Scotland has a great variety of birds and animals, butterflies and wild flowers. Many of the species here are rare but may be glimpsed in the wild by the keen eyed visitor or viewed at close quarters in one of Scotland's wildlife parks. You will always remember the thrill of watching your first golden eagle soaring high in the sky or coming across your first majestic stag standing proudly on the hillside before leaping away to safety.
Highland hills rich in plants and wildlife are a backdrop to Glen Coe and the Moray Firth.
Watch out for red deer singly or in herds on the hills in the Highlands. They are most easily seen in the colder months when they descend from the higher slopes to more sheltered ground, climbing higher again as the weather gets hotter but sometimes in the summer, when out walking, you may surprise one in the woods.
Birds of prey commonly seen circling over wooded areas are probably buzzards. In the Highlands, a large bird with feathered wing tips circling slowly high over bleak mountainous areas may well be a golden eagle rather than a buzzard.
Red kite have been re-introduced and are doing well on the Black Isle (Highlands).
Ospreys, re-introduced many years ago, are now frequently seen on many rivers and lochs in the late spring and early summer and numbers are growing all the time. |
