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The birding was really good, the otter on Jura was amazing! Neil was great, and his involvement was a contributory factor in us doing the trip for a second year.
H.B. Norfolk, Nov24
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Islay's Winter Wildfowl
Tour Code: GBR148A 5-day holiday to Islay focusing on the huge flocks of geese and other wildfowl that overwinter on this Scottish island.
5 days
from
£1,995 (Inc ferry)
£1,995 (Inc ferry)
Land only price
from
£1,995
£1,995
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
Islay offers some superb wildlife-watching, stunning scenery, fresh Atlantic air, and some of Scotland’s finest malt whiskies. Islay is arguably the most important place for wild geese in the British Isles. By late October, it is heaving with wildfowl and other waterbirds such as Black Guillemot and Greater Scaup, as well as raptors including Golden and White-tailed Eagles, and Hen Harrier.
- See the spectacle of world’s largest wintering Greenland White-fronted Goose population, plus flocks of up to 40,000 Barnacle Geese!
- Wonderful landscapes
- The chance to see a range of raptors such as Golden Eagle, White-tailed Eagle, Hen Harrier and Merlin
- Possibility of wintering divers & grebes
- Variety of sea ducks including Scaup and Common Scoter
- Resident populations of Deer, Seals, Hare and Otter
- Led by expert naturalist guides
Grading
This tour is not physically demanding, with only easy day walks being undertaken, although there may be some long days out.
The remote and beautiful Inner Hebridean island of Islay juts out like a finger from the west coast of Scotland, offering much in the way of landscape and character, making it a perfect getaway destination far from the rush of everyday life. Indeed it offers an intoxicating blend of superb wildlife-watching, stunning scenery and fresh Atlantic air, a truly unspoiled setting for some of the best and most iconic wildlife spectacles in the British Isles.
We will spend four nights here, enjoying the scenery and wildlife. Islay was described by the late Sir Peter Scott as ‘the most important place in the British Isles for wild geese, and one of the most important in Europe.’ The most southerly of the Inner Hebrides, Islay boasts a very varied landscape of mountains, moorland, woods and farmland, and has been described as the ‘Queen of the Hebrides’ — a fertile land teeming with breeding birds during the summer, and geese in the winter. It is during October when the geese start to arrive from their breeding grounds in the Arctic and, by November, Islay is heaving with wildfowl, among which the most numerous is the handsomely marked Barnacle Goose, which has been known to number up to 40,000 here. The next most numerous is the Greenland White-fronted Goose, and Islay holds the largest wintering population of this species anywhere in the world, with up to 10,000 birds being present! A dawn or dusk vigil at one of the goose roosts on the island is a humbling experience never to be forgotten, and among the vast flocks there is always the chance of finding something rarer, maybe a Snow Goose or ‘genuine’ Canada Goose from North America.
Other wildfowl also occur, and on the main sea lochs up to 1,000 Greater Scaup may be found. But it’s not only the wildfowl which are special here; other waterbirds we are likely to see include Great Northern and Black-throated Divers, Slavonian Grebe, Purple Sandpiper and Black Guillemot. Away from the water we will make a special effort to seek out Red-billed Chough, a small flock of Snow Bunting, and perhaps a roost of over 200 Ravens. Last, but not least, is the island’s remarkable variety of raptors, perhaps not surprising given the abundance of prey. During suitable flying weather, Golden Eagles are almost guaranteed and views can be nothing short of spectacular. Hen Harrier, Merlin and Peregrine are also regularly seen, while there is an outside chance of a wandering White-tailed Eagle.
The superb single malt whiskies, which some argue are the finest in the world, are an added pleasure offered by this small Hebridean island. Alongside the superb scenery, truly spectacular wildfowl gatherings and a host of other wildlife, it’s easy to see why Islay is one of our favourite British destinations, and we’re sure you’ll share our enjoyment of this winter wildlife feast!
Outline Itinerary
Day 1
Meet Glasgow, transfer to Islay
Day 2/4
Islay
Day 5
Depart Islay, return to Glasgow
What's Included?
- Ferries
- Accommodation:
Accommodation is in a comfortable hotel in double and twin bedded rooms, all with private bathroom facilities. Rooms for single person occupancy are subject to availability and a supplementary cost.
- Food:
Breakfasts and dinners are included, from breakfast on day 2 to breakfast on day 5. Lunches are at additional cost, as is the evening meal on the ferry on day 1.
Reviews
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All the wildlife was great - eagles were amazing to see. Our guide, Neil, was brilliant, taking us to wonderful locations around Islay and Jura with some fantastic wildlife sightings. Our day trip to Jura was my highlight, in particular an amazing otter experience; I loved the scenery, peace and tranquillity of the island. The Port Charlotte Hotel was excellent, staff attentive and accommodating. - very comfortable and fantastic food.
