April 2024

'We enjoyed a lovely week in south-west Turkey with a great mix of wildlife, scenery and historical sites' writes tour leader Andy Smith. 'Along the Aegean coast, we visited mighty Ephesus and serene Priene and encountered some great birds including Dalmatian Pelican, Audouin’s Gull, Scopoli’s Shearwater, Spur-winged Plover, Masked and Woodchat Shrikes, Rüppell’s Warbler and Eleonora’s Falcon.

Moving inland, we visited the hugely impressive Hierapolis with its extraordinary ruins and its breeding Finsch’s Wheatears and up on the edge of the Anatolian Plateau, we found Isabelline Wheatears and Calandra Larks on the steppes, White-throated Robins, Cretzschmar’s Buntings, Black-eared Wheatears and Eastern Orphean Warblers in the scrublands and a satisfying range of wetland birds on the lakes. There were Black Storks, Short-toed Eagles and Long-legged Buzzards along the way too and we finished high up in the mountains with Krüper’s Nuthatches in the pine forests and Red-fronted Serins and Horned Larks above the treeline.

Non-avian wildlife interest included Common Dolphins, Persian Squirrels, Spur-thighed Tortoises, Golden Grass Skinks, some great flowers and an interesting range of insects topped by a superb Spoon-winged Lacewing. With fine weather more or less throughout, interesting and varied accommodation, some delicious Turkish food and good company, it was a week to remember.'

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May 2024

'A week to explore the northern half of the Western Isles barely seemed enough!' writes tour leader Mick Durham. 'We crossed the Minch from Ullapool to Stornoway, enjoying views of Puffins, Razorbills and Guillemots, as well as the occasional Gannet. For much of the week, we had good weather and enjoyed sunshine, calm days, lots of wonderful wildlife and some spectacular scenery.

We explored the northernmost tip, the Butt of Lewis and the dramatic mountains of north Harris. We enjoyed numerous sightings of White-tailed Eagles and four Golden Eagles – always harder to see; one even sat long enough to be viewed through the ‘scope. Two walks through the woodlands of Lews Castle produced a few singing birds and some tantalisingly difficult views of a heronry. On our last day, we found Red-throated Divers and a couple of small flocks of Golden Plovers which had probably just arrived. Sadly, it would appear that the Corncrakes were still to arrive. We tried hard for Otters but were unsuccessful; we also went out late one evening to see the aurora that was stunning the rest of Britain – we chose the only cloudy spot in the country! 

Our few ‘failures’ were more than made up for by our successes. The 2-hour RIB boat trip from Stornoway gave us a White-tailed Eagle on a nest, numerous seals and a couple of porpoises. However, the highlight of the week was our boat trip out to the Shiant Islands. We had beautiful weather and calm seas, numerous White-tailed Eagles soaring overhead and our landing on a pebble beach amongst the breeding auks was mesmerising. Puffins, Guillemots and more Razorbills than the guide had ever seen together flew around our heads, totally unconcerned by our presence. Amazing. Even the ferry journey back at the end of the week was a real highlight. Mirror calm seas and, as it was an early morning ferry, we had stunning views of the sun coming up over the North-west Highlands. A wonderful week, lots of memories and yes, a week wasn’t really enough.'

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May 2024

'Calm seas, Minke Whales, eagles and an Otter – a wonderful week on the Isle of Lewis and Harris' writes tour leader Mick Durham. 'Our second tour group of the year spent the week exploring the most northerly of the Outer Hebrides, by land and sea. Two boat trips gave us wonderful views of White-tailed Eagles, Red-throated Divers, thousands of seabirds, Common Dolphins and a spectacular time with three Minke Whales. Porpoise, an Otter, Black-throated Diver, moody skies over the spectacular Callanish standing stones, a blustery walk up into a wonderful glen, Fulmars amongst the sea pinks at the Butt of Lewis – it was a week full of variety.

The 6-hour trip out to the Shiant Islands was one of a number of highlights, with White-tailed Eagles, Puffins, Razorbills, Guillemots in their thousands and stunning scenery, followed by tea and cake and a celebratory dram of local whisky to finish the trip off!

A 2-hour RIB trip from Stornoway gave us nesting White-tailed Eagles and three Minke Whales feeding amongst a frenzy of Gannets, just metres from our boat – wonderful.

The stunningly beautiful Uig sands, north Harris and its dramatic mountains and always the hope of a Golden Eagle around the next corner, Red Deer on the skyline, seals in the bays, all three species of diver, a flock of over 40 Golden Plover feeding on the machair – so much to see and remember. This week exploring the Scottish Hebrides was voted a huge success by the group and deservedly so. A magical place with so much to offer, we all left with many memories and a tinge of sadness that it was all over.'

