A truly inspiring Illustrated Talk by Osprey expert Roy Dennis at the hotel ensured that we ended 2008 on a high (not forgetting the traditional Hogmanay dinner-dance and ceilidh, of course!).



And the first guest wildlife sightings of the New Year gave a mouthwatering taste of what is to come over the next 12 months...4 Bottlenose Dolphins at Chanonry Point...Black Grouse at Lochindorb...and skeins of Pink-footed Geese landing on the frozen lochs and comically skidding and sliding away into the distance.




Lochindorb itself was a haunting place to be at dusk as the melting ice groaned and occasionally exploded as another 'berg' broke off. Even the River Spey has frozen and looks particularly picturesque as the image left shows...I wonder how the spawning Atlantic Salmon are managing in the headwaters of the Monadliath Mountains if one of the main rivers of the Highlands can freeze up?

Still, with a warm Hotel to return to and over 100 Speyside single malts to choose from, wildlife watching in winter at the Grant Arms has its own singular charms...

A very Happy New Year to everyone!

A big thank you to all the people who visited our stand at the North West Birdwatching Fair at Martin Mere Reserve at the weekend. It was a wonderful event and fantastic to get the opportunity to speak to so many visitors. One lucky guest - Mr. Chris Moult, from Oakhill - won a holiday for two people with us in 2009! Ten others will receive complimentary copies of our 'Birdwatching and Wildlife Map' of North East Scotland.







I'm still receiving lots of entries for the Guest Photography Competition 2009 - with so many outstanding images the only problem is going to be quite how to pick a winner! Mark Haskins' entries shown here only add to the problem!!!




On a final note, I'm delighted to be able to announce that on New Year's Eve, birding legend Roy Dennis will be doing a book signing and delivering an illustrated talk at the Hotel.
Roy, as many of you will already know, has for many years been at the centre of the efforts to support and promote the re-establishment of Ospreys in Scotland, and latterly, all over the world. His new book, 'A Life of Ospreys' charts this remarkable conservation success story and includes some priceless anecdotes about the journey there.

Roy will speak at 2pm on Wednesdsay, December 31st.

Any of you who happen to be in the Cairngorms area during Hogmanay would be more than welcome to come along...