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14 Jan 2021

Wildlife spotter’s guide: Mar Lodge Estate

A small brown bird, with an orange tummy, stands in a field. It has a striking white line over its black eye.
Dotterel | photo: Laurie Campbell
Britain’s largest National Nature Reserve is truly a wildlife wonderland, home to many of Scotland’s most iconic species.

Click on the pictures below to find out a little more about some of the creatures that you may spot whilst exploring this beautiful estate.

A close-up of an adder, coiled up with its head poking out at the top. It has brown and gold markings on its skin. A black grouse faces the camera. Its tail feathers are fanned out revealing a white rear. It has bright red eyebrows. A small brown wading bird with a white tummy walks along a muddy shoreline. It is slightly lifting one of its thin yellow legs. A large wading bird, with speckled brown feathers, stands in very shallow water. It has a truly enormous bill, which is curved downwards. A dipper stands on a rock, facing the camera. It has a brown body, head and wings, with a bright white chest and neck patch. A small brown bird, with an orange tummy, stands in a field. It has a striking white line over its black eye. A chunky, bright green caterpillar with pink spots inches along a thin branch. Hairs stick up from its back. Close-up of a golden eagle, showing its head, huge beak and upper body. A small bird stands on a mossy rock with occasional blades of grass growing through. The bird has a golden and black speckled back, with a black tummy and small round head. A golden-ringed dragonfly flies among reeds and yellow buttercup-type flowers. A grey wagtail perches on a neat pile of leaves beside a stream. It has a grey back with a bright yellow underside, and its long tail is held out straight behind it. A female hen harrier in flight, with wings outstretched. A meadow pipit sitting on a wire fence, in the background is a brown grass field A dark blue/grey merlin perches on the end of a wooden branch, looking to the right with its back to the camera. Its short black tail has a white tip. A mountain hare sits in a grassy field, with bright blue sky in the background. Its long ears, with a black tip, are raised straight up from its head. It is looking towards the camera. It sits on its hind legs, but rests its front paws on the ground as well. A brown hairy caterpillar crawls across a wide green leaf. An otter emerges from a stream onto a grassy bank with buttercups. Its brown fur is wet and sleeked back. A pine marten creeps along a woodland floor, its body very close to the ground and its nose smelling the leaves in front. It has a long busy tail, and a white bib. A ptarmigan sits on a rocky area, looking to the right. It has brown and white mottled feathers, and a red stripe above its eye. A close-up of the head of a red deer stag. It is looking directly at the camera. It has large furry ears, with smooth antlers rising above. Its dark fur beneath its paler face is quite shaggy. A red squirrel leaps across a tree in Mar Lodge Estate A robin-sized bird perches on a moss-covered tree stump, looking directly at the camera. It has a black face, blue-grey back and an orangey chest and tummy. A crossbill perches in a pine tree, extracting seeds from a pine cone. Snow lies along the branches. The bird has orange feathers with darker brown wings. A large, dome-shaped nest made from plant material and pine needles is seen in a small clearing in woodland. Thick pine trees grow behind. A close-up of a skylark standing in a grassy field. It has pale, golden brown feathers with a cream tummy. It has a raised crest on top of its head. A fluffy and very round little bird hunkers down on a patch of mossy rock. It has a pale tummy with brown, black and white wings, and a little yellow beak. A small brown and white bird clings on to some rough bark on a tree trunk, facing up the tree. It has a long curved beak and very long toes to grip with.

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Mar Lodge Estate

Britain’s largest National Nature Reserve – a wildlife wonderland in the heart of the Cairngorms

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