The Speyside Wildlife Trip Report

Something different for this episode as Cath sits down with Roy for a pre-trip podcast to talk about our upcoming River Amazon Cruise this summer. This is a holiday of childhood dreams - our guests will be staying for 10 nights on a traditional wooden-hulled riverboat called the Iracema as they explore the mighty Amazon River using smaller motorised boats. There are so many highlights, but we hope to see Amazon River Dolphins, Giant Otter, Tucuxi, Amazonian Umbrellabird, Capuchinbird, Pompadour Cotinga and lots of monkeys, sloths, plus lekking Cock-of-the-rock and an exciting range of birds as we cruise deep into the Amazon. For more information about our 2024 Amazon River Cruise holiday please head over to our website. Speyside Wildlife is a wildlife tour operator based in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. Established in 1991 Speyside Wildlife has been offering wildlife-watching day trips, tours and holidays in the UK and Overseas. We cater for a wide variety of wildlife-watchers, from the dedicated wildlife enthusiasts to those who simply wish to include some wildlife-watching as part of their holiday. For more information please click here.

Alladale Wilderness Reserve is a privileged experience you will never forget. An autumn spectacular in the remote Northern Highlands, to immerse ourselves in the some of the best wildlife Scotland has to offer. Join Sally Nowell and Cath as they talk about the holiday highlights from our 2023 trip. Speyside Wildlife is a wildlife tour operator based in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. Established in 1991 Speyside Wildlife has been offering wildlife-watching day trips, tours and holidays in the UK and Overseas. We cater for a wide variety of wildlife-watchers, from the dedicated wildlife enthusiasts to those who simply wish to include some wildlife-watching as part of their holiday. For more information please click here.

The world famous Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, Moremi Reserve and Kalahari Desert. Join our guide Darren Rees for African big game viewing at its very best and a bird list as long as your arm. In this episode he speaks with guests Jane and Pam - Jane returning for the second time (because it is that good) and Pam on her first African holiday. This episode is littered with the phrase "We haven't mentioned......" as memories flood back and the wildlife was overwhelming at times. As Jane says, "Botswana never feels crowded and at times like you have Africa all to yourself". Breaking her golden rule of not going back to the same place twice, our guest Jane sums this holiday up perfectly, "For me it's like stepping into a real life Lion King, it's just absolutely magical. I love the sunsets and the big animals, the birds and the atmosphere and this holiday takes you into so many different places and wilderness.... it's just wonderful." For Pam, this being her first African holiday she has her first wild elephant encounters and monkeys along with a huge array of other species, not forgetting over 150 species of bird. Botswana delivers magnificent sunsets, emotional animal encounters and apparently "The best G&T location"! Speyside Wildlife is a wildlife tour operator based in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. Established in 1991 Speyside Wildlife has been offering wildlife-watching day trips, tours and holidays in the UK and Overseas. We cater for a wide variety of wildlife-watchers, from the dedicated wildlife enthusiasts to those who simply wish to include some wildlife-watching as part of their holiday. For more information please click here.

Roy and Jane are looking forward to returning to Norfolk during the winter of 2024 and during this chat they remember their highlights from past trips including the lovely hotel, a great group and the various birds they saw. Birds included a superb flock of Common Cranes, Hawfinches, three species of egrets, Golden Plovers, Shorelark, Water Pipit, Iceland Gull and best of all, a stunning Red-breasted Goose. A Barn Owl treated them most morning as it hunted in fields beside the hotel, Marsh Harriers were in amazing numbers and they saw huge numbers of waders and wildlfowl, including a truly massive flock of Pink-footed Geese. There were lots of Brent Geese, Marsh Tits and good views of a Water Rail, plus Chinese Water Deer and Muntjacs - so many species that those living in the north rarely get to see - they even saw a mole! Speyside Wildlife is a wildlife tour operator based in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. Established in 1991 Speyside Wildlife has been offering wildlife-watching day trips, tours and holidays in the UK and Overseas. We cater for a wide variety of wildlife-watchers, from the dedicated wildlife enthusiasts to those who simply wish to include some wildlife-watching as part of their holiday. For more information please click here.

