Perthshire 4 Species Summer Workshop

with Paul McDougall

Perthshire 4 Species Summer Workshop

Mountain Hare, Beaver, Red Squirrel and Pine Marten

Location: Perthshire
Duration: 1 Day
Time of Year: July
Price: £380

Perthshire is right in the centre of Scotland and easily reached from Scotland’s cities. It is on the border of the Highlands and fertile Lowlands and so contains the wildlife found in both these areas, ensuring there is lots to see!

Perthshire, often dubbed the “Big County” due to its vast and varied landscape, serves as a vital sanctuary for a wide array of fascinating wildlife. Among the creatures that call this region home are mountain hares, beavers, red squirrels, and pine martens. Each species plays a unique role in the local ecosystem and adds to the rich tapestry of Perthshire’s natural heritage.

**Mountain Hares**

Mountain hares are iconic inhabitants of the Scottish Highlands, including the uplands of Perthshire. These agile mammals, well adapted to cold climates, change their coat colour with the seasons—from a brownish hue in the summer to a striking white in the winter, providing effective camouflage against predators. Their presence is a sign of the health of the moorland habitats. Mountain hares are particularly active during dawn and dusk, feeding on heather, grasses, and young shoots.

**Beavers**

After centuries of absence, beavers have made a triumphant return to the Scottish countryside, with Perthshire being one of the key areas for their reintroduction. These industrious rodents are known for their impressive dam-building skills, which create wetlands that benefit a myriad of other species. Beavers’ activities help to manage water flow, reduce flooding, and improve water quality. The ecosystem engineering done by beavers has led to increased biodiversity, supporting amphibians, fish, and birds.

**Red Squirrels**

Perthshire is one of the strongholds for red squirrels in the UK, a species that has seen a decline elsewhere due to competition from the non-native grey squirrel. These charming creatures, with their russet fur and tufted ears, are often seen darting through the trees in ancient woodlands and conifer forests. Red squirrels play a crucial role in forest regeneration by dispersing seeds. Conservation efforts in Perthshire focus on habitat management and grey squirrel control to ensure the survival of this native species.

**Pine Martens**

Once nearly extinct in the UK, pine martens are making a remarkable recovery in Scotland, with Perthshire being a significant area for their resurgence. These elusive and agile predators have a varied diet that includes small mammals, birds, insects, and fruit. Pine martens prefer wooded habitats and are excellent climbers, often residing in tree cavities or abandoned nests. They play an important role in controlling rodent populations and their presence is an indicator of a healthy woodland ecosystem.

The diverse wildlife of Perthshire, from the high-altitude mountain hares to the industrious beavers, charming red squirrels, and elusive pine martens, highlights the region’s ecological richness.
I have teamed up with a local wildlife expert and guide to facilitate this Workshop who lives in the area and has been guiding in Perthshire for years.

On this Full day workshop, we will meet in Blairgowrie at 5am. We will start our day looking for one of the local beaver families feeding along the river. We will locate a family and spend time with them capturing images and using the early morning light to create something very different. After the beavers we will head up into the mountains and start our search for the incredible Mountain Hares. The walk for the hares can be tough and will always include a steep climb, so a reasonable level of fitness is required. We will hope to locate some hares and spend some time gaining their trust and photographing them feeding or relaxing in the heather and grassland.

The next part of the day is quite flexible. It will all depend on how productive the morning has been with the beavers and the hares and how much time we have available. If time permits, we will explore one of the many wildlife rich areas of Perthshire. Late afternoon we will make our way to a hide where we will spend the remainder of the workshop. Our focus early on will be the Red Squirrels that frequently visit the hide and then later as it starts to get dark, we will wait in hope that one of the local Pine Martens will put in an appearance.

This is a full day workshop and there will be many photographic opportunities. Nothing is guaranteed with wildlife, but we would hope to find the 4 main species and capture images of all of them. In addition, it may be possible to see Merlin, Golden Eagle, White Tailed Eagle, Osprey, Red Kite, Dippers, Ring Ouzel, Red Deer, Otters, Brown Hares and many other incredible species.

Please ensure that you understand that the start time of this workshop is at 5am and therefore an overnight stay the night before will probably be needed. We would also expect the day to finish at around 10pm so accommodation may be required for a second night.

Lens from 100mm to 300mm for the Red Squirrels and Pine Martens

Lens from 300mm to 600mm ideal for the Mountain Hares and Beavers.

As with all my workshops I will be on hand to give advice on settings and various different shots that can be achieved. The group will be a maximum of 3 people so there will be plenty of opportunities to work with everyone one on one if required.

The price includes the hide booking exclusively for our group.

The price does not include accommodation. It also excludes all meals.

If this workshop is of interest then please check for dates and availability using the button below. If there are no available or suitable dates then contact me to be added to the interested list and I will come back to you with possible dates and more information.

If you would like a tailor-made private trip, then please get in touch.

Click below to check for any upcoming workshops here.

Perthshire Mammals Workshop
Perthshire Mammals Workshop
Perthshire Mammals Workshop
Perthshire Mammals Workshop
Perthshire Mammals Workshop
Perthshire Mammals Workshop
Perthshire Mammals Workshop
Perthshire Mammals Workshop
Perthshire Mammals Workshop
Perthshire Mammals Workshop
Perthshire Mammals Workshop
Perthshire Mammals Workshop
Perthshire Mammals Workshop
Perthshire Mammals Workshop
Perthshire Mammals Workshop
Mountain Hares Photographic Workshop with Paul McDougall
Sparrowhawk Dumfries and Galloway

Pin It on Pinterest