A Beginner's Guide to Scottish Wildlife

1. Where are the best places for wildlife in Scotland? 

Speyside is an outstanding area with several species not found elsewhere in the UK, including crested tit and capercaillie. Look out for ptarmigan, dotterel, breeding snow buntings, pine marten, red squirrel and lots more.  

Mull is very special with good populations of both golden and white-tailed eagles, otters, hen harrier, short-eared owls and other raptors. Shetland is also high on the list with orcas now sighted regularly and massive seabird colonies including a fabulous European storm petrel colony on Mousa. 

The Outer Hebrides have large numbers of raptors plus lots of nesting waders and nesting red-necked phalaropes and corncrakes. Other parts of Scotland can be exceptional in winter for enormous flocks of geese – such as on the Solway and on Islay – and these areas have plenty of other wildlife too.  

4. What animals can only be found in Scotland? 

There are no endemic mammals but there is one bird found only in Scotland - the Scottish crossbill. There are a few subspecies (such as Scottish wildcat, St Kilda wren) but if you go down that road it soon gets very complicated.

There are two flowering plants - Scottish primrose and Shetland mouse-ear and one grass - Scottish small-reed - all unique to Scotland. 

5. What are the threats to Scottish wildlife?   

There are five major threats to Scottish wildlife. These include climate change, overexploitation of species and natural resources, habitat loss, the impact of invasive non-native species and pollution. Reversing the loss of our nature can help us counteract these effects and adapt to the impacts of climate change we are already facing.  

8. What wildlife projects are underway or planned in Scotland?  

Great wildlife projects are happening throughout Scotland, with many funded through the Nature Restoration Fund operated by NatureScot. There are various initiatives from restoring floodplains for Freshwater Pearl Mussels to hedgerow habitat management. Species on the Edge, Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels, and the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project are all projects currently underway, and you can find out more about them on the NatureScot website.  

9. How does Scottish wildlife compare to other countries?   

Scotland is a magnet for bird and marine life; we are on a key migration route for many species, so the diversity of wildlife can change dramatically from season to season, in addition to our resident terrestrial species. 

Unfortunately, the impact of people (past and present) is everywhere. As a result, we are lacking some very important keystone species. This means that unlike some European countries we do not have some of the large mammals and natural predators or vast ancient woodlands.  

Scotland could support more of these species in the future. Efforts in species reintroductions, land restoration and policy changes have started making an impact. There are many sites where you can witness these initiatives in action and it is vital that we continue these efforts to better support more wildlife. 

Birdwatching, or ‘birding’, has become increasingly trendy in Scotland. As a complete novice, I wanted to find out a little bit more, so I joined a Bird Identification Walk in Musselburgh, East Lothian. Our location was the lagoons at Levenhall Links, and we were looking for wading birds and wildfowl. I had no idea until I arrived that this is one of the best locations in the UK for birding! 

I joined a small group led by expert guide Scott Paterson from the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club (SOC), an organisation that promotes the study, enjoyment and conservation of wild birds and their habitats across Scotland. I was provided with a very nice set of binoculars which were immediately put to use when a kingfisher flew along the estuary beside us!

Scott knowledgeably introduced us to a variety of birds including long-tailed ducks, goldeneyes and curlews - some from very far-flung places. I was excited to find out that many of the birds are named after their calls – such as chiffchaffs! 

The lagoons here are manmade, but the birds seem drawn to them because they are quiet with few predators. There are hides which we visited too, where you can sit and watch nesting birds. I think my favourite thing I learned was that skylarks can sing over 400 notes, and their songs are always different – a bit like freestyle jazz. It was great to see them darting and dancing overhead.

All in all, I was actually amazed at the number of different birds you could see here in just a few hours. Learning about the wildlife you can see on a Scottish walk can really open your eyes to your surroundings. 

To find out more about Scottish birding and guided walks visit the SOC website