Springwatch Aviemore and Cairngorms area
"Springwatch 2008 may be over, but nature never stops writing scripts for the greatest show on Earth. Don't stop watching, enjoying and getting involved"
Loch Garten Ospreys Live... more
A new Scottish adventure for Simon King
This year Simon broke from his wild Scottish island tradition and explored one of the UK's last great wildernesses on the mainland. Strathspey in the highlands of Scotland is home to the Cairngorms National Park, which provides a refuge for some of the nation's most exciting and endangered wildlife.
Fringing the high peaks are some of the last remaining fragments of ancient Caledonian pine forest, bisected by stunning glens, rivers and lochs.
Wildcats
Here, Simon launched one of his boldest fieldcraft challenges to date, a search for the elusive Scottish wildcat, an iconic symbol of the Scottish Highlands and creature of myth and legend. Wildcats are critically endangered. There are thought to be only 400 of them left in the wild. Using specialist night-time cameras and camera traps, not to mention a huge amount of research, effort and patience, Springwatch brought us new insights into one of the UK's least known, most enigmatic creatures.
Ospreys
Simon will also followed the daily family dramas of another iconic creature – and one of the UK's rarest birds of prey – the osprey. With our famous Springwatch mini-cameras trained on their nests, the team followed the intimate daily lives of two osprey families.
Simon also used his expert camera skills to show us – in glorious slo-mo – exactly how these spectacular birds dive to catch fish.
He also followed the fortunes of the goldeneye, a tree-nesting duck with daredevil ducklings, and the capercaillie, a huge black forest grouse with serious attitude. Other charismatic residents of this wild corner of the UK such as red squirrels, pine martens, crested tits and Slavonian grebes also played a role. 
We are delighted that Springwatch have recently been filming at Rothiemurchus, providing a great opportunity for millions to discover what this unique and special area has to offer.
"Rothiemurchus is a shining example of a family run estate that works in harmony with the land, its wildlife and human communities. The care lavished on its diverse activities , from forestry to fishery, wildlife watching to walking, ensures a sustainable future for this very beautiful part of the world"
Simon King, BBC 2 Springwatch
Rothiemurchus stretches from the River Spey to the summit of Braeriach, Britain's third highest mountain at over 4,000 feet. In between lies one of the largest remaining areas of Ancient Caledonian Forest. A wide range of habitats provide a home for many rare species including Capercaillie, Pine Marten and the dainty Twinflower. With over 125 species of birds, 27 species of animal and 400 species of flowers, exciting encounters can be just around the corner at any time of year.
Wildflowers are a real wildlife spectacle at this time of year and it seems like every time you look close another beauty is in bloom. Recently the Rangers have spotted Mountain Everlasting in bloom in high heathland areas, Wild Thyme, Twinflower - a very rare beauty, Lesser Stitchwort and Sundews to name but a few.
Snipe have been heard drumming in open areas of ground and near the river banks, Grey Wagtails are nesting near to the farmland where you can also hear the very distinctive song of the Yellowhammer.
Bog Myrtle, a shrub you find growing across wet areas of Rothiemurchus, is now in full leaf and this is a very useful plant to spot as it can be used as a very effective insect repellant - handy on still calm evenings.
