Highlands, Scotland
Badge Unlock
Cairngorms Wildlife Spotter
Complete this challenge to add this badge to your collection.
300
XP
1 day
Cairngorms Wildlife: Reindeer, Ospreys and Capercaillie
300 XP
Reindeer were brought back to the Cairngorms in 1952, and the free-ranging herd is visited on the hill from the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre at Glenmore. In 1954 two Scandinavian ospreys nested of their own accord at Loch Garten in Abernethy Forest, the return of a species that had been wiped out in Britain, and ospreys have nested there almost every year since 1959. The same Caledonian pine forest holds capercaillie, crested tits and the Scottish crossbill, the only bird species found nowhere but Britain.
Required Activities
1
of 3
Join a hill visit to the free-ranging reindeer herd, reintroduced to the Cairngorms in 1952, from the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre at Glenmore
2
of 3
Watch the ospreys from the RSPB's Loch Garten Nature Centre in Abernethy Forest, where two Scandinavian birds nested in 1954
3
of 3
Look for capercaillie, crested tit and the Scottish crossbill, the only bird species unique to Britain, in the Caledonian pine forest
Join a hill visit to the free-ranging reindeer herd, reintroduced to the Cairngorms in 1952, from the Cairngorm Reindeer Centre at Glenmore
Watch the ospreys from the RSPB's Loch Garten Nature Centre in Abernethy Forest, where two Scandinavian birds nested in 1954
Look for capercaillie, crested tit and the Scottish crossbill, the only bird species unique to Britain, in the Caledonian pine forest
Before you go
The Loch Garten Nature Centre is open daily from April to October, and the ospreys are on the nest from April to August.
Finding nearby campsites...
About Highlands
Loading region info…
Explore more about Highlands:
Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
300 XP
Potential total
300 XP
More challenges nearby
within 100km

Cairngorm Mountain: Skiing, Reindeer and Loch Morlich
Scotland · Highlands
sports
hard
1d
1 km away

Ben Macdui, Braeriach and Cairn Gorm: Three Cairngorm Munros
Scotland · Highlands
adventure
hard
3d
6 km away

Loch an Eilein, the Strathspey Railway and the Highland Wildlife Park
Scotland · Highlands
adventure
hard
1d
10 km away

Braemar: The Castle, the Linn of Dee and the Gathering
Scotland · Grampian and Tayside
cultural
medium
2d
21 km away

Tomintoul and Glenlivet: The Highlands' First Dark Sky Park
Scotland · Grampian and Tayside
nature
medium
1d
23 km away

Newtonmore: The Highland Folk Museum
Scotland · Highlands
cultural
easy
1d
27 km away