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www.speysidewildlife.co.uk
We offer fully inclusive, fully guided, wildlife watching holidays, in Scotland and around the world, plus day guiding, evening wildlife watching, training courses and tailor-made tours - for enthusiasts of every ability.
Hi everyone, our latest hide update is available to read at: http://bit.ly/sw_bloghome
If you would like to book our Evening Wildlife Watching Hide go to: http://bit.ly/sw_EWW
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Wildfowl and Waterbirds Identification Masterclass
16-17 November 2024, based near Aviemore
During the colder, winter months, we look forward to the arrival of our winter migrants and head to the coast. Here we are greeted with flocks of huge numbers of geese and seaduck. With such vast numbers of birds, sometimes knowing which species is which, can be difficult; divers and grebes often have different plumage in the winter and they can be tricky to identify.
Our winter masterclass concentrates on learning the habitat, behaviour and plumage of these birds. The weekend consists of the first day being spent in the beautiful setting of our classroom near Aviemore in the Cairngorms, with hot drinks and a cosy fire and the following day, we head out to our favourite locations for wildfowl and waterbirds and our enthusiastic guides help put the learning into practice.
You can book your space on our 'Wildfowl and Waterbirds Masterclass' here https://www.wildlifeidcourses.co.uk/wildfowl-and-waterbirds-masterclass and also find out about all our identification courses that run throughout the year.
VisitCairngorms Wild Scotland
I have just been looking at Luis's (one of our guides) photos of the Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock at their lek which we visited on our Amazon trip. I thought my photos were quite good but wow!! What a bird - hardly needs me to say more... but I will always remember that moment we walked into this spot in the gloom of the forest where these birds seemed to glow from inside. Cheers Roy (Photos by Luis Segura)
Starting to sort through some of my pics from the amazing Amazon Cruise - and thought I'd post a random selection of views, atmosphere, birds and other things
They hopefully give a small taste of the experience but really you had to be there - there was so much to see! I am sure there will be more to come...
Cheers Roy
Last few from another great tour to Cornwall where seabirds and waders are the focus and we definitely scored on both this week. We managed to see 4 species of Shearwater, 2 Skuas and 19 species of wader plus self found Ortolan Bunting and Wryneck - great week…
Hi Darren here, just back from Nova Scotia – we haven’t been there since covid but I’m glad to report the place has lost none of its charm.
We’ve been there fourteen times and so being back on Brier Island was like seeing old friends, with familiar faces at both the wonderful Brier Island Whalewatch team and the local bird banding group. Each boat trip was magical with humpback whales a-plenty, going through the range of behaviour from lazy logging to energetic tail-lobbing, pec-slapping and full breaching (thanks Marilyn for the photo). Each visit to the banding station was a delight with gem-like birds revealed from each bag – Black-throated Blue Warbler voted the favourite!
We are already planning to return next year – do join us.
I don’t know how to describe this moment!! It is not as though we hadn’t already seen a Harpy Eagle at the nest they surprised us with – which was truly awesome!!!
We were in canoes exploring a small channel and I was scanning the trees hoping for monkeys or something different when suddenly my binocular view was literally filled with Harpy Eagle! I cannot put into words what that felt like. It was like discovering a mythical beast like a dragon or something! It felt so physical - like my entire body froze and everything stopped. I turned to the group and said there was Harpy Eagle but they looked like they didn’t believe me and I said… “Honestly - there really is!!!”
There have been very few moments like that in my life despite all the astonishing wildlife I have seen over the years. Finding my own Snow Leopard is one… a Wandering Albatross just a few feet away was another - but this moment is right up there as one of the most amazing of my life. Perhaps along with being shown the nest a few days earlier… which at the time also felt incredible and remarkably emotional!
What a bird! Who would have ever predicted we would see it twice in one trip.
Cheers Roy
Interesting journey to the Isles of Scilly - very productive with four species of shearwater amongst lots more seabirds, Common Dolphins, Harbour Porpoise and Blue-finned Tuna…..
