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If you'd like a wildlife guide for a day or two in the Cairngorms National Park and beyond, you've come to the right place. Days out can be tailored to give you the best chance of catching up with the species you most want to see. If you'd like us to put together a complete mini-break, just click on our Tailor-made tab and look at all the options.
| Guides | We match your specific day guiding needs to the skills of our guides, to ensure you have the best day possible. We therefore have a pool of guides that we use, each with specific knowledge and interests. |
| Cost | £140.00 Standard day
£175.00 Extended day
(includes transport for you and up to 6 companions) |
| Options | Caledonian Pine Forest
Highland Glen
Heather Moorland and Coast
Cairngorm Mountains |
| Insects | Biting midges occur in some places during the summer |
If you'd like a wildlife guide for a day or two in the Cairngorms National Park and beyond, you've come to the right place. Days out can be tailored to give you the best chance of catching up with the species you most want to see.
| * | Target the species you've always wanted to see |
| * | Ideal for individuals, couples, families and friends |
| * | Perfect gift for birthdays, anniversaries, retirement etc |
| * | Exclusive booking for you and up to 6 companions |
| In such a vast area, where the special wildlife is thinly spread and elusive, you’ll benefit from our unbeatable local knowledge to track down the species you most want to see. We’ll judge the weather, know the terrain and most of all make it fun for everyone. The itinerary can be tailored to find the species you most want to see or, if you’re not sure, we’ll show you all the best wildlife around the Cairngorms National Park. Options for a typical day out are:
Caledonian Pine Forest – walk through the local pine forests for Capercaillie, Black Grouse, Crested Tit, Scottish Crossbill and other woodland birds, with the chance of Red Squirrel and Roe Deer. During the spring and summer, this works best as an extended day out, with an early morning start for the more elusive species.
Highland Glen – visit local glens for Golden Eagle, Red Deer, Red-throated Diver, Red Kite, Ring Ouzel and Peregrine. This day out involves more travelling and less walking, so can be suitable for those not used to walking far.
Heather Moorland and Coast – during the summer, explore the local moorland for Red Grouse, Black-throated Diver and Mountain Hare, before travelling to the coast for Osprey, seaduck and terns. There’s a good chance of Bottlenose Dolphin as well.
Cairngorm Mountains – walk into the foothills of the Cairngorms for Ptarmigan, Snow Bunting and, for the more fit, Dotterel during May – August. Though not a difficult ascent, the walk is up to 4 miles and therefore walking boots and suitable outdoor clothing are essential.
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Just some of what we hope to see..
| Red-throated Diver
| Ptarmigan
| Puffin
| Otter
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| Black-throated Diver
| Black Grouse
| Dipper
| Red Deer
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| Slavonian Grebe
| Capercaillie
| Ring Ouzel
| Sika Deer
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| Red Kite
| Dotterel (mid May-June)
| Crested Tit
| Roe Deer
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| Golden Eagle
| Arctic Skua
| Scottish Crossbill
| Mountain Goat
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| White-tailed Sea Eagle
| Great Skua
| (Parrot Crossbill)
| Bottlenose Dolphin
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| Osprey (April-mid Sept)
| Guillemot
| (Snow Bunting)
| Common Seal
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| Merlin
| Razorbill
| Red Squirrel
| Grey Seal
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| Peregrine
| Black Guillemot
| Mountain Hare
| Minke Whale
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| Red Grouse
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"Seeing the animals through the telescopic lens high up on the hillsides, deer, reindeer, goats in their natural habitat was very exciting - a feeling of another country and time."
Fran Glasman
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"Good relaxing day, the highlight of the day was the Black Throated Diver which was unexpected at Lochandorm. Also good to see Ospreys at a site other than Loch Garten. Also, picked up some good tips on how to watch wildlife."
Robert Dunn
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"Very good and nice to spend time with an experienced ornithologist".