After our recent autumn holiday to Cornwall, Julian sits down with Sally to chat about the highlights and itinerary - this was recorded during one of the recent storms so there is a slight interference in the audio at times. “Our trip to Cornwall this year was ‘off the scale’ in regard to the numbers and variety of seabirds seen, along with a fantastic array of waders and passerines. We therefore enjoyed a tremendous week in mostly glorious weather - which is always a bonus! We managed a few headland sea-watches from Pendeen and Porthgwarra, but it was our ‘day trip’ to St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly that produced some unforgettable moments. We had close encounters with five species of shearwater along with other quality seabirds, including the mega-rare Red-footed Booby on Bishop Rock Lighthouse. All the commoner waders were seen around the reservoirs and estuaries but two Buff-bellied Sandpipers, Kentish Plover, Little Stints and Spotted Redshank kept things interesting. Land birds were not so forthcoming, but a Red-backed Shrike on St Mary’s and Pied and Spotted Flycatchers on the mainland were all good to see, as well as the iconic ‘Cornish Chough’. It’s certainly not all about birds as we had bow-riding Common Dolphins, Harbour Porpoise, breaching Bluefin Tuna from Lands End, plus Adder, Slow Worm, plus various butterflies and dragonflies, which all added to a wonderful week in this south west corner of England.” Speyside Wildlife is a wildlife tour operator based in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. Established in 1991 Speyside Wildlife has been offering wildlife-watching day trips, tours and holidays in the UK and Overseas. We cater for a wide variety of wildlife-watchers, from the dedicated wildlife enthusiasts to those who simply wish to include some wildlife-watching as part of their holiday. For more information please click here.

Following our 2023 holiday to the Brazilian Pantanal. guide Roy Atkins sits down with Christine and Max Maughan to chat through their holiday highlights and the sheer quantity of birds seen during the trip- 328 if you were wondering! Jaguar sightings were plentiful and there were magical interactions with Giant Anteater, Brazilian Tapir and Giant Otter. Our groups time at Iguazú Falls is as dramatic and magical as expected as towards the day, Great Dusky Swifts stream in to roost behind the vast curtains of water. As Roy says, “There are three very distinct areas that we visit on this holiday. They are all remarkably different - from dry savannah - to the famous seasonal wetland - then finally the rainforest and dramatic, jaw-dropping views of the famous waterfall. Each with a different set of birds and animals and all amazing in their own ways - this is one of my favourite trips!” Speyside Wildlife is a wildlife tour operator based in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. Established in 1991 Speyside Wildlife has been offering wildlife-watching day trips, tours and holidays in the UK and Overseas. We cater for a wide variety of wildlife-watchers, from the dedicated wildlife enthusiasts to those who simply wish to include some wildlife-watching as part of their holiday. For more information please click here.

Our recent Orkney Odyssey trip was full of fantastic wildlife encounters along with breathtaking Orkney land and seascapes and wonderful historical sites. We had daily, multiple sightings of Hen Harriers across the islands with many juvenile birds seen but also some stunning ‘ghostly’ grey males, and also enjoyed great views of a stooping Peregrine on Rousay and two young White-tailed Eagles on Hoy, including one bird that flew low and right across in front of our group. We also had brilliant prolonged views of a juvenile Merlin on Westray, sat on a fence post and being mobbed by Meadow Pipits! The islands were alive with passage waders with some particularly large flocks of Golden Plover, Lapwing and Curlew in the fields and many more passage waders around the coast including Sanderling, Dunlin, Knot, Ringed Plover and Turnstone but we also found several flocks of Ruff and a Spotted Redshank on Westray. A great view of an Otter and many sightings of Red Throated Divers, Arctic and Great Skuas were just some of the other highlights of another great autumn trip to these beautiful islands. Join Craig in this episode where he talks with Roy about our recent trip to the Orkney Islands, Scotland. Speyside Wildlife is a wildlife tour operator based in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. Established in 1991 Speyside Wildlife has been offering wildlife-watching day trips, tours and holidays in the UK and Overseas. We cater for a wide variety of wildlife-watchers, from the dedicated wildlife enthusiasts to those who simply wish to include some wildlife-watching as part of their holiday. For more information please click here.