Cracking start to the Cornwall tour with 15 species of wader today including 2 Nearctic rarities - adult and juvenile Semi-palmated Sandpipers plus Little Stint, Whimbrel and a cracking Black-tailed Godwit…
Speyside Wildlife - August 2024 Newsletter is hitting your inboxes now - https://mailchi.mp/5bfddfae5724/sept2024
If you would like to sign up for our monthly newsletter, you can do so via our website https://www.speysidewildlife.co.uk/
Image: Siberian Long-tailed Rosefinch (Chris Nicholson)
Hi everyone, our latest blog post is available to read at: http://bit.ly/sw_bloghome
VisitCairngorms VisitScotland Wild Scotland Wonder Seekers
To book our Evening Wildlife Watching Hide go to: http://bit.ly/sw_EWW
To book one of our day guides go to: http://bit.ly/sw_DG
A slightly random selection of pics from the Amazon Cruise. Hard to get pics of many of the forest birds but we have been swimming in the Amazon, we've seen both Tucuxi and Pink River Dolphins, so many birds, lizards, bats and five species of Monkey so far! Some of the sunsets and sunrises over the river have been beautiful. Hope you enjoy these... cheers Roy
https://bit.ly/swamazonriver
The joys of watching humpbacks in Nova Scotia - thanks Andrew for the video
More news from Julian and our group on Cantabria and Asturias tour - a fabulous European Wildcat from Riaño!
http://bit.ly/sw_cantabria
Hi, Sally Nowell here.
Apologies to anyone who isn’t keen on spiders 😬.
But I couldn’t resist sharing this beauty.
A Raft Spider, around 6cm across 😳😳, I didn’t have my ruler with me 🙄
Wonder Seekers
We we're delighted to get these views of a Cantabrian Brown Bear mother and her two cubs on our current Spanish Cantabria and Asturias tour!
We'll be back next year and you can read our itinerary details here http://bit.ly/sw_cantabria
I am sat on a boat on the River Amazon and to my amazement we have wi fi! This means I can share a couple of pics from the start of the trip before we boarded our gorgeous boat. We had a planned visit to a Guianan Cock-of-the-Rock lek which proved incredible... what a bird! You will never see anything more orange and in the dark forest they just glowed!!
You might imagine nothing could beat that BUT next day we were treated to a total surprise.... and wow what a surprise!! A Harpy Eagle nest!!! I was totally overcome with emotion as we stood looking up at this mythical bird - a species I have wanted to see for so long and wondering if I ever would. Our local guides had only known about the nest for four days - so we were incredibly lucky. The female had a small fluffy chick that looked very cute.
I am having trouble reading my camera card so many thanks to Jean Brown and Luis Segura for letting me use their photos.
What a truly awesome start to our Amazon trip - I am lost for words! Cheers Roy
Hi there
We are on Day 3 of the Cantabria/Asturias tour and already hit the ground running!
Few here from our visit to the mountain enclave of Fuente De where we also saw Wallcreeper and Alpine Accentor.
Our other two half days so far have also added Iberian Wolf, European Wildcat, Golden Eagle, Honey Buzzard, Booted Eagle, Middle Spotted Woodpecker and Alpine Chough
More to come later…
NEW for 2025!
Following our holiday to the Channel Islands earlier this summer, Julian has put together an 8-day itinerary focused on Alderney in the spring. This islands lies just 8 miles off the Normandy coastline which can easily be seen on a clear day and due to its inaccessibility it is a peaceful, relaxed haven where the pace of life is slow, helped by a limited number of visitors at one time.
Its small size also means it is possible to stroll around its circumference in a day, but its rich tapestry of habitats deserves much more time, especially during spring migration.
Learn more about our itinerary or make a booking here https://bit.ly/swalderney
📸 Blonde Hedgehog (John Horton), Brae Beach Hotel (Julian Sykes), Dartford Warbler (Steve Down), Glanville Fritillary, Puffin (Steve Batt)
Just to let you know we have relaunched our Indonesian Cruise from Bali to Komodo - I am so excited!
Imagine sailing on a luxurious boat through stunning volcanic island scenery spotting lots of whales and dolphins and fabulous seabirds. We’ll pause here and there for landings, or a bit of snorkeling amongst incredible coral reefs with colourful fish and even the chance of Manta Rays and Whale Shark!! As well as S***m and Pilot Whales we hope for some unusual cetaceans such as Melon-headed Whale, Eden’s Whale and perhaps Dwarf S***m or Pygmy Killer Whale plus Fraser’s and Spotted Dolphins and more common species such as Spinner, Risso’s and Indo-pacific Bottlenose Dolphins. There will be frigatebirds, bo***es, tropicbirds, terns, petrels and other seabirds and we’ll make landings to see parrots, fruit doves, friarbirds, drongos, bee-eaters and the unusual Orange-footed Scrubfowl, a species of megapode that creates mounds of vegetation that heat up and incubate their eggs. Someone else may use their nests too…. and we’ll visit the islands of Rinca and Komodo, home to that infamous, largest lizard in the world – the Komodo Dragon!