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May 2024

'Our “Peak District in Spring” tour treated us to wonderful scenery, verdant leafy woodlands, wide open moorlands and some history too' writes tour leader Matthew Capper. 'The weather forecast wasn't initially that promising but by the end, we had wall-to-wall sunshine that showed Britain's oldest national park at its very best.

The area holds some special birds and over the course of the weekend we watched Woodcock and Nightjar displaying at dusk, had Merlin, Whinchat, Red Grouse and Ring Ouzel on the moorlands and Wood Warbler, Redstart and Pied Flycatcher in the woodlands. All to a backdrop of bubbling Curlew, drumming Snipe and peewitting Lapwings.

It isn't part of the Peak District but we added variety and interest with a visit to the RSPB's chain of nature reserves in the nearby Dearne Valley. Here, the wetlands provided a very different spectacle with booming Bittern, displaying Marsh Harrier, nesting Avocet and Hobby hunting dragonflies right over our heads.

All in all, a magical way to spend a few days.'

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May 2024

'Sometimes the best moments on a Naturetrek trip are unplanned,' writes tour leader Pip O'Brien, 'and this year in the Cévennes we had just such a moment. Driving along a quiet road, we spotted a track going off to the right, near a good parking space. Time for a quick leg stretch before heading back across the plateau to our base near Florac. What we discovered was described by one person as like all the SSSIs in Britain rolled into one field. A total of 12 different types of orchids, the more we explored, the more we found: Frog Orchid, Man Orchid, Military Orchid, Monkey Orchid, the list just went on and on.

The Cévennes is one of the least populated areas in France, and the plants and wildlife reflect this. One member of the group noted that they were getting tired of hearing Cuckoos, while another pointed out there were so many orchids that they just became commonplace. The other joy of the Cévennes is the number of specialities amongst its flora, Cévennes Gentians, Cinquefoils, Saxifrages and Pasqueflowers to name but a few.

Some things never get old, however: watching dozens of swifts screaming around our charming family-run hotel before breakfast; spiralling vultures making use of the thermals; the sound of nightingales singing all day long; and the vast and varied landscape.'

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May 2024

'What a great trip!' writes tour leader Andy Smith. 'Starting in the mountains close to Almaty with Blue Whistling Thrush, Azure Tit, Meadow Bunting and a surprise Siberian Pit Viper, we moved on to the dry steppes and escarpments of the Charyn National Park with its rightly famous gorge. Here we saw Pallas’s Sandgrouse, Asian Desert Warblers, Pied Wheatears, Grey-necked Buntings, Mongolian Finches and some very impressive Siberian Ibex.

Next, it was over the border into charming Kyrgyzstan, where the serene beauty of the high Tien Shan Mountains blew us all away. Star birds here included Himalayan Snowcock, Güldenstädt’s Redstart, Himalayan Rubythroat and the iconic Ibisbill.

Back over the border and out into the steppes and semi deserts north-west of Almaty we found MacQueen’s Bustards, Greater Sand Plovers and Turkmen Gazelles, whilst the wetlands produced White-headed Ducks, White and Dalmatian Pelicans and a satisfying range of waders including more Temminck’s Stints than we knew what to do with. Towards the end of the trip, we explored Turunga woodland and Saxaul scrub up near Lake Balqash and saw such localised specialities as Yellow-eyed Pigeon, White-winged Woodpecker, Turkestan Tit and Saxaul Sparrow, whilst an impressive range of raptors along the way included Bearded Vulture, Himalayan Griffon, Shikra, Oriental Honey Buzzard and five species of eagle. All this plus interesting food, a rich culture and much, much more made for a trip to remember!'

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May 2024

'Our guests were set for a brilliant week, based in sumptuous surroundings at Málaga's perfectly situated Hotel Molina Lario, with outrageous views of the city's attractive historic quarter from the hotel's eighth-floor roof terrace bar and pool!' writes tour leader Niki Williamson. 'From our classy base, we explored the province's natural, historical, cultural and gastronomic highlights.

Wetlands teemed with rare Marbled and White-headed Ducks, Red-crested Pochards, Black-winged Stilts, Greater Flamingoes, Curlew Sandpipers, Little Stints, Gull-billed and Whiskered Terns and Black-necked Grebes with their stunning gold “carnival mask” breeding plumage. Low-intensity arable farmland was rich with wildflowers and insects, bringing in European Turtle Doves and Corn Buntings galore, Montagu's Harriers, Eurasian Hoopoe and Little Owl. 

