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 The purple swathes of moorland in late summer, is the beautiful display of heather in full bloom. There are 3 principle species, common or ling, cross-leaved and bell. Common, as the name suggests, covers most of the hill but the distinctive bell heather features in most photographs with its bright purple petals that shape themselves into the characteristic bell shape.
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Scots Pine - pinus sylvestris |
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 Scots pine is the most widely distributed conifer in the world, with a natural range that stretches from beyond the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia, to southern Spain and from western Scotland to Okhotsk Sea in eastern Siberia.
Within this range it grows at elevations from sea level to 2,400 metres (8,000 feet), with the elevation generally increasing from north to south.
Despite this wide distribution, the Scots pine forests in Scotland are unique and distinct from those elsewhere because of the absence of any other native conifers.
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Red Squirrel - Sciurus vulgaris |
 An iconic native species in Scotland, it has suffered greatly from habitat loss, persecution and most recently from competition from the American Grey Squirrel, first released in 1876. It is most at home in dense coniferous forests, now mainly found in Scottish plantation forestry. They are thoroughly at home in the trees with double-jointed ankles and sticky pads on their feet giving excellent agility and grip. They are well adapted to the varying temperatures by growing a thinker coat in winter. This gives them their characteristic ear tuffs and bushy tails, which they wrap around themselves to keep warm.
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Brown Trout - Salma trutta |
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 The brown trout was introduced to North America from Europe in 1883 and has since become a popular quarry for anglers.
The females spawn in autumn and the beginning of winter in a water temperature of about 8 degrees Celsius and lay their eggs in shallow water on gravely bottoms. A nest is dug in the gravel where the eggs are deposited and then covered over. A five- or six-year-old female produces about 2000 eggs per season.
The world record for this fish is 17.8kg and 1.03m in length and taken in Loch Awe, Scotland in 1866.
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 The Atlantic salmon is an anadromous migratory fish found in the temperate and arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Anadromous is migrating from sea/salt water into fresh water to spawn.
Atlantic salmon can grow to a very large size and the biggest, which have reached up to around 70lbs (32kg), are usually caught in Norway and Russia. However, some very large fish have been recorded in Scottish rivers.
The highest jump a salmon has been known to make in Scotland is a vertical one of 12ft (3.7m) at the Orrin Falls in Ross-shire.
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Ptarmigan - Lagopus mutus |
 Ptarmigan are the grouse of the barren mountaintops and are rarely seen below 600m. They've adapted to life in a harsh environment by changing its plumage from season to season. Throughout the summer the birds generally have white wings with a grayish body, but during the autumn the birds lose these feathers and become white all over except their tail. They are superbly insulated and changing their plumage provides excellent camouflage throughout the year. They may one of the first species to suffer from our rapidly changing climate.
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Black Grouse - Tetrao tetrix |
 Black grouse are striking birds with the male's distinctive black bodies and a red wattle above the eye. The males (known as black cock) are at their best when displaying at their traditional lek sites. They display their snow-white lyre-shaped tails. Lek sites are often set in open areas surrounded by trees giving the females (greyhen) a good vantage point to watch and assess the strutting males.
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Red Grouse - Lagopus lagopus |
 A bird that is synonymous with upland moorland. It is found away from trees in open ground and often benefits from favourable management actions to increase its numbers. Strip burning grouse moors creates the familiar patchwork of green shoots of new heather next taller older heather. This creates the ideal conditions for the grouse to breed and find cover for their chicks.
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 Ravens are truly massive birds, bigger than buzzards. They are all black with thick bills. They are found mainly in the North and West where they remain as residents. Ravens will often flock together and will often be seen mobbing birds of prey such as golden eagles.
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Merlin - Falco columbaris |
 The Merlin, also known as the Pigeon hawk in North America, is the UK's smallest bird of prey. It is most commonly found on moorlands where it finds good breeding grounds. Its small size allows it to hover and hang as it pursues its prey. It is resident in the UK but the population swells during in the winter when birds from Iceland migrate to the warmer British climate.
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Kestrel - Falco tinnunculus |
 The kestrel is resident all over the UK and can often be seen hovering along roadsides and above farmland stalking its prey on the ground. They are so successful as they will nest in nearly all available holes and ledges that is near relatively open ground, be that a city park or rolling countryside. There numbers have been declining recently due to the change to intensive farming practices but they are still doing well.
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 The buzzard is by far the UK's most common bird of prey. It occupies territory all over the country and they can often be seen sitting on fence posts or circling overhead. They can be mistaken for Golden Eagles when in the wilds of Scotland, but this mistake rarely happens in reverse, as the eagles are so much larger than buzzards.
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Peregrine Falcon - Falco peregrinus |
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 The peregrine is a spectacular hunter. Individuals will gain tremendous height while hunting, they then fall into a vertical dive (or stoop) and can reach speeds over 200mph. It will then hit smaller birds in midair with their talons clenched in tight fists. Its hunting success rate is only 20 to 30% but will hunt 100s of different species, adapting their technique for different species.
They are beautifully coloured birds with slate black backs and spotted pale breast. It has distinctive black moustache on a white face.
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Osprey - Pandion haliaetus |
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 The osprey is migratory species that spends its summers in the UK. After years of persecution it is now re-establishing breeding sites across Scotland. It migrates down to Africa for the winter with most UK birds making their way to West Africa.
Ospreys are specialist fish eaters and put on a thrilling display diving feet first into lochs and catching fish, which are then hauled off and returned to the nest. The female spends most of her time on the nest occasionally being relieved by the male.
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Sea or White Tailed Eagle - Haliaeetus albicilla |
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 The White tailed or sea Eagle is the largest of UK's birds of prey. It was persecuted to extinction in the early 19th century but has recently been reintroduced to the Islands of Scotland from where it is now expanding its range.
