Workshops & Events

Not-for-profit events for

Birds, Moths, Plants and Mammals

Full List of Workshops & Events

Combine seeing some fantastic species, learning about identification and ecology, whilst supporting conservation projects.

Not-for-profit Workshops

Join us on our not-for-profit workshops to get the most out of your birding, mothing or mammaling and expand your field skills. Our time in the field will be spent enjoying our passion for birds, mammals or Lepidoptera whilst learning more about identification, plumages, songs and calls, tracks and signs, migration, ecology and trapping techniques all of which will add to your overall enjoyment of natural history and your knowledge of the subject.

Events

We have also included any nature-based events that we are taking part in.

Scroll down the page for more information.

Workshop Date Location Duration Cost
Mountain Moths Workshop 02-03 July 2026 Deeside, Scotland 2 days £200
Global Bird Fair 10-12 July 2026 Rutland, England 3 days, Various Lectures & Events Cost of entry
Whale, dolphin & seabird Watching with Calmac Ferries 27-29 July 2026 Ullapool-Stornoway Ferry 3 days Cost of ferry ticket

Read some of our reviews…

 

Bird Identification Workshops

Get more from your birding! 

We have a series of half or full day sessions in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. You can book onto one or more sessions and profit from these events goes to the nature reserves utilised and also to bird conservation in Scotland.

Scottish Specials

Discover the uplifting calls and songs of the Caledonian Forest dawn chorus and summer seabirds on the Aberdeenshire coast where terns, spring waders, huge seabird colonies and farmland birds await.

Exact dates to be confirmed - watch this space!

 

Sandwich Tern, Aberdeenshire (C) Dan Brown

 
 

Moth Workshops - Scottish Specialities

We are running a series of Lepidoptera events aimed at finding some of the UKs rarest or most difficult to see species. All the profits from these workshops will go to Butterfly Conservation helping to support projects that monitor, protect and manage these superb species.

Each of the events is timed to maximise the likelihood of encountering the key species utilising local knowledge and deploying all means necessary to find and enjoy these species.

Mountain Moth Workshop, 2nd-3rd July 2026

Over two full days we will focus on finding the Scottish speciality Mountain Burnet in Upper Deeside. We will also be running light traps both the night before the workshop starts and the night between at local sites and will process these catches with the group on each of the two mornings. Plans will remain flexible to accommodate the changeable mountain weather. Other targets include (but are not limited to), Mountain Burnet, Black Mountain Moth, Catoptria furcatellus (Northern Grass-veneer), Udea uliginosalis (Mountain Pearl), Heath Rivulet, Manchester Treble-lines, Broom Tip, Scotch Annulet, Dark Tussock, Scarce Silver Y, Lempke’s Gold Spot, Polar Lutestring, Beech-green Carpet, and Chestnut-coloured Carpet.

 
Dark-bordered Beauty,  Dan Brown

Dark bordered Beauty Moth (c) Dan Brown

 

The Deeside Nature Festival

The next festival will run in Spring 2027

Following the success of the 2024 and 2025 Nature Festivals we will run this festival again in the Spring of 2027. Although we are taking a short break in 2026 we anticipate that the 2027 festival will be even bigger and better with even more engaging nature-based events for you to join!

The 2025 festival programme and additional information is still available on our website using the link below.

 
 

Watching Dippers and Grey Wagtails along the River Dee

 

Other Nature-Base Events

We are often involved in other events across the UK and we will keep this list updated as and when new events pop up.

10th - 12th July 2026: Global Bird Fair

Rutland, England

Swallow marquee, stand S104.

Wild Discovery will be exhibiting at the Global Bird Fair alongside many other nature-based businesses and charities, including tour operators, conservation charities, optic and camera retailers, artists and general wildlife-focused retailers.

The weekend is packed full of events for young and old along with countless presentations so naturally Wild Discovery will be involved with quite a few…

Friday 10th, 11.30am Choosing the right Expedition Cruise

Curlew Stage

What to look for when choosing an expedition cruise in search of wildlife

Friday 10th, 3pm, Global Birdfair official opening & Preventing Island Extinctions project launch with BirdLife International

Osprey Main Event Stage

Martin Harper, CEO BirdLife International will bring you up to date with BirdLife news before welcoming the team from the Global Birdfair project in São Tomé & Príncipe as well as representatives from The Cornell Lab. Also find out from the Wild Discovery team how you can witness these incredible places and birds for yourself, by joining the São Tomé & Príncipe tour, which also supports the project.

Saturday 11th, 10am Moth Ogling with Dan

Owl stage

Find out about the selection of moths attracted to the lights in the Moth trap the previous night…Ogle away and learn about some stunning species.

Sunday 12th, 1pm - 2pm, meet Award-winning Wildlife Photographer Rachel Bigsby

Wild Discovery stand, Swallow marquee, S104

Meet Rachel and find out how to join her photographic workshops around Scotland.

 
Wild Discovery at the Global Bird fair 2023

Dan and Rachael at the Global Bird Fair in 2023


 

27th - 29th July 2026: Whale, Dolphin & Seabird Watching with CalMac Ferries

Two crossings per day over 3 days on the Ullapool to Stornoway route.

With the popularity of this event growing since our first one in 2023 and our expansion of the event to include two relevant charities in 2024 we will be out on deck for a fourth year showing ferry passengers whales, dolphins and seabirds.

In August 2024 and July 2025 Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT) and the Mammal Society joined us on board the Ullapool-Stornoway ferry crossings, engaging passengers about the whales and dolphins in Scottish waters AND pointing out these wonderful creatures so you could see them for yourselves. There were also evening presentations in Ullapool ferry terminal giving in introduction to whale and dolphin spotting and the work that HWDT and the Mammal Society are doing to help build our understanding and protect our marine creatures.

This event follows the success of our collaboration with ferry operator CalMac Ferries in August 2023 when we spotted a whopping 949 whales and dolphins and over 18,000 birds!

Read our blog about about the 2023 event here.

 

Gallery

 

How it works…

Simply book on to your favoured event(s), confirm your place by paying in full and receive all the details about meeting times and places, what to bring and what to expect.

The exact running of the events will vary depending on the focal interest, for instance, our moth weekends will spend a considerable amount of time out at night, running light traps, inspecting sugared trees, monitoring pheromone lures and checking traps in the morning. Some birdwatching events may involve early starts.

 
 

What’s Included?

  • Professional services of one or two leaders depending on numbers

  • Shared use of optics during workshops & events

  • Shared use of identification guides during workshops & events

  • Water to top up your own reusable water bottle (we do not provide water bottles)

 

What’s Not Included?

  • Transport

  • Entrance fees

  • Food, drinks

  • Accommodation

  • Event cancellation insurance or any other travel or medical insurance

  • Other items of a personal nature, e.g. souvenirs, etc.

 

If you have questions please get in touch

 

Read some more of our reviews

 
 

More time to explore?

Let us take care of everything on a behind the scenes, fully inclusive tour

Only a day to spare?

Check out our Deeside Days

Prefer the water?

Explore our small-ship expedition cruise options