Sally returned from our summer trip to Yorkshire in July. This is a two centre holiday that takes you to some of the most beautiful parts of Yorkshire, along with some of its most iconic bird Reserves. At this time of year Bempton cliffs are a sight to behold with a city of nesting seabirds and we spend our week exploring Yorkshire's Nature Triangle. Many people don’t quite know what wildlife diversity Yorkshire has to offer, so we’ll take you into its hidden forests, along the magnificent coastline and into the heart of the Yorkshire Wolds. During our conversation, Sally discusses the large quantity of butterflies and orchids to be found in the meadows and quarries; night drives for Woodcock and Nightjar; tranquil wanders along old railway lines; Red Grouse, Golden Plover and raptors on the moors and of course the stunning Bempton Cliffs, packed full of seabirds and England's largest seabird city. Note: towards the end of the episode listen in to the rain that started hammering over mine and Sally's head as we recorded! Speyside Wildlife is a wildlife tour operator based in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. Established in 1991 Speyside Wildlife has been offering wildlife-watching day trips, tours and holidays in the UK and Overseas. We cater for a wide variety of wildlife-watchers, from the dedicated wildlife enthusiasts to those who simply wish to include some wildlife-watching as part of their holiday. For more information please click here.

Darren says it best "After Africa, Yellowstone is the best place to go for mammals." Affectionally known by our guides as the 'cuddly critters' tour, Yellowstone is always a holiday of highlights. During this episode Roy chats to our guide Darren Rees and guest Jayne Behenna who have recently returned from our 2023 spring holiday. Jayne has previously been to Yellowstone with us to see the solar eclipse and she loves her mammals - with 29 bear sightings she was certainly pleased during this trip, along with highlights of wolves, a 'bonkers beaver' (with his own Facebook page), erupting geysers and stunning landscapes throughout Yellowstone and the Grand Teton National Park. More information can be found here. Speyside Wildlife is a wildlife tour operator based in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. Established in 1991 Speyside Wildlife has been offering wildlife-watching day trips, tours and holidays in the UK and Overseas. We cater for a wide variety of wildlife-watchers, from the dedicated wildlife enthusiasts to those who simply wish to include some wildlife-watching as part of their holiday. For more information please click here.

Join Roy and one of our guests, John Aggleton as they look back on our recent Panama holiday. John has previously been to Costa Rica with us and if you think that bird list is impressive (381 in 2023), in Panama they still saw over 360 species - of which 120 were still new for John! This episode also includes great audio of Howler Monkeys too and other recordings from Roys time in the forests. Panama delivers fabulous central American birding, but with little travelling and just three different bases during the 16 days, allowing time to explore and unwind during down time. As with Costa Rica, we work with Paco Madrigal who as John says, is "An astonishing guide" and it sounds like it was a great trip that we plan to run again 2025. Speyside Wildlife is a wildlife tour operator based in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. Established in 1991 Speyside Wildlife has been offering wildlife-watching day trips, tours and holidays in the UK and Overseas. We cater for a wide variety of wildlife-watchers, from the dedicated wildlife enthusiasts to those who simply wish to include some wildlife-watching as part of their holiday. For more information please click here.

Join Sally and Ailie as they chat about our recent 2023 holiday to the Isles of Mull, Iona and Canna in search of Corncrake and more. “Some of our favourite places and experiences are all wrapped up in this special holiday, which takes us to some of the most beautiful and inaccessible parts of the west coast, with amazing wildlife. This holiday really is a bit of a treat.” - Sally. You might just feel yourself transported to this magical island during the first few minutes of this episode as you hear Sally describe the experience of falling asleep to the 'krek-krek' of Corncrakes outside the hotel windows on Iona, after a magical day of island exploration. This holiday had so many highlights, including numerous eagle sightings, the sound of Corncrakes, Celtic Rainforest, two boat trips around Canna with Puffins and other seabirds up close and so much more. According to Sally there was also much 'ottering' (the official term) as these elusive mammals kept themselves one step ahead of our group for the first few days, but patience paid off and everyone was rewarded with fabulous views on more than one occasion. In fact, one of our guests 'magic moments' was seeing Sally so pleased to have found an Otter! Speyside Wildlife is a wildlife tour operator based in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. Established in 1991 Speyside Wildlife has been offering wildlife-watching day trips, tours and holidays in the UK and Overseas. We cater for a wide variety of wildlife-watchers, from the dedicated wildlife enthusiasts to those who simply wish to include some wildlife-watching as part of their holiday. For more information please click here.

