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.

I always love receiving guests' photos and Gerald Smith has just sent me in a cracker, from the Ptarmigan walk we organised with the Cairngorm Mountain Ranger Service. Gerald said:

'The day on the mountain was fantastic, good weather, great area and a wonderful guide Heather and of course the Ptarmigan. We had a wonderful stay at the hotel and hope to visit again soon.'

Glad that you enjoyed it Gerald and Nina!

Meanwhile, reporting on our guided walk today we were treated to a feast of wildlife sightings - a flock of around 20 Scottish Crossbills was the highlight, along with Red Squirrels, a Roe Buck, Siskin, one Buzzard mobbed by a Raven, another by two Barn Swallows, and on the River Spey Dipper, Grey Wagtail and Goldeneye. We also heard a Crested Tit but were foiled on that score. Still, a memorable three hours for all!

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!

Sun and blue skies and a clear, crisp winter's day are providing perfect conditions for winter wildlife watching in the Cairngorms National Park.

It's remarkable how an adaptation such as the white winter finery of the Ptarmigan and Mountain Hare can so suddenly become a liability when the snow and ice thaws.
The scree of nearby Glenlivet Estate is currently a sure bet for seeing 'blue' Hares scurrying over the steep boulder strewn slopes caused by periodic freeze-thaw action whilst all the ski areas are holding packs of feeding Ptarmigan.
The Ptarmigan building's outdoor viewing platform at nearly 4000 feet at Cairn Gorm is also offering some peerless views of the Spey valley and the chance of seeing the Reindeer herd in their natural domain. It's hard not to be envious of a pelage that's so well insulated that when the reindeer lie down the snow beneath them doesn't even melt.
Gortex and Paramo eat your heart out...