This is going to be one of those wonderfully relaxed yet exciting holidays I love - so please join me in June 2025 for this fabulous trip.
For more info click here…. http://bit.ly/sw_komodo and let us know if you might be interested
Cheers Roy
Hi, Sally Nowell here.
I’m very excited today that Speyside Wildlife has just opened its first trip to beautiful Vietnam 🤗🤗.
Here is just a taster of some of the wildlife you can expect on our holiday in November 2025. A selection of glorious birds, mammals, scenery and some excellent food too! I can’t wait.
If you are interested in joining me click on the link below to find out more.
https://bit.ly/swvietnam
Wonder Seekers
Hi, Sally Nowell here again.
I’m afraid I’ve been boring all my friends with how amazing our Mongolia trip was. But it was, truly amazing and so here is a round up of some of our trip highlights.
Seeing Snow Leopard, is without doubt the highlight of this trip but there is so much more too. Endless breathtaking scenery that is a feast for the eyes. Lovely caring people, a fascinating culture and thrilling wildlife.
We are planning a return tour to Mongolia in 2026 when we will be visiting our Snow Leopard camp once again as well as exploring other wildlife rich areas of this stunning country.
This is a once in a lifetime experience so if you’d like to join us in 2026 do tell us so we can reserve our Snow Leopard camp space now!
https://bit.ly/sw_mongolia
Hi Everyone, our latest hide update is available to read at: http://bit.ly/sw_bloghome
VisitCairngorms VisitScotland Wild Scotland Wonder Seekers
Everyone has there own local patch they like to wildlife watch. We are privileged to have the River Spey on our own patch. It's a lovely walk along the Spey and no matter the time of year, there is always something to see. This week's blog is on a walk along the River Spey http://bit.ly/sw_bloghome
One of our Guided Day's Out itineraries is named the River Spey, and if you'd like to know more you can do so here
http://bit.ly/sw_DG
VisitCairngorms VisitScotland Wonder Seekers Wild Scotland
Hi, Sally Nowell here, freshly back from our amazing trip to Mongolia. I’m just reliving some of the many memories, here’s a highlight. We were lucky to get some great views of these rare and endangered Saiga Antelope. Wonder Seekers
Hi, Sally Nowell here again.
This time I’m posting from Seoul in South Korea on our way back from Mongolia.
A few more images of some of the fabulous birds we encountered on our trip. These Siberian Cranes were spotted by our local guide from 7.7 kilometres away but fortunately we were able to get a bit closer than that 😊.
We were all sad to leave Mongolia behind. It’s wonderful wildlife, it’s kind and caring people and the mind blowing scenery have made our trip a very special one.
Wonder Seekers
https://bit.ly/sw_mongolia
Wildflowers, Butterflies and Bee's have all been enjoying this much needed sunshine and warmth. On our Guided Day's Out we have been greeted by Tortoiseshell, Meadow brown and Ringlet Butterflies as well as the sweet smell of of fragrant wildflowers. The guides are on the lookout for the Scotch Argus Butterfly, which should be on the wing very soon. Look at all these purple flowers, do you know what they all are? 🪻🌸😍☀️
VisitCairngorms VisitScotland Wild Scotland Wonder Seekers
You can find out more about Guided Days Out here http://bit.ly/sw_DG
Hi Everyone, our latest blog post is ready to view at: http://bit.ly/sw_bloghome and this month we are focusing on cetaceans that can be found in our waters.
Our guides can help you discover Scotland’s wildlife and if you would like to book one of our guides you can find more info here http://bit.ly/sw_DG
VisitScotland Wild Scotland
Hi, Sally Nowell here again to tell you a bit more about our Mongolia holiday.
Yes seeing Snow Leopard is a huge part of this trip but it’s about so much more. Actually just looking for these elusive animals is totally amazing. We spent 3 days in the high Altai mountains looking. We were supported but spotters on horseback, motorbikes, a fabulous cook, incredible drivers, an interpreter and of course great guides 🙂. The scenery is astonishin and theses always other wildlife to watch as well as the local herdsmen and their stock. But did we see Snow Leopard?
