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28 Jan 2021

Wildlife spotter’s guide: Torridon

An otter emerges from a stream onto a grassy bank with buttercups. Its brown fur is wet and sleeked back.
Otter
​The variety of wildlife at Torridon is astonishing – ​there’s something here for everyone’s interests, from the tiny and feathered to the (very) large and hairy!

Click on the pictures below to find out a little more about some of the species you may see during your visit.

A small bird perches on a thin oak branch. It has bright green and brown feathers, with a yellow stripe above its eye. It holds a small caterpillar in its beak. 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 golden eagle perched on a branch, with its back to the camera but turning its head to the right. A medium-sized wading bird stands on a patch of grass, with water in the background. The sun seems to be setting over the water, turning the sky yellow. The bird has a white tummy, greyish back feathers and a long bill. Its legs are a pale green. A grey heron stands among a reed bed, its lower body obscured by the grass. It has dark grey, shaggy feathers on its body. It has a white head with a strong black stripe running from above the eye to a crest down its neck. It has a very long, sharp orange beak. A grey seal pokes its head up out of foamy waves A close-up of two Highland cows, standing in a field with long grass. The nearest cow faces the camera, showing off its long crimpled fringe and wide horns. The other cow, further away, looks to the right. The sky is a vivid pale blue in the background. A meadow pipit sitting on a wire fence, in the background is a brown grass field 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. 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. Three red deer walk across an area of frozen grass, with steep mountains in the background. The deer closest to the camera has large antlers; the deer behind him is a female and is turning her head to look at the younger male, with smaller antlers, behind her. A medium-sized bird wades through the shallow water edge, with reeds poking up. It has bright orange legs and an orange beak. A silvery grey bird with a bright red throat swims across some smooth green water. It has a bright red eye. A small bird faces the camera, standing on small green plants by some rocks. It has a black and white head and neck, with a brown back and white tummy. It also has orange legs. A roe deer stands in a flowery (possibly lavender) area with saplings. It has turned its head to face the camera. Its very large ears and white rump are clearly visible. A large duck stands in gently rippling blue water, bending over and dipping its beak into the water. The duck has a brown, white and black pattern, with a chunky orange bill. A speckled brown bird with a very long straight bill stands in smooth water. Its reflection is perfectly mirrored below. A large eagle soars through the air over the loch. A group of white houses can be seen on the shore, with woodland and hills in the background. A colourful and striking looking duck swims on gently rippling water. It has a brown-red head, and a black and white pattern on its back. It also has a pink throat.

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