Islay Weblog: Islay Birding graded five-star VisitScotland

Jeremy Hastings from Islay Birding will probably have a great day today, he is on the headlines of the Scotsman News website. Islay Birding was recently awarded with 5 stars by VisitScotland in the category wildlife experience. This is of course a wonderful and well deserved award for Jeremy and his wife and it's even more special because Islay birding is in fact the first and so far only wildlife business in the UK with a 5 star grading. Well done and congratulations to the both of you.

A quote from the article in the Scotsman: Mr Hastings, 48, said yesterday that he was "absolutely thrilled" to have received to the first five-star award. He and his wife were both working with the French equivalent of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds before they set up in business in 2002. Islay, he said, the was perfect place for birdwatching - for everyone from wildlife novices to experienced twitchers. "It is the most fantastic place in Britain for birds and nature and wilderness. There are old-fashioned estates here and the farms still use traditional farming methods, so the habitat is ideal. And, because we are 16 miles out into the Atlantic, Islay is also on a major migration route. On any day of the year you can see over 120 species. And over a year, if you are lucky, you can see over 300 species."

I made my first trip with Jeremy last year in May and it was the perfect day out on Islay. We travelled in Jeremy's Landrover Defender over the Glen Road, through Bridgend and Uiskentuie and from there to Loch Gorm. We had our lunch at Ardnave chapel and made a tour around Loch Gruinart and ended up spotting more than fifty different species of birds, including the rare chough. A trip with Islay Birding is actually much more than a birding trip. Jeremy has a great knowledge of Islay as well and shares that knowledge passionately with his passengers during the trip, making it even more interesting. If you are in for a magnificant day on Islay make sure to book a trip with Islay Birding, but don't wait till the last moment and make your reservations early. My birding trip for this year is already booked in May, seven weeks from today, and I look forward to another magnificant tour with Jeremy.

Islay Birding graded five-star VisitScotland

Friday, March 30 2007