Lakes

Watermead Country Park

Map Info

Nearest Town:

Thurmaston

County:

Leicestershire

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Wildlife Description:

Birds

Tufted duck, Coot, Mallard, Mute Swan, Great Crested Grebe, Grey Heron, Cormorant, Kingfisher, Pochard, Shoveler, Bullfinch, Common Gull, Crow, Dunlin, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Goosander, Lapwing, Shelduck, Tree Sparrow, Wigeon, Wren, Canada Goose, Moorhen

Butterflies and moths

Speckled wood, Small White, Large White, Gatekeeper, Cinnabar moth, Small Skipper, Ringlet, Peacock, Red Admiral, Comma

Dragonflies and Damselflies

Brown Hawker, Common Blue Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Banded demoiselle damselfly

Insects

Soldier Beetle, Green Bottle, Speckled Bush-Cricket,

Other Vertibrates

Grass Snake, Grey Squirrel

Coll

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Map Info

Nearest Town:

Arinagour, Coll

Grid Reference:

NM167563

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Place Description:

The Island of Coll and is some 53 miles from Oban and is 13 miles long and 3 miles wide, with many unspoilt white sandy beaches.The isle of Coll is a small hebridean island some four miles west of Mull and enjoys a mild climate with a high sunshine record. Coll has a population of around 200 all-year residents, and much more in the summer months.

Habitat:

An island with sand and rocky coastline, machair, hills and lochs.

Wildlife Description:

Corncrake, Puffins, Gannet, Manx Shearwaters, Melin, Hen Harrier, Divers, Redshanks, Bar-Tailed Godwit, Purple Sandpiper, Lapwing, Sea Eagles, Snipe, Skylark, Barnacle and Greenland White-Fronted Geese and Long Tailed Duck are just some of the birds the visitor can see. There are also colonies of Common and Grey Seals and also Otters.
When the machair, which is smooth turf growing on a lime rich soil of ground seashell fragments is in full flower, over 300 types of flowering plants can be found, including many species of orchids. This area also supports important insect populations including two rare types of bee - the Great Yellow Bumblebee and a mining bee called Colletes floris as well as Butterflies, Dragon and Damselfy's.

Directions:

Coll is reached by ferry from Oban, Landing at Arinagour on Coll. Contact Caledonian MacBrayne.
Tel: 08705 650000.
The RSPB Reserve is located 6 miles west of Arinagour, Isle of Coll, on the B8070 road.

Best Time to Visit:

Spring and Summer for breeding birds, Insects and Wildflowers.

Loch Maree Islands

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Facts

Site Managed By:

Scottish Natural Heritage

Address:

Reserve Manager SNH Reserve Office Anancaun Kinlochewe Ross-shire IV22 2PA Tel: 01445 760254.

Official Website:

Website

Map Info

Nearest Town:

Poolewe

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Place Description:

Loch Maree (loch Ma-ruibhe in Gaelic) is a loch in Wester Ross in the Northwest Highlands of Scotland. At 20 kilometres long and with a maximum width of 4 kilometres, it is the fourth largest freshwater loch in Scotland.

Habitat:

The cluster of islands consist of three large and forty small islands, set in the widest part of Loch Maree, which sits in pine-green contrast to the dark mountain beyond. The islands woodlands are among the least disturbed in Britain and their trees, bogs and bays are havens for may kinds of wildlife.

Wildlife Description:

The loch is an important breeding site for Black-Throated Divers while Sea Eagles and Ospryes hunt for fish around the islands. Otters can be seen around the shoreline while Red Squirrels and Red and Roe Deer inhabit the woodland.

Directions:

Ten miles northwest of Kinlochewe, off the A832 road. There is a limited bus service from Inverness.

Best Time to Visit:

There are no visitors facilities but there are nature trails along and around the loch itself, while from May to August boat trips operate from the Loch Maree Hotel (tel: 01445 760288), which also has a viewing hide.

Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve

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Facts

Classification:

National Nature Reserve

Environment Type:

Mountain and upland.

Site Owned By:

National Trust for Scotland

Address:

Ben Lawers National Nature Reserve (NTS) By Killin Perthshire Phone: 01567 820397 / 01567 820988

Contact Information:

NTS Ranger ServiceLynedochMain StreetKillin FK21 8UWTel: 0844 4932 136E-mail: benlawers@nts.org.uk

Official Website:

Website

Map Info

Nearest Town:

Killin

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Place Description:

Britain's 10th highest mountain, Ben Lawers, 1214m, is well-known for its unique range of mountain plants. It is renowned for its outstanding flora. The alpine calcareous grasslands, treeline woods and rocky slopes support a diverse range of flowering plants, lichens and bryophytes.

