Guided Birding
in Northeastern Scotland

When: Anytime

Length: Depends entirely on how many interesting birds you want to see

Group size: one to six

Fee charged: This will naturally depend on where you want to go and how you want to travel. Various levels of Bed & Breakfast lodging is available. For a typical two-and-one-half day trip staying in the mid-range Arduthie Guest House shown in the picture, the fee for each person is £175.00 (+ £8.00 per person per night supplement for single clients requiring En-suite facilities) This cost includes a packed lunch. A £50.00 per person booking deposit is required, and the balance is to be paid 4 weeks before the holiday. A five-and-a-half days trip staying at the Arduthie Guest House on a bed & breakfast basis costs £350.00 plus £50.00 supplement for single clients requiring En-suite facilities. Deposit £50 per person payable on booking. Balance payable four weeks prior to the trip. The price includes accommodation, breakfast, packed lunch, transport, guiding, and all centre, hide and key fees. It does not include evening meals.

BASE:
We are based at Stonehaven, the "Gateway to Royal Deeside", a small town on the coast some fifteen miles south of Aberdeen. Stonehaven has a picturesque setting, nestling in a bay between cliffs with a busy little harbour. Originally a fishing village and later a Victorian spa town, it serves mainly now as a dormitory for Aberdeen to the north. It features the only full-sized, outdoor, heated swimming pool in Europe. Dunottar Castle, of "Hamlet" fame, lies just to the south of the town. The beach and rocks are good for waders, especially at Cowie, a "suburb" of Stonehaven and at the "Backies". On Tuesday and Friday evenings, in June and July, weather permitting, the RSPB sponsor guided boat trips to the bird cliffs of the RSPB reserve of Fowlsheugh. Recommended. Price £6.50/pp.

GETTING TO US:
Stonehaven is on the mainline GNER railway line and the express bus routes. The main A90 dual-carriageway bypasses the town. Anyone who is travelling by train or bus should let me know their arrival time and I will try to arrange a pick-up. The railway station lies towards the outskirts of Stonehaven and buses stop centrally in the town. Aberdeen Airport (Dyce) lies eighteen miles to the north. I try to pick-up and set-down clients who arrive at the airport but there is a charge of £10 per run to cover my expenses and the airport car park fees. This is only a fraction of the taxi fare!

TRANSPORTATION
We travel in comfort in a seven-seat, air-conditioned, Seat Alhambra vehicle. You will be picked up from your accommodation at 9 AM, and transported back in the evening between 5 and 6 PM

ACCOMMODATION
Accommodation will be on a Bed and Breakfast basis. Brian and Mary Marr at the "Arduthie" and Marian and Sandy Henderson at the "Alexander" will make you welcome in their guest houses, or Bobby Jackson will be pleased to see you at the "St Leonards" hotel, all within the town of Stonehaven. The hotel of course serves evening meals, and for those choosing to stay at the guest houses there is a large number of hotels, restaurants and bars in the town, serving high quality meals at a variety of prices, where evening meals can be taken. Information is given on arrival.

GENERAL NOTES:
We visit a wide range of habitats ranging from the Highlands to the Lowlands, from moors to mountains, from rocky cliffs to sandy bays, both brackish and freshwater lochs, and wide and narrow river estuaries. The emphasis will be both on the birds of the mountains, moors and forests and the seabirds, wildfowl, waders and other species associated with the sea, the shore, estuaries and freshwater lochs.

The keynotes of the above are flexibility and personal choice. My only aim is to give you a really good week of varied birding at any time throughout the year, whether it be June or January. I will put you in as many places as possible, where masses of birds, and hopefully birds new to you, may be seen. Where we go and what we see will vary with the weather, tidal conditions, intelligence, and the season of the year. I check-up frequently with Birdline, with the local Grampian Birdline on the Internet and generally keep my ear to the ground, to ensure my clients have a chance of seeing anything unusual that drops into the area.

As we guide throughout the entire year, in an area with so many birds and with such diverse habitats, it is difficult to make this section concise. Obviously many of the birds you may see in the Spring and Summer will be different from those you may see in the Autumn or Winter. Some of the highland birds are notoriously difficult to see outside a very limited season, while other species move in and out of the area. A sample seasonal programme follows:

The most common species seen here are the Red Deer and the Mountain Hare. These are seen on every visit to upper Deeside. The Mountain Hare turns almost completely white in the Winter. Under your feet will be found the Common and Pygmy Shrew, the Field Vole, Field Mouse and of course the numerous Frog, and on a nice sunny day there will be Lizard. Foxes are often seen and even more difficult to see is the Wild Cat. If a cat is seen it is often a Feral Cat rather than the pure bred original.

