Where can you see Capercaillie, Black Grouse, Slavonian Grebes, Mountain Hare, Osprey, Ptarmigan, Ring Ouzel and Red Deer in one day?

Right here in the Cairngorms with the Bird Watching and Wildlife Club and Wild Caledonia!

"The best day out ever," (according to guest David Donald) also included a lunch in a remote estate bothy and a nocturnal encounter with a Tawny Owl, on a long but unforgettable crusade for the 'Speyside Specialities'. Everyone involved said they wanted to come again - and you can come too!

We're offering this event again in on 19-20 June and 17-18 July, 2009. For more details and to join in the fun contact Wild Caledonia on 07887 883117.

Lots of exciting news to report from RSPB Loch Garten.

After a very successful courtship period during which female Osprey EJ and new mate Odin appeared to be rather more than enamoured with each other, yesterday at 11.45am EJ laid her first egg and is now dutifully sitting on the world's most famous nest, relying for the first time on her new mate for a regular supply of fresh fish. So far so good, with Odin doing everything that is required, though of course the sterner test of feeding a clutch of hungry mouths is (hopefully) yet to come...
Meanwhile the action is hotting up at the dawn 'CaperWatch'. With three Capercaillie being seen this morning, and a remarkable six individuals being sighted the day before, the early start is proving to be worth it.
The highlights of a flurry of very special sightings over the pasts few days has included a male Ring-necked Duck near Loch Ruthven and a Goshawk at Findhorn Valley.

Another guided walk - another flock of Scottish Crossbills. April has definitely been living up to its billing as one of the best months to see and hear Scotland's only endemic bird, as breeding individuals proclaim their territory and any unpaired birds continue to sing and display.

Many of the broadleaved trees are already in bud too, with incredible colours and formations to be discovered for those prepared to look a little closer at these otherwise inconspicuous floral offerings.

An ash bud or a sycamore leaf can appear as elaborate and strange as a Salvador Dali painting - if only we stop to enjoy the wonderful world quietly emerging all around us.

It's also a pleasure to report that our afternoon walk in Abernethy Forest was a great success - as well as Ospreys and Red Squirrels at the Visitor Centre, we spied a male Capercaillie in the clearing that no-one else had noticed!

On the walk itself, a Great Spotted Woodpecker, Treecreeper and Siskin all put in an appearance, with Goldeneye and Greylag Geese on the lochs and a colony of Wood Ants rounding off a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon's work!

A great few days of guest sightings and guided walks to tell you about. Ospreys are well and truly back - and not just at Loch Garten. Guests have seen the fish hawk doing what it does best at the famous Rothiemurchus Fish Farm on the last two afternoons! Meanwhile, new contender Odin - believed to be a Scandanavian Osprey, is the talk of the town as he busily mates with usual Loch Garten female EJ. There's bound to be trouble if last year's male, Orange VS, turns up late and tries to gatecrash the party...

The male Capercaillie was the highlight of our guided walk on Monday, with other species being seen including Red Squirrel, Treecreeper, Grey Wagtail and Goldeneye.

There was a beautiful dawn backdrop to the Black Grouse Watch with Glenlivet Wildlife today rewarding the Hotel's early risers, with a total of four male Black Grouse seen leking, supported by a cast of Mountain Hare still in winter coat and several Roe Deer on the moorland.

And just in case you were asking, Golden Eagles are still out and about too!

Ospreys are well and truly back! EJ, the breeding female at RSPB Loch Garten for the last 7 years running was first seen back on site a week ago and has since been busy scraping out her old nest and generally laying claim to her throne. In addition, there have been several guest sightings of Ospreys all over the Strath, from Lochindorb to Insh Marshes to Rothiemurchus Fishery. I can wait to see how the drama unfolds over the next few days...

Meanwhile, the first 'dawn CaperWatch' of 2009 duly delivered with Capercaillie being seen in the misty Caledonian pine forest of Abernethy at the only event of its kind in the U.K.

Golden Eagles are still displaying at Findhorn Valley and, best of all, I've added a photo of a Wildcat which I managed to capture as it hunted in the rough grasses for Rabbits near my home! I was foiled mid-stalk in my plans to get a better pic by the attentions of my next door neighbours dog. Still, you get the general idea...

So many guest anecdotes of amazing wildlife encounters that it's hard to remember them all...2 Pine Martens seen at the Speyside evening hide, displaying Golden Eagles still seen daily at Findhorn Valley along with Blue Hares and massive herds of Red Deer, a male Capercaillie spied behind the main hide at Loch Garten, 2 Ptarmigan and a flock of Snow Bunting seen from the Viewing Platform at Cairn Gorm at nearly 4000 feet...

A veritable parliament of Brown Hares were boxing on the estate where I live last night and the Short-eared Owl is still being seen daily at RSPB Loch of Strathbeg.

A great all round guided walk in Anagach Wood saw us take in Red Squirrels, a Roe Buck and Doe, three Grey Wagtails and a female Goldeneye on the River Spey - but arguably the highlight was the 10 minute show put on by two Stoats, still partially in ermine, frolicking on the river bank before they tried to cross the old Packhorse Bridge on which we were standing! They crossed halfway over before spotting us, freezing for a moment, and deciding against it. Great Stuff!
Highlights from guest sightings in the past few days have been a cock Capercaillie in Abernethy Forest, Badger at the Speyside Wildlife Hide and 2 Ptarmigan seen from the Viewing Platform at Cairngorm Mountain.

Over the last ten days our Winter Wildlife Watch package has produced an amazing array of wildlife encounters.

Amongst the species which have been routinely recorded on our guests sightings board are displaying Golden Eagle, Scottish Crossbill, Hen Harrier, Red Squirrel, Mountain Hare, a Stoat in ermine, Dipper, Long-tailed Duck, Red Deer, Wild Goats, Goosander and Black Grouse.

Heather and guest in the snow hole!

Leaving the snow-hole and Ptarmigan footprints at nearly

4000 feet!

Special sightings included a female Capercaillie sighted near to the RSPB's Forest Lodge, a Marsh Harrier at RSPB Insh Marshes and a juvenille White-tailed Sea Eagle seen near to Findhorn Valley.

Arguably the biggest 'tick' though has to go to the solitary Ptarmigan seen on both walks with Cairngorm Mountain Ranger, Heather Morning, at nearly 4000 feet! Heather looked after our guests who enjoyed favourable weather conditions (by the standards of Cairn Gorm in February!) to have a once-in-a-lifetime walk in one of the most extreme habitats in the U.K., as our guest Julie Rogers' photos prove.

A big thanks to Heather, Head Ranger Nic Bullivant and Red Squirrel Conservation Officer Juliet Robinson whose knowledge and experience of the area's wildlife all enormously added to a week which guests will not forget in a hurry.

We hope you all enjoyed it as much as we did!