Ardtornish is a special place with fine views, fine walks and an abundance of wildlife. Some of our fairly common animals and birds are rare elsewhere. The photos were taken in the garden or on walks around Ardtornish. Photographing wildlife well is an extremely difficult time-consuming hobby requiring much better equipment and skills than I have. My photos are snaps which remind me of the pleasure I got from watching that animal, bird or insect. My first instinct is to grab my binoculars when I see something interesting and could kick myself later when I realise I should have used the camera (such as the time I watched 5 young sea-eagles above the kitchen garden - though I might have missed most of the spectacle if I had gone to fetch my camera from the house).
Animals The easiest animals to see here apart from the farmyard varieties, are red deer. Otters are fairly common as are pine martens though they are harder to spot. Marine mammals can be seen in the Sound of Mull. Other animals are frequent but less often seen - slow worms, lizards, mice, voles and shrews. Frogs, toads and newts love the many damp places. Visit the animal page for more information and photos.
Birds The wide range of habitats locally means that many species of birds can be seen. Eagles, both golden and white-tailed are often seen, with the latter recently resident. Predatory birds are common especially buzzards. Waders and sea birds are seen in and around Loch Aline and the Sound of Mull. Native woodland, moorland, loch and mountain each have their own characteristic birds. Visit the bird page for more information and photos.
Insects Apart from myriads of biting midges, there are quite a few insects, butterflies and moths though I have to admit a great ignorance of all but a few. Visit the insect page for more information and photos.
