Wild Scotland: Highlands, Islands & Hidden Gems
Currently available as a tailor made photographic safari
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Innovative and flexible photography tour of Scotland
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Choose any part or all of the itinerary to suit your interests: wildlife, landscapes, culture
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Specialised hides and exclusive bookings ensure the best photographic opportunities
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Wildlife highlights include osprey, white tailed eagle, golden eagle, otter, red deer, pine marten, badger, dolphin, red squirrel, red kite, puffin & other breeding seabirds, native flora
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Include magnificent landscapes & traditional cultural experiences
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Other specialist events and add-ons available
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Individual Photography & Videography Tuition from award-winning wildlife photographer, film maker, BBC presenter and travel writer Trai Anfield, a native Scot.
Please note that the experiences mentioned below are suggestions, and we will be delighted to tailor your itinerary to reflect your interests and the species and events available at the time you choose to travel.
Wild Scotland: Highlands
HIGHLANDS OVERVIEW
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On the northernmost section of our Wild Scotland Safari we will focus on osprey in full fishing dive, pine marten, red squirrel and dolphin. Along the way we will look out for all of the Highland's other iconic wildlife including golden eagle, red deer - and if we're really lucky the Highland Tiger or Scottish Wildcat - as well as the stunning land, sea and sky scapes of the Highlands.
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Osprey: no other area affords better chances of photographing these glorious birds head on in flight and diving for fish. We will make use of specialist hides and to maximise our chances we will book in for two morning sessions.
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Dolphin: bottlenose dolphin and porpoise are a regular delight off the coast of Invernesshire. We will have opportunities to photograph them from the shoreline, as they swim and play unbelievably close by, on the hunt for running salmon, and also from the water on our boat charter.
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Pine marten: to see these lovely creatures in good light is indeed a treat! During spring and summer when they have their young, martens can regularly be seen at this hide throughout the day. We hope to be lucky enough to see the kits with their mother as they are introduced to the outside world.
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Red Squirrel: No Scotland safari would be complete without antics from these gorgeous wee animals. Lithe, curious and full of mischief, they are wonderful subjects to photograph over and over again!
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Stunning landscapes and traditional cultural experiences are also on offer as we head through the glens, and of course you're in the home of whiskey so there's always a wee dram in the evenings!
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Wild Scotland: Islands
ISLANDS OVERVIEW
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On this leg of our epic Scotland Safari we concentrate on species associated with the sea...and ironically we will be doing a lot of walking! We are flexible with which islands we visit depending on your specific interests, but highlights will usually include:
White tailed sea eagles are one of Scotland's most magnificent wildlife sightings, and also one of the country's great conservation success stories. During our bespoke photography boat trip we will spend several hours out at sea with these awesome birds as they patrol the skies above and dive for fish close to the boat. A thrilling experience and a real photographic challenge!
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Otters are shy but on our local expert guide will get us as close to these charming creatures as possible, on foot on a private otter trek.
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Birdlife on the islands includes golden eagle, hen harrier, short eared owl, while the coast attracts a plethora of waders in summer too.
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Puffins are undoubtedly the bird that most people visit the Treshnish Isles to see, and here you'll encounter them closer than anywhere else, making for wonderful photography. Although puffins may be the stars, you'll also find over 40 different species of birds on Lunga, including razorbills, thousands of guillemots on the Harp Rock, fulmars, storm petrels, kittiwakes, herring gulls, and shags (plus if we're lucky a few rarer migrants). As well as concentrating on the birds - the coast attracts a plethora of waders in summer too - we will look out for whales, basking sharks, dolphins, porpoise and seals from the boat, and visit Fingals Cave on the Isle of Staffa - a hugely impressive geological wonder that also happens to be very photogenic.
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Flora is another highlight,, with a variety of habitats and little gems like sundew on this jewel of Scottish islands.
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Landscapes All of the islands offer incredible landscape opportunities, and if your photographic interests include landscape we will certainly prioritise this in your itinerary when choosing which islands to visit. If you're very lucky, in winter months it is also possible to see the extraordinary aurora borealis or northern lights at times.
Fingal's cave
Otter
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Wild Scotland: Hidden Gems
HIDDEN GEMS OVERVIEW
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South West Scotland’s Solway area is a little visited, wildlife rich gem. We book exclusive use of a network of specialist professional hides to get you close to all of the region’s iconic Springtime species… these are the secret places that many top pros use to create those shots you see and think “wow – how did they get that??” We will also take the opportunity to explore astro photography in this Dark Skies designated area…weather permitting!
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Kingfisher - one of the most beautiful and dynamic birds to photograph - this hide is the UK's premier location for those WOW! shots
Sparrowhawk - Chris Packham's World's Best Bird, and star of BBC Autumnwatch 2015 - sparrowhawk Mad Max (& Mrs Max!)
Exclusive use of the hides used on Autumnwatch to photograph and video these tremendous sparrowhawks.
What Chris says about Mad Max: "Best bird I've ever seen..." "Awesome..." "The greatest individual bird on planet earth..."
Watch Mad Max & Chris Packham's encounter on Autumnwatch at http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p037b652
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Fox - excellent twilight opportunities to photograph this much loved native UK species
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Tawny Owl - night time draws out the wonderful tawny owl and our specialist hide virtually guarantees stunningly lit images, both in flight and feeding on natural perches
Adder - we're pretty keen to bet that this is as close as you could ever get to this fascinating and beautiful creature - a one-off photographic opportunity
Badger - the hides here provide excellent access to this perennial favourite of UK wildlife. Being able to photograph badgers here in daylight and close proximity means you'll go home with wonderfully intimate shots
Cuckoo - just back from Africa, these birds are keen to mate and put on a display for photography that's unmatched anywhere in the UK
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Red Kite - the spectacle of up to 150 red kites spiralling overhead is a dizzying one. With exhilarating opportunities to photograph the birds in flight, diving for food and dull in mid air, this is the perfect opportunity to bag a unique image.
Dipper / Pied Flycatcher - from these hides you will have the chance to photograph busy parent birds bringing in food for their hungry chicks
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...and you're always likely to see a few surprise guests such as red squirrel, deer and countless woodland birds!
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Please note that the above species, locations and experiences are only suggestions, and we will be delighted to tailor make your itinerary to reflect your interests along with the species and events available at the time you choose to travel.