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ENGLAND & SCOTLAND

Birdquest's England & Scotland birding tour offers a highly rewarding European birdwatching experience. Our England & Scotland tour is an exciting and enjoyable springtime journey through two of Europe's most scenic and historic countries, and offers some splendid birding at the best time of year.

ENGLAND & SCOTLAND April 2014 - May 2014

Wednesday 25th April - Wednesday 9th May 2012
(15 days)

Leaders: Simon Harrap and assistant

Group Size Limit: 12

Tour Category: Easy for the most part, occasionally Moderate

A visit to the UK in spring can produce some excellent birds with a great selection of difficult to find European specialities, amongst which, the superb Eurasian Dotterel (this is a female) is likely to be a favourite (Mike Watson)

The British Isles lie at the extreme western end of the Palearctic faunal region, separated from the mainland of Europe for almost ten thousand years by the English Channel and the North Sea. The islands’ geographical position has been a great boon. The waters around teem with life and support internationally important numbers of breeding seabirds and those same seas, warmed by the Gulf Stream, have given Britain a clement oceanic climate (despite the islands lying at around the same latitude as Newfoundland). Mild winters attract large numbers of wintering waterfowl and shorebirds, as well as a variety of other birds, from tiny Goldcrests to lumbering Eurasian Woodcocks, all fleeing the harsh climes of continental Europe.

Britain also has incredibly varied landscapes, many of which are the products of human endeavour over many generations.

In the south and east the land is gently rolling and was cleared of most of its woodland as long ago as the Bronze Age. What was left has evolved into a patchwork of farmland, from intensively cultivated fields of wheat and barley to extensive pastures, and scattered amongst this green mosaic are ancient heathlands (internationally rare habitats that are home to special birds such as Dartford Warbler and Woodlark), small woodlands and thousands of villages, the majority of which still have a mediaeval church.

In the north and west the land is much wilder, and in contrast to the densely built-up south-east of England the highlands of Scotland have some of the wildest country in Europe with one of the lowest population densities on the continent.

Britain’s history is as varied as its landscapes. The early years were marked by a series of invasions: Romans, Vikings, Angles, Saxons and Normans all left their mark, while in the millennium since 1066 (during which there has been a continuity of peoples and government) Britain created the Industrial Revolution and grew to control the largest empire the world has ever seen.

Britain is the cradle of scientific ornithology and birding is probably better developed here than in any other country. During this exciting and enjoyable tour we will see the best the country has to offer, including many special birds, several of which are confined to northwest Europe and hard to see elsewhere.

We will start out travels in Norfolk, dubbed ‘Nelson’s County’ after its most famous son (Admiral Lord Nelson) and, more importantly, generally considered the best area for birdwatching in Britain. Here we will look for specialities such as Great Bittern, Eurasian Stone-curlew and Bearded Reedling as well as widespread but hard-to-see species including Tawny Owl, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Common Grasshopper Warbler.

From Norfolk we will head northwards to Bempton on the Yorkshire coast, home to tens of thousands of breeding seabirds and the only mainland gannetry in England, and we will overnight in York, where we have a chance to admire the wonderful York Minster.

Continuing northwards, we will look for lingering Pink-footed Geese and then visit a Black Grouse lek, the sights and sounds of which have to be seen to be believed.

Now we cross the borderlands, once much fought-over, into Scotland, where we will visit the Solway Firth and admire smart Barnacle Geese before continuing on to the Cairngorms.

Here, in the largest upland massif in Britain, we will hope to see displaying Western Capercaillies as well as Rock Ptarmigan and Eurasian Dotterel, and will hope to find Britain’s only current official endemic bird, the Scottish Crossbill. We will also come across Red Grouse, until relatively recently treated as an endemic British species and surely likely to be split again.

Traversing the Scottish Highlands we will take a ferry to the Uists in the Outer Hebrides, looking out for Manx Shearwater and European Storm-Petrel en route. Once ashore, our main targets will be the skulking Corncrake, Rock Pipit and the unassuming Twite, before returning to the mainland and heading south to Edinburgh where, after visiting the city’s historic castle, the tour will end.

Simon Harrap is one of Britain’s best-known birdwatchers and co-author of Where to Watch Birds in Britain.

(Note: The above is a summary of the tour. For more information please download the detailed, day-by-day itinerary. The button is at the top right of the page.)

Accommodation & Road Transport: The hotels are of normal Birdquest standard throughout. Road transport is by minibus and roads are good.

Walking: The walking effort is mostly easy, with a few longer walks and an optional longer and harder uphill walk in the Cairngorms in search of birds of the high tops.

Climate: Very variable. There will be a mixture of clear and sunny and overcast conditions, with some rain. Temperatures mostly range from cool to warm, but it can be cold at times, especially in the Cairngorms.

Bird Photography: Opportunities are worthwhile.

Tour Price: $4520 London/Edinburgh. Price includes all transportation, all accommodations, all meals, some drinks, all excursions, all entrance fees, all tips for local drivers/guides and for accommodations/restaurants, leader services.

Single Room Supplement: $907.

Deposit: 10% of the tour price (excluding any single supplement).

Air Travel To & From The Tour: Our in-house IATA ticket agency can arrange your air travel in connection with the tour from a departure point anywhere in the world, or you may arrange your own air travel if you prefer. We can tailor-make your itinerary to your personal requirements, so if you would like to travel in advance of the tour (and spend a night in an hotel so you will feel fresh when the tour starts), or return later than the end of the tour, or make a side trip to some other destination, or travel business class rather than economy, we will be happy to assist. Please contact us about your air travel requirements.

A visit to the remarkable seabird colonies at Bempton will be a highlight of the tour, with Atlantic Puffin likely to be the star of the show (Pete Morris)

There should be plenty of opportunities for seeing Common Eiders which should be in busy courtship mode during our visit (Pete Morris)

With luck, there will be one or two lingering Iceland Gulls in the northwest of Scotland, most likely a first summer (2nd calendar year) bird like this one (Pete Morris)

Download Detailed Itinerary 208kb

Perhaps Britain's best claim for an endemic is the Red Grouse, though most authorities still lump this form with the white-winged Willow Grouse (Mike Watson)

Scottish Crossbill is currently the only recognized endemic, but much controversy surrounds the taxonomy of crossbills and the species may not be recognized for much longer! (Mike Watson)

Other localized species we'll be looking out for include the north-western form of Twite which is quite likely a different species from the Twites of Western Asia (Pete Morris)