Lochindorb has always been known to be a hive of wildlife activity in May, but the largest body of fresh water in Grampian and the Highlands is really excelling itself just now. As usual, the Black-throated Divers can be seen quite regularly and wait for couple of hours and you are virtually guaranteed sightings of fishing Ospreys. Red Grouse abound on the surrounding moorland whilst Hen Harriers and Short-eared Owls are providing regular views.

Summer breeders only add to the biodiversity of the area - our guest David Carter has sent me this rare image of the ever-elusive Cuckoo and also a photographic gem of a Common Sandpiper.

Just twenty minutes drive from the hotel, this is a remarkable wild place offering the best of Scottish wildlife and scenery.

A long, lonely vigil in a mobile hide on a windswept Highland moor with nothing but the plaintive birdsong of the night for company through the darkness...if that doesn't exactly fit in with your next plans for an evening out, then indulge me for a moment and read on.

I'd been fortunate enough to book a place on the Glenlivet Wildlife 'Black Grouse Photography' experience, and as my guide David Newland drove away in the Land Rover from the top secret location after erecting the mobile hide, I wondered what was ahead. What I didn't know was that I was about to have one of the most unforgettable experiences of my life.

The action started before dark as with a great 'whoosh' a pair of male Black Grouse flew over the hide and landed no more than five feet in front of me and immediately began to lek. For half an hour I sat enraptured before the cocks disappeared into the darkness.

The next six hours saw me treated to an extraordinary audible feast of Snipe drumming, and the calls of Curlew, Lapwing, Oystercatcher and Red Grouse, before at precisely 3.55am the blackcock returned.

Over the next four hours I took over 900 photographs, with the wonderful dawn light eventually allowing me to do justice to the extraordinary plumage of this endangered but spectacular bird. Knowing that I was able to do so with the grouse blissfully unaware of my presence only added to the thrill, and at one point no less than fifteen blackcock and one greyhen graced the lekking ground. It was a sight that will live with me forever.

A huge thank you to Glenlivet Wildlife and Glenlivet Estate, who have created the conditions for a truly five star wildlife experience.

Another collection of guest photos have been sent to me today which I have to share.
David Bair and his wife Sarah stayed with us recently and managed to capture several stunning wildlife images including a Wheatear, Red Grouse and Dipper.

Though David doesn't say, I'm guessing that the Red Grouse and Wheatear were taken at Lochindorb which has been an amazingly productive site over the past couple of weeks, with other wildlife regularly being seen including Hen Harriers, Merlin, Short-eared Owl and fishing Ospreys. It also appears that the breeding pair of Black-throated Divers have finally decided to settled down at the loch and so are also giving consistently great views.

All the pictures are being entered into our guests photography competition of 2009, with a prize of a holiday for two on offer to the winner. If you've stayed with us this year and have a memorable image then why not send it in?

I received a great e-mail with photos from Tim Wells which summarises perfectly the great diversity of wildlife which our guests can see even over a few days...

Red Grouse and Red Deer on the moors, rafts of Eider Duck and Bottlenose Dolphins on the Moray Firth, and Snow Bunting in the mountains. Just another day in the Highlands, really.

Thanks for those, Tim.

Our winter wildlife watching week is almost upon us, and during my two weeks away you'll be pleased to learn that I've been busy gathering the gen from some of the Cairngorms' best wildlife sites to pass onto all of our guests and blog followers.

As expected, on the moors the Red Grouse are already starting to pair up and Glen Kyllachy is the best place to see the cocks loudly proclaiming their territory over the ling as they show off their beautiful breeding plumage to admiring hens.

Meanwhile, in the glens I was delighted to be reunited with a familiar face from the summer down at stunning Findhorn Valley - I had first noticed this lone Wild Goat in July, unusually seperating himself from the rest of the tribe and there he was again, seven months later, in his usual spot on the boulder-strewn slopes. He was quite happily munching away at the rough grasses and seemingly unperturbed by my best rock-climbing efforts, secure in the knowledge that at any time of his choosing he could disappear into the mountain faster than I could say "Cheese".

On the coast there are rafts of geese and sea ducks such as Eider and Wigeon everywhere and I was lucky to get a particularly close encounter with a Common Seal at Lossiemouth.

Finally, the Cairngorm Mountains themselves are offering the patient wildlife watcher a rare opportunity to witness small parties of beautiful Snow Buntings pecking around the ski areas for scraps of leftovers, before they resume their high altitiude lifestyle in the coming Spring...

But if you want to join in the fun and book onto our winter wildlife watch package you'll have to be quick - we only have TWO places left!

Yet more guests photographs coming in today! Bill Saxton's show some of the fantastic fungi which exploded in Anagach Wood in September, providing a visual feast as well as a literal one for the Red Squirrels, whilst David Pelling's are the wonderful portraits of Red Grouse and Dipper. All will be entered into our competition - please keep sending them in, I never get tired of receiving them!

The 'Valley of the Raptors', Findhorn Valley, is simply a wildlife watchers' Paradise at the moment.

Yesterday, on a two hour walk there were the year's best sightings of Golden Eagle (immature + parent bird), seven parcels of rutting Red Deer, a pair of Ravens, Mountain Hare, two tribes of Wild Goats and leaping Atlantic Salmon. Phew!