London Bird Club: Coach Trips 2015/2016

Fantastic guided day trips from London for British Wildlife

 

For ease of reference, I have copied below into my blog an extract of the forthcoming coach trips. Visit the website for more details http://www.lnhs.org.uk/ and also consider becoming a member of the London Natural History Society (LNHS). Non LNHS members are welcome.
 

7 May 2016 Sat.  Dungeness for passage sea birds and migrants, with chance of rarities. Previous trips have produced Whiskered Tern, Gull-billed Tern, Great White Egret and White Stork. Neil Anderson. Meet 08.00 at Embankment Underground Stn. Bring lunch. £20 to leader. Permit fee for non-RSPB members.

25 June 2016 Sat.  Strumpshaw Fen for warblers, Bittern, Marsh Harrier,

Swallowtails and Norfolk Hawker, maybe Otter, Chinese Water Deer, Water Vole. Neil Anderson. Coach trip 08.00 from Embankment Underground Stn. Bring lunch. £20 to leader (contact details page 15). Fee for RSPB Reserve for non-RSPB members.

More details below.

Images below of Brent Geese and Sanderling are from the London Bird Club Coach trip to Holkham NNR in Norfolk on Saturday 16 January 2016.

 

NOTES

Changes to the Programme

Changes are posted on the LNHS website (www.lnhs.org.uk). Changes are also posted (for members only) on its message board and in the newsletter.

 

Coach Trips

These go to well-known wildlife sites in the South and East of England. Bookings must be made in advance using the booking form that is mailed to members. It can also be downloaded from the LNHS website. Members can bring guests (at the same rate per person) so long as they are included on the booking form. The coach trip organiser is Neil Anderson TEL: (020) 8578 2464. neil@anders42.freeserve.co.uk

Members are asked not to travel to coach meetings independently, although in some cases the organiser may be prepared to allow this if application is made in advance.

Coaches normally leave from the road alongside the south entrance to Embankment Underground station. Occasionally they can pick up at a second point en route on the outskirts of London (check with organiser). Bear in mind that engineering work and weekend line closures are taking place on the Underground - please check in advance whether your route to Embankment station will be affected.

 

The London Bird Club (LBC) is a part of the London Natural History Society (LNHS). See www.lnhs.org.uk The LBC and LNHS have a varied program of walks, talks and coach trips many of which are free and these are open to non members. People can join these walks by reaching the location at the stated meet up point using the good public transport infrastructure in London. For specially arranged coach trips there is a charge for the cost of transport.

I have over the years joined many of these events and seen a lot and learnt a lot from walk leaders and others who join these walks. It’s a wonderful way to spend time on the week end and especially so if you are interested in wildlife. It’s also a terrific way to accelerate your learning and upping your skill levels if you are looking to pursue a career in field biology or conservation. As someone very keen on wildlife photography, I have found them useful to learn locations and how to find subjects for photography.

In addition a varied programme of events, members also receive three high quality publications, The London Naturalist its annual journal, the annual London Bird Report, a fact filled chunky tome published annually, and a quarterly slim Newsletter. Members get a lot for what is a relatively modest annual membership fee.

The images below were taken on the coach trip to HIckling Broad on 6th June 2015. Black-tailed Skimmer, Broad-bodied Chaser, Four-spotted Chaser, Painted Lady, Swallowtail and Wall Brown.

 

 

 

RSPB Central London Events: March - August 2016

I have copied below details of the Central London Group of the RSPB who organize a super programme of talks and field trips in which I participate in. For more details click here.


Thursday 10th March 2016. ‘A Very Fine Swan Indeed: Art, Science & The Unfeathered Bird’ by Katrina van Grouw
The Unfeathered Bird is a unique combination of art and science aimed at anyone with an interest in birds or bird art. Join Katrina van Grouw as she discusses her inspirations for the book, and the 25-year journey to create it. Katrina is an artist, taxidermist, bird ringer, author and former curator of the ornithological collections at London’s Natural History Museum. Venue: St. Columba's Church Hall, Pont St. London SW1. Doors open 6.15pm, talk starts 6.45pm. £4.00 RSPB members, £5.00 non-members.



Tuesday 15th March, at the Chiswick Pier Trust. ‘The Life of the Swift’, a talk by Catherine Day of the RSPB Central London Local Group and Brenna Boyle of Wild Capital
Did you know that swifts spend their whole lives on the wing, landing only to nest and rear their young; that they mate for life and return to the same nest site each year; and that they are the world’s fastest bird in level flight? Come and learn more about these fascinating birds, the new Chiswick Swift Project and how you can help these iconic summer visitors. Click Here for more information.