Even larger than a Golden Eagle the White Tailed Eagle is identified by its broad fingered wings and short tail. A closer sighting will reveal a dark brown body with a paler head and neck and a white tail.
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Golden Eagle - Aquila chryaestas |
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 The range of this bird extends throughout most of the Northern Hemisphere. A splendid flyer, the golden eagle reaches speeds of 240 to 320 km/h when diving. Most of its mammalian prey is taken on the ground, mammals, such as foxes, rabbits, and hares. But large birds, such as geese and cranes, are occasionally struck in midair. The eagle does not, contrary to legend; prey on any extent on domestic animals.
Nests are built on crags or trees and are sometimes occupied for generations. The young hatch at intervals of several days, and where two chicks are born the elder may kill the younger.
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Water Voles - Arvicola terrestris amphibius |
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 Water voles originally found fame from 'The Wind in the Willows' where the character Ratty was in fact a water vole. They were once one of the most common waterside mammals but the arrival of the American Mink and habitat disturbance has had a catastrophic impact. They are now Britain's most endangered mammal suffering 97% reduction to its range.
The Scottish water voles are smaller, blacker and shaggier than the English and Welsh ones. Where there is no sign of the Mink and river system management schemes have either not occurred or have undertaken sensitive manner the water vole still holds on.
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 These are generally secretive and solitary animals, spending the vast majority of their time in or near water. If you see more than one otter together it will generally be a mother with her cubs, with males leading a solitary life. They can live in coastal areas relying on the marine environment for food or be primarily river dwelling animals. In rivers they can occupy territories greater than 30km in length.
Females will rear cub's single handily in litters of two or three. The cubs are born, at any time of year, in dens known as holts where they will remain for 10 weeks before venturing out with their mother.
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 Wild Boar have recently re-established themselves in the UK, particularly in Southern England. This has been as a direct result of poor security on wild boar farms due to varying interpretations of fencing specifications by Local Authoities charged with administering the Dangerous Wild Animals Act. Some Local Authorities have ignored the skills of these highly intelligent animals in planning an escape from enclosures. Alladale Wilderness Reserve is one of only a few examples where wild boar have been released into secure enclosures and used as conservation tools to break up rank vegetation to aid tree regeneration.
Boar are the ultimate omnivores eating anything and everything that they can root up. Using their noses to root up vegetation, they are able to eat tubers, insects, rodents, frogs and fruits.
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Mountain Hare - Lepus timidus |
 The mountain or blue hare is the UK's only native lagomorph (Brown hares and rabbits were probably introduced species). They are specialists of the uplands and boreal forests. In Scotland they primarily occupy moorland that is being managed for red grouse. There has been relatively little work done on the mountain hare in Scotland. However, it is known that there numbers peak and trough on a 10 year cycle, but also that it would appear that numbers are falling in areas of Scotland where they used to be high.
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 Badgers are excellent omnivores relying on a very similar diet to Wild Boar. Badgers are highly suited to digging with powerful shoulders and claws. They live in family groups spending most of the day in setts and coming out at night to feed.
Badgers typically weigh around 12kg and can live up to 20 years. They are currently heavily protected even having their own law 'The protection of Badgers Act 1992'
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Pine Marten - Martes martes |
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 Pine martens have been recorded throughout history as the most beautiful of all British mammals, and its fur so soft that kings could only wear it. Pine martens have remarkable speed and agility in the treetops allowing them to hunt and chase down red squirrels. Their taste for game birds and their eggs made them highly unpopular with gamekeepers and so suffered considerable persecution. They are now heavily protected and their numbers are believed to be increasing rapidly in Scotland.
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 Red fox are one of the most versatile and adaptable species in Britain. They can be found all over the country enjoying an urban life style as much as in the countryside. There ability to get into chicken pens and their taste for game birds has meant the fox has been hunted for years. Despite this they continue to thrive.
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Roe Deer - Capreolus capreolus |
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 Roe deer are the smallest of our native deer weighing in at an around 27kg. They are a woodland species that live solitary lifestyles, unusual for deer species. They are excellent at "melting away" into the background and are notorious to spot. This ability to hide offers them protection against predators, instead of relying on safety in numbers like other deer species. Young deer will be left to lie in high vegetation and so have almost no scent to avoid being sniffed out. Should a kid be discovered, its mother has been known to kill foxes to protect it.
* A controlled release of Roe Deer is planned for the future. It is planned to source breeding stock from within a 20 mile radius of Alladale Reserve.
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Red deer - Cervus elaphus |
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 The Red deer is the largest mammal in Britain and has been here in some form or other since this island was joined to mainland Europe. Red stags can appear the most majestic of animals when they are carrying a full 'rack' and the thick mane that appears during the rut.
During the summer, Red deer are dark red or brown with a lighter color of cream on the underbelly, inner thighs and rump. There may also be some spots on the summer coats, particularly along the spine. In winter, the pelage changes to a darker brown or grey, with lighter patches on the rump and undersides.
Currently, 1000 Red deer are living on the Alladale Reserve. Numbers have been reduced over the last three years to allow natural forestry regeneration with very successful results.
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European Elk - Alces alces |
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 The European Elk (also known as Moose) is by far the largest deer species, with tallest animals standing 7.8ft at the shoulder. Their palmated antlers, sometimes described as "paddles", are massive, stretching to 6'6" across in some cases.
They have large bulbous noses that fall over the muzzle and are used as a miniature trunk. They are normally most active at dawn and dusk relying on acute hearing and sense of smell as their eyesight is poorly developed. They are prolific feeders needing to consume around 10kg of food a day!
We now have Elk at Alladale!
Please click here to find out more...
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