A wonderful wildlife watching holiday in the Scottish Highlands, where you will have the best possible chance of seeing many of Scotland's iconic species as we seek out 24 of the best birds and 7 of the best mammals. During this episode guides, Ailie and Roy chat about our 2023 holiday and magic moments including bubbling Black Grouse as Curlews and Lapwings called overhead; Great Northern Diver and the daily competition of 'who can see the most Red Squirrels before breakfast?'! Ailie grew up in Inverness-shire so many of the locations visited during this holiday are familiar ground to her and places she has visited many times from childhood to the present day. "Scotland is beautiful and we were so fortunate with the weather, sitting out at Laide Jetty in brilliant sunshine for lunch and seeing an Otter come on to the rocks near us was wonderful. The eagles were a little distant but set in the grandeur of the Cairngorm Mountains they looked just perfect and how Sally was able to spot them so quickly was amazing. Loved the evening visit to the Badger hide and the many sightings of Osprey especially on the nests was fabulous" Jean Brown, 2022 For more information about our Speyside 24/7 trip please click here. Speyside Wildlife is a wildlife tour operator based in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. Established in 1991 Speyside Wildlife has been offering wildlife-watching day trips, tours and holidays in the UK and Overseas. We cater for a wide variety of wildlife-watchers, from the dedicated wildlife enthusiasts to those who simply wish to include some wildlife-watching as part of their holiday. For more information please click here.

With thousands of migrants heading north into Eastern Europe anything can turn up during our Cyprus holiday - warblers, flycatchers, shrikes, waders, raptors - perhaps even something really rare! during this episode our guides, Jane and Roy Atkins chat with guests, Sara and Roy Cowley about our 2023 holiday to this exciting destination. Early on in the conversation, Sara proclaims "We had a Scops Owl in the garden" which pretty much sums the trip up! Further highlights included the 'three crake day' and Roy's magic moment of the trip - an Eastern Bonelli's Warbler Warbler singing close by. This is an 8-day trip based at one accommodation, which in itself is a delightful location to stay at, with as Sara says Scops Owl in the garden! For more information about our trip to Cyprus please click here. Speyside Wildlife is a wildlife tour operator based in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. Established in 1991 Speyside Wildlife has been offering wildlife-watching day trips, tours and holidays in the UK and Overseas. We cater for a wide variety of wildlife-watchers, from the dedicated wildlife enthusiasts to those who simply wish to include some wildlife-watching as part of their holiday. For more information please click here.

Andalucia holds some of Spain’s best kept secrets - the Iberian Lynx, one of the world’s most endangered cats and an increasing number of Lammergeier (also known as Bearded Vulture or 'bone breaker'). During this episode Roy chats with fellow guide, Julian Sykes about our annual trip to the Sierra de Andujar Natural Park, in search of these elusive species. This eight-day trip features early mornings and late evenings to optimise the chances of seeing this enigmatic feline - and as Julian says, he has been lucky to see them each time he visits! But there are also wildlife watching opportunities which include other mammals such as Otter, Wild Boar, Spanish Ibex and Mouflon, while birds include local specialities such as Lammergeier, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Azure-winged Magpie, White-headed Duck, bustards and sandgrouse. For more information about our trip for Iberian Lynx and Lammergeier you can find more information here. Speyside Wildlife is a wildlife tour operator based in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. Established in 1991 Speyside Wildlife has been offering wildlife-watching day trips, tours and holidays in the UK and Overseas. We cater for a wide variety of wildlife-watchers, from the dedicated wildlife enthusiasts to those who simply wish to include some wildlife-watching as part of their holiday. For more information please click here.

Costa Rica, in central America, is a very friendly, bite-size chunk of exotic rainforest adventure...without the rough edges! Join our guide Roy and guest Elaine, in conversation about our 2023 holiday to this exceptional wildlife watching destination - Northern Costa Rica. During their holiday they experienced the rainforest, volcanoes, amazing mammals and stunning birds on this multi-centre tour with our excellent local guide, Paco Madrigal. Birding is simply extraordinary in this country, with over 400 species likely - and other wildlife abounds, as our guests are emersed within 5% of the earth's entire species during their trip! Elaine was overwhelmed at times with the quantities of species - especially when seeing Tent-making Bats, "I remember clearly at that point thinking, this is quite overwhelming. I need to look up to see whats flying above, I need to look in trees, I need to look at the ground, I need to look at insects and now I need to look under individual leaves!" More information about our Costa Rica holiday can be found here. Speyside Wildlife is a wildlife tour operator based in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland. Established in 1991 Speyside Wildlife has been offering wildlife-watching day trips, tours and holidays in the UK and Overseas. We cater for a wide variety of wildlife-watchers, from the dedicated wildlife enthusiasts to those who simply wish to include some wildlife-watching as part of their holiday. For more information please click here.