Venue: Chiswick Pier Trust, The Pier House, Corney Reach Way, London W4 2UG. 7pm for 7.30pm. Free to CPT Members. £3 to non-members. Refreshments will be available. 


Saturday 9th April 2016. Day trip to Oare Marshes
09.07am train from Victoria (arrives Faversham 10.29am, check nearer the day) then we will take a bus or share taxis to Oare. Possible garganey, ruff, avocet, yellow wagtail, warblers. Toilets at Faversham. Bring lunch. Leader: Andrew Peel. No need to book.


Thursday 14th April 2016. ‘Hen harriers and grouse shooting’ by Dr Mark Avery
Mark is a scientist by training and a naturalist by inclination. He worked for the RSPB for 25 years and was its Conservation Director for nearly 13 years. Expect passion and huge knowledge when he speaks to us about the campaign to ban driven grouse shooting which is persecuting the hen harrier to the edge of extinction in England. He will also describe the other negative effects of intensive management of upland areas for grouse shooting. . Venue: St. Columba's Church Hall, Pont St. London SW1. Doors open 6.15pm, talk starts 6.45pm. £4.00 RSPB members, £5.00 non-members.


Saturday 23rd April 2016. Coach trip to Paxton Pits, Cambs
Lakes, meadow, grassland, scrub and woodland by the River Great Ouse. The place for singing nightingales. Warblers, all 3 woodpeckers, cuckoo, peregrine. Visitor centre, shop, tearoom, toilets. Requested donation £2.50. Coach leaves Embankment Station at 8am. Booking essential, contact Derik Palmer on 07768 121 435, or email cllgcoachbookings@gmail.com. CLLG members £18.00, non-members £20.00.


Thursday 12th May 2016. AGM, Summer Social Evening and Talk
Our AGM (6.45–7.15pm) will be followed by our talk, ‘All about House Sparrows’ by Jacqueline Weir, Woodland Biodiversity Adviser at the RSPB. This charismatic bird has disappeared from large swathes of London life. Jacqueline will talk about the findings of the recent London House Sparrow Project and will describe current research to try and get to the bottom of the problem. Food and drinks will follow the talk. Venue: St. Columba's Church Hall, Pont St. London SW1. Doors open 6.15pm, talk starts 6.45pm. £4.00 RSPB members, £5.00 non-members, plus £1 for food.


Saturday 14th May 2016. Coach trip to WWT Welney, Norfolk
Waders inc. avocet, and wildfowl, poss. garganey. Warblers, yellow wagtail, cuckoo, hobby, peregrine and marsh harrier. Visitor centre and café. Entry £6.17 for non-WWT members. Coach leaves Embankment Station at 8am. Booking essential, contact Derik Palmer on 07768 121 435, or email cllgcoachbookings@gmail.com. CLLG members £18.00, non-members £20.00.


Saturday 11th June 2016. Coach trip to Ashdown Forest, E. Sussex
Heath, grassland, bog, scrub, woodland. Hobby, tree pipit, warblers, woodlark, and redstart. Dragonflies and butterflies. Toilets at Forest Centre and Information Barn. Booking essential. Coach leaves Embankment Station at 8am. Booking essential, contact Derik Palmer on 07768 121 435, or email cllgcoachbookings@gmail.com. CLLG members £18.00, non-members £20.00.


Saturday July 2nd 2016. Day trip to Spade Oak Nature Reserve, Little Marlow, Bucks, and Cookham, Berks
Meet at Paddington Railway Station 9.30am for 9.42 train to Maidenhead.and connection to Bourne End. Visit nature reserve then walk along Thames and return from Cookham. For half day, return from Bourne End. Check times nearer the day. Red kites, hirundines, common tern, water fowl, possible waders and hobby. Toilets. Shops in Cookham. Pub near reserve. Leader: Catherine Day. No need to book.


Saturday 9th July 2016. Coach trip to Wicken Fen, Cambs
Ancient fenland habitat. Meadows, sedge and reed beds. Hobby, marsh and hen harrier, grasshopper warbler, poss turtle dove. Dragonflies and butterflies. wildflowers and watervole. Toilets, café, hides. Entry £5.75 for non NT members. Booking essential. Coach leaves Embankment Station at 8am. Booking essential, contact Derik Palmer on 07768 121 435, or email cllgcoachbookings@gmail.com. CLLG members £18.00, non-members £20.00.


