Containing one of the largest bodies of water in the area as well as stretches of quiet woodland and pasture, Fyvie Estate is home to many wetland birds and woodland creatures. Here are our top five wildlife spots when you’re out and about on our trails. Each has a ‘how easy to see’ rating, a fun fact and a top tip for when and where to look.
Common toad
With so many predators around, common toads lead a precarious life but they can be seen (and sometimes heard) near the lake. Toads and frogs are both found here, but common toads differ from frogs in that they have wartier, bumpier and drier skin.
In early spring you might catch them, sometimes in numbers, as they head back to the pools where they were born.
Fact: Toads tend to push themselves with their back legs rather than hop.
How easy is it to spot?
MEDIUM
Toads are present from March–September near the lake.
Red squirrel
At Fyvie Castle we are lucky to have a healthy population of red squirrels. They live in dreys high up in trees, usually near the trunk. Look for a twiggy structure, similar to a bird nest but ball-shaped. With recent storms, things will have been tough for this popular mammal.
They are highly adapted to their surroundings, with a bushy tail that serves both as a balancer and a ‘parachute’ to slow them as they jump through the air. Their sharp-clawed back feet can turn 180 degrees to grip the bark as they climb up or down trees.
Fact: Red squirrels are members of the rodent family, so their teeth never stop growing.
How easy is it to spot?
EASY
Red squirrels are present in the woodlands all year round.
Mute swan
It’s sometimes hard to think of the mute swan as a wild bird, as it’s so often found close to where people are. But it faces the same challenges that all wildfowl face in bringing up their young, with the risks of bad weather and predation. Now protected (the use of lead in fishing has been banned, and swan is no longer served at royal banquets!), the mute swan is one of the country’s success stories in conservation.
Mute swans are graceful, serene and strangely calming to look at – an ever-popular sight on the lake at Fyvie.
Fact: Mute swan couples pair for life and family groups have a strong bond.
How easy is it to spot?
EASY
Mute swans are present all year round in the lake.
Swift
Look high in the sky on a summer’s evening and you may see house martins, swallows and swifts, who generally fly the highest. The swift makes our list because, as they wheel and swoop down low near the castle, it’s amazing to think these birds have migrated from south of the Sahara desert.
It’s even more amazing to think swifts only land to nest, which they do in holes in old buildings or cliffs. Apart from that, they eat, sleep and mate on the wing.
Fact: Swifts have a distinctive arc or sickle-shaped wing silhouette.
How easy is it to spot?
MEDIUM
Swifts are present in the summer.
Fox
The Fantastic Five would not be complete without the fantastic fox. With their red coats, bushy white-tipped tail and vigilant ears, there is a knowingness in the eyes of these intelligent creatures.
They are predators of wildfowl, voles and hens, making them unpopular with farmers and causing a restlessness among Fyvie lake’s feathered residents. Keep an eye out for twisted poo on the paths, often containing fur and bones, to see where they’ve been!
Fact: Foxes tend to be early morning or evening prowlers, following a regular patrol route.
How easy is it to spot?
MEDIUM
Foxes can be seen in the early morning, all year round.
Spring is wild garlic season!
A sign that spring is here is the unmistakable smell of wild garlic growing in the woodlands. Discover where to forage for fresh leaves, how to identify wild garlic, and how to make a delicious wild garlic pesto.
Project Wipeout has arrived in the North East
Work to remove invasive plant species at a series of Trust sites has now started to move into Aberdeenshire this autumn.
Virtual garden tour: Fyvie Castle walled garden
Join Fyvie Castle gardeners Stuart Stockley and Gordon Thomson, as they take you on a fascinating tour around the Walled Garden of Scottish Fruits, home to the largest collection of Scottish fruits and vegetables.