SIGHTINGS

WILDLIFE

The islands offer an abundance of wildlife. We are extremely lucky to have so many wonderful species! White Tailed Sea Eagles patrol the skies along with Golden Eagles, Buzzards and Kestrels! Hen harriers soar across the Machair making light work of the many voles and mice! When summer hits we get a large influx of Short Eared Owls, which can be found in pretty much every field! If you look out the back of the campsite you will often see

a couple hanging around on a summer evening!

We do see peregrine falcons and Merlins too but in specific locations.

The biggest draw for many people are our European Otters. They hunt in the lochs and ocean and can be seen from any coast line! There's a great book by Steve Duffield which gives you some great locations to look for them. We have a resident female that hangs around the beach behind the site! She has for the last 3 years raised 5 cubs which is fantastic news! She is a bit harder to see in the summer as she tends to fish away from where she raised her cubs!

But plenty of our guests have seen her!

We also have numerous Waders and Small Birds such as Snipe, Dunlin, Curlew, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Lapwings, Skylark and Corn bunting. You can find many of these around the site and the surrounding landscape. We also have an Oystercatcher that lays eggs on site and we do our best to protect her! Last year she raised 3 chicks!

There is so much wildlife to see you never know what might pop up! We have a lot of Minke Whales and common dolphins/ bottlenose dolphins that pass the shore so it's always good to keep your eyes open! Red deer and Seals are also common across the landscape! You might even see the northern lights if you're early or late in the season!

And lastly listen out for the illusive Corncrake! You can hear them across the campsite but they can be hard to spot with your eyes! A wonderful sound of summer on the islands!