Scotland (1 Viewer)

Hello,

I'm planning to travel up to Scotland for a long weekend to fill in a few gaps on my life list, and would really appreciate some local intel!

Prime targets will be:
Willow Ptarmigan/Red Grouse, Black Grouse, Dotterel, Scottish Crossbill and Twite

Secondary targets (endemic subspecies):
Rock Ptarmigan, Crested Tit, Willow Tit, Linnet and Yellowhammer

And then there's a small list of nice-to-see:
Capercaillie, Quail, Black-throated Diver, Slavonian Grebe, Osprey, Golden Eagle, Dipper, Grasshopper Warbler, Wood Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Ring Ouzel, Parrot Crossbill, Tree Sparrow and Snow Bunting

I was planning on basing myself in Aviemore for 2-3 nights and visit nearby sites by car. Seen as I'll probably fly up, there's the option to visit additional sites driving over from either Edinburgh or Aberdeen.

Timing-wise I could go any weekend second half of May or in June.

What would you suggest for timing/sites/itinerary?

Many thanks!
Joost

Hi Joost. Basing yourself in Aviemore sounds like a good idea. I'd recommend Gordon's book - Best Birdwatching Sites in the Scottish Highlands.

Many of those species should be gettable with a trip up to Cairngorm for Ptarmigan, Dotterel, Ring Ouzel and maybe Snow Bunting. Findhorn Valley for Raptors and then over to Loch Ruthven for Slavonian Grebes and possible Divers. Ospreys will be at Loch Garten.

Not sure about the Crossbills. Have only knowingly seen Common but Anagach Woods might be a good place to try along with Abernethy Forest. I've only seen Twite on the West coast but have had Yellowhammer at Nethybridge and Moray coast.

Hope you have a great trip.

Rich

In case you were unaware, Willow Tit is only found in southwest Scotland so you won't find it around Aviemore. I think these days Pied Flycatcher is also pretty rare in the Highlands, so you'd need to look further south. Wood Warbler is probably much easier further south too. Yellowhammer, Linnet and Red Grouse should be fairly easy in the right habitat. Twite is much easier on the west coast than in Speyside. For divers, Lochindorb is well-known for Black-throated. If you head up to the coast around Portsoy you probably have a fair chance of White-billed Diver in summer plumage in the first half of May. Other divers will probably be there too.

Killiecrankie and the walk along the river from Pitlochry to there is good for Wood Warbler and Pied Flycatcher - and it's just off the A9 if you're driving up from Edinburgh. Good chance of Dipper on the river too. Red Grouse can sometimes be seen from cars on way up the A9 but there's not really anywhere to stop, but they aren't particularly hard to see elsewhere either in suitable habitat.

Following!

We're up there at the end of June staying at Tomatin.
I volunteered at Loch Garten / Abernethy in the early 90s but my gen is a bit out of date

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Thanks for the feedback guys! I thought this would be a quick & easy trip but apparently it's a bit more complicated As long as I have a crack at the three grouse, dotterel and the crossbills I'm happy - the rest is a bonus really. There are Black Grouse lek sites near Aviemore aren't there? Will they still be active that time of year? For the crossbills I was thinking of Abernethy Forest?
Twite would be lovely as it's a bit of a bogey bird, but I can see I'll need to do a separate trip to the Western Isles at some point. Been pushing for a family holiday there for ages, but my wife's from up north so she's not bothered
Hmm White-billed Diver eh? Damn you guys, too many options!

Thanks again!
Joost

You'll probably have to forget Capercaillie - apparently they're not lekking within view of the Loch Garten hide this year, so there's no Caper Watch on.

That's OK they're intro's from Sweden anyway

Might need to book yourself onto an organised ranger walk to get get up to the plateau Joost.

Rich

Oh really? I thought there was a little train or something (the lazy option....)?

Cheers Rich

Nohatch said:

Oh really? I thought there was a little train or something (the lazy option....)?

Cheers Rich

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Yup. Funicular railway up but unless you're on a guided walk you won't be able to leave the building at the top.

Rich

Ah right, just reading my way through the site info on http://www.highlandbirds.scot - very useful and detailed! Thanks for your help.

As Nutcracker says, there is no Caper watch at Garten this year due to a lack of birds. There are one or two closely guarded black grouse lek sites in the area so you would need to speak/seek the services of a local guide (I can recommend Steve Reddick http://www.highlandwildlifesafaris.co.uk). There is a watchpoint at the old butts on the former ski lift car park on Cairngorm which might produce the goods although I do not know if this is still an active lek site.

If you are staying in aviemore, you could try the woods accessed via a path and tunnel under the road by the youth hostel close to the happy harry fishbar. I have had both wood warbler and pied flycatcher there a couple of years ago.

