Snow flurries still occurred throughout May, much to the wildlife’s surprise. Migrant bird such as Cuckoo and Flycatchers were establishing breeding grounds. Swallows, Warblers and Swift were later arriving in the area due to the strange wind directions, but have since been very active since arriving back, with ‘screams’ of the Swifts heard throughout the area.
Pied Flycatcher (Kate M)
Speyside Wildlife had our three weeks of Spring birds’ holidays with some changeable weather each week but still great wildlife sightings. Trips around the Cairngorms in search of summer migrants such as Dotterel, Slavonian Grebe, Pied Flycatcher where Cuckoo was forever present, and Warblers seen nest building in woodlands.
Creeping (trailing) Azalea (Kate M)
As the temperatures warmed up, the wildflowers started to appear on the forest floor and on grass verges. The first to appear in woodlands, Wood Anemone and Wood Sorrel, with their white flowers that carpet the ground. A walk up into the altitude of the Cairngorm mountains you could see Cowberry and Creeping (Trailing) Azalea. The azalea, with its tiny pink flowers creep along the montane terrain, having to be careful not to tread on these delicate flowers.
Twin Flower (Kate M)
Another important wildflower in the national park is the tiny but beautiful, Twin flower. As the name suggests, the stem separates at the top to display two tiny pink flowers. Twin flower is now a rare sight in the UK with only a few sights in Scotland holding these flowers that prefer the ancient Caledonian forests. Organisations such as Plantlife Scotland are working to protect the pockets of these flowers from further extinction.
The Cairngorms National Park is the perfect place to explore all year and especially the Summer months. To explore this area, you can book a Day Guide with us to explore and search for our most loved species that call it home.
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