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News in Brief: Canada, Cairngorms, Hampshire, Isles of Scilly & Monterey Bay
September 2025
‘After a delayed start to our cruise, due to low cloud disrupting internal flights in the area, we embarked on our journey through the magical and magnificent fjords of Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest’ writes tour leader Sara Frost. ‘A full day at Mussel River allowed us to spend a large part of the day watching a mother Grizzly Bear and her two cubs busy feeding on the abundant salmon in the river, with a family of River Otters playing nearby our boat. Black Bears were also seen almost every day, and a magnificent morning was spent watching the region’s coastal Grey Wolves (and three Black Bears) feeding along the shoreline.
At a stream on Gribbell Island, we caught a glimpse of a Spirit Bear before it disappeared into the undergrowth, and we took great pleasure in watching a mother Black Bear and her cub feeding in the stream just minutes after.
Life aboard our 12-berth sailing ketch allowed us to find wildlife on the water too, and we were delighted to watch a pod of three Orca one morning, along with several encounters with bubble-netting Humpback Whales. The Humpbacks also showed off with acrobatics – tail-slapping and breaching next to our boat. With a supporting cast of Bald Eagles, Ravens, Belted Kingfishers, Rhinoceros Auklets, Sooty Shearwaters, Surf Scoters and Red-breasted Mergansers, this truly was an outstanding holiday to a pristine part of the world, almost completely untouched by humans, and long will the memories be cherished!’
September 2025
‘Autumn in the Cairngorms and we were blessed with lovely autumn weather’ writes tour leader Mick Durham. ‘Our accommodation at Ballintean Mountain Lodge, a peaceful retreat in Glenfeshie, was extremely comfortable and provided the perfect location for this holiday. The sun shone, the autumn colours glowed and the wildlife put on great displays.
The upper Findhorn Valley gave us several Golden Eagles as well as Red Kite, Goshawk, Kestrel and Buzzard and good numbers of Red Deer. The woodland walks around Loch Garten and Loch an Eilein were a beautiful introduction to the Caledonian forests, as well as providing us with good views of a number of woodland birds including the iconic Crested Tit. A couple of days spent further north exploring the Black Isle and the Moray Firth gave us Bottlenose Dolphins, thousands of Pink-footed Geese, lots of waders and, in Culbin Forest, even more Cresties and large numbers of Crossbills.
We did miss out on some species – Red Squirrel and Mountain Hare refused to show but this was more than made up for by wonderful views of Badger, Pine Marten and the biggest surprise of all – a Wild Cat.
The week ended rather suddenly on the last day with the arrival of Storm Amy but no one was complaining. Autumn in the Cairgorms was voted a great success.’
Highlights from Day Trips in May – August 2025
‘The inaugural year of our “Hampshire – A Day with Moths, Butterflies & Reptiles Day Trip” has been a resounding success, with abundant and varied sightings of reptiles, moths, butterflies and an array of other insects!’ writes tour leader Josh Phangurha.
‘The first tour in May 2025 yielded a lichen-mimicking gem in the form of Scarce Merveille du Jour, a species which is confined to mature deciduous woodlands in southern England. Other stand-out moths included the shimmering Burnished Brass, Scorch Wing and Buff-tip – a broken twig masquerade. On the same day we were treated to all four reptile species on site, which is often possible here in optimal weather. The star reptilian sighting was a large female Adder coiled up next to a larger female Grass Snake under one of the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Amphibian and Reptile Group's (HIWARG) onduline survey sheets.
Throughout July and August, we were treated to an immense number and diversity of moth species in the light trap. This included many large and colourful species including Large Emerald, the Magpie, Oak Eggar (of which the woolly caterpillars are seen more often in open habitats), Elephant Hawkmoth, Poplar Hawkmoth, a late Pine Hawkmoth, Rosy Footman, Green Carpet and more. The heatwave made it more difficult to find reptiles, but we still saw at least one snake species during the hot weather and the ever-present Slow Worm, Britain’s only legless lizard.