Saturday 13th August 2016. Coach trip to Rye Harbour, E. Sussex
Seashore, shingle, grassland, lagoons. Seabirds inc.common, Sandwich and little terns, waders and wildfowl, poss. wheatear and yellow wagtail. Hides. Café near coach park. Toilets. Suggested donation £1. Booking essential. Coach leaves Embankment Station at 8am. Booking essential, contact Derik Palmer on 07768 121 435, or email cllgcoachbookings@gmail.com. CLLG members £18.00, non-members £20.00.

 

London Bird ClubTrip Report: Holkham National Nature Reserve (16th Jan 2016) By Neil Anderson

London Bird Club:  Report on Coach Trip Holkham National Nature Reserve

Saturday 16^th January 2016

Neil Anderson

As is often the pattern the first coach trip of the year was almost fully booked though at the last minute there were a few cancellations for health reasons and a couple fearing it would be too cold. The forecast did look bitter but the day was a beautiful winter's day; lots of sunshine until mid afternoon when it clouded up. It was quite blowy in the bay (and a rough, choppy sea) but landward of the shelter belt it felt very pleasant and not particularly cold- I even removed my gloves as we headed back inland!

 Before we even arrived at Holkham, England's largest NNR (nearly 10,000 acres) Frosso had spotted a flying Barn Owl just before 11am. Everybody had good views of Barn Owls at Holkham. In some cases the owl found them and flew very close. In total we must have seen three or four different individuals. This is always a top site for seeing this charismatic species.

High tide fell just before we arrived so I had advised we make our way there first. However with so much bird life either side of Lady Anne's Drive it was a slower walk than hoped for with plenty of wildfowl and waders to distract us. There were small groups of "purring" Dark-bellied Brent Geese and large flocks of Wigeon. At times we saw large numbers of Wigeon flying around in the distance turning almost like a flock of waders.

Normally we see huge numbers of Pinkfeet here but today the numbers were much fewer than usual and the birds more distant. The Lapwing looked splendid in the low sunshine living up to their old name of Green Plover. Also present were some 50 Redshank, 3 Ruff (confusing some as to their identity), Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Dunlin and a couple of Oystercatcher. As well as the birds we were able to watch the antics of a Brown Hare and others spotted Muntjac.

 

Given the number of birds present it's no surprise that the area is also a magnet for raptors with many in the air at once. These included several Marsh Harriers and Buzzards, a Red Kite spotted by Ben (my first here), Kestrel and a Peregrine.

Exiting the boardwalk into the expansive Holkham Bay we felt the wind hit us- but it wasn't bitter despite coming from a northerly direction. The saltmarsh yielded little apart from a Skylark and a Meadow Pipit. Navigating the way towards the dunes was tricky for those without wellies due to the streams passing down to the sea.

As mentioned the sea was very rough which made finding seabirds tricky. There were some large rafts of duck but all those I saw were Wigeon- several hundred of them, though others saw a few Common Scoter. Otherwise I picked up five Red-throated Divers flying over the water and the odd Cormorant.

While most of us had our eyes focused on the sea Frosso looked to her left and spotted a small group of birds landing by the stream. As we all looked round there was a whoop of excitement as they were identified as Snow Buntings. It's always a thrill to see these northern passerines as they move along feeding on small seeds. Initially we counted 14 of them but later as the group moved around we eventually tallied 25. Also on the beach was a large group of whitish Sanderling feeding along the stream.

We decided to have lunch in the shelter of the hides. Walking along the path there were some large mixed flocks of Coal and Long-tailed Tits with Goldcrests and a couple of Treecreepers; one of the latter giving superb views a few metres in front of us just a couple of metres off the ground.. For the botanically minded quite a few Stinking Hellebores were flowering. The first small pool provided the usual couple of Goldeneye and several Little Grebes. From the first hide we had views of Grey Partridge and from the second a Great White Egret (another Holkham first for me, though the species is now an increasing visitor to the UK and breeding in small numbers on the Somerset Levels) feeding by a large pool and I picked out several Eurasian Whitefronts mixed with some other geese.

Returning to Lady Anne's Drive we scanned the fields having more views of foraging Barn Owls, a pair of Stonechat and a small flock of Golden Plover flew up with a large group of Lapwing.