Best of luck

If yr struggling for Crossbills I've found Loch an Eilein to be pretty good, just S of Aviemore. Car park area and approach road.

JW

Nohatch said:

Thanks for the feedback guys! I thought this would be a quick & easy trip but apparently it's a bit more complicated As long as I have a crack at the three grouse, dotterel and the crossbills I'm happy - the rest is a bonus really. There are Black Grouse lek sites near Aviemore aren't there? Will they still be active that time of year? For the crossbills I was thinking of Abernethy Forest?
Twite would be lovely as it's a bit of a bogey bird, but I can see I'll need to do a separate trip to the Western Isles at some point. Been pushing for a family holiday there for ages, but my wife's from up north so she's not bothered
Hmm White-billed Diver eh? Damn you guys, too many options!

Thanks again!
Joost

Click to expand...

Joost
Your wife might just be open to a holiday on Islay in mid to late October, just in time for the thousands of Barnacle Geese and White-fronted Geese to arrive and don't forget the many Whooper Swans passing through on their way to Ireland. As bonuses you get flocks of Twite and Choughs on the Rhinns around Machir Bay.

For Black Grouse, if you get desperate you could try walking up to the top of the golf course in Kingussie in the evening. Its many years since we were there but there was a lek there and golf course habitats don't tend to change much so there is a chance it is still extant.

Lee

The website below might give you some ideas Joost.

http://www.highlandbirds.scot/sightings.html

Surroundings of Aviemore are great! I live in the south of England but I visit Scotland a lot for hillwalking.

Not sure if you like hillwalking, but I can recommend climbing Ben McDui, it's good birding! From the Ski Centre using the route from Walkhighlands: https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/cairngorms/macdui-cairngorm.shtml

On and around the parking lot of the ski centre I have seen Ring Ouzel. Then climb the mountain (see map) in counterclockwise direction (so not along the ugly ski lifts towards Cairn Gorm but the other direction). Good chance you'll see Red Grouse in the heather very soon.

Then when you get to the higher grassy areas, listen carefully for Dotterel. Good chance to see them there.

When you reach the stony plateau-like area, listen and watch out for Snow Bunting. They breed there and the males will be singing and displaying in the springtime. They can be pretty confiding. One time I was sitting on the actual summit of Ben McDui and a male+female landed within 2 metres of me!

On this stony plateau there is also a good chance to see Rock Ptarmigan and in the spring they are likely to have chicks too!

On the well-known and scenic Loch an Eilein I have seen Red-throated diver. But in fact many of the remote small (landlocked) lochs have them. The beautiful forest in the same area also have Crested Tits and Crossbill (but I wouldn't be able to tell the different Crossbill species apart)

When I see Black-throated Diver in Scotland it is usually on sea lochs, for example at Torridon. But not far from Aviemore I've seen a pair on Lochindorb so you could give that a try.

For Slavonian Grebe, try RSPB Loch Ruthven. I have seen a pair of Slavionian Grebe doing their courtship dance there! And on the same place a pair of Red-throated Divers were displaying too!

There was also an Osprey at Loch Ruthven. They are quite common near many of the Scottish Lochs. Just outside Aviemore I have often seen one fishing at Loch Alvie. Every year there is a nest nearby. And of course RSPB Loch Garten is the guaranteed place to see one (but I find that a bit less exiting).

Dippers can be seen on the streams but I cannot recall exact locations.

For Golden Eagle, Glen Findhorn is a good area not too far from Aviemore.

May and June are both an excellent time to visit. In fact, these are my preferred months for Scotland.

Good luck and enjoy!

YuShan said:

For Golden Eagle, Glen Findhorn is a good area not too far from Aviemore.

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Used to be, sadly. In the last few years, massive raptor persecution on the nearby Moy estate has wrecked much of the area's interest. 12 radio-tagged eagles alone have 'gone missing' there in the last 7 years; anyones' guess how many more untagged birds. And many more killed illegally on other grouse shooting estates in the Findhorn area too.

https://raptorpersecutionscotland.w...n-eagle-disappears-on-a-scottish-grouse-moor/

Bugger

Staying in Findhorn in June.

Nutcracker said:

Used to be, sadly. In the last few years, massive raptor persecution on the nearby Moy estate has wrecked much of the area's interest. 12 radio-tagged eagles alone have 'gone missing' there in the last 7 years; anyones' guess how many more untagged birds. And many more killed illegally on other grouse shooting estates in the Findhorn area too.

https://raptorpersecutionscotland.w...n-eagle-disappears-on-a-scottish-grouse-moor/

Click to expand...

That's terrible, any action being taken?
Thanks for all the info everyone, very helpful!

J