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News in Brief: Finland, Bulgaria, Scotland, Spain & Thailand
June & July 2025
'All three of our 2025 departures saw the three main target species; Brown Bear, Grey Wolf and Wolverine' writes tour leader Jan Kelchtermans. 'In addition, whilst on our search for European Elk, we twice stumbled upon an extremely elusive feline – the Eurasian Lynx! This was completely unexpected and a real treat for everyone. In addition to seeing all of Finland’s large carnivores, we managed to view other unique European gems inclduing a gliding Siberian Flying Squirrel, the magical European Elk and Finland’s only endemic mammal – the Saimaa Ringed Seal. In fact, due to a particularly cold spring and therefore a lack of suitable food, the Eurasian Forest Reindeer was the only highly-sort after species that we missed.'
July 2025
‘The sun in Bulgaria can be strong, and when it struck the right angle of the basking Purple Emperor the shining iridescence literally drew gasps from us all’ writes tour leader Andy Bunten. ‘The gasp-o-meter was in action again for the strikingly coloured Coppers; brilliantly orange as they sought nectar amongst the flowers. The butterflies truly were amazing: dozens of Blues seeking minerals from muddy patches; Marbled Whites and Arran Browns seemingly everywhere and ten species of fritillary, including the ubiquitous Queen of Spain. The early part of trip, in wetter areas, was also fabulous for dragonflies. How do you choose favourites from 30 species? The Balkan Goldenrings were dramatic, but perhaps dragonfly of the trip was the much sought after Bladetail with its amazing bulbous abdomen. The wetter areas were also our most productive for birds too with Pygmy Cormorants, some great views of Black Storks and hundreds of bill-clattering White Storks.
This was a very varied trip with forays also to dry woodland edges where we found dashing Levant Sparrowhawks, Masked, Red-backed and Woodchat Shrikes, plus wonderful Common and Scarce Swallowtails. On higher mountain ranges the Apollos, Alpine Accentors and Alpine Chough delighted us. With wonderful salads and classic Bulgarian red wine, what more could one need?’
June 2025
‘After driving up from Paisley to Kennacraig for the ferry crossing to Islay, we immediately saw Black Guillemot at the ferry terminal and Common Eider nearby' writes tour leader Neil Murphy. 'Halfway to Islay, we encountered large rafts of Manx Shearwater which gave good views and several Common Guillemot.
For our first full day, we explored a circuit of the Rhinns of Islay with highlights being a pair of White-tailed Eagles, Velvet Scoter and Red-billed Chough flying overhead, along with Grey and Harbour Seals. Another day saw us drive to Port Askaig for the ten-minute ferry ride to Jura. Our first stop was Craighouse for coffee and incredible cakes, plus Great Northern Divers! Next up was the most incredible encounter with an Otter, which we watched continually fishing and munching noisily on its catch of young Dab. Driving along a back road back to Bowmore, we enjoyed views of an adult Golden Eagle being mobbed by a very brave Northern Lapwing and then a Common Buzzard – quite an ending to an amazing day!
During the remainder of our time on Islay, wildlife treats included a pair of bathing Twite, great views of Red-billed Chough, five Hen Harriers, Great Skua, a pair of Golden Eagles and several species of orchid. Our final full day saw us drive to the Islay Woolen Mill where the bird feeders were alive with Eurasian Siskin & Coal Tit and we did a riverside walk disturbing countless Chimney Sweeper moths.
On the sailing from Port Ellen back to Kennacraig large numbers of seabirds were feeding on fish shoals, giving us fantastic views of auks, diving Northern Gannets, Manx Shearwater cruising beside our boat, brief views of two Atlantic Puffin and several Harbour Porpoise. Then the star of the show appeared, a Minke Whale – a fitting conclusion to a superb week!’
June 2025
'Framed by limestone cliffs, alpine meadows and sun-drenched valleys, the Spanish Pyrenees offer a rich mosaic of habitats supporting an exceptional diversity of butterflies and moths’ writes tour leader Chris Wilkinson. 'From our charming base in the medieval hilltop village of Berdún, we enjoyed a relaxed week of daily excursions in search of this wealth of Lepidoptera. Among the common butterfly highlights were Ilex, False Ilex and Blue-spot Hairstreak, Spanish Swallowtail, Purple Emperor, Southern White Admiral and Great Banded Grayling. We encountered a superb variety of blues which included Glandon, Eros, Mountain Alcon and Spanish Chalk Hill alongside Coppers such as Purple-edged and Scarce. Fritillaries were common and included: Spotted, Twin-spotted, Weaver’s, Marbled, Silver-washed, Southern Heath, High Brown, Meadow and Provencal. We explored the verdant valleys of the Veral and Aragón Rivers, the dramatic Biniés Gorge, and the wildflower-rich Hecho and Aísa Valleys, where there were alpine specialists such as Apollo, Clouded Apollo, Mountain Clouded Yellow and many ringlets and numerous skippers. Day flying moths were abundant with many burnet and forester species which included Billowing Burnet and the exquisite Mediterranean Burnet. At lower elevations near Riglos, there were more Mediterranean species including Two-tailed Pasha. Botanists enjoyed the gentians, saxifrages and orchids, mammal enthusiasts were treated to views of Alpine Marmot, while birders enjoyed views of Lammergeier soaring overhead. After dark, we ran a light trap to sample the area’s rich moth fauna and highlights were the huge Oak Hawk-moths along with Striped Hawk-moth and The Passenger. All of this while, we were surrounded by the breathtaking scenery of one of Europe’s most beautiful mountain regions.'
February 2025
‘Disappearing into the bush, we thought our chances of a lifetime had vanished, the tail and rump were all we had seen, but our guides knew exactly what it was’ writes tour leader Oliver Smart. ‘Repositioning the 4x4, we waited patiently, and then, silently, a black Indochinese Leopard emerged from the undergrowth within 5m from the rear of the vehicle. It stared straight at us with its emerald-green eyes, before walking away along the track. The female did not appear in the slightest bit interested in our presence and even stopped to mark her territory. It was just one of the many highlights of our photographic tour to Thailand. We enjoyed spending time with lots of shy forest birds, photographing them from hides; we cruised Lake Boraphet to capture wading and water birds at sunset, and we found several stunning nesting species to capture on camera. The chance to see and photograph a Spoon-billed Sandpiper was a dream come true for many; the icing on a very impressive cake.’
