scotland and I believe the numbers are rising yearly.Not too far a drive from Strathspey,If you could get there.
 
3Italianbirders said:
Further to my earlier post about birding in mid to late June http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=341075, we seem to have decided to go to Scotland (even if we have been already), as it was a long time (12 years) ago and only for a few days.

This time we’ll have a couple of weeks so we can take it easy, but we still have doubts as to where to go as there’s so many good places to choose from.

I thought I’d write down our dates and target species, plus a list of locations that we have put together. We'd rather not travel to a different place every day, but choose 2-3 bases and take day trips from there.

Timing: roughly second half of June, from the 11th onwards. It looks like we’ll be flying into Edinburgh.

Species (in order of importance ;) or sort of)

- Skuas, Great and Arctic
- Puffins (our daughter would love to see them)
- Twite (we dipped last time) :-C
- Red Grouse
- Corncrake (we know it’s not likely)
- Capercaillie (as above)
- Rock Pipit
- Short-Eared Owl
- White-Tailed Eagle
- Great Northern Diver? wrong time? or still a chance?
- Dotterel
- Snowfinch
- Ptarmigan
- Crossbiils
- Bullfinch
- Redpoll

Places. An itinerary could be Cairngorms-Handa-Mull, but are there any other places that may be worth a look?

- Handa Island. We would stay nearby for a couple of nights.
- Mull. We were thinking of staying a week, visiting also Iona, Threshnish isles etc. Is it too much? Is it better to spend time elsewhere instead?
- Cairngorms. We have seen Ptarmigan in Sweden, and Dotterel and Snowfinch in Italy, but it would be nice to see them in breeding plumage. We would probably get a guide as we don’t feel confident enough to tackle the trek by ourselves. how long should we spend in this area?
- Farne Islands/Isle of May. Given that last time we went to Fowlsheugh and that we are going to Handa and maybe to the Threshnish Isles, are they worth a detour? if yes which of the two? Maybe Troup Head instead? given that it’s on the mainland?
- Loch Garten? Is it worth a visit outside of lekking season? I have read that Capercaillies are sometimes seen even later in the season. We wouldn’t go just for the Ospreys as we have them here.
- Lochindorb?
- Insh Marshes?
- Abernethy forest?

Any other thought on this plan is welcome. Thanks a lot for the help!
Click to expand...

If you can obtain a copy of Gordon Hamlett's book: Birdwatching Sites in the Highlands of Scotland, this will answer all your questions, and give you lots of interesting non-birding facts about the areas too.

Sandra
 
You could easily do this with 2 bases - one period in the cairngorms for Red Grouse, Capercaillie, Dotterel
Snow bunting, Ptarmigan, Crossbiils, Bullfinch, Redpoll - as well as Osprey, Slavonian grebe, Black grouse etc.

Everything else should be pretty easily available on the Outer Hebrides. If you really want to see Twite, Skuas, Puffins, Corncrake, Short-eared owl, White-tailed (and golden) eagles, rock pipits then there's nowhere better. It's probably your best chance of great northern diver too, although a bit late. Should be able to also see hen harrier, black-throated diver, otters, loads of breeding waders, and the crossings offer very good chances of common dolphins, minke whale, porpoises, and seabirds such as Manx shearwater and European Storm petrel.
 
Hello all. And many thanks for the answers. Yes, I did mean Snow Bunting |>|.

The seabird centre looks good, even if our daughter is biggish (10) I am sure she would love it.

I had already looked up G. Hamlett's book and it's available from Amazon so we'll probably get that.

We would love to see the Outer Hebrides! Somehow I thought that Mull had more variety of species/habitats, that's why I hadn't considered them as a birding destination. We could certainly scrap the Mull idea and go there instead. Where exactly would you suggest? Lewis/Harris or Uist? And the best ferry crossing wildlife-wise? The one from Uig looks good because we'd get to travel through Skye, but of course Ullapool - Stornaway is longer (we could always go one way and come back on the other route ;)). And one last question: Would you suggest to go the Cairngorms first and then the Hebrides or the other way round?

Thank you!
 