The beautiful Red Squirrel is common throughout the area, although there are now a few Grey Squirrels moving into the woods. Rarely seen is the Badger although they are plentiful, especially in Buchan but far more common are Weasel and Stoat, often seen crossing the road. Stoat turns white in the Winter when it is known as Ermine. The fields are full of Rabbit and Mole, the verges hide the Hedgehog and the ditches hold the Water Vole and Toad. The Pine Marten is found over a wide area but is exceptionally difficult to spot. Brown Hares are not so common these days but Spring often provides a glimpse of sparring males. Roe Deer are widespread and common in the woods and on lower moors. The snakes are represented by the Adder which is widespread but local in numbers. It is timid and is usually only seen when sun-bathing on a rock in the Summer. Slow Worms are seen in many areas of the northeast.

Virtually every river in the area is a Salmon river and there are spots where in Spring and Autumn you can view the fish leaping the rapids. Every river holds Brown Trout. Many of the salmon rivers are also Sea Trout rivers. Most of our rivers are famous for their sport fishing and fishing beats exchange hands for huge amounts of money. Otters are found on most rivers and lochs and escaped Mink are becoming more easily seen and are a pest in some areas.

A few areas of our woodlands consist of remmnants of the old Caledonian Forest, Scots Pines of great antiquity. Wonderful places! Full of glades and scrub Juniper. Birchwoods are common and of course there are the Forestry Plantations, blankets of zero value for the naturalist. There are two areas of old Oakwood in Deeside which provide completely different habitats from the rest of the area.

There are huige varieties of all of the above in the vast range of habitats in the northeast especially Alpines on the mountains. Far too many to even start to make mention here. Please consult the specialist publications for information.

The second priority is the Headlands, getting close (30 metres or less), to the birds of our breeding colonies, the seabird cliff colonies, Gannet, Puffin, Guillemot, Razorbill, Kittiwake, the inshore colony of Black-headed Gull, and more distant views of the Tern colonies to avoid any disturbance to the birds. In the process of viewing these birds we should pick-up King Eider and Black-necked Grebe and probably Slavonian Grebe.

And of course, many other species a little less special en route. The Highland trips should produce Ring Ouzel, Buzzard, Kestrel, and possibly Peregrine, Harrier, Goshawk, Sparrowhawk and Merlin. Waders will be nesting, Curlew, Oyster Catcher, Lapwing, Snipe, Dunlin, Golden Plover and Common Sandpiper. The glen will be alive with Meadow Pipit, Tree Pipit, Twite, Spotted Flycatcher and Wheatear, while Common Gull and Goosander will be on the river.

Moving round the coast and lochs will add even more to the list, notably seabirds, divers,ducks, including Scoter, geese, and at least one other Grebe.

The third priority are the migrants. North-east Scotland occupies the point of land projecting out into the North Sea which is the closest piece of the mainland to Norway and the rest of Scandanavia. Working this sample programme there will be not be a whole day to devote to migrants but in the course of the Headlands section there will be an opportunity to visit some of the area hot-spots. The numbers of migratory birds present will depend greatly on the prevailing weather conditions.

Finally there is the fourth priority, sea-watching. As with the migrants there is little time in this example programme to be set aside for what is often a very time-consuming excercise. However, in the course of the above programme, especially the Headlands section, there wifl be opportunities to scan the ocean for the pelagic birds which are frequently seen around the coasts here.

Spring notables in our area, in 1999, other than those mentioned above are: Little Egret, Spoonbill, Green-winged Teal, Garganey, Ring-necked Duck, Surf Scoter, Hobby, Common Crane, Avocet, Temmink’s Stint, Pectoral Sandpiper, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Hoopoe, Short-toed Lark, Collared Flycatcher and Lapland Bunting.

The second priority will be the Highlands. Capercaillie and Black Grouse have disappeared into the woodwork, and Ptarmigan and Red Grouse will go higher, otherwise there will be little difference from the Spring. It will become less easy to see some of the other species like Golden Eagle who again move higher and fly over a bigger area but we will try and observe them closer to home. There will still be Osprey around, they are becoming almost common with more nests discovered each year, many in the area of our operation. The young fledge towards the end of July so it is a good time to see family groups airborne together and teaching and learning fishing skills. It will need luck to see Ptarmigan from the road and it will probably need a hillwalk to see these wonderfully camouflaged birds together with the Dotterel. The waders are finishing breeding and moving to the coast, and the birdlife on the moors is becoming sparse.

With the Spring migration season past it will cease to feature in the priorities. That leaves seawatching as our third priority. As in the Spring there will some opportunities to scan the waters during the Headlands section, so it will be up to the party to decide if they wish to give more time than this to seawatching. We will certainly be casting an eye over the Scoter flocks offshore. It can be an excellent time of year for seawatching. Some of the birds seen in numbers at this time in 1999 were Storm Petrel, Manx Shearwater, Great Skua, and Arctic Skua.

