The Cairngorms National Park, situated in the Highlands of Scotland, encompasses the Cairngorms mountains and surrounding hills, and is home to many rare species of birds, animals, and plants.
The park has a hugely diverse landscape from heather moorlands and peatlands, Caledonian pine forests, wetlands and rivers, and a vast wilderness at its plateau. It is the perfect place for finding solitude and spending some time looking for the beautiful birds that inhabit it.
Insh Marshes is a RSPB reserve and a haven for wildlife all year round. It is a vast flood marsh with wet meadows and pools and an important area for both breeding and overwintering birds. Breeding waders include lapwings, redshanks, curlews, and snipe, while whooper swans, wigeons, greylag geese, and tufted ducks visit for the winter months.
In spring you can see osprey fishing in Loch Insh and the River Spey, as well as buzzards circling overhead, and during autumn and winter look out for hen harriers who gather to roost. There are beautiful birch and aspen woodlands, home to woodcocks, great spotted woodpeckers, redstarts, and tree pipits, and in summer be sure to visit the gorgeous wildflower meadow where hundreds of orchids grow.
Check out these places to stay nearby
Known as the Valley of Raptors, Findhorn Valley is located on the northeast edge of The Cairngorms. It’s a secretive glen, surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs and home to a multitude of birdlife including typical moorland birds such as golden plovers and ring ouzels, a highlight in the summer.
However, it’s the birds of prey that are the real draw and it’s one of the best places in Scotland to spot golden eagles. Hen harriers, ospreys, white-tailed eagles, buzzards, kestrel, and peregrine falcons can also be found soaring over the valley, and by the river look out for oystercatchers, dippers, sandpipers, and grey wagtails. On the hillsides you can often find red deer, mountain hares, and wild goats.
Loch Garten is a large freshwater loch surrounded by pine woods. It is renowned for its breeding population of ospreys and the Loch Garten Osprey Centre is a facility run by the RSPB where you use binoculars and telescopes to watch these birds of prey from a hide. Outside the hide there are bird feeders where you can spot siskins, chaffinches, and great spotted woodpeckers, and sometimes crested tits and Scottish crossbills.
Numerous birds live on the water including grey herons, goldeneyes, kingfishers, oystercatchers, tufted ducks, and Slavonian grebes, while in the nearby forests look out for capercaillies, redstarts, and treecreepers.
Birds of prey are plentiful too. During the day buzzards can be seen flying overhead, while at night listen out for the calls of tawny and barn owls.
Anagach Woods is a beautiful native Scots pine wood in the northern hills of the Cairngorms National Park. There are plenty of well-marked trails through the woods where you can see capercaillies, crossbills, crested tits, and woodcocks. Along the River Spey at the edge of the woods look out for grey herons, dippers, goosanders, as well as dragonflies, otters, and an abundance of wildflowers.
In autumn, the woods are a great place to forage for mushrooms and blaeberries, and spot a deer amongst the trees, or a red squirrel tucking into nuts that the rangers leave out for them.