I'd recommend the restaurant where the boat goes for Handa. Superb seafood:eat:

The top of The Pass of the Cattle is good for Ptarmigan. And the drive/views are amazing. Funnily enough, I was hoping somebody would chip in regarding the ferry crossing. I was debating whether or not to over on the ferry as a foot passenger from Ullapool to Stornaway in May. I wasn't sure if it would be worth it:brains::h?:

Rich

PS Gordon's book would be a superb resource for your trip. I'd totally recommend it.
 
They might do organised walks from the ski centre on Cairngorm. Could be a good opportunity for Dotterel, Ptarmigan, Snow Bunting etc.

Rich
 
ClarkWGriswold said:
I'd recommend the restaurant where the boat goes for Handa. Superb seafood:eat:
Click to expand...

... we're vegetarians ....|:d| but if you tell me the name I can look it up and see if they have veggie options, they usually do these days.

ClarkWGriswold said:
They might do organised walks from the ski centre on Cairngorm. Could be a good opportunity for Dotterel, Ptarmigan, Snow Bunting etc. Rich
Click to expand...

Sounds good. We'll certainly ask at the link you provided.

ClarkWGriswold said:
PS Gordon's book would be a superb resource for your trip. I'd totally recommend it.
Click to expand...

Just ordered it! :king:

Now let's see if anyone has tips on ferries and/or on Uists vs. Lewis/Harris

And Thank you!
 
Unfortunately it's a really small menu and I genuinely can't remember the vegetarian option - sorry. It's either called The Shoreline or The Shorehouse. If you eat cheese the Delhi at Rothiemurchus Estate ( just outside of Aviemore) has an excellent selection. Not sure which are vegetarian though.

Hope you have a great trip.

Rich
 
Hi guys,

Thanks for ordering my book - I hope it proves useful.

If you wanted to stay (mostly) on the mainland, I would probably go for just two centres.

1 Speyside
 
Hi guys,

Thanks for ordering my book - I hope that it proves useful.

If you want to stay on the mainland, I would choose just two bases.

1 Speyside. Somewhere in the Aviemore, Carrbridge, Nethybridge Grantown-on-Spey area. This will give you easy access to Starthdearn (Findhorn Valley) and Loch Ruthven, Lochindorb, Loch Garten, Insh Marshes, Cairngorm, Burghead, Findhorn Bay, Black Isle etc (full details in the book)

2 For my second base, I would take at look at Ullapool on the west coast. This allows you easy trips to Inverpolly, Handa, Beinn Eighe etc. You can also take a ferry trip to the Western Isles, seawatching all the way. Go as a foot passenger (about £18 per person). The ferry leaves about 10am and gets back about 5pm (see Calmac website for full details) and you get about half an hour ashore. You do get fantastic views of seabirds flying past including skuas and puffins (you will also see them on land on Handa) plus the chance of shearwaters, petrels, whales and dolphins. Very comfortable ferry with restaurants etc plus amazing scenery. Don't go on one of the 'wildlife cruises' on a small boat from Ullapool. They are more expensive, you don't see as much and you are only out for a couple of hours.

These two bases will give you a chance of seeing most of your target species (corncrake is unlikely, a few great northern divers summer off the west coast) without having to relocate too far. Speyside to Ullapool is only a couple of hours, giving you more time for birding.

Let me know if you want any more information and have a great trip.

Hope this helps,

Gordon
 
Crossing to Harris or North Uist, IME, is best/easiest/cheapest from Uig on Skye; the Ullapool/Stornoway crossing is fine, but wipes out most of a day.

This has a couple of advantages: you get to see Skye (corncrakes do live there, but we only heard them), which can only be a good thing; you can easily cross between Lochmaddy and Tarbet or vice versa also and can cross back to Uig from either.

If you decide you want to go there rather than Mull...
 
3Italianbirders said:
I had already looked up G. Hamlett's book and it's available from Amazon so we'll probably get that.
Click to expand...

I wasn't planning a trip up to the Highlands, but the reviews on Amazon were so good (15 reviews all at 5 stars - Unheard of!), I've ordered one up anyway.

3Italianbirders said:
...Now let's see if anyone has tips on ferries and/or on Uists vs. Lewis/Harris
Click to expand...

I have a crofter friend who lives on Lewis. I'll see what he thinks this afternoon and will get back to you.
 