Habitat:

The soils on Ben Lawers are unusually rich at high altitude and support a superb collection of arctic-alpine plants and mountain scrub amidst fine upland scenery and is a botanical mecca, being home to rarities such as the Alpine Forget-me-not Myostris alpestris, Alpine Gentian Gentiana nivalis, Mountain Sandwort Minuartia rubella, Alpine Meadow-grass Poa alpina, Alpine Saxifrage Saxifraga nivalis, Alpine Lady's Mantle Alchemilla alpina and Moss Campion Silene acaulis.

Wildlife Description:

Wildlife that can be spotted on the reserve include Red Deer, Birds of Prey, including the Golden Eagle, Osprey, Red Squirrels, Grouse and Ptarmigan.

Directions:

Ben Lawers lies on the north side of Loch Tay, near Killin, within Breadalbane. The car park lies on a minor road off the A827 road, six miles from Killin. Parking -

Best Time to Visit:

June to August for rare alpine plants

Loch Druidibeg National Nature Reserve

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Facts

Size (Hectares):

1677 hectares

Classification:

NNR, BR, SPA, SSSI,

Environment Type:

Machair grassland, coastal dunes, moorland, grassland and hills.

Region:

Western Isles, Scotland

Site Owned By:

Scottish Natural Heritage

Site Managed By:

Scottish Natural Heritage

Address:

Reserve Manager SNH Stilligarry South Uist HS8 5RS Tel: 01870 620238

Contact Information:

David Maclennan32 Francis St., StornowayHS1 2ND Isle of Lewis - ScotlandUnited KingdomTel: (44.1870) 62 02 38

Official Website:

Website

Map Info

Nearest Town:

Lochmaddy

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Place Description:

The beautiful scenery couldn't be more different at the two extremes of the reserve. The western shores of the Uists are graced by mile upon mile of sandy beaches backed by the distinctive coastal grasslands - known as 'machair' - that are unique to the north of Scotland and west of Ireland. The landscape to the east form a stark contrast, where heather moorland and rough grass extend to the summits of the hills. Hecla (606 metres) is one of the highest hills and forms an impressive backdrop to the reserve.

Habitat:

Freshwater lochs; wetland; moorland; croftland; machair; sand dunes and beach; small plantation and relict scrub on islands in the loch.

Wildlife Description:

The coastal areas and croftland are important breeding areas for wading birds such as dunlin, redshank, lapwing and ringed plover, with corncrakes - rarely seen but often heard. The reserve is an important breeding ground fot Greylag Geese and id one of the few places where these birds do not fly north in the spring to breed. Golden Eagles and Red Grouse can be seen on the hills along with Golden Plover and numerous other species while Seal and Otters can be spotted along the coast

Directions:

The reserve spans the A865 road in central South Uist. Ferry terminals on North Uist (Otternish and Lochmaddy) or South Uist (Lochboisdale). Daily bus service (except Sundays) runs from Lochmaddy to Lochboisdale. Weekly flights to Benbecula operate from Stornoway, Barra and Glasgow.

Best Time to Visit:

Visitors are welcome to explore the reserve the only restriction on access is around the southwest corner of Loch Druidibeg during the bird breeding season (April to end of August).

Balranald Nature Reserve

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Facts

Size (Hectares):

640 hectares

Environment Type:

Coastal, machair, grassland, lochs.

Region:

Hebrides

Site Managed By:

RSPB

Address:

North Scotland Regional Office Etive House Beechwood Park Inverness IV2 3BW Tel: 01463 715000

Contact Information:

Nr BayheadNorth UistWestern IslesTel: 01876 560287

Official Website:

Website

Map Info

Nearest Town:

Balranald

County:

Western Isles

Grid Reference:

NF706707

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Place Description:

Balranald Nature Reserveset is mostly set on machair (extensive low-lying fertile plain) is a haven for waders and seabirds as well as some beautiful carpet machair flowers and associated insect life. A Visitors/Information Centre provides an explaination of the importance of traditional crofting agriculture for corncrakes and other wildlife. There is a circular nature trail through the croft land of the reserves, which is 3 miles in length, isitors should allow around 2-3 hours to complete it. The trail goes through wildflower-rich machair and round a bird-rich headland. A wide selection of wildlife can been seen, from wading birds to the elusive otter.