M.P. North Somerset, Nov24
Dates & Prices
2025
Departures
Availability
Cost
Thu 6th Nov – Mon 10th Nov
5
£1,995
Land only cost:
The "Land Only" cost is the tour price you will pay if you choose to arrange your own flights/transport.
£1,995
Single Room Supplement:
Single Room Supplement.
£545
Tour Leader:
Please note that, whilst we assign leaders to particular tours well in advance, we reserve the right to make changes if necessary
Paul McDougall
Tour Leader: Paul McDougall
Paul has enjoyed a life-long interest in wildlife, particularly birds and mammals. Paul grew up in Oxfordshire and spent much of his childhood out in the countryside looking for birds. He travelled to South Africa at the age of 18 when he developed a keen interest in photography, before moving to Kenya where he guided wildlife photography trips for several years. Paul is now a full-time professional photographer and lives in Scotland where he enjoys guiding tours, giving talks and training, and leading wildlife photography workshops. When not leading Naturetrek tours, he can usually be found photographing his local wildlife, or visiting his second home of Kenya to photograph the more exotic species found there! Paul has also travelled extensively across 27 African countries as well as to India, Finland, Nepal and Canada, all in search of specific wildlife species to hopefully capture on camera. Paul is also the author of the best-selling book 'The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Wildlife Photography – from taking a shot to capturing a moment'.
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The majority of our wildlife tours focus primarily on birds, allowing us to offer a huge choice of bird holidays. On most of our birdwatching tours we aim to see a wide variety of species, while taking time to enjoy other wildlife as well as cultural highlights and architecture.
Naturetrek Birdwatching Tours
We have one of the largest selections of professionally organised, small group birdwatching holidays around the world and all of our birdwatching tours are accompanied by at least one professional ornithologist leader with detailed knowledge of the area.
The majority of our bird tours have a relaxed, flexible approach which allows more time for photography, detailed wildlife exploration, leisure time and the region’s people, culture, history and architecture, while allowing the group to see a wide range of bird species.
Here is a small selection of our many bird holidays:
- Southern Morocco – an exploration of the birdlife in Morocco’s southern deserts, oases and mountains
- The Camargue in Spring – a short break to enjoy the spring birds of the Rhône Delta and Camargue wetland
- Wallcreepers & Cranes in Northern Spain – a 2-centre holiday focusing on Lammergeier, Wallcreepers, raptors, Cranes, bustards, sandgrouse and more!
- Madeira & Desertas Islands – A Seabird Extravaganza! – a short break focusing on special breeding seabirds, including a night on the remote Destertas Islands
- Peru – Macaws & Machu Picchu – searches for boobies, macaws and Inca Terns
- Spain & Morocco: Birding on Two Continents! – watch the spectacular spring bird migration from both sides of the Straits of Gibraltar
Our Bargain Birdwatching Selection
Our Bargain Bird Tours are intensive birdwatching holidays suitable for the serious birder. They are led by expert English-speaking local guides (and not accompanied from the UK by a tour leader). You can expect a higher-paced tour and to spend long hours in the field.
Our specialist recommends...
"Try Coto Doñana & Extremadura for an excellent introduction to Europe's wetland and steppe birds. I would recommend our bargain holiday, 'Nepal – A Birdwatching Tour' for those interested in Siberian rarities and Ibisbill, while Costa Rica offers a chance to search for arguably the world's most beautiful bird, the Resplendent Quetzal."
Byron Palacios - Tour Leader
Byron Palacios - Tour Leader
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Flight-free Wildlife Holidays
At Naturetrek we make full use of the Eurostar rail service through the channel tunnel, and of the ferry routes between England’s south coast and France and Spain, to offer a range of ‘flightless’ wildlife holidays in Belgium, Holland, France and Spain. In addition, we also offer the widest selection of wildlife holidays within the UK, none of which require a flight to participate in. Therefore, if you prefer not to fly, for whatever reason, we have a range of varied and exciting wildlife holidays for you to choose from, and we are committed to regularly adding more.
It is also the case that many of our other holidays within Europe are also accessible by rail. Generally, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and we’d be pleased to offer advice to anybody who wishes to join any of our tours within Europe by a means other than flying!
Our specialist recommends...
"Our Picos & Plains tour offers an environmentally-friendly route down to Spain for some excellent birding and cetacean-watching. More broadly, we’re very keen for Naturetrek to offer the most dynamic, market-leading carbon-reduced holidays available, and we hope you enjoy browsing our list of no-flight wildlife holidays!”
Kerrie Porteous - Operations Manager
Kerrie Porteous - Operations Manager
Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
Enquire
Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
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