Summer notables in our area in 1999, other than those mentioned above are: Red-footed Falcon, Red-necked Phalarope, Little Gull, Roseate Tern, Ring-necked Duck, Black-tailed Godwit, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Quail, Spoonbill, Ruff, Marsh Harrier, Green Sandpiper, Little Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, and Black-throated Diver.

The second priority will be the Autumn migrants which will be starting to move. Rather than allotting a specific period for this, there will be opportunities throughout the Headland programme to cast an eye over the migration hot-spots. It will be up to the party to decide how much time should be spent specifically at the migrants.

The third priority will be the Highlands. With the abundance of berries it may be possible once again to catch a glimpse of the elusive Blackcock and Capercailie. Golden Eagles are about, with Buzzard and Peregrine. Groups of Ptarmigan are still high on the tops with, in October, Redwing and Fieldfare on the lower slopes. A short hiliwalk will be needed for the Ptarmigan.

Seawatching will again be our fourth priority because of the shortage of time. Late July and early August is a particularly good time of the year for seawatching. Seen at this time were, Great Skua, Arctic Skua, Long-tailed Skua, Pomerine Skua, Manx Shearwater, Sooty Shearwater, Storm Petrel, Leach’s Petrel, Sabine Gull, Little Gull, Little Auk and Black Tern.

Notables recorded in the Autumn which have not been mentioned above: Slavonian Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Red-flanked Bluetail, Yellow-browed Warbler, Spoonbill, Red-crested Pochard, Ivory Gull, Rough-legged Buzzard, Solitary Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Hoopoe, Whitefront and Bean Geese, Bearded Tit and many other birds of the smaller kind!

Notables: Pallas’s Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Richard’s Pipit, Firecrest, Little Bunting, Desert Wheatear, Black Redstart, Lapland Bunting, Red-backed Shrike, Black Swan, Mealy Redpoll, Kingfisher.

January/March:
Geese: Pinkfoot (thousands), Greylag, Barnacle, Whitefront, Brent, Bean, Canada, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan,, Smew, Long-tailed Duck, American Wigeon, Scaup, Shelduck, Wigeon, Teal, Green-winged Teal, Pintail, Shoveller, Pochard, Tufted, Goldeneye, Gadwall, Scoters, Slavonian Grebe, Little Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Merganser, Goosander, Purple Sandpiper, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, Knot, Dunlin, Curlew, Redshank, Greenshank, Turnstone, Plovers, Ruff, Woodcock, Snow Bunting (eating sandwiches, hula-hoops and bird seed at the ski car-park), Raven, Ptarmigan, Red Grouse, Golden Eagle (all at ski-park), Hen Harrier, Peregrine, Buzzard, Merlin, Sparrowhawk Owls, Great and Sooty Shearwater, Leach’s Petrel, Great Skua, Bramblings, Twite, Tree Sparrow, Linnet, Stonechat, Glaucous Gull, Little Gull, Iceland Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Ross’s Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Little Auk, Guillemot, Great Northern Diver, Red-throated Diver. Notables: Black Redstart, Water Pipit, Waxwing, Bearded Tit.

LOGISTICS:
Packed lunches: A packed lunch will be supplied each day. Please bring a suitable haversack or rucsac to carry your lunch and flask, raincoat, notebook, etc. Your accommodation will be happy to fill your vacuum flasks for you. I carry tea and coffee in the vehicle for what in Scotland we call "fly cuppies".

Dress: Please wear subdued, warm clothing, and a windproof/raincoat. Scotland regrettably is not the Costa del Sol! However, Scotland is not the Siberian desert that so many think. Beside the North Sea we enjoy a temperate climate and a low rainfall. Stout footwear is recommended. Wellingtons are not essential, but useful if the ground or grass is very wet. Footwear is very much a matter of personal choice. I usually wear a pair of light Nubuck boots.

Optics: It is assumed that everyone will be bringing a pair of binoculars (2 spare here). The party will have the use of a Kowa 823 Fluorite scope, with a 20-60X zoom eyepiece, mounted on a Cullman Birder tripod. If you own a scope, do bring it with you, bird watching in Scotland is often on the grand scale!

Safety Notice: Please take great care when bird watching. Bird watchers are infamous for looking everywhere except their feet, and on the cliffs at Fowlsheugh this could be disastrous! It is two hundred feet straight down! Before looking around or using your binoculars, please stop and take a firm stance, not just at Fowlsheugh but throughout the trip. A first aid kit and also a mobile phone (switched off!), are carried in case of emergencies.

Liability: These holidays are offered to you on the understanding that you come on these holidays entirely at your own risk. SeeBirds cannot be responsible for the actions of others involved in your holiday over which the company has no control.