Wildlife and Flora
From Protected Species to LBJs
Drimnin and its surrounding area and waters are a haven for wildlife and home to a number of protected species including the White Tailed and Golden Eagles, Scottish Wildcats, Red Squirrels, Pine Martens, Dolphins, Porpoises and Otters. However it is not just the presence of these headline species that make Drimnin special. It is also the pleasure that one gets from spending a few hours watching the day-to-day antics and activities of, as Gerald Durrell would have phrased it, the `little brown jobs’ and `small uglies’ that may otherwise be overlooked when visiting the busier and more densely populated parts of our country.
Close Encounters
We cannot promise that during your stay you will see the headline species which call Drimnin “home”, as with all wildlife sightings luck does play its part. However, to give a flavour of Drimnin's wonderful wildlife, we attempt to illustrate a variety of encounters over the last few of years below.
We are interested, amateur observers and as we walk quietly around the estate shoreline and tracks we are amazed at the abundance and variety of wildlife we find. We frequently see single or pairs of otters during daylight hours, and on occasions have been privileged to watch the interaction of entire otter families. We have watched from the Drimnin jetty as dolphins and porpoises travel down the Sound of Mull and on a shopping trip to Tobermory we spent two hours at the harbour as a pod of dolphins corralled fish and leapt from the water.
The wildcats (hybrid) are a little trickier, as with all cats sightings they tend to be on their terms. We have tiptoed along the track in the hope of catching sight of one that has just disappeared into undergrowth, only to look up and realise that for the past few minutes it has been quietly sitting watching from a superior vantage point. Here in Drimnin we have been working closely with Scottish Wildcat Action which is the official wildcat conservation project delivering a national action plan to save the Scottish wildcat. To find out more about their work visit http://www.scottishwildcataction.org/
Pine Martens are another Drimnin resident and depending to whom you speak will alter the description. Some would describe them as entertaining streetwise opportunists, others would describe them as undesirable squatters and poultry killers. We have watched them eat peanuts scattered on the patio, undeterred by the dog a foot away on the other side of a glass door. We have watched amazed as they stole seed potatoes from the porch, and on one occasion as one boldly ventured into the house.
However as we have said, it is not just the headline species that can keep us entertained, it is those 'little brown jobs' and 'small uglies' like lizards sunning themselves on a stone, slow worms attempting the perilous journey across our luckily quiet road, hermit crabs scurrying along the beach and dragonflies laying their eggs in muddy puddles.
We also have abundant birdlife. Highlights include watching as a pair of white tailed eagles perform their beautiful aerial courtship dance, hearing the call of Great Northern Divers as they fish just offshore, watching a sandpiper feign injury to distract you from the location of her nest, or a grey wagtail foraging amongst the seaweed. For those wishing to see puffins a day trip to Staffa and Lunga is just a day trip away with boats leaving from a number of locations on Mull, some of which can arrange for you to be picked up at the Fishnish ferry.
Habitat
The geology of Drimnin's landscape has created a variety of habitats from upland moors, rich grazing pastures, pine and broadleaf woodland to rocky shoreline and freshwater lochans. Much of the area is protected by legislation as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Scottish Natural Heritage Marine Protection Areas. It is this varied and relatively undisturbed landscape that has created the haven we have today. In addition to the wonderful wildlife, in spring Drimnin is covered in bluebells and we have many orchids including a few rare slender leafed helleborines.
So, whatever the season, as you stroll quietly along the paths and shoreline of this area, you will be hard pressed to leave without seeing something that has stopped you in your tracks. But please do so safely and with respect to the wildlife.Guidance can be found here.
Guide to best practice for watching marine wildlife