Scottish birding holiday - January 2025

Thanks for posting, Gary  - Ptarmigan would indeed be a bit special.

On our debut trip (in late April 2023), a group of the party decided to take the freelance opportunity to take the funicular tram to the mountain tops on a 'Ptarmigan safari' , but, as far as I am  aware, no birds were seen.

For our trip in May this year, the funicular was out of action, and this is still the case.

However, I understand that the aim is to have it repaired by December in time for the 2024-25 ski season. However, I am not sure the extent to which skiing activity disturbs Ptarmigan - quite a bit I should think.

Ptarmigan will be elsewhere in the Cairngorm mountain range, so any research from anyone would be welcome.

The problem is the places where Ptarmigan and Snow Buntings hang out tend not to be places that can be reached by coaches.

Also, some in our party might not be sufficiently robust to go trekking in slippery high places (see second pic). What if we got caught in a blizzard? The coach might return empty!

On a serious note, if Ptarmigan are top priority, the option might be to use the hotel as a base and splash out on hiring a taxi (with a couple of others) to go searching. Booking a bird guide with up-to-the-minute local knowledge is another possibility, but in-the-know bird guides can be quite pricey.

In the meantime, I'd be pleased if anyone could post any insights on the species and its Cairngorms habitats. (I'd also be interested to know how it got its peculiar name).

 (Of course, in an ideal world, we 'd be woken by the sound of winter-plumage Ptarmigan tapping on the bedroom window!) 

Great  to hear that Dennis is coming along from the Wirral. It will be  good to have some Cheshire/ Merseyside common sense in the party.

Thanks Jim,

I am very much looking forward to it, whatever the itinerary, but is there any chance of Ptarmigan!? It's long been the bird top of my 'would like to see' list! My cousin, Dennis Wall, is joining us, all the way from the Wirral !  

Best wishes,

Gary

Update on the proposed Lincolnshire birders’ holiday in the Highlands on January 14-18

Cairngorm Travel say there are still some places available, both single and double rooms.

On the two previous occasions, we have had excursions on two of the days, but that has reduced the opportunities for birding near the hotel - eg the walks to Newtonmore (reputedly home of wildcats) and Insh Marshes, plus the climb past the golf course behind the hotel.

For that reason, we might just have one longer excursion for this  holiday. 

One possibility would be a trip to the grounds of Balmoral (where the late Queen was once reportedly mesmerised by an unexpected encounter with a capercaillie).

However, I am awaiting confirmation from Balmoral whether its  grounds will be open in mid-January.

An alternative option would be a trip to Inverness where the car park of Inverness Caledonian Thistle FC is said to a good location for watching out for sea ducks, rarer grebes and divers. Others may want to explore the town centre ( or scan the waters for Nessie).

For more details of the £259-per-guest holiday, see the first post that started this thread.

Fantastic news!  You haven't lived until you've been on a holiday with Jackie and Pete.

Jackie and I are booked in, so looking forward to seeing every one again in the new year.

Regards P & J

That's great to hear, Gary. I'm hoping to be on board, and hopefully a few more LBC members (and non-members).