David Darrell-Lambert
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"Absolutely first class. He worked very hard to make it a memorable experience - which it was"
Doug Henderson
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"Climbing Cairngorm and seeing Ptarmigan for the first time and getting such incredibly close views of these and a pair of Dotterel, Seeing Crested Tit, Scottish Crossbills and Redstarts in the wonderful Abernethy Forest and having a guide that was so good at finding these birds, Malcolm's knowledge and skills were excellent, particularly his ability to recognise birds by their calls, he found the Crested Tit by driving along with the car window open and hearing it call, two minutes later we were watching it! He also showed me signs of Capercaillie and we even found some feathers left by a female where she had been dust-bathing. Seeing Black throated Diver in summer plumage was something I had long wanted to do and it was a wonderful sight. Then there was the bird which I had hardly even dared hoped to have seen, I was excited as we set off for the coast to look for it and the memory of the joy in Malcolm's voice and our shared triumph when just as it seemed we were out of luck he exclaimed "oh mate" and ushered me to look through his scope and there it was, a glorious summer plumaged White - billed Diver!! The memory will live long in my mind. Seeing three Badgers from your hide was a real thrill, it was wonderful to be able to watch them so closely. Our final stop of the two guided days was Spey Bay and it was a real grand finale as we watched four Ospreys fishing, one of which flew over with a fish in it's talons and in the bay Bottle nosed Dolphin's leapt from the water and a Little Tern flew past, I didn't know which way to look first! The B&B you booked for me provided an excellent base for me to explore the area and in addition to the things seen with Malcolm and with Duncan from the Badger hide it allowed me to see Capercaillie, White-tailed Eagle, Ring Ouzel, Red Squirrel and Wood Warbler, during my holiday I saw all four divers in summer plumage and all four species of British grouse. I had a truly wonderful experience and I am still smiling with the memory of it all."
David Johnston
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"It's hard to pick an overall highlight - almost every encounter was really special. There were many "firsts", resulting from a combination of the mismatch between my love of nature (high) and my knowledge of wildlife (low), and a guide who informed and inspired me at just the right level of teaching and without ever being patronising. I loved following a wheatear hopping along a fence, looking for (and finding) a dipper in the river, and tracking a common sandpiper along the shoreline to try and get a good photo. The image of a herd of stags on the steep mountainside staring at me as intently as I was watching them will stay with me forever. Then there was the realisation that in seeing birds like the goldeneye, the golden plover, the black throated diver etc we were looking at birds that are really very special. But perhaps the greatest moment was hearing my typically understated daughter's "wow!" when she saw an osprey for the first time through a digiscope, because I knew then that we would share many wonderful wildlife experiences as time goes on. So a huge thank you - please keep me on your mailing list!"
Sharon Owen
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"I don't think Speyside Wildlife could do anymore to make the experience more enjoyable than it was."
Stan Miller
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"The whole trip was a delight, my Mother kept pinching herself she couldnt believe we had had such a perfect day on the Sunday, topped up with a prime viewing of a Golden Eagle at the end of the day."
Vicki Nee
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"The whole day was brilliant and we saw a lot more than I expected! We saw two Golden Eagles, Crossbills and Crested Tits - all on our to see lists, plus much more…"
Donna & Mark Maguire
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"On a day outing with Malcom O'Reilly, I expressed a desire to see Ring Ouzels. We went to the Cairngorm ski station and started to walk uphill. We heard a male Ring Ouzel calling, and began to track it. It proved somewhat elusive, but Malcolm led us slowly up the hill (at my pace) until finally a male appeared, showing well at telescope distance. Just as we were patting ourselves on the back, another male appeared on the scene. For a few moments, they appeared to be getting on fine, but it seemed they were just sizing each other up, as they suddenly launched into a spirited bout of fisticuffs, until one triumphed and the other flew off. 2 for 1, it was a real highlight in my birding day!"
