Wildlife
Golden Eagles
There are a number of places to see Golden Eagles but none of the suggestions guarantee this:
Glenachulish, the Glen on the way to Strontian (right ridge), Kingairloch, Glen Etive, Glenfinnan/Loch Shiel. White Tailed Sea Eagles can also be seen on Mull at Grass Point and from the hide on Loch Sunart.
Red Squirrels & Pine Martens
The best place to see Red Squirrels is outside the kitchen window of lodge number 6. We have a feeder here and 'Rusty' visits up to 3 times a day. For those of you not staying in number 6, the feeder can be seen from the car park.
Pine Martens are also regular visitors to the lodges but like the
Squirrel need a little enticement. This can be in the form of toast
and jam left on the verandah in the evening.
You can
see them in early evening daylight in the Summer,
and in the dark (verandah light on) in the Winter
months).
Whales and Dolphins
The best place to see Bottle Nosed Dolphins is in the Moray
Firth North of Inverness. View them from the lighthouse at Fortrose
and Rosemarkie. You can also see them from Mull
(trips from
Dervaig). The best times to see them is from July to September.
Minke Whales can be seen regularly in August and September on the boat trip from Arisaig to Eigg.
Red and Roe Deer
Red Deer are the big hairy ones you see on the mountain sides and Roe Deer are the more elegant ones you see lower down and in the woodland areas.
The best place to see Red Deer all year round is Glen Etive. You can also see them from the Mallaig road between Glenfinnan and Arisaig.
Roe Deer are harder to see but the best place is probably the first clearing on the left as you go up the forest track behind the lodges. You might also see them at night next to the road.
Otters
Otters are difficult to see in the Summer but there are plenty around in the Winter. In Summer your best bet is early morning or late evening next to any shoreline.
In Winter, keep an eye out in the loch as you enter Fort William, on the rocks by the lay-by at Sallachan Bay (see Seals), on the rocks by the Holly Tree Restaurant (Oban road) and on the small islands in front of the Pier House Restaurant. All these places are worth a look in the Summer as well.
Seals
You can see both Common and Grey Seals in most sea lochs around our coastline. The best places are however:
Sallachan Bay (Corran Ferry, turn left, 5 miles)
on the islands
Mallaig Harbour
Mouth of Loch Creran (Oban road)
Oban Harbour
Trips also run from Fort William to Seal Island but sadly there are few seals left visiting the island.
Birdwatching
The Highlands is a fantastic place to watch birds and you can enjoy them outside your lodge window on the bird feeders. You can also visit many places to see specific species. A few of these are:
Loch Ruthven - Slavonian Grebe and Osprey
Loch Garten - Osprey and Crested Tits
Grass Point (Mull) - White Tailed Sea Eagle
Moray Firth - wintering wildfowl
Staffa - Puffins
Ardgour Old Pier (across the water) - Black Guillemot
Highland Wildlife Park (Just north of Kingussie)
Well worth a day out and very well set out. All the animals and birds here either are, or once were native to the Highlands. You can see Wolves being fed, Lynx and Bison, and there is a drive through section where the animals roam free.