Hi, Sally Nowell here again.
A delightful Speyside Wildlife group are our exploring Mongolia with me.
We’ve just returned from 5 nights at our Snow Leopard Ger Camp, absolutely amazing and beyond words to describe our experience.
So here are a few photos of what Ger camp life looks like…but did we see Snow Leopard? There’s more to come, a lot more 😉😊
Wonder Seekers
If you have an interest in joining us on a trip to Mongolia do let us know.
https://bit.ly/sw_mongolia
| Monday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
| Tuesday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
| Wednesday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
| Thursday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
| Friday | 09:00 - 17:00 |
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Hi everyone, our latest hide update is available to read at: http://bit.ly/sw_bloghome If you would like to book our Evening Wildlife Watching Hide go to: http://bit.ly/sw_EWW VisitCairngorms VisitScotland Wild Scotland Wonder Seekers Saving Wildcats
A special moment for our group in Spain today with Julian - Common Dolphins bow riding!!! #nwspain #villaviciosa #gijon
The joys of watching humpbacks in Nova Scotia - thanks Andrew for the video
More news from Julian and our group on Cantabria and Asturias tour - a fabulous European Wildcat from Riaño! http://bit.ly/sw_cantabria
We we're delighted to get these views of a Cantabrian Brown Bear mother and her two cubs on our current Spanish Cantabria and Asturias tour! We'll be back next year and you can read our itinerary details here http://bit.ly/sw_cantabria
Hi Everyone, our latest hide update is available to read at: http://bit.ly/sw_bloghome VisitCairngorms VisitScotland Wild Scotland Wonder Seekers
Hi, Sally Nowell here, freshly back from our amazing trip to Mongolia. I’m just reliving some of the many memories, here’s a highlight. We were lucky to get some great views of these rare and endangered Saiga Antelope. Wonder Seekers #saigaantelope #mongolia #wildlifeholidaysinmongolia
‘A playful Snow Leopard’ Yes we did see Snow Leopard!! In fact we saw 3 of these stunningly beautiful cats on our trip to Mongolia. We were privaledged to watch them for several hours thanks to the team who found the leopards and got us there to watch them. An unforgettable few hours of spectacular wildlife watching. This was a young leopard having a bit of fun! #snow leopard #mongolia @wonderseekers
Hi, Sally Nowell here. We were more than thrilled today on our Mongolia trip to see these beautiful Przewalski’s horses today. These rare wild horses are stunning animals and a privilege to watch them quietly grazing and seeking some shade from the hot sun #przewalskihorse #mongolia #mongoliawildlifeholidays #mongoliawildlife @wonder__seekers https://bit.ly/sw_mongolia
Hi everyone, our latest hide update is available to read at: http://bit.ly/sw_bloghome If you would like to visit our Evening Wildlife Watching Hide go to: http://bit.ly/sw_EWW to book your place VisitCairngorms VisitScotland Wild Scotland Wonder Seekers
Hi everyone. Our latest hide update is available to read at: http://bit.ly/sw_bloghome If you would like to book a place at our Evening Wildlife Watching Hide go to: http://bit.ly/sw_EWW VisitCairngorms VisitScotland Wild Scotland Wonder Seekers
Hi, just a quick taster of today’s adventure on our St Kilda trip. Our St Kilda holiday takes in some wonderful parts of remote Scotland. We’ve sailed from Oban to Loch Sunart, on to Skye and tonight we are on Harris. We stopped by on a glorious day for breathtaking seabird views at the Shiant Islands, just amazing!! Our private charter takes just 8 guests and we have 6 spaces left for 2025. To find out more about this trip visit our website. www.speysidewildlife.co.uk #shiants #theshiants @wildscotland_ @wonder__seekers @visitscotland
Just back from Speyside and Mull guiding for a small group of Americans with my good friend Luis Segura. So interesting to see the country through their eyes. They loved our Robin and were keen to see everything not in the USA, even really common species like Wood Pigeon, Great Tit, Jackdaw, Pied Wagtail etc - and not just birds but they loved the flowers, especially the orchids, butterflies, mammals, scenery and even the old stone houses and castles we passed along the way. We saw Crested Tits, Scottish Crossbill, Bottlenose Dolphins, Golden and White-tailed Eagles and lots more but a big hit was this lovely Otter on Mull... enjoy Cheers Roy