 

 

As we headed back Wendy had asked us to look at a bird of prey further down. It had disappeared but sitting on a distant bush was a largish raptor with a very pale head and breast and dark chestnut belly. It was clearly a Buteo species but which one. We never saw it fly, but it did look good for Rough-legged Buzzard (several present in Norfolk at the time) but of course Common Buzzard can be very variable and there was a more normal type sitting ahead of the bird in question. When I got home and looked at some images of one of the Rough-legged Buzzards from Norfolk that day it did look a deadringer for the bird we saw. Was it our bird- perhaps? Frustrating we didn't see it in flight.

A great day out in one of our favourite wintering birding sites! Maybe join us on a future coach trip where we look at all the birds and other fauna and flora in season.

 

Notes
The London Bird Club is one of the sections of the London Natural History Society (LNHS). Membership of the LNHS automatically entitles members to participate in events organised by the sections which also include Botany, Ecology & Entomology and The Bookham Common Survey.

For membership of the LNHS see www.lnhs.org.uk

  

 

 Images (c) Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne

London Bird Club Trip Report: Hickling Broad (6th June 2015) by Neil Anderson

London Bird Club:  Report on Coach Trip to Hickling Broad

Saturday 6^th June 2015

Neil Anderson

 

 

A month or so before this trip there was a real possibility of having to cancel it due to few members booking. This would have been a shame but numbers picked up and 36 people got to enjoy Hickling Broad, the largest of the Norfolk Broads. North of Great Yarmouth the reserve is based on the Upper Thurne river system and is managed by the Norfolk Wildlife Trust.

The weather was dry, fairly overcast but with brief sunny intervals though very blustery which wasn't so good for insect observations.

As is typical of most East Anglian wetlands these days Marsh Harriers were omnipresent and much enjoyed as they hunted over the marshes. At one point a Red Kite was flying with two of the Marsh Harriers. Hobbies were seen several times, usually hurtling past at great speed, ignoring Swifts but chasing insects. Other raptors seen were a Sparrowhawk carrying a small bird in its talons, Buzzard, Kestrel and a few saw a Peregrine.

Reed Buntings and Reed Warblers were often heard singing from the reedbeds while a few of us had brief sightings of Bearded Tits. As we looked into the distance to the broad where there were boats we saw a large flock of Mute Swans and Greylag, some Common Terns fishing and also Avocets flying up. After lunch Jenny and her friend enjoyed one of the organised boat trips which they found relaxing.

Around the muddy margins of many of the pools were the very distinctive yellow appropriately named flowers of Buttonweed. This neophyte hails originally from South Africa and was dominant in the margins.

Entering the first hide I saw my first Swallowtail of the trip as it flew low over the reed tops. Hardly a great view but at least it was one, having failed to see them on our last trip to Strumpshaw Fen. As we left the hide other members had located one along the boardwalk in front of us as it nectared on a small yellow crucifer. This gave excellent views and then another individual was settled on a Yellow Iris a little further away. A brief chase then ensued between them. Despite the strong winds it turned into a good day for seeing Swallowtails with maybe ten or so sighted. Marsh Thistles was another favourite nectar plant and some good photographs were taken by some members.

A few people also saw Painted Ladies by the thistles on a day when there was quite an influx into the country with good numbers passing through Portland and many sites on London Birders reporting them. Red Admiral and the declining Wall were also noted.

 

 

In the shelter of marginal vegetation quite a few Azure and Blue-tailed Damselflies were seen in the pools and just a solitary Large Red Damselfly. Dragonflies were largely represented by abundant Four-spotted Chasers though Broad-bodied Chaser and Black-tailed Skimmer were about in small numbers.

As we walked around the path Joan was convinced there was a distant Lion sitting under a tree! Given this was Norfolk and not the Serengeti I wasn't convinced. It was certainly a large mammal but eventually revealed its true identity as a horse. Konik Ponies and other types of horse were being used for grazing on the reserve. A single Chinese Water Deer was seen by most of the group

A plant I don't see too often was quite dominant in a couple of places- Climbing Corydalis. More surprising was a single Corn Marigold in full flower by a gate. I'm not sure where this came from as there were no cornfield mixes seen nearby.

Close to a gate a pair of Red-legged Partridges showed well while on the other side of the road was a pair of Oystercatchers in a cultivated field. A lucky few managed to see a pair of Cranes with a chick. Little Egrets were plentiful here as in many places these days.

Hickling Broad is a magical place with lots to offer a naturalist so maybe join us on the next trip here. Everybody had an enjoyable day out.