In the rocky limestone crags to the north, we entered the realm of Bonelli's and Short-toed Eagles, Black and Black-eared Wheatears, Alpine Swift, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Bunting, Red-billed Choughs, Rock Petronias and strutting Spanish Ibex.

There's plenty to do in Andalucía´s vibrant would-be capital, and the group enjoyed exploring the best of the city's cultural heritage, including the cathedral, Alcazaba fortress and Picasso Museum.

And each evening, we chatted over our experiences while enjoying some of the region´s diverse and delicious flavours at some of the finest and best-known restaurants in the city.'

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May 2024

'On our 10-day tour of Romania's Danube Delta and Carpathian Mountains last month, there were surprises around every corner; in the Zărneşti Gorge, Chamois gazed down on us from vertiginous rock ledges, a Fire Salamander ambled unhurriedly across the path, and a flustered Jay drew our attention to a more composed Ural Owl' writes tour leader Emily Richens. 'Incorporating two stunning regions, this tour showcases a wealth of botanical and avian delights – not forgetting the furry brown mammals with whom we thankfully did not share our picnics!

Floating down the Danube Delta is magical. Our eyes were constantly drawn in every direction, from a Penduline Tit building its felted nest to a Musk Rat swimming right beside (and under) our boat! Extraordinary numbers of Great White and Dalmatian Pelicans breeding here make a mesmerising and awesome sight, even more so against the golden palette of sunrise. Handsome Red-footed Falcons, Hobbies, and European Rollers swooped overhead and all the while our ears were filled with the chorus of Marsh Frogs, chattering Whiskered Terns, and scratchy Great Reed Warblers. Golden Orioles, Thrush Nightingales and Bee-eaters added more dulcet tones to the soundtrack, and Cuckoos and Hoopoes contributed unobtrusive vocals. 

Drifting with the engine off treated us to intimate views of Black- and Red-necked Grebes amid the picturesque Yellow and White Water-lilies. A pristine Freya’s Purple Emperor was an unexpected find; other notable butterflies included Large Copper, Fenton’s Wood White, Oriental Marbled and Chequered Skippers. Orchids were similarly exceptional with Elder-flowered and Green-winged in the mountains, Lax-flowered in the Delta, and Greater Butterfly, Sword-leaved Helleborine and Bird’s Nest in the shady woods. Nothing failed to impress us here!'

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May 2024

‘On our first day, pristine summer plumage Great Northern Divers, gorgeous Slavonian Grebes, vocal Arctic Terns and a variety of moorland waders strutted their stuff and were easily visible from our comfortable lakeside hotel’ writes tour leader Neil McMahon. ‘The next day saw us progressing east and visiting the south coast waterfall of Skogafoss, powered by glacial meltwater with its attendant wheeling Fulmars and egg-stealing Ravens. Following an enjoyable lunch, we continued east and visited the scenic coastline at Dyrholaey and Reynisdrangar with its basalt columns and jagged stacks, black sand beach and crashing waves. This wonderful scenery was home to our first Ptarmigans, Puffins and nest-building Kittiwakes and auks plus Harbour Seal, Glaucous Gull and swift Arctic Skuas.

Amazing sunny conditions provided the perfect backdrop to our visits to Ingolfshofdi and Jokulsarlon. A black sand desert, close-up Puffins, menacing Great Skuas and ledge-hugging Brünnich's Guillemots were perhaps the avian highlights at Ingolfshofdi and the most amazing scenery, calving glaciers and icebergs rolling over in an impossibly blue lagoon, dominated the memories at Jokulsarlon – but confiding Snow Buntings, Harlequin Ducks, Red-necked Phalaropes and Iceland Gulls tried their best to compete!

Yellow weather warnings, powerful gusts and driving rain didn't help our expeditions during the next two days but perseverance still provided wildlife sightings of note as our checklist swelled and a close drake King Eider was a bonus at Hofn. Moving further east, we encountered herds of close Reindeer and migrating waders which included squadrons of Red Knot. The fields were grazed by Icelandic horses, sheep and plenty of Whooper Swans.

The last section of the tour saw us lodge next to Lake Mývatn, from where we visited the beautiful Laxa River with its confiding Barrow's Goldeneye, Harlequin Ducks and Red-necked Phalaropes, arguably Europe's biggest waterfall at Dettifoss, larva fields, hot springs, the waterfall at Godafoss and of course a whale-watching cruise from Husavík which provided views of three feeding Humpback Whales. We also squeezed in an opportunity to experience bathing in open-air geo-thermal pools, a crater walk at Hverfjall and plenty of birdwatching around the superb Lake Mývatn itself with bugling Long-tailed Ducks, soft-croaking Common Scoters and wailing Great Northern and Red-throated Divers. Wow, what a country!'

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