Pam Litton
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"05.00am springtime in Aviemore, me and my wife are eagerly awaiting our guide John amidst the awakening birds in their chorus of springsongs. Spot on time comes our guide: "Hi I'm John, you must be Edwin & Anne-Marie. I suggest we start going and talk on the way". The aim is a Capercaillie lek. Rather than driving there straight John drives through the awakening forest and fields and brakes when two Roe Deer cross metres in front of the car. "Never mind the first one he say's, it's always the second you have to worry about". He planned a stop on the way from where two leks of Black Grouse are visible both at the same time. Birds are displaying on both places and we can hear their gurgling and rolling sounds, wonderful. Next stop is the long awaited Caper lek. After no wait we get lucky as well, two big Cocks displaying in full plumage of black, red, green and white with raised tails opposite each other, in between them only 2 metres. A childhood wish fulfilled. John and Speyside, thank you!!"
Edwin & Anne-Marie Schuurman
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"The days guiding was excellent and provided great views of Red Deer, and we saw Crested Tit which we had never seen before. It wasn't so much what we saw it was the whole experience being with someone who had a love of wildlife and could inform us of all aspects of wildlife in the area. The day with our guide John prepared us for our week at Carrbridge and the surrounding area. It enabled us to make the most of our holiday and maximise wildlife spotting opportunities. I would definately use a Speyside Guide again as it was an excellent day out. Finally, I would like to compliment your guide for the wildlife hide, who's name escapes me. Although we were unlucky to see anything, he was outstanding. Extremely interesting to talk to, his knowledge off all the species, Pine Marten, Badger, Deer and much more was just fantastic. He was enthusiastic and informative, he is the sort of person you could sit and listen to for hours. We learnedt so much and even though we didn't see anything we still had a great evening. I am looking forward to visiting the hide again and hope he will be our host. Many thanks for the vouchers."
Janet Mew
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"John's encyclopaedic knowledge and exemplary local knowledge combined to make sure all our wish list was well and truly met. In addition 4 Pine Martens in first ten minutes (in hide 2 days later) has left us wanting more."
Richard Lewis
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"Friendly, knowledgeable and keen to deliver what we were looking for."
Mrs Gilfillan
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"After two days with our guide John we had already observed many bird species on our 'wanted list' but no Golden Eagle and on our final day we spent many hours of patient observation along raptor valley. Suddenly, 3 dark spots could just be picked out rising over the mountain peak and we were rewarded with the view of three soaring and twisting eagles - two adults and a juvenile. This was not only exciting but also a rare sight, a fantastic climax to three brilliant days with Speyside Wildlife."
David Postill
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"Excellent, very knowledgeable and friendly guide and it was excellent as I set the pace on how I wanted my day."
Mike Hems
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"The guide kept me well informed on a wide range of subjects and was enthusiastic."
Kathy Elam
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"The full day was a highlight but two particular events stand out. To watch Golden Eagle attack an Oystercatcher, miss, sit in close view for 15 mins, then be mobbed by Merlins, Buzzard and Peregrine was something I will never forget. A close sighting of a family of Parrot Crossbills... I would like to take this opportunity to thank Duncan for a wonderful day."
Tony Clarke
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"Our guide made it clear we would move at our own pace and he was very knowledgeable about wildlife and many other areas of interest relating to the local area."
Mr & Mrs Carter
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"Very friendly and informative, would not hesitate booking with John again and recommending him with others."
Linda Simpson
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"It was my 50th Birthday and my wife promised me anything I wanted to try and ease the pain! I requested my 400th UK bird species. This was duly delivered in the form of Ptarmigan up in the snow covered Cairngorms. We had amazing views and even managed some photos. Thank you to Speyside Wildlife."
Mr & Mrs Powell
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"Hi we really enjoyed our trips this year, the Evening Wildlife drive was fantastic. We had the Pine Marten three times, Fantastic!! The Highland Experience with Keith was superb with plenty of wildlife and a very very good experience - we were very, very pleased. Thank you."
Lynas & Brenda Neale
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