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Highland Birding

IN LATE SUMMER Sign up for an unforgettable week of Scottish birding on 3-10 August, 2024 for just £1,495pp

Join Heatherlea for this superb holiday, looking for all the best wildlife in the Scottish Highlands.

Heatherlea has more than 30 years of experience in guiding birdwatchers in Scotland and beyond, and has been running readers’ holidays in conjunction with Bird Watching for more than 20 years.

Late summer is a fantastic time for birding in the Highlands, with the highest concentration of breeding birds, as most youngsters will have fledged. With raptors taking to the wing for the first time, mountain species with well grown chicks, auks on the open water, and passerines gearing up to head south, bird activity is high.

On this varied tour, we visit the local pine forests, moorland habitats, rugged west coast, and the southern end of the Cairngorm Mountain range. Being based at Heatherlea’s own Mountview Hotel gives us total flexibility.

A boat trip out into The Minch will be a highlight, and we hope to see both breeding and migrant seabirds in large numbers.

Gannet, Fulmar, Shag, auks, shearwaters, petrels, skuas and terns are all likely, and we have good chances of cetaceans, too. With a growing reputation as one of the best whale watching locations in Scotland, species such as Common, Risso’s and Bottlenosed Dolphin, Harbour Porpoise and Minke Whale are all possible, with chances of Fin and Humpback. On the coasts, post-breeding flocks of terns and waders are starting to build, the latter often in bright summer plumage.

What’s included

Seven nights’ comfortable accommodation at The Mountview Hotel (VisitScotland-rated 3 Star). All rooms are en-suite, with TV and hospitality tray.

There is no single supplement, and guests are never expected to share. Single guests may be upgraded to double room accommodation at no extra charge.

Among the local species we seek are Crested Tit, Ptarmigan, Red Grouse, Golden and

● Boat trip out into The Minch for birds and cetaceans.

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