Habitat:

The habitats include rocky headlands, sandy bays, dunes, machair, grassland, marshes and lochs. The machair, the wonderful grassland dominated by dozens of wildflowers that is unique to the west coasts of Scotland and Ireland, is spectacular when in flower.

Wildlife Description:

Balranald Nature Reserve is famous for corncrakes that are now one of Europe's most endangered species and whose last stronghold is the Scottish Islands. There are also many other species here such as Twites, Skylarks, Meadow pipets, Corn Bunting and House Sparrows that feed near the car park. Many Hebridean and Western Isles, including Coll, Tiree and the Uists, now have corncrake populations that are numbering over 100, with Islay and Iona not too far behind. So successful has the conservation and management for corncrakes been in this region that several young birds from the islands have now been re-located to boost a reintroduction scheme in East Anglia.

Directions:

By car: The resere is three miles north of Bayhead. Turn for Hougharry off the A865. Bus: A Post bus service runs past the reserve. Contact Royal Mail for details.

Best Time to Visit:

Spring and Summer for wildflowers, breeding birds, dragonflies and butterflies. Autumn and Winter for migratory birds. In early May it can be an excellent site for watching skuas on passage. Pomarine and Long-tailed Skuas often pass by in large numbers if there are strong W to SW winds. Over 200 have been recorded on a single day under favourable conditions.

Abernethy Forest National Nature Reserve

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Facts

Size (Hectares):

12,795 hectares

Classification:

Nature Conservation Review Site

Environment Type:

Scots pinewood woodland and bogland.

Region:

Inverness-shire

Site Owned By:

Scottish Natural Heritage

Site Managed By:

Scottish Natural Heritage and partly by the RSPB

Address:

The Reserves Manager Scottish Natural Heritage Achantoul Aviemore PH22 1QD Tel: 01479 810477

Contact Information:

RSPB Nature Reserve Abernethy ForestForest LodgeNethy BridgeScotlandPH25 3EF

Official Website:

Website

Map Info

Nearest Town:

Grantown on Spey

County:

Inverness-shire

Grid Reference:

NJ 010165

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Place Description:

Abernethy National Nature Reserve lies on the southern fringes of the village of Nethybridge, in the Cairngorms National Park. It covers most of Abernethy Forest, the remains of an ancient Scots pine forest that at one time covered much of the Scottish Highlands and extends high into the Cairngorm Mountains.

Habitat:

Natural Pine forest, bog woodland and moorland . Many plants and animals that are found only in the native pinewoods occur here and as such the site is of considerable national importance. Part of the site is also of geological importance.

Wildlife Description:

The Pine Forest provides a home to many animals and birds, and it plays an important part in the ecology of this area. Some of the animals that you may see while exploring the forest are the Wild Cat, Badger, Red Squirrel, Red deer and Pine Marten. The unique woodland is also home to many varieties of birds, like the Scottish Crossbill, Black Grouse, Osprey, Goldeneye, Greenshank and Capercaillie, that use the woodland also for nesting purposes. Abernethy NNR is rich in scarce or rare insects characteristic of the native pinewoods and supports rare species of beetle, fly, spider, ant, dragonfly and moth and has the 3rd highest number of Red Data Book species for any Scottish site and over 400 species of beetle have been listed for the area. The Scotch Argus and Dark Green Fritillary butterflies are among the more widespread species that occur here while rare dragonflies like the Northern Damselfly breed in the forest mires and lochans.

Directions:

The visitor can access the NNR from the RSPB visitor facilities at Loch Garten. Bus: There is no direct public transport available and nearest bus stop is on the B970 road. The bus route is Service 34 from Aviemore to Grantown on Spey. From here there is a footpath of 1.5 miles leading to the Osprey Centre.

Best Time to Visit:

April to July for birds, plants and insects.

Smew

Primary Image:

Images

Male Image:

Female Image:

Facts

Scientific Name:

Mergus albellus

Common Family:

ducks, geese and swans

Scientific Family:

Anatidae

Length:

41cm

Wingspan (mm):

62cm

Lifespan:

unknown

Breeding Pairs:

unknown

Information

Description:

A small duck with short bill differing widely from other sawbills insize, shape and plumage. The male is unmistakable in his black and white plumage white crested head. female with her grey body, white wing panel and reddish brown head, but the large and conspicuous pale cheek patch is distinctive. The male in its breeding plumage is unmistakable while the female, juvenile and eclipse plumage males all look very similar with their red head.