 

Notes

The London Bird Club is one of the sections of the London Natural History Society (LNHS). Membership of the LNHS automatically entitles members to participate in events organised by the sections which also include Botany, Ecology & Entomology and The Bookham Common Survey.

 For membership of the LNHS see www.lnhs.org.uk

 

 Images (c) Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne

London Bird Club Trip Report: Rye Harbour (18th Jan 2015) by Neil Anderson

London Bird Club:  Report on Coach Trip to Rye Harbour NatureReserve

Saturday 18^th January 2015

 

Neil Anderson

 

It was great for a change to set off in beautiful settled conditions with blue skies and plenty of sunshine. Whereas mid-week had seen some very warm summery temperatures it was tempered on this day by some blustery easterly winds..

We had a different coach driver to normal. Competent at driving but his navigation was not so hot. Fortunately after going around a brace of roundabouts a couple of times as we neared Rye we were able to steer back on course and we only lost about five minutes.

 

Walking along Rye Harbour Road we scanned the purslane beside the Rother for Yellow Wagtails but sadly none were seen though a single Meadow Pipit landed here. Looking the other way opposite the information centre was much more productive. Three Avocets actively fed in the water while behind the pool there were three Whimbrel and a Golden Plover moulting into breeding plumage. Ringed Plovers, Redshank, Oystercatchers and a small flock of Dunlin were other waders noted in this area. As birds flew up a Peregrine passed through which the volunteer said roosts on the cliffs at Hastings. As we moved along another ten Whimbrel flew in giving some good views.

Also seen here were three Wheatears sitting on a fence + dropping down to feed. Quite a few Linnets and some Skylarks also frequented the short turf and sparsely vegetated shingle. The first of quite a few Swallows passed over into the stiff wind- always a welcome sight.

The Ternery Pool was full of activity as expected at this time of year. Large numbers of Black-headed Gulls were in occupation of many of the islands with several pairs of their larger cousins, the Mediterranean Gull. This fairly recent colonist is such a handsome bird in breeding plumage. We did witness one pair mating and when flying above us in the blue sky they looked brilliant white with a black head. The calls too are pretty distinctive.

 

On one of the small circular islands 18 Common Terns were roosting while on the near bank adjacent to the hide were c100 Sandwich Terns. Twice we observed all the terns fly up in a noisy panic, the flock tightening up. At first we thought maybe the Peregrine had returned but as the many Oystercatchers which were next to the terns stayed put, this theory didn't seem likely. No obvious cause could be found but it was impressive watching the terns swirl around.

 

Also from here there were several immature Black-tailed Godwits, three Bar-tailed Godwits on an island and a single Grey Plover. At least three members were lucky to see two Cuckoos silently fly from near one of the hides.

 

The small woodland area was fairly quiet with Blackcap and Chiffchaff singing. Walking down the track beside the Long Pit we heard several Whitethroats with a couple revealing themselves- the first of the year for many of us. Sedge and several resident Cetti's Warblers were also heard singing.

Several of us decided to walk back up the road to visit Castle Water. Behind a rather unsightly large factory we followed the footpath to where we believed the viewing point was situated. After some initial confusion due to the vegetation growing up we did find the right spot. A Garganey which had been present wasn't spotted but we did see a pair of Marsh Harriers over the reeds and heard our first Reed Warbler from a small pool where a pair of Coots had some chicks. A lucky few from the group heard a booming Bittern earlier in the day here.

 

This area was more sheltered from the wind so we did find quite a few butterflies with Peacock the most numerous. Also recorded were Small Tortoiseshell, Small and Green-veined White and my first male Orange Tip. The short sward was a purple haze of Ground Ivy flowering which was appreciated by the various bees.

 

Returning to our bus several people treated themselves in the Gallery café while those of us dedicated to our craft saw our first House Martin of the year.

 

A great day out to a fine reserve but sadly not well supported. Only 27 members booked of whom 24 were able to make it on the day. Hopefully future trips will receive more bookings as without support of members (and their friends) the future of such trips will be in jeopardy which would be a tragedy. Thanks to all who supported and enjoyed this day out.

 

Notes
The London Bird Club is one of the sections of the London Natural History Society (LNHS). Membership of the LNHS automatically entitles members to participate in events organised by the sections which also include Botany, Ecology & Entomology and The Bookham Common Survey.

