Saturday will bring the trip of a lifetime for me, as me and my Dad set out for Scotland, namely Grantown on Spey, deep in the Cairngorms National Park. The Land of Red Squirrels, Capercaillies and huge Scots Pine trees. Four days of absolute brilliant birding and wildlife watching.
Last year, having been told that I had won the Zeiss Young Birder Award, we travelled to Global Birdfair for the award-giving. While there, we spoke to Simon Pawsey on the Grant Arms Hotel stand (link here if you want to book a stay – they run amazing birding tours throughout the year with loads of incredible people! http://www.grantarmshotel.com). I felt comfortable around him, and gave him my card, asking him if he would like to read my blog. We had an animated chat and really enjoyed it, and then throughout the weekend when we passed his stand he would call me over to introduce me to somebody, like Mike Dilger for instance, it was so great to meet all these experts! We returned home, happy as Larry after such a great weekend! To my surprise, when we returned home, there was an email waiting for us to invite us for a stay at the Grant Arms Hotel, where Simon was guiding. Gobsmacked was the word – I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read and re-read the email! With much to-ing and fro-ing we finally settled on a date, and here we are about to head north to Scotland!
So many great birding sites surround our base for the time we are away, AKA the Grant Arms Hotel, a renowned wildlife hotel with a rich history. Just a stones throw away lie Scots Pine Woodland, heather moorland, and a large selection of Lochs to choose from. When I first saw the images, it felt reminiscent of a castle to me!
I have to say, really looking forward to this one! On two of the days we are there, me and my Dad are actually going to be taken out with guides, which is probably better than us bouncing around with little local knowledge! Nick Baker and Will Hall will show us around a few sites on two out of the four days during our visit, people I have heard of and am very excited to meet. I hope to learn a lot from their huge amounts of knowledge, and enjoy birding with them!
Nick Baker is a naturalist and TV presenter, and he is based in Scotland. Bug and wildlife extraordinaire, he does many things from Instagram Lives to BBC TV programmes and documentaries, on top of being a published author. He is a nature inspiration and I cannot wait to meet him!
Will Hall is a brilliant presenter and photographer, and he is known nationally as an incredibly knowledgeable zoologist. He’s been everywhere, from jungle to mountain, and lets few things stop him from witnessing and working with nature! Like Nick Baker, he is guiding up at the hotel at the moment and really looking forward to meeting him!
As I said above, I met Simon Pawsey at Global Birdfair, on the hotel’s stand. He was great to talk to, and has a real wealth of knowledge. He introduced me to Mike Dilger and helped to set this whole plan into motion. Special thanks to Simon, and hope I bump into you at the hotel!
Moving slightly off topic, Simon Pawsey and Mark Pearson, two great naturalists and birders, ran an inaugural School of Birding at the hotel, supported by Zeiss. It sounds like a truly great experience, so if you’re looking for some expert guidance with your birding, maybe this is the course for you!. My own binoculars, won in the Zeiss Young Birders Awards, are Zeiss Terra, and I really rate them, they have been a real asset in my birding.
Anyway, there are so many things I would love to see, but one of the main ones is Crested Tit. A tiny, regal bird that reminds me of a Snow Queen. They are quite abundant across the pine forests in the Cairngorms, but Scotland is the only place in the UK where you can hope to find them, so I would really love to find one.
Secondly is a bigger ask. Capercaillie is another bird that you would be unable to find anywhere else in the UK, and this huge, proud grouse would be great to find. With the males able to weigh 2-4 kg, they truly are huge birds and their call is a mournful, clicking song, with gobbles and gurgles in between. It sounds eerie, but if you get close to one it really is beautiful.
Thirdly and finally, it has to be the Black Grouse lek, one of UK nature’s greatest spectacles. The males spread their tails and make themselves look big and formidable, and they circle each other, in a threatening dance. At this time of year, females are visiting these leks and the males know how important a first impression is. However, this is usually an early morning spectacle, so an early start would be needed!
This is truly the trip of a lifetime birding wise, and I simply cannot wait for Saturday to come! My thanks to Marion Muller, Sue Williams and Simon Pawsey, as well as the whole Grant Arms team for organising and putting it together, and for continuing to stay in contact with me during the build up to our visit!
The Bovey Birder 