Temperatures of -8C and a liberal dusting of frost has transformed Anagach Wood and the River Spey into a winter fantasy land.
By the time we reached the Spey mid guided walk, the ice flows were starting to form - not that this put off the hardy pair of divers we spotted - a Dipper and a male Goldeneye - from putting on a great show of busily plunging into the waters in search of the next meal.
Other wildlife was equally forthcoming: Red Squirrels abounded, a Roe Doe was spotted grazing less than 10 metres away and refused to move on, and a supporting cast of Treecreepers, Long-tailed Tits and a Mistle Thrush delighted the party who were nonetheless thankful for the soup and sandwiches on offer back at the Hotel on their return!

Wow. Can a whole season have passed already?

After a fantastic first year for the Birdwatching and Wildlife Club, it seems an appropriate time to take stock and reflect on just how amazing, diverse and resilient the wildlife of the Cairngorms really is.
And with so many of our guests in 2008 reporting back to us on what they have seen, I am going to attempt the impossible and try to pick out a few highlights.
From the unusual and the inspiring, to the sublime and the plain ridiculous, here, in no particular order, are our Top Five Guests' Wildlife Encounters for 2008.....

1. A Rabbit chasing a Stoat in Anagach Wood!
2. 4-5 young Golden Eagles circling together over the Lecht.
3. Five different species of geese (Greylag, Pink-footed, Barnacle, Brent and White-fronted) seen together in a field next to Insh Marshes.
4. A lone and late, late Osprey seen flying along the River Spey...at the end of October.
5. A Pine Marten seen hunting in the treetops at Loch Garten in broad daylight...the same couple also saw a cock Capercaillie!

On behalf of everyone at the Birdwatching and Wildlife Club a big thanks to all the people who have stayed with us or made an enquiry in 2008.
We wish you a fantastic 2009 full of wonderful wildlife watching and look forward to seeing you soon!

Did anyone read the Guardian on Saturday? (13th Dec)

The paper had a supplement featuring the world's 100 Best Wildlife Holidays, and I'm proud to report that the Birdwatching and Wildlife Club made it into the 10 Best Birdwatching Trips.
Despite his stay coinciding with the worst weather of 2008 (gosh, was it cold!) Guardian journalist Dominic Couzens described us as "the perfect place for birdwatchers to roost" and I hope those of you who have stayed with us in 2008 will agree. For the full article visit http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/dec/13/top-100-wildlife-holidays-wildlifeholidays


And so to the wildlife. Lots to report as ever - the Bittern is still at Loch of Strathbeg along with over 16,000 Pink-footed Geese as well as Greylag, Barnacle and White-fronted from Greenland. The Moray Firth is awash with rafts of Goldeneye and Red-breasted Mergansers, Common and Grey Seals are everywhere, whilst a pod of 4 Bottlenose Dolphins put on a great display at Chanonry Point at the weekend!

Our 'Winter Wildlife Watch' package has generated so much interest so far that we have created another 6 places. The new spaces are available strictly from 19th - 22nd Feb, 2009; the package includes a place on a Land Rover Safari in search of Mountain Hares in their white winter finery and other moorland wildlife, and a place at an Evening Hide which will hopefully see a visit by Badgers and Pine Martens! The break would be the perfect post-Valentine gift for wildlife lovers but remember - when the 6 places are gone, that's it I'm afraid!

I've also included a photo of our stand at the North West Birdwatching Fair at Martin Mere reserve near Southport. A big thanks to Mike Dawson who travelled from Norfolk to help man our stand and whose wildlife photos were part of the display, to WildSounds who helped to deliver our stand, and Victoria Guinan, the event organiser who managed to squeeze us in!

It was fantastic to meet so many people and we are hoping to take the BWWC on the road to more events in 2009, including the British Bird Fair at Rutland Water...subject of course to stand space being available!

A big thank you to all the people who visited our stand at the North West Birdwatching Fair at Martin Mere Reserve at the weekend. It was a wonderful event and fantastic to get the opportunity to speak to so many visitors. One lucky guest - Mr. Chris Moult, from Oakhill - won a holiday for two people with us in 2009! Ten others will receive complimentary copies of our 'Birdwatching and Wildlife Map' of North East Scotland.







I'm still receiving lots of entries for the Guest Photography Competition 2009 - with so many outstanding images the only problem is going to be quite how to pick a winner! Mark Haskins' entries shown here only add to the problem!!!




On a final note, I'm delighted to be able to announce that on New Year's Eve, birding legend Roy Dennis will be doing a book signing and delivering an illustrated talk at the Hotel.
Roy, as many of you will already know, has for many years been at the centre of the efforts to support and promote the re-establishment of Ospreys in Scotland, and latterly, all over the world. His new book, 'A Life of Ospreys' charts this remarkable conservation success story and includes some priceless anecdotes about the journey there.

Roy will speak at 2pm on Wednesdsay, December 31st.

Any of you who happen to be in the Cairngorms area during Hogmanay would be more than welcome to come along...