A Highland Weekend getaway

With Birding Ecosse and The Grant Arms Hotel

 Thursday 13 to Monday 17 March 2025

***  Only 2 Spaces left ***  

And 

Thursday 27  to Monday 31 March 2025

       ***  4 Spaces available ***  

 

 Thursday – Arrival day

Arriving on Thursday afternoon settle into your room in the Stunning Grant Arms Hotel, Grantown on Spey, before enjoying your exquisite evening meal in the beautiful dining room prior to perhaps a few nightcaps in the Hotels “Capercaillie” bar.

Be sure to get a good night’s sleep though as the tour starts early tomorrow morning!

Friday

Portmahomack, Balintore and Tarbat Ness

The Mermaid of the North – with Rock Pipit fascinator!

Today we head North to the migrant hotspots of RSPB Nigg Bay, Balintore, Tarbat Ness and Tain links

The remote location of these areas are a magnet not only to Waders, Ducks, Diver and Grebes, but also for any early passerines passing through as it provides a quick fuelling station after their long flight over the North sea.

Winter plumaged Slavonian Grebe, a regular in the area.

Target birds for today?  Velvet and Common Scoter Scoter, Little Gull, White Tailed Eagle and Greenshank.

Accessibility: No accessibility problems on this tour.

Pick up 0830 – Drop off 1630/1700

Saturday

The Moray Coast

Male Long Tailed Duck

The Moray coast, as yet a much undiscovered Gem in the Highlands of Scotland’s birdwatching scene. Beautiful fishing villages perched right on the coastline, historic castles steeped in local folklore, Typhoon Jets from the RAF giving a bit of excitement and lots and lots of Birds!

This area can host an amazing 25000 Long Tailed Ducks, Rafts of Common Scoter with their scarcer cousins the Velvet Scoter in double figure numbers and in 2024 a rare Surf Scoter.  Red and Black Throated, Great Northern Divers are all relatively common and White Billed Divers are becoming more and more regular with up to five being seeing together along the coast.

Waders are another draw to this stunning coastline, Purple Sandpipers are seen on nearly every trip, Turnstones, Sanderlings, Redshanks, Purple Sandpipers and Knot are all common.

A throng of Knot

Now the Moray coast is not all Sandy and Rocky Beaches, oh no! it has amazing estuarine habitats, fresh water Lochs and plenty of Farmland, woods and scrub to keep us fully occupied on this full day Birdwatching Tour, and it can produce some great passerines, Snow Bunting are regular and Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer and Tree Sparrow are easy to find, if you know where to look! All in all a great place to visit and with an expected 60+ species list for the day it is a brilliant way to bring on your bird identification skills along with your year list.

Pick up 0830 – Drop off 1630/1700

Accessibility: No accessibility issues on this tour.

Sunday

Beauly Firth and Black Isle

Situated here in the beautiful Scottish Highlands early Springtime on the Beauly Firth and Black Isle is a busy time of year. Tide and weather permitted we start the day off with a walk in a local nature reserve, the exposed mud flats attracting hundreds of Ducks, such as Wigeon, Teal and Eider we may be lucky and see the regular overwintering American Wigeon. Slavonian Grebes loaf about just offshore whilst Waders feed in the seaweed strewn pools and sand banks. And who knows, we may catch a glimpse of the local Otter family as the glide effortlessly among the seaweed beds just off the beach or perhaps catch the flash of blue of a Kingfisher.

Scaup

After this we head over the Firth to the Black Isle, one of my favourite Birding Spots. From Sandy Beaches, mud filled tidal bays to fields and fields of arable farmland it is a cracking place to see a vast array of Species.  The area holds one of the largest and most easily viewable flock of Scaup, sometime numbering several hundred, Long Tailed Ducks mingle with Red Breasted Mergansers and Common Eiders. Several Thousand Pink Footed Geese roost in the area, right in front of the best hide in the Highlands and with a careful check we may pick up Brent, Barnacle, Canada and White Fronted Geese as well, and not to be outdone by the first location we may encounter our second American Wigeon of the day!

Pick up 0830 – Drop off 1630/1700

Accessibility: Todays tour may involve walking on even gravel paths.

Monday

Give yourself a treat!  Enjoy a long lie before you head down for your last breakfast, sit back and enjoy the memories of the past three full days birding in the glorious Scottish Highlands, and start planning your next trip North!

***All this for only £795 per person!***

***Early Bird offer***

 Now only £750 per person

So what is included?:

4 nights full board (Dinner, Bed and Breakfast)

Three Days fully guided birding

Maximum of 4 clients.

Delicious packed Lunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Tea/Coffee morning and afternoon  Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

All transport on outings

All guiding fees.

Complimentary Checklist

Use of binoculars if required.

What’s not included:

Transport to and from the Hotel

Drinks at hotel

Personal insurance

Travel Insurance (Recommended)

Items of a personal nature

Interested?  Then please feel free to contact Birding Ecosse for more information or to book your place.