Vane Farm Nature Reserve

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Facts

Site Managed By:

Scottish Natural History & RSPB

Address:

RSPB Vane Farm Nature Reserve Kinross KY13 7LX Tel:01577 862355

Contact Information:

The Reserve ManagerSNHThe PierKinrossKY13 8UFTel: 01577 864439

Map Info

Nearest Town:

Kinross

County:

Perth & Kinross

Grid Reference:

NT160990

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Place Description:

Vane Farm is part of the Loch Leven National Nature Reserve on the south shore of Loch Leven. The reserve has a Visitors Centre with five telescopes and binoculars, that can be hired in the shop. There are three hides at the lochside and three nature trails taking in the loch shore, wetlands and surrounding moorland and woods, though not really suitable for disabled visitors. Vane Farm Visitor Centre is open 10 am-5 pm daily, and the trails and hides are open 24 hours a day throughout the year (except Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day and 2 January). Prices (2009): Adults £3, children 50p, concessions £2, family £6 and RSPB and Wildlife Explorer members are free.

Habitat:

Vane Farm Reserve consists of a variety of habitats on the shore of Loch Leven, from wetland, marsh, wet grassland, moorand and woodland, all supporting a wide variety of wildlife.

Wildlife Description:

A wide variety of wildfowl can be seen on and around the loch, including Tufted, Mallard, Shoveller, Redshank and Oystercatcher. Flock of up to 25,000 Pink Footed Geese can be seen in the Autumn feeding on the marshes around the loch. While Roe Deer, Fox, Stoat, Weasel and many other mammals can be spotted in and around the woolands.

Directions:

Car: The reserve is sign posted approximately two miles east of Junction 5 of the M90. Once on the slip road take the B9097 and drive for approximately two miles. The nature centre car park is on the south (right) side of the road. Bus: A limited bus service (the 204) runs to the reserve from Kinross (4 miles) on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Best Time to Visit:

All year round but Autumn and Winter for migratory birds.

Baron's Haugh

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Facts

Size (Hectares):

107

Environment Type:

River, Loch, wetland, meadows and reedbeds.

Region:

South Lanarkshire, Scotland

Site Managed By:

RSPB

Contact Information:

Site Manager: Nick Chambers10 Park QuadrantGlasgowG3 6BS.Tel: 0141 331 0993

Official Website:

Website

Map Info

Nearest Town:

Motherwell

County:

South Lanarkshire

Grid Reference:

NS755548

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Place Description:

Baron's Haugh is a haven for migratory birds that use the loch and nearby River Clyde to rest and feed. It is also one of the few places in Southern Scotland where the Nuthatch can be seen. There are pathways around the loch and throughout the surrounding estate, some are wheelchair friendly but can be muddy in wet weather. There are 4 basic hides set near the water's edge for photographers and wildfowl enthusiasts but no viewing equipment.

Habitat:

There is a wide range of habitat, from meadows, riverbank and woodland to reedbeds and marshes, while the main body of water (20 hectares) is controlled by a sluice gate. This enables wildfowl to nest in safety and exposes areas of mudflats for migratory waders and wildfowl.

Wildlife Description:

There is a wide range of birdlife all year round at the reserve and these include: Whooper Swans, Wigeon, Goldeneye, Ruff, Gadwall, Goldcrest and several species of Duck are only a few of the species found on the water while Green and Great Spottwed Woodpecker, Kingfisher, Peregrine, Buzzard and Sandmartin can be readily seen. Nuthatches, which are rare in Scotland have been breeding here succesfully since 2004.

Directions:

From Junction 6 of the M74, take the road to Motherwell. Bear right at the next traffic lights sign posted to Wishaw. Turn right at the third mini-roundabout, and follow the road to the junction, turn left then immediately right to enter the reserve; the car park is on the right. It is advisable to park cars near the end of this street and walk down, as the car park on the Reserve is isolated and unattended.

Best Time to Visit:

All year round as there is always wildfowl, either natural or migratory on the loch. Late Summer and Autumn are good times to visit for the wide range of Fungi founf in the surrounding meadow and woodland.

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