3Italianbirders said:
Hello all. And many thanks for the answers. Yes, I did mean Snow Bunting |>|.

The seabird centre looks good, even if our daughter is biggish (10) I am sure she would love it.

I had already looked up G. Hamlett's book and it's available from Amazon so we'll probably get that.

We would love to see the Outer Hebrides! Somehow I thought that Mull had more variety of species/habitats, that's why I hadn't considered them as a birding destination. We could certainly scrap the Mull idea and go there instead. Where exactly would you suggest? Lewis/Harris or Uist? And the best ferry crossing wildlife-wise? The one from Uig looks good because we'd get to travel through Skye, but of course Ullapool - Stornaway is longer (we could always go one way and come back on the other route ;)). And one last question: Would you suggest to go the Cairngorms first and then the Hebrides or the other way round?

Thank you!
Click to expand...

Uig to Lochmaddy (North Uist) is a good crossing, and North Uist should allow you to get all of your target species (not sure how easy puffin would be there, but it's great for corncrake, eagles, harriers, divers, SEO, breeding waders, twite, common redpolls etc, and you should get puffin on the crossing).

Also, it's a really stunning part of the world (well, the whole of the west coast of Scotland is really...)
 
Pretty much echoing the above posts and my recommended trip would be:

Start your base in Aviemore; Capercaillie and Crossbills to be found in the Abernethy Forest or Grantown Woods (I once happened upon a female Capercaillie with chicks in June), although you’ll need luck and early mornings best for the Capercaillie. Bullfinch is easy enough along some the outer lanes towards Tulloch Moor (good for singing Whinchat on the moor too). Take a day trip North to Dunnet Head (Mainland UK’s most Northerly point), where you’ll get all your seabirds plus Rock Pipit and Twite around the old buildings/gardens. Also worth a walk up Caan Ban Mor for Red Grouse, Ptarmigan and Dotterel (never failed to connect in 4 visits. Although probably not good for a young child). Also the only place I’ve had Snow Bunting was on the peak of Cairngorm via the train. Loch Ruthven RSPB is close by and you should get Redpoll around the general area. A day trip over to Ullapool is worth considering for White-tailed Eagle and I once had loads (and I mean loads) of summer plumaged Great Northern Divers in the nearby Gruinard Bay and surrounding coves, and in June too. Also consider driving the Inverpolly trail North of Ullapool, where you should get Redpoll and other interesting birds including Black-throated Diver on the larger lochs

Next drive across the Isle of Sky and take the car ferry to North Uist, where Corncrake, White-tailed Eagle and Short-eared Owl are easy to connect with (Hen Harriers abound too). Alternative take the ferry from Ullapool to Lewis/Harris and then the small hop ferry south to North Uist
 
Thank you! I think we’ll need to stay three weeks instead of two ;). So many amazing places (and birds) to see.

Gordon: your book is on its way. It should be here on Monday; then we’ll have a clearer picture of where we want to go and how long to stay in each place. I think we do want to spend some time on the Hebrides though. We like wild places and the lure of the SE Owl is very hard to resist.

Murmur: I think we’ll do both ferries, the Ullapool to Stornoway and then back to Uig, so we get to see Skye as well. Do you think we should go to Mull instead? I was very set on it, but the outer Hebrides are very tempting, both birdwise and for the scenery. My only doubt is: how many chances do we have of seeing a WT Eagle there as opposed to Mull? Mind you, we’ve seen them before (the first time in Scotland 12 years ago, at Gruinard bay).

Gander: what we do with books is if they’re good we buy them anyway, you never know when they might come in handy! We surely look forward to some thoughts from your friend. You can’t beat local expertise in birding. We are not sure if it’s best to be based in one place (i.e. Harris) and then take day trips to Lewis and the Uists or to spend 2-3 days on Lewis/Harris and 2-3 on the Uists.

Paul: just read your post. Thanks. see above, we’ll probably do both. How much time you think we should set aside for the Outer Hebrides altogether? And we should see Puffins on Handa, so that’s not a worry.

Nab: thanks fo the tips about the mountain species. Our daughter will be nearly 11 in June and she’s a good walker, but obviously we won’t attempt anything that looks too extreme.
 
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