An English Language Holiday Experience with Scottish Wildlife
We’re an English language school which takes language learning out of the classroom and into the landscapes of Scotland.
Our immersion experiences are selected to give you a thrilling time in Scotland (and varied contexts to practice your English).
We are also keen to bring information and visibility to initiatives that we support.
Argaty Red Kites is a perfect example of a rural eco-business which increases knowledge of wildlife, by bringing people into creatures’ spaces in non-intrusive ways.
Join us for tourism with a positive footprint – and if you are at all into wildlife photography, it is a must!
This blog gives you a taste of what to expect visiting Argaty.
An Award-Winning Touristic Experience
Argaty Red Kites is widely respected for its role in Scotland’s Red Kite Re-establishment Programme, but it also has many types of Scottish wildlife to show you.
It’s one of our top immersion English experiences as it offers:
- Close up encounters with Scottish wildlife
- Great photography opportunities
- Conversations with ecological and wildlife experts.
Plus, by visiting we support and spread the word about this inspirational, environmental initiative.
Why do Red Kites Need Support Anyway?
These beautiful birds completely died out in Scotland.
Once a common sight scavenging in towns and cities – kites were wiped out when Scottish land use changed.
Grouse shooting estates took over farmland and birds were poisoned in their hundreds (as you will see yourself, they are group feeders – with one poisoned bait you could wipe out a community of birds).
Legislation now forbids the killing of any bird of prey in Scotland.
The RSPB and Scottish Natural Heritage reintroduced red kites into Scotland, firstly in Black Isle (Ross-shire) in 1989 – and secondly, near Doune.
Lerrocks Farm was initially part of the support system for this second batch of breeding birds.
More recently they have provided a facility for the public to enjoy the birds without the risk of disturbing what is still a fragile population.
About Lerrocks Farm
Lerrocks Farm – is a working farm (700 Lleyn sheep and a herd of 80 Angus X cows) with this award-winning, income-generating eco-tourist attraction on it.
Cattle low in the background (and you’ll need to wear sturdy shoes for the terrain).
The farm itself is not on show to visitors as such (you can’t wander around cow barns) but there’s enough action happening around the place for a taste of farm life, which is famously relentless. While with one member of the team presents the birds to the visitors, others slip off to get on with farm tasks, coming back to answer questions the end.
“Here at Lerrocks Farm, we want you to enjoy the countryside, see the birds and learn how farming and wildlife conservation can work hand-in-hand.”
Argaty Red Kites website
What’s a Red Kite Feed Like?
First, Niall calls out to the birds in a whistle mimicking the birdcall of the kites.
The birds gathered in surrounding trees or circle overhead.
Feed begins at the same time daily – (and the movement of cars and visitors up the 2-mile long farm track must be as obvious as a diner bell to the birds).
Food is cast to the ground by one of the team.
On the menu today was chopped up grey squirrel. Argaty is also part of (native) red squirrel protection initiatives, which include trapping and killing (non-native) greys in areas where the two species are still present together (as grey squirrel populations wipe out red squirrel populations).
Fancy a Scraggy Bit of Squirrel?
The birds are hesitant at first, then they fly down and snatch a morsel away.
The squirrel is chopped small. This feed is not intended to supplement their savaging in the wild – just offer enough of incitement to show up (it’s about 20% of their daily diet).
Soon, they are down in large numbers.
Many birds prefer to snatch food from the claws of others rather than land on the ground themselves. It’s so fast it’s quite hard to see, but the resulting photographs capture the action more clearly if your timing is perfect.
It’s Quite a Dinner Party
All throughout the feed, Niall told us facts about the birds’ numbers, habits and characteristics.
He talked about one particularly bad-tempered bird. His son, who also works on the farm and has studied (and written a book on these kites) believes that this aggressive behaviour is perhaps ‘normal’ in healthy kite numbers – something unknown in Scotland.
He also happily talked about the farm and livestock – and answered every question with passion and enthusiasm.
What Will YOU See on Your Next English Language Holiday?
The feed is dramatic, but there’s other wildlife to see on the site too.
There are nesting boxes nailed to many trees and fence posts. Bird feeders placed around the hides further up the hill attract small birds and wildlife.
On this visit alone we saw a pair of yellowhammers, a woodpecker and tree sparrows.
The river has beavers, the farm badgers (rarely seen but known to be there because of the frequent sightings of chewed-up hedgehogs) (who knew!) and pine martins.
The team are currently trying to work out how to best show these nocturnal creatures to the public.
Blue Noun English Immersion Holidays
It’s all about experiences!
At Blue Noun, we believe a lifetime of English language skills starts with falling in love with experiences in the language.
A good immersion holiday should leave you fascinated with the country and wanting to stay in touch with the people and culture.
This is how you will stay interested in language learning and put effort and time into developing your English skills once you have left.
Argaty Red Kites
How this English conversation activity helps your English and positively impacts our community:
✅ Great for mental/physical health
⭕ benefits our local community.
⭕ preserves craft skills, historic machinery, monuments etc.
✅ supports Scottish industry/agriculture
✅ gets you talking with a rich and diverse selection of people, or about diverse subjects.
⭕ supports arts & artists
✅ explores Scottish wildlife in non-invasive ways
🟠 a good introduction to Scottish culture
⭕ financially contributes to preserving culture
✅ It is for fun & feeling good in English.
(Learn more about this Checklist.)
Your Next Language Holiday Wildlife Experience
We hope you’ve enjoyed us sharing what your next holiday could look like!
If you want a further example of a wildlife experiences we share on our English language holiday, you can read about when Blue Noun went beaver-spotting on the River Tay.
English Language Holiday Activities | Kayaking the River Tay
Discover Our Holidays
Further Information
Your English Language Challenge
We offer you a practice conversation opportunity with every blog. Today, it’s
‘Could you chop up a squirrel?’
It’s a provocative question designed to make you think about the human role in conservation, farming and food industries.
Did you grow up near a farm? Or have you never set foot on a farm? Or something in between?
What aspects of the farming lifestyle would suit you, and what would you not like at all?
There’s lots to discuss here that will unlock parts of your identity in English.
Could you chop up a squirrel?
