The Natural History of the Highlands and Islands : 6

The Highlands and Islands of Scotland are rugged moorland, alpine mountains and jagged coast with remarkable natural history, including relict and specialised animals and plants that have made this dramatic landscape their home.

Here are animals in really large numbers: St. Kilda with its sea-birds, North Rona its seals, Islay its wintering geese, rivers and lochs with their spawning salmon and trout, and the ubiquitous midges! This is big country with red deer, wildcat, pine marten, badger, otter, fox, ermine, golden eagle, osprey, raven, peregrine, grey lag, divers, phalaropes, capercaillie and ptarmigan. Off-shore are killer whales and basking sharks.

Here, too, in large scale interaction is forestry, sheep farming, sport, tourism and wildlife conservation—a complex web of human activity and natural abundance that defines this extraordinary region.