Bird Watching in Scotland



(Above image is a capture of a Heron on bank of the Forth & Clyde Canal.)

Scotland is well endowed with bird life and is home to over 500 species ranging from tiny wrens to giant eagles.

In common with the rest of the U.K. the dominant wild bird organisation is the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds ("RSPB") which is a charitable organisation run on not-for-profit lines and benefits from more than one million members.

In Scotland, the RSPB operates seventy seven nature reserves although there are other, similar bodies, such as the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

For the visitor to Scotland with an eye on bird life the following are deserving of consideration:
  • Mull Eagle Watch on the Isle of Mull which is situated off Scotland's west coast.
  • Scottish Wildlife Trust at Loch of the Lowes near Dunkeld in central Scotland.This is a well organised site with hides and other facilities. Emphasis here is on ospreys.
  • The Cairngorms National Park in the Highlands. There are special bird-watching excursions operated from Grantown-on-Spey and other sites in the vicinity.
  • Isle of May which lies off the Fife Coast in the east of Scotland. The entire island, which is effectively uninhabited, is operated by the Scottish Wildlife Trust with emphasis on the bird life. Usual access to the island is via regular ferry boat from Anstruther.
  • Lochwinnoch RSPB Reserve. This site is about 21 miles S.W. of Glasgow and can be accessed by road or rail. Well organised family orientated facilities with observation hides.
 Puffins on Isle of May
Finches at RSPB Lochwinnoch

Black Headed Gull and Canada Geese at RSPB Lochwinnoch


 Buzzard on roadside, Isle of Skye.


 Moorhen at Lochwinnoch RSPB Reserve.


 Pheasants can be encountered in rural areas.

Osprey at Loch of the Lowes



 © Nigel P Cole/Catswhiskerstours Limited

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