
Nature and Wildlife
Diverse and rare flora and fauna right on the doorstep
When we chose to relocate to Glenisla in 2018 we did not anticipate – even in our wildest dreams – that Cairnhill Lodge would end up being home to such an astonishing diversity of bird and animal species: some of which are very rare and highly endangered such as the Scottish wildcat.
So, over the last couple of years we have placed a great emphasis on serving and trying to protect our neighbourhood wildlife by providing habitat and regular feeding stations throughout the garden.
To date, we seen nearly 60 species of birds, including osprey, golden eagle and Scottish crossbill.
On the mammal count, we have seen 17 species so far. However, for us it’s not the number of species that’s impressive, but instead the fact that some of these are rather special: our Scottish wildcats (we’ve identified three individuals so far) are superstars and visit our purpose build feeding station every night. Also seen at the wildcat feeding station have been otters and pine martens. We have a camera trap by the feeder so capture some excellent night-time video footage. We have even recorded some excellent coverage of a Scottish wildcat meeting a hedgehog – but don’t worry, the two just ignore each other and get on with their respective suppers!
Our most recent purchase has been a bat detector and we are looking forward to sharing our findings and analysis on which species frequent the local woodlands.
A list of all wildlife observed at Cairnhill Lodge, or in the surrounding neighbourhood, can be seen here. Cairnhill Wildlife Spotted