Speyside Wildlife Hide - Badgers and Pine Marten

Welcome back to my autumnal photography adventure in the stunning Cairngorms! 🍂
In this second episode, I head to the **Speyside Wildlife Hides**, where I embark on a thrilling nocturnal experience to capture the beauty of Scotland's elusive wildlife.
Join me as I photograph **European Badgers**, the elusive **Pine Marten**, and, with a little luck, catch a glimpse of the **UK's rarest animal**-the mysterious **Scottish Wildcat**. This immersive adventure is filled with serene autumnal landscapes, behind-the-scenes tips for wildlife photography, and a glimpse into the hidden lives of these incredible creatures.
📸 *Highlights of this episode:*
The magic of autumn in the Cairngorms
Incredible close encounters with badgers and pine martens
Insights into photographing nocturnal wildlife
A search for the legendary Scottish Wildcat
Don't forget to *like**, **comment**, and **subscribe* if you're enjoying this journey through the heart of Scotland's wilderness! 🦉✨
🎥 *Watch Part 1 of my adventure here:* • Scottish Autumn Advent...
#ScottishWildlife #AutumnAdventure #PhotographyVlog #Cairngorms #SpeysideHides

[@sidensvans67]

Wonderful images . Thank you .

[@danwillis_photography]

Thank you 🙏🏻

[@SimonFloryPhotography]

Lovely footage of two of my favourite animals - great to see them living such happy amd undisturbed lives, with a litle helping hand where it is needed. It's another vote for the Speyside Wildlife Hide from me - it's well worth a visit; as it is so well equipped to make it an ideal introduction to badgers and pine martens for younger and older people. Great to hear that you are as concerned about badger persecution and culling as most thinking people are. Thanks for posting the video - it's great you all had such a wonderful experience of wildlife.

[@danwillis_photography]

Thanks very much Simon, very much appreciated mate. All the best 👍🏻

[@desmondmaguire8955]

Hi Dan, another fab video! Pine Martens are really special creatures. Here in Ireland they are helping the Red Squirrel re-establish their population after being decimated by the Grey Squirrel brought in from America as pets in the 1800's.(The Pine Martens eat Grey Squirrels but not the Red). Cheers Des. Keep up the good work👍👍

[@danwillis_photography]

Thanks very much Des, it’s great to hear that the Martens are doing well in Ireland and the positive impact that this is having on Red Squirrels. Let’s hope this continues mate 👍🏻

[@fraud1able]

Another great video Dan and thanks for the tip from a previous video about the snow bunting at the Cairngorm ski centre

[@danwillis_photography]

Thanks very much, really appreciated mate. All the best 👍🏻

[@mikephelpswildlifephotography]

Beautiful video pal really enjoyed that, I’m still yet to see a Pine Martin let alone film and photograph one so top of the list for me in the new year 👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@danwillis_photography]

Cheers Mike, appreciate it. I can definitely recommend Keith Thorburns place for the Pine Martes, he’s a lovely bloke and it’s a cracking setup 👍🏻

[@ScottRitchie-bw9ls]

getin the kids out in nature. Powerful message!

[@danwillis_photography]

Cheers Scott, appreciate it mate 👍🏻

[@garytuck5297]

Another very interesting, entertaining video Dan but it was also very nice to hear you defending our wildlife and speaking out against the cruel senseless abuse it faces thank you. Its something other wildlife photographers on youtube don't do enough. Looking forward to your next film.

[@danwillis_photography]

Thanks very much Gary, really appreciate your support and kind words mate. Sounds like you have the same mindset as myself 👍🏻

[@DaveSandell-w6r]

Dan and family absolutely brilliant video with the pine marten and badgers thanks for sharing shame they are culling them they are a beautiful animal 👍🏻👍🏻

[@danwillis_photography]

Thanks very much Dave, really appreciate it mate. The cull is just insane isn’t it 🤦🏻‍♂️ All the best 👍🏻

[@andrewmilne3031]

Excellent vlog Dan. It certainly looks like great place to take kids, young and old (pops). Acting skills nead to be upped on adverts 🤪. Your foties were best this time😀😀

[@danwillis_photography]

Thanks Andrew, acting has never been my strong point 😂 All the best 👍🏻

[@johnflanagan44]

What a beautiful animals dan yet another fantastic vlog and some incredible image

[@danwillis_photography]

Thanks very much John, really appreciate your support and kind words 👍🏻

[@johnhjic2]

Hello Dan, Popps and family, What a super video love seeing the Pine Martens and the Badgers as well. The hide dose look like a nice one to. Thanks for butting these videos out, so inspiring .

[@danwillis_photography]

Cheers John, always appreciate your support and kind words mate 👍🏻

[@AdrianMoore-l2q]

great video and Such beautiful animals and great shots

[@danwillis_photography]

Thanks very much Adrian, really appreciate your support and kind words 👍🏻

[@lyndachilds6587]

Such beautiful animals.

[@danwillis_photography]

Thank you 🙏🏻

[@derekclark4762]

Hi Dan another great video as usual as was last Sundays, nice to see Pops back in the fold, absolutely adore the Pine Marten and the Badgers of course. I was in the kitchen making the wife a cup of coffee whilst watching the video, at the section with Badgers in it my phone pinged and there was the badger wadling up the path for his peanuts it did make me chuckle. Thanks for a lovely video. cheers Derek

[@danwillis_photography]

That’s fantastic mate, love that the two moments occurred together 😁 Thanks very much Derek, really appreciate your support and kind words 👍🏻

[@davidsutton2432]

Wonderful video Dan, with great images.