Hi, Sally Nowell here. Yesterday was the final day of our ‘Canna and Corncrakes’ holiday and this morning our guests are all making their way home. We’ve seen some amazing wildlife on our trip but without doubt this was a holiday highlight for us all. We were lucky to encounter pods of Common Dolphin on 3 occasions but this final time included close views of Minkie Whale too and dolphins so close we felt we could reach out and touch them. A pod of around 20 adults and calves stayed around the boat for several minutes giving us an unforgettable experience. https://bit.ly/sw_canna @wonder__seekers @wildscotland_ @visitscotland #commondolphin #scottishcetaceans
Hi, This is just a snap shot of what our, ‘Canna and Corncrakes’ day out around Eigg, Rum, Skye and Soay is all about. We had a fabulous day with huge flocks of Shearwater, pods of Common Dolphin around our boat and even a Minkie Whale and scenery to take your breath away🤗🤗. Sadly we are nearly at the end of our trip 😞, but what a trip it’s been😊😊. We are open for bookings and already looking forward to returning to this stunning wildlife filled part of Scotland in 2025. @wonder__seekers @wildscotland_ @visitscotland https://bit.ly/sw_canna
Hi Sally Nowell here again. We had a fabulous start to our last day on Mull yesterday with this obliging otter, glorious White-tailed eagle views and Great Northern Diver. Today we are heading to Iona for the night and it looks like the sun is going to be shining 😊. We’ve just released our 2025 dates for this trip so to find out more and follow us on our journey click on the link below. https://bit.ly/sw_canna @wonder__seekers @wildscotland_ @visitscotland #otters
Hi everyone Our latest hide update is available to read at: http://bit.ly/sw_bloghome If you would like to visit our Evening Wildlife Watching Hide go to: http://bit.ly/sw_EWW VisitCairngorms VisitScotland Wild Scotland Wonder Seekers
A beautiful week in North Wales almost completed, with a holiday group. Here’s a couple of minutes of some of things we saw along the way. Watch out for the Roseate Terns half way through.
What a wonderful way to start the weekend! Making the most of the dawn chorus I set off for my local woodland for an early morning stroll. The smell of Cherry blossoms was filling the air as the River Spey gently moved by. Can you hear the bird song?? 🎼🐦🌤🌳 VisitCairngorms VisitScotland Wonder Seekers
This is what our spring trip to the Outer Hebrides is all about, masses of birds!! This is a wonderful selection of feeding waders who stop of on their migratory journey to refuel. Wonder Seekers VisitScotland@ Wild Scotland http://bit.ly/sw_ohebs
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Our holidays are just that - holidays. We’ll try to squeeze in as many exciting activities as we can, but still give you completely relaxed enjoyment, so that you can ‘switch off’ for the week. We pride ourselves on our high level of personal attention, but we won’t race around in pursuit of big lists. Our guides’ enthusiasm is infectious and whether you are a beginner or more experienced, young or old, we are happy to take time so you can enjoy the wildlife on a Speyside Wildlife experience to the full. Our office team makes sure everything runs smoothly before you arrive and our chefs at the Steading often get more praise than the wildlife and can tailor the meals to any specific requirements. Away from Speyside our holidays around Scotland and Overseas run to a very similar format. We try to find the most friendly, rural, good quality, family-run accommodation with ensuite facilities. For us, great food, accommodation with character and comfort and wildlife watching near at hand, are all vital ingredients in a successful Speyside Wildlife holiday.
You’ll find that you need little, if any, extra spending money (unless detailed), as our holidays are all inclusive - the price you see is the final price you pay and covers accommodation, meals, transport, boat and ferry costs and flights, as detailed with each destination. Not included are travel insurance, tips, expenditure for telephone calls, drinks, etc, at the accommodation and items of a personal nature.
In 2016, we celebrated our 25th anniversary - what a milestone! Speyside Wildlife has always been focused on its guests and where they want to visit. Our ethos has always been; small friendly groups of like-minded people, where everyone is treated as an individual and not one of a crowd. If guests are one side of the Speyside Wildlife coin, then our staff are the equal and opposite other. They are what makes us what we are and their loyalty goes hand in hand with that of our guests.
