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!