 

For membership of the LNHS see www.lnhs.org.uk

 

 Images (c) Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne

Red Data Book Species & Conservation. Free Lecture Series, Birkbeck Spring 2016

Ecology and Conservation Studies Society, Birkbeck Free Lecture Series: Spring 2016
Red Data Book Species and conservation

 

Six Friday evenings. Feb 5th to 11th March. 18:30 to 20:00. Lecture Theatre B35, Birkbeck, University of London, Torrington Square.

[Gehan's Comments: I have copied here the programme for the Spring 2016 Free Friday evening lecture series. I have attended many of the talks in the free lecture series at Birkbeck on Ecology and Conservation held in Spring and Autumn. I think they are brilliant. A chance to listen to some of the world’s leading experts who are based in the UK explaining their work to a public audience. Some of the lectures I have attended in the past have been be a little techy but most of them would be intelligible to an informed audience].

Species conservation is embedded in national and international regulations, but does this achieve good representation of biodiversity? For example, invertebrates are not well catered for, let alone many fungi. Can we conserve the Great Crested Newt by translocation without providing for maintenance of both the ponds and terrestrial habitat that it needs? Or does the protection of species such as the Violet Click-beetle act as a flagship to conserve the whole suite of veteran tree biota? Are Red Data Book species the best indicators or flagships of biodiversity value, or should we rather examine concepts like “ecological engineers”. What of widespread species that may be declining un-noticed? This series examines the questions around the protection of threatened species.

Feb 19th "Red-listing the English flora - a better approach to conservation prioritisation?"

Fred Rumsey, Natural History Museum.


Feb 26th "Has being a European Protected Species helped the great crested newt?”
Brian Banks, MIEEM, Director, Flag Ecology.

March 4th “The return of the native; the reintroduction of the short-haired bumblebee”.

Nikki Gammans, Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

March 11th “Action for Species – the RSPB’s Species Recovery Programme”.

Hannah Ward, RSPB.


COMPLETED LECTURES

Feb 5th “To protect or not to protect? Extinction risk, Red Lists and the agony of choice”.

Monika Böhm, Indicators & Assessments Unit, Institute of Zoology.

Feb 12th “Stinking Hawk’s-beard, species recovery – the inside story”

Brian Ferry, Royal Holloway University of London.


A reading list will be available later. To receive this, please email ecssoc@gmail.com or consult the website, or pick up a copy at one of the lectures.

 Bee Orchid photographed on a walk with Graham Loasby in Soham. This image is not related to the talks above, but illustrates how many local communities volunteers to manage reserves such as Soham for their plants.

Cairngorm National Park in Carrbridge near Aviemore – Dalrachney Lodge Hotel

I received this note addressed to the committee and members of the London Bird Club from Gordon & Trixie Taylor of the Dalrachney Lodge Hotel. I have copied it below as it may be of interest to others planning a wildlife holiday to Scotland. (Note. At the time of writing, I have not visited his hotel).

To the Committee and Members of the London Bird Club

We have a lovely Edwardian Hotel set in 3 acres of land in the Highlands of Scotland within the Cairngorm National Park in Carrbridge near Aviemore – Dalrachney Lodge Hotel.  We are lucky to be in one of the most picturesque parts of Scotland which happens to be teeming with wildlife!

www.dalrachney.co.uk

 Together with local providers we will be organising  bird watching/Wildlife and photography field trips, which can include talks in the evening at the Hotel.  One of our partners specialises in bespoke trips for 2-6 people and others cater for larger group trips.

From nesting Wetland Birds and Waders in the Spring to watching the White Mountain Hare in the snow, Red Deer on the hillside and photography with Colin Prior, there are many types of trips that can be arranged to suit you and/or your Group.

We have 12 double/twin bedrooms plus a two bedroomed cottage, so if you are a larger Group, it is like having a Country House all to yourself – with our Chef to cook dinner for you of course!!

Whether it’s an overnight stay or a week long trip, you decide the length of stay you want, and we will contact our partners to help tailor make the trip to your requirements.  If you are organising group trips and would like to come and see us for a site visit, let us know and we be happy to give you a discount on overnight accommodation (in low/mid season).

We are sure that Dalrachney Lodge together with our local partners can provide you with a wonderful holiday.  You can view our great reviews on TripAdvisor – click here

Please do drop us an e-mail or call us on 01479 841252 if we can be of service.

Kind regards

Gordon & Trixie Taylor
Dalrachney Lodge Hotel
01479 841252
www.dalrachney.co.uk