Join TV presenter and expert naturalist Mike Dilger in the Scottish Highlands during the early summer to observe and enjoy the thriving wildlife at this time of year.
Early summer is a fabulous time to be in the Scottish Highlands. The breeding season hits overdrive this month as eagles, divers and grebes work from dawn to dusk to dusk to feed their broods. With this trip so close to the summer solstice, this is also the best time of year to track down rare Caledonian butterflies and dragonflies, while the Highland plants are nothing short of sensational.
With all our summer visitors taking advantage of the long summer days, the local ospreys, black-throated divers and Slavonian grebes will be busily rear their young. While resident golden and white-tailed eagles eagles soar on broad wings over mountain-top territories in their perennial search for prey to feed their hungry chicks back at the eyries, coastal locations along the Moray Firth will be thronging with gannets and auks constantly whizzing to and from their seabird cities. Around Speyside, the moors will be echoing to the ‘go back!’ calls of red grouse, with a good chance of picking out the rarer black grouse too. While at higher altitudes, the luxuriant vegetation will represent a time of plenty for mountain hares hunkered down on the hillsides, as red deer stags will bulk up and continue to grow their antlers in preparation for the autumnal rut.
In the company of expert naturalist and TV Presenter Mike Dilger we can hope to encounter a fabulous range of iconic species, from crested tit to Scottish crossbill, and red squirrel to red deer, with an impressive array of raptors, alongside butterflies, dragonflies and plants you can see nowhere else in Britain.
Typical Itinerary
Day1: Arrive Inverness & transfer
Today we meet at Inverness airport or railway station and transfer the short distance to Grantown-on-Spey.
You can also choose to meet the group at the hotel as Mike will be in reception in the late afternoon for a short orientation of the hotel and briefing about the upcoming days in the field before dinner.
We spend the next five days exploring the Scottish Highlands in search of its wonderful wildlife. We intend to visit a variety of locations and habitats to enable us to see the widest variety of wildlife possible, including the ancient Caledonian pine forests, moorland, lower mountain slopes, upland meadows, lochs and coast. We aim to visit particular locations during our time in the Highlands which are described below; however, the itinerary will be kept flexible so we can adjust to the weather, tides and sightings reports.
On one day we explore nearby Loch Garten and Abernethy Forest RSPB Reserve, where Caledonian specialities, including common and Scottish crossbills, crested tit and red squirrel will be firmly in our sights. We will also be dropping in to nearby Avielochan for a glimpse of one of the last remaining pairs of Slavonian grebes still breeding in the Highlands. Early summer is also a terrific time to catch up with northern dragonflies, like white-faced darter & northern damselfly in the forest pools, while the botanists should be more than happy with Highland specialities, such as twinflower and coralroot orchid.
A visit to Strathdearn will be a key part of the week, with the ‘Valley of the Raptors’ fabulous for both species of eagle, peregrine, goshawk, merlin, red kite, hen harrier and raven. For those preferring their wildlife to be furred, this is also is a great place to scout for red deer and mountain hare. Situated in the heart of the Monadhliaths the plants are superb here as well, with montane-loving small white orchids alongside heath fragrant orchid. We’ll also try and fit in a walk along the fabulous Spey River in Grantown to look for dipper, goosander while admiring the wonderful stand of Nootka lupin on the river’s banks.
Another day will be spent a little further south, as we visit an upland hay meadow called Keltneyburn, to immerse ourselves in orchids, butterflies and dragonflies. Before leaving Speyside we’ll drop in on Lochindorb to admire the resident black-throated divers and as we head toward the heart of Scotland we’ll also make a pit-stop at Kincraig for fine views of Loch Insh’s breeding ospreys. Climbing up into the hills we’ll then make a stop to look for Britain’s only montane butterfly, the mountain ringlet. After visiting Keltneyburn there will also be an opportunity to see the oldest tree in Britain, the Fortingall yew, which is believed to be between 2,500 and 5,000 years old.
Day7: Return to Inverness
Today we transfer to Inverness airport or railway station in time for our onward travel arrangements and this is where the tour comes to an end.
Key info
Duration and price excluding international flights: 7 daysfrom £1,450 pp
Single supplement:
From £240
Trip type:
Group Tour
Group size: 5
When to go: Jun-Jul
Group Departures: Please contact us for departure date details.
Mike Dilger has been an obsessive naturalist since childhood, equally at home either identifying wild flowers in the British countryside, or surveying the Amazon for hummingbirds.
With degrees in Botany and Ecology, Mike’s obsession with the tropics began when studying moths in the South American Andes. This then led to over five years carrying out research work in the tropical forests of Ecuador, Vietnam, Tanzania and Peru.
Finally emerging out of the bush and returning to Britain to find a job in television, Mike is probably best known as the wildlife expert on the BBC’s The One Show. Pontificating about everything from bumblebees to basking sharks, Mike has racked up over 450 appearances during his 15 years on the show.
His main job now is as a professional plate spinner, which involves intermingling TV commitments, tour-leading, writing and giving talks. Mike leads trips for Wildlife Worldwide from the Somerset Levels to the Scottish Highlands in the UK, while abroad he takes guests to Ecuador and Madagascar.
A columnist for BBC Wildlife Magazine, Mike has also written eight nature-themed books, with his most recent being One Thousand Shades of Green - A Year in Search of Britain’s Wild Plants.
Lying on the northern edge of the Cairngorms, Grantown-on-Spey is surrounded by beautiful Highland scenery and there are numerous trails around the town and into the hills, mountains and woods. The town has an attractive square and high street with boutiques and shops selling a wide range of goods.
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Where: Moray
Ideal for viewing: red squirrel, capercaillie, golden eagle, red deer, mountain hare
More than double the size of the Lake District, Cairngorms National Park is the largest protected area in the United Kingdom. The Cairngorms covers a substantial swathe of the Scottish Highlands, encompassing a range of habitats and a home to a wide array of wildlife including the captivating red squirrel.
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Where: The Scottish Highlands
Ideal for viewing: red squirrel, Scottish wildcat, golden eagle, pine marten, crested tit
The Moray Firth, a large coastal inlet is a spectacular and largely unspoilt part of Northern Scotland, famed for its colony of bottlenose dolphins. This coastal stretch is home to a wealth of other marine life including basking shark, grey seal, minke whale and harbour porpoise.
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In 1860 Queen Victoria stayed at the Grant Arms Hotel and wrote of it favourably in her diary. While maintaining its historic style, it is now a modern hotel. Its rooms have facilities beyond Queen Victoria’s wildest dreams – they’re all en suite, with tea and coffee, a hair dryer, TV and WiFi.
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