Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Salmon's Journey
One of Scotland's most thrilling sights is the flash of rippling silver as a salmon leaps up a fast-flowing cascade.
The salmon's life begins in early spring, hatching in a gravel stream bed in a remote Scottish glen. The salmon fry
stay in the river for a couple of years until they are big enough to head downstream and out to sea. After several
years in the North Atlantic, they return home to reproduce, unerringly finding the river of their birth.
Birds
Scotland has an immense variety of birds, in-
cluding the mighty white-tailed sea eagle, Bri-
tain's biggest bird of prey. Reintroduced to the
western seaboard after having been hunted al-
most to extinction, they once again patrol the
skies above Skye and Mull.
The majestic osprey (also absent for most of
the 20th century) nests in Scotland from mid-
March through to September, after migrating
from West Africa. There are around 200 breed-
ing pairs; you can see nesting sites throughout
the country. Other birds of prey, such as the
golden eagle, buzzards, peregrine falcon and
hen harrier, are also protected.
Wildlife
Encounters
2 SEA EAGLES, SKYE (
CLICK HERE
)
3 MINKE WHALES, MULL (
CLICK HERE
)
National Parks
Scotland has two national parks -
Loch
Lomond & the Trossachs
(
Click here
)
and
the Cairngorms (
Click here
)
. There's also a
huge range of protected areas. Forty-seven
Na-
tional Nature Reserves
(
www.nnr-scotland.org.uk
)
span the country, and there are also marine
areas under various levels of protection.
4 BOTTLENOSE DOLPHINS, MORAY
FIRTH (
CLICK HERE
)
5 REINDEER, AVIEMORE (
CLICK HERE
)
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