gordon hamlett
Well-known member
Sorry about this blatant piece of self publicity, but I thought that if I didn't do it, then who would <grin>
After a long and difficult birth, my book - Best Birdwatching Sites in the Scottish Highlands (pub Buckingham Press, isbn 0-9533840-9-8, £15.95) is now available.
It is a Where to Watch guide in the same format as the publisher's Norfolk and Sussex books though the way the sites have been handled is slightly different.
Because some of the reserves run to several hundred square miles, it seemed fairly pointless to just list the reserve and the birds. With so many fabulous mountain ridges to scan, valleys to explore, lochs to search and views to take in, just where do you start?
Instead, we have come up with 22 tours, covering the most scenic parts of the Highlands, picking out various places to stop en route, and covering a mix of habitats - mountain, woodland, moor, lochs and sea. All the trips can be done in a day though you might not have time to explore all the stops thoroughly - just pick and choose what you want.
The areas included are:-
Perthshire
Ardnamurchan
Loch Arkaig
Loch Laggan
Upper Deeside
Speyside
Insh Marshes
Loch Hourn
Skye
Applecross
The Inverness glens
Findhorn Valley
Lochindorb
Glenlivet Estate
Moray Firth
Black Isle
Beinn Eighe
Inverpolly
Loch Fleet
Caithness
Lairg and Tongue
Handa
In all, there are over 160 sites or mini-sites covered
Obviously, there are a lot of Schedule One birds in the book, but everything included is already in the public domain so there is no information given to eggers. Similarly, no sites for nesting raptors or Black Grouse/Capercaillie leks are given unless at fully supervised sites.
If you don't see a particular bird on a given day, then believe me, it's no hardship to have to return!
Given that I have never seen another birder at over 90% of the sites, any wildlife experiences you have will be intensely personal. Indeed, many of the sites, are so remote that if you meet anyone else, it is probable that they will own a copy of the book too <grin>
Whether you are a first time visitor to the Highlands, or someone looking to explore a bit further away from the well-known Speyside sites, I hope that you will find somewhere to add to your Scottish experience.
Enjoy, and may you always see an eagle.
Gordon Hamlett
After a long and difficult birth, my book - Best Birdwatching Sites in the Scottish Highlands (pub Buckingham Press, isbn 0-9533840-9-8, £15.95) is now available.
It is a Where to Watch guide in the same format as the publisher's Norfolk and Sussex books though the way the sites have been handled is slightly different.
Because some of the reserves run to several hundred square miles, it seemed fairly pointless to just list the reserve and the birds. With so many fabulous mountain ridges to scan, valleys to explore, lochs to search and views to take in, just where do you start?
Instead, we have come up with 22 tours, covering the most scenic parts of the Highlands, picking out various places to stop en route, and covering a mix of habitats - mountain, woodland, moor, lochs and sea. All the trips can be done in a day though you might not have time to explore all the stops thoroughly - just pick and choose what you want.
The areas included are:-
Perthshire
Ardnamurchan
Loch Arkaig
Loch Laggan
Upper Deeside
Speyside
Insh Marshes
Loch Hourn
Skye
Applecross
The Inverness glens
Findhorn Valley
Lochindorb
Glenlivet Estate
Moray Firth
Black Isle
Beinn Eighe
Inverpolly
Loch Fleet
Caithness
Lairg and Tongue
Handa
In all, there are over 160 sites or mini-sites covered
Obviously, there are a lot of Schedule One birds in the book, but everything included is already in the public domain so there is no information given to eggers. Similarly, no sites for nesting raptors or Black Grouse/Capercaillie leks are given unless at fully supervised sites.
If you don't see a particular bird on a given day, then believe me, it's no hardship to have to return!
Given that I have never seen another birder at over 90% of the sites, any wildlife experiences you have will be intensely personal. Indeed, many of the sites, are so remote that if you meet anyone else, it is probable that they will own a copy of the book too <grin>
Whether you are a first time visitor to the Highlands, or someone looking to explore a bit further away from the well-known Speyside sites, I hope that you will find somewhere to add to your Scottish experience.
Enjoy, and may you always see an eagle.
Gordon Hamlett
