Wildlife Holidays 2010

Holidays are inclusive of all food, accommodation and travel from Birnam Guest House, Perthshire.

What you will see

Wildcat week and the Cairngorms National Park based at Birnam Guest House, Perthshire and Wild Cottage, Tomintoul at the heart of the Cairngorms.  A chance to see the elusive wildcat with expert Adrian Davis who has just completed the Scottish Wildcat Survey for Scottish Natural Heritage.  We have a 20% sighting success rate on this trip, not bad when you consider that most people never see one in their lifetime and they are notoriously shy and retiring.

Mountains and Big Tree Country from Birnam Guest House.  A fantastic array of big trees here in Perthshire, hardly rivalled anywhere else in Britain with the famous Birnam oak just 200metres from our guest house door, the tallest trees and parent larch at the Dunkled cathedral 1 mile away and the Fortingall Yew 25 miles away, reputedly the oldest living thing in Europe!!  We are only 30 miles from some of the most stunning mountains including the botanically rich Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve with Adrian on his home ground, an excellent alpine botanical site and we know just where to see some of the iconic species such as alpine fleabane and alpine forget me not.

Mull Exploration Week based at Aros Mains Farm, Aros, Mull.  What can we say but one of our most popular trips and a place we have been visiting for 15 years with amazing walking and wildlife with beatuful plants, spectacular birds such as sea eagles, golden eagle and peregrine as well as marine life even from the coast with dophins regularly seen and we know just where to see them.

New - Western Isles wildlife extravaganza is a journey from south to north from Vatersay Benbecula and South Uist to Harris and Lewis along some of the most amazing beaches, machair (coastal dune systems) with abundant wildflowers and the most rugged mountains you will ever see.  The wildlife and walking is equally stunning with golden sandy beaches and spectacular birds including the shy and seldom seen corncrake.

Scottish Tours: The Far North from Ullapool into Sutherland and the flow Country is unique and world famous.  One of our most popular trips with red and black throated divers more frequent in the far north and breeding in ealry summer.  We have expert knowledge of the natural history of this area its plants such as the endemic Scottish primrose which may be under threat with climate change.

Perthshire Wildlife week 9-17 October

The Perthshire wildlife week is a new venture organised by WIldoutdoors birnging together all the wildlife and activity organisations in Highland Perthshire for a week long festival of wildlife and related activities. This includes the Scottish Crannog Centre: Cluny Gardens, the National Trust for Scotland, WWF Scotland, John Muir Trust, Atholl Estates, Highland Safaris, Forestry Commission Scotland and many more.  For further information regarding the wildlife week contact us at the address below.

See our newsletter for the latest news on recent holidays.

Wildlife holidays including bird, mammal and wildflower safaris with ecologist Adrian Davis and his team include:

• Traditional accommodation, healthy food (half-board) and transport to all field locations from pick-up points and holiday location.

• Group or club discounts available.

• Fully supported guided walking tours through the most scenic and spectacular of Scottish Highland scenery.

• The cost of the travel to the holiday destination (e.g. flights or car/rail travel) is not included in our holiday price.

 Our guides combine to give you a wonderful experience through the eyes of ecologists and naturalists with a personal approach that you actively take part in. Survey the wonderful extremes of landscape and habitats, throughout Scotland with our botanists and wildlife experts. Take part in an adventure to open your eyes and see the wildlife under our feet and over our heads. Smell the beautiful herbs and plants of the hay meadows and peat bogs. Witness a wild wood management programme and active coppicing to promote woodland regeneration and biodiversity. These tours are operated mainly from the venue and involve some walking. Occasionally we use small minibuses and cars.

Wildoutdoors offer high quality guiding in small groups with local ecologists and wildlife experts, interpreting the features of interest, wildlife and local natural history as we go. The walks are leisurely and cover from 4 to 7 miles per day as we take time to explore the wildlife, flowers, birds, mammals, insects and geology along the routes. We use the best of traditional accommodation and home cooking to provide a relaxed and warm environment.

We visit a range of sites throughout Perthshire, Highland Region, Wester Ross and the Grampians home to one of our two National Parks. The Perthshire hills and countryside offer colourful oak and birch woodlands with beautiful spring flowers and autumn colours unrivalled anywhere. In addition there are some Caledonian pinewoods, where Scot’s pine woods support a rich wildlife including the rare black grouse and capercaillie. The flowers of these areas are also beautiful with crowberry, and heathers adding to the summer and autumn colours. The heathlands and open moorland are alive to the cry of the peewit, oystercatcher and curlew in summer and we may see golden eagles, peregrine falcon and hen harrier. Botanically rich grasslands are abundant in and around Perthshire in places such as Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve. The River Tay is a passage route for numerous wildfowl and waders and is the breeding ground for salmon and sea trout. We also explore the mountain habitats and summits for the rarer wildlflowers such as purple saxifrage, and breeding birds such as golden plover. Ben Lawers NNR is a highlight and the high tops are spectacular in summer but we try and keep all the walks within everyone’s ability. There are wonderful old railway lines to explore in the valleys and straths with wild strawberry and raspberry to keep hunger from the door.

We also explore some of the wildest, most rugged mountains in Britain including Ben Eighe famous for its arctic apline flowers. The high tops are spectacular in summer but we try and keep all the walks within everyone’s ability.

If you have any questions or require further information please contact us here.

                           A gannet on Bass rock

                        The western isles machair and

                           beaches are world renowned.

                         Stunning mountains make up a

                          backdrop to many of our trips

                        Rare birds such as capercaillie

                         may be encountered.