With such a diverse range of wildlife habitats, from the craggy cliffs to the wetlands, Scotland is a haven for all kinds of flora and fauna. A well set up network of nature reserves and visitor centres means a huge variety of species and habitats are easily accessible to the public, whilst plenty of remote areas are left untouched for wildlife to thrive in.
Birdwatching
Be you a casual observer or a dedicated twitcher, native species and migratory birds can be seen through out the year. Scotland lies at the crossroads of two big migration routes, so birds from Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia and Scandinavia regularly fly over and stay for a while.
Over 450 species have been spotted in Scotland. The more you go out, the more you'll see. On Handa Island, The Shetland Islands and other spots in the North West, are seabirds such as puffins, guillemots, skuas, razorbills and shags. Golden eagles and sea eagles reside on Mull, while in the north east there're eider ducks, curlew and snow buntings to name but a few.
Sea life
Take a wander along the coastlines, or take an organised boat trip out to the right location, and you may see some of the fascinating creatures that inhabit the seas and sea lochs. Basking sharks, minke whales, bottle nosed dolphins, white-beaked dolphins, risso's dolphins and harbour porpoises, as well as common and grey seals and even Orca whales are all there, somewhere. One of the best places to spot some of these beauties is the Moray Firth, as well as the seas off the Isles of Skye and Mull and the Shetland and Orkney Islands. Look out for shy but playful otters on the north and west coasts too.
...and other animals
On more solid land, there are an abundance of creatures great and small, from the elusive Orkney vole to the red deer that populate the highlands and islands. To see the rare red squirrel, search in Galloway, Perthshire or the Cairngorms National Park, look for Scottish wild cats in the southern highlands, wild goats and mountain hares in the mountains, and badgers and pine martins in the lowlands.
Page first published on Tuesday 19th June 2007
Page last updated on Monday 7th July 2008
