Holiday cottages UK and Ireland: Going wild – from a cottage holiday in Scotland
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Going wild ... continued ... It can be difficult finding deer in midsummer, as they are pestered relentlessly by flies and midges. In a bid to escape their tormentors, they spend most of their time on the mountain tops, where the flies are not so much of a nuisance. Spend time with binoculars, scanning the high ridges, and you are sure to eventually find the herds. The red squirrelRed deer can also be found in several other parts of Britain. Not so the red squirrel, which has been largely ousted in England and Wales by the North American grey. Red squirrels remain widespread in the Highlands, and a pair or two can be found in almost every natural wood (they are not so keen on the extensive forestry plantations). They are, however, quite shy, so not always easy to see. If you do get a good view, you will see that the red is a much prettier and daintier animal that the grey, with bushier tail and distinctive long ear tufts, a feature that the grey lacks. Red squirrels are the favoured prey of the pine marten, another mammal largely restricted in the UK to the Highlands. Though they are widely distributed, pine martens are notoriously elusive. They do, however, have a weakness for jam sandwiches, and there are a couple of places where they come regularly for such treats. Ring of bright waterOtters are easier to watch in Scotland than anywhere else in Britain, but they still offer a challenge. Coastal-dwelling otters are much the easiest to find, and the best places to look are the Shetland Isles, and any of the islands of the Inner Hebrides (Mull is the best). Mornings and evening are usually most productive, the estuaries the best place to look. It's the so-called ring of bright water that often attracts attention to where an otter is diving, and coming up for air. Finding seals, whales and dolphinsIf you spend any time looking for otters you are sure to encounter seals. There's hardly a firth where you can�t see them. Two species occur in Scotland. The grey is much the larger of the two, but the name grey is misleading, as their colour is highly variable. The best way to tell the two species apart is by looking at the face. The grey has a long straight head profile, and a rather dog-like expression. In contrast, the common seal has a rounded head. Whale and dolphin watching is becoming increasingly popular, and there are many good sites around the Scottish coast for encountering these spectacular sea mammals. It's not always necessary to go to sea to see them: there's some superb dolphin watching to be enjoyed at a number of places. Chanory Point on the north shore of the Moray Firth is particularly good. The dolphins here are so entertaining that it's difficult to believe that they're not putting on a show for the crowd of spectators they draw every day during the summer. Birds of the Scottish Highlands
The sea eagleOn the west coast of Scotland you might be lucky enough to see another equally impressive bird of prey that eats fish: the white-tailed or sea eagle. Like the osprey, the sea eagle was exterminated from the Highlands almost a century ago, and as there was little hope of it re-establishing itself naturally, an ambitious re-introduction project was started in the 1970s, using birds from the flourishing Norwegian population. Sea eagle are slow to mature, not nesting until at least six years old, so it has taken a long time for a viable Scottish population to become established once again. But now at least a dozen pairs nest annually, and it seems that this magnificent bird is restored to its rightful place in the Highlands. The majestic golden eagleThere were some concerns that the reintroduced sea eagles would have a detrimental affect on the resident golden eagles, but this hasn't proved the case. The majestic golden eagle remains the bird that most visitors to the Highlands most want to see. There are around 400 pairs, as well as a number of non-breeding birds, and they are widely distributed throughout the area. However, each pair has a large territory, so they are easy to miss, even if you are in a glen with a resident pair. They are more numerous in the eastern, as opposed to the western, Highlands, as the terrain is less harsh, the feeding easier. Here the pairs usually raise two young each year, but it's rare for a pair in the west to rear more than a single chick. If you do see a golden eagle, then it's relatively easy to identify. Its large size, even at great range, should be obvious, as should its long neck and tail. (Beware of confusion with buzzards. They are common in the Highlands, but though they resemble golden eagles, they are much smaller, shorter-tailed and with more rounded wings. They often perch on road-side telegraph poles, something that eagles never do). It's often difficult to see the golden head and nape which gives an adult golden eagle its name, but if you see one at reasonable range in good light, it's a stunning bird. The Highland Wildlife ParkThere's nothing more satisfying than a long walk in the hills, and to be rewarded with good views of eagles. However, such sightings can never be guaranteed, which is part of the appeal of looking for wildlife. If you want to see a fine selection of Scottish animals in attractive surroundings, then the Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore on Speyside is highly recommended. Here you can view almost all of Scotland's special mammals attractively displayed in large, natural enclosures. The Park also has a number of species that are now extinct in the Highlands, including a flourishing wolf pack. The last wild Scottish wolf was reputedly killed in Caithness in 1740. Some conservationists advocate the reintroduction of this powerful predator, but such a move seems unlikely, as any released wolves would be likely to quickly acquire a taste for sheep rather than deer, which would not be popular. Search
for a cottage holiday in Scotland: Scotland photos © David Tomlinson |
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There's
a good reason for this. Life on the hill is harsh and food supplies
poor, so the deer struggle to survive. Prolonged snow cover, especially
in late winter and early spring, kills many beasts, young and old. It
is at this time of the year that marauding herds of deer often descend
from the hills, and raid crofters' fields. Life for the deer is easiest
in mid-summer, when the days are long and the grazing good. The stags
shed their antlers every spring, growing a new set during the summer,
so by late July they are nearly fully developed, but still covered in
a soft, smooth skin known as velvet. Once the antlers are fully grown,
the blood supply to the velvet dries up, and the stag cleans away the
remaining tatters of velvet. He is now ready for the rut, which starts
in September.
Spend
any time looking for wildlife in the Scottish firths and you are sure
to see ospreys, plunge-diving for fish. The return of the osprey is
one of Scotland's success stories. Exterminated in the 19th century
by egg collectors, it became an extremely rare visitor to the Highlands.
Then, in the mid 1950s, a pair started nesting again at Loch Garten
on Speyside. Thanks to careful protection, numbers have steadily built
up, so now there are well over 100 pairs breeding in the Highlands,
and almost every suitable loch has at least one nesting pair. They are
summer visitors from West Africa, arriving in April and heading south
in September. |
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