[@danwillis_photography]

Thanks very much David 👍🏻

[@leeoliver1589]

Amazing Dan mate!!

[@danwillis_photography]

Thanks very much Lee, really appreciate your support and kind words 👍🏻

[@ianwilsonwildlifephotography]

Great video Dan with some great images as always. we went to a similar hide whilst up there last year and had similar experience, they just wonderful creatures. Pine Martens defo on the bucket list as well! 😀👍

[@danwillis_photography]

Thanks very much Ian, really appreciate your support and kind words 👍🏻

[@StephenBrooks-e9m]

Fantastic images under difficult conditions.

[@danwillis_photography]

Thanks very much Stephen, really appreciate your support and kind words 👍🏻

[@jeanlouis83]

😍😍😍

[@danwillis_photography]

Thank you 🙏🏻

[@roaminginraymond]

Wow, amazing footage of the pine marten. We've filmed one in Glencoe but it was with the night time camera that you just leave out. We were still chuffed, but not the same as seeing one in the flesh. Badgers, what beautiful animals they are and unfortunately persecuted by the government and farmers, with no evidence to back up the unnecessary slaughter of these amazing animals. You are just saying on the video exactly what I have just said. Foxhunting, supposedly banned, is something else that is disgraceful. Why people enjoy harming our wildlife is beyond me. Thank you for sharing your wonderful experiences Dan

[@danwillis_photography]

Thanks very much, really appreciated. Sounds like we have very similar views on the hunting and culling aspects. It’s criminal that in a country of ‘animal lovers’ we tolerate such cruelty to our wildlife 😔 All the best 👍🏻

[@morleydd]

Lovely film Dan - beautiful creatures - agree with point about cull - madness

[@danwillis_photography]

Thanks very much I really appreciate it 👍🏻

[@richardchew1767]

Hi Dan. Well, that video brought back some memories for me from many years ago! Speyside Wildlife provided me with my first ever Pine Marten sightings. More recently, but not since Covid, I have had my Pine Marten (and Badger and Red Squirrel) fix at a self-catering cabin on Ardnamurchan. Three separate week-long stays with Pine Martens visiting every night! I can provide details if you are interested (I have your e-mail address). Well done on highlighting the appalling Badger cull which continues unabated despite the scientific evidence that it has no impact on reducing bTB and when other options such as vaccination and better bio-security are available. I am a long-standing Badger Trust supporter and hopefully yet another current petition will force the new Government to finally act to end the cull. Richard

[@danwillis_photography]

Thanks very much Richard. I am very interested in the Pine Marten location and somewhere different to visit. As for the Badger Cull, I am certain that it will be something that will be looked back on history and people won't believe that it happened. It's an absolute disgrace! All the very best mate 👍🏻

[@johngunning2123]

What a fantastic place. I'm jealous! During my visit to the UK this year I actually spotted two badgers that had been hit and killed by cars during the night. They are stunning creatures.👍

[@danwillis_photography]

Thanks very much John. Unfortunately road kill badgers are most people’s experience of this stunning animal. All the best mate 👍🏻

[@sue.Hoo123]

Lovely to see and like you say such beautiful, gentle creatures. It’s sad enough seeing them as roadkill, but to think some people kill them for sport and the pointless cull 🤬

[@danwillis_photography]

Thanks very much Sue, really appreciated. Unfortunately it’s a sad world we live in at times! All the best 👍🏻

[@keithgrafton5006]

Dan - went straight away and bought 2 x cables to tidy my desk up a bit but although they are data / charging cables , their data transfer speeds are woeful . Going to return these and get the much more expensive USB4 type . They are a great idea but the £20 ones are no use to connect high speed usbc disks too

[@danwillis_photography]

That’s a really valid point. I only used them for charging purposes and not data transfer, so really only tested that aspect. Thanks for bringing it to my attention 👍🏻

[@joncothranphotography9375]

That's so wonderful! Hi Pops! I am evolving my photography editing and I am adding a drawing tablet and a pen. Do you have any experience with these? Thanks so much for sharing your trip with me!

[@danwillis_photography]

Thanks very much John, always appreciated mate. I haven’t used a tablet and pen but can imagine how much accuracy they could bring to editing, would be great to hear your thoughts on it 👍🏻

[@Terrytheartist]

A great vlog Dan with some stunning video clips, it makes my blood boil when the cull is mentioned and the despicable scum that hunt down these stunning creatures, can’t tell you how much I had to restrain myself from using some bad language in this comment mate, keep these coming 👍

[@danwillis_photography]

You and me both mate, they are absolute oxygen wasters! Thanks for your continued support mate 👍🏻

[@MaierR-q9v]

One might get the impression that the animals are captive and indoors.

[@danwillis_photography]

If they were I would’ve disclosed that, I’m always open and honest about the experiences I have.

[@tonyw3250]

I can't understand why anybody would hurt and kill such a beautiful animal

[@danwillis_photography]

Me either mate 🤷🏻‍♂️