We managed to see many incredible examples of moth camouflage too, including the bird-dropping-mimicking Chinese Character. Dead leaf and wood mimics included Angle Shades, September Thorn, August Thorn, Dusky Thorn, Coxcomb Prominent, Lesser Swallow Prominent and more. August is prime time for the jaw-dropping Jersey Tiger, of which over 20 individuals came to the light trap in a single session. Towards the end of August and during September we started to see migratory moths such as The Vestal, Bordered Straw and Palpita vitrealis, as well as attractive resident species like Feathered Gothic.
The diurnal Hummingbird Hawkmoth made a few appearances throughout the year and it was accompanied in the sunshine by butterflies such as Painted Lady, Small Copper, Brown Argus, Common Blue and more.
The site is also home to the impressive Wasp Spider, which we often took time to admire and photograph in the meadow. Other invertebrates we encountered include the larvae of Glow Worms, Violet Ground Beetles, an impressive European Hornet nest and more.
The most noteworthy bird sighting through this tour was a flock of Crossbills passing through the woodland that borders the site. This is the first time they have been seen here! They were initially spotted by one of the guests, which shows how visitors can potentially make significant sightings. Other species included Firecrests and Marsh Tits calling, Sparrowhawks flying overhead, good sightings of Siskin and Spotted Flycatcher and a small nesting colony of Barn Swallows within the barn on site. The ground in and around this barn is usually peppered with Barn Owl pellets, which we dissected to reveal the skulls of Short-tailed Field Voles. This rodent is crucial to the ecosystem here, being a key prey species for Adders and raptors.
This day trip has been a rewarding experience for both the tour leader and guests. Not only because of the great wildlife sightings, but also because the moth and reptile records collected from the day are submitted to the Hampshire moth county recorder and HIWARG respectively, facilitating our knowledge of species and conservation initiatives. We hope you can join us in 2026!’
September 2025
'Our walking and boat tour of the Isles of Scilly was memorable for many reasons, not least because of the stormy conditions’ writes tour leader Neil McMahon. ‘Strong south-west and westerly weather systems kept things lively with plenty of warm sunshine and daily showers. The Scillonian ferry was the means of transport to the islands for the majority and we stayed at a lovely guesthouse overlooking the harbour at Hugh Town on the island of St Mary's, which was a great starting point each day. The inter-island boats conveyed us to the very individual islands of Bryher, St Martin's, Tresco and St Agnes where we enjoyed the stunning scenery, wildlife and cafes. The world-famous gardens on Tresco were an additional attraction, with the introduced Red Squirrels showing nicely amongst stunning nurtured flora from all over the world.
Time on the Scillies archipelago is like going abroad without the hassle of actually going abroad and it attracts more than its fair share of exotica. We saw a migrant Hoopoe on our first two days on the island, eventually caught up with a couple of the many Wrynecks on the islands and enjoyed Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, chats, flocks of tideline Sanderling and other waders, Water Rails and even a Glossy Ibis. A Spotted Sandpiper showed for some and the very memorable pelagic excursion yielded remarkably close views of Wilson's and European Storm Petrels and lots of shearwaters, including very close Cory's and Greats from the southern hemisphere.
Stormy weather ensured that most of us spent an additional day on the islands, an unexpected bonus which provided more opportunities to explore the diverse island of St Mary's.'
September 2025
‘Monterey Bay in California is renowned for its incredible wildlife with good reason!’ writes tour leader Hazel Pitwood. ‘This tour gave guests a wonderful insight into what makes this area so special and gives it the reputation as one of the best whale- and dolphin-watching locations in the world.
Ten species of marine mammals were encountered, ranging from charismatic Humpback Whales to acrobatic Risso’s Dolphins, rarely seen Dall’s Porpoise bow-riding the vessel and even a sighting of a pod of Orca (Killer Whale). Fantastic views of Sea Otters, Harbour Seals and California Sea Lions were also enjoyed. Over 110 bird species were spotted too, with highlights including the critically endangered California Condor, Burrowing Owl, Black-footed Albatross, Acorn Woodpecker, Belted Kingfisher and Anna’s Hummingbirds which we gleefully observed every morning whilst we sat eating breakfast at our accommodation. With such a wealth of wildlife and California’s beautiful Big Sur coastal scenery, this is truly a must-do trip for anyone wanting to experience the magic of Monterey Bay.’
