All Our Species in Argyll and Bute

We are very lucky in the Heart of Argyll to have kept a healthy population of Red Squirrels (Sciurus Vulgaris). These wee characters are always a pleasure to watch. There are no grey squirrels in the Heart of Argyll, and we hope that remains the case, as their presence usually proves fatal for the reds. When driving on roads through Read more…

Red Deer are the largest UK deer. They are red-brown in colour, and have no spots. Their rumps are creamy with no black linesThe males sport impressive branched antlers. Older, more dominant males tend to have more points on their antlers. They rut from late September until November. They can often be heard roaring from the hillsides. They are ruminants Read more…

European Otters (Lutra lutra) are quite common in the Heart of Argyll. They swim and fish in the sea, but must wash in fresh water afterwards. They tend to live inland a bit from our coasts. They are opportunists, and will eat everything from frogs to fish. Otter faeces are known as spraints. They weigh about 10 kg. They are Read more…

Grey seals (Halichoerus grypus, meaning “hooked-nosed sea pig”) have grey and brown fur, sometimes with a pattern of blotches. They have no ears visible and a long muzzle. Their nostrils are parallel. They are larger and darker than a common seal, with flat or convex profile to its head (the common seal has a concave profile). Males can frow over Read more…

The Heart of Argyll is lucky to play host to both species of British Eagle. The golden eagle and the larger white-tailed (sea) eagle are seen here. These are much larger than any other birds, and the white-tailed sea eagle. A female sea eagle can have a wingspan of up to 9 feet. Eagles may be distinguished from other raptors Read more…

Common seals are to be found in the Heart of Argyll. They have V-shaped nostrils, as opposed to the larger greys parallel ones.They have fine spot-patterned grey or brown fur and a rounded head, with no ears visible. They are about 1.5 metres, and weigh less than 150kg. Females can live ten years longer than the males which tend to Read more…

At least two pods visit our Hebridean waters. They are often seen on boat trips, but not usually in the winter time. Tursiops truncatus, commonly known as the common bottlenose dolphin or the Atlantic bottlenose dolphin (and in older literature simply as the bottlenose dolphin, a term now applied to the genus), is the most well-known species from the family Read more…

The Heart of Argyll is the official home of the Scottish Beaver Trial. Once a common sight in Scotland, Eurasian beavers were hunted to extinction in the UK in the 16th Century, but have now been reintroduced to several places in Scotland including Knapdale Forest in Argyll. Eurasian beavers typically weigh between 16-30kg, grow up to a metre in body Read more…

Visit us at the Argyll Beaver Centre and let us show you the fantastic variety of wildlife our area has to offer. We provide a Ranger service within Knapdale and its surrounding area, offering wildlife guided walks and themed events throughout the season. We want to share our passion for the natural beauty, wildlife and biodiversity of Mid Argyll and Read more…