A bunny runs through it
Mammal watching is usually a challenge, but summer gives opportunities to see a wider range of species than during other seasons. On the west coast and around the Hebrides and Northern Isles, these could include dolphins, porpoises, seals or otters at any time of day. Inland on the Scottish mainland, early morning and evening can be the best times for mammal viewing. Try sitting at dusk by the edge of broadleaved woods to
catch sight of pipistrelles or other bats. Rabbit warrens are also fun to watch when the younger bunnies are on the hop. They may be common, but you need patience to observe rabbits at close range. For good ranger-led badger viewing, go to the Scottish
Wildlife Trust’s Falls of Clyde reserve, near New Lanark. Here, you can look at Glasgow’s home river in a different light, as it tumbles through steep and wooded gorges and over large waterfalls, then arrange to see some of the woodland’s most distinctively hairy inhabitants.
Web tip:
www.swt.org.uk/visit/reserves and click ‘Visit’ then ‘Reserves’
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Originally native to Spain and Portugal, then kept in guarded warrens, rabbits have only become common across Scotland in the last two centuries.
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The pied flycatcher is scarce in Scotland, so hearing one in a summer oakwood is always an enjoyable surprise.
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Every part of the Isle of Eigg’s coast is interesting. But the Singing Sands, where dry grains can squeak underfoot, is both beautiful and remarkable.
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The Nature of Scotland
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