Best wildlife in Scotland and where to spot them in July and August

Summer is well and truly underway and by this point the woods and coasts are a hive of activity. Busy parents are rushing around trying to feed their hungry offspring (the animals as well as the people!) and new plants are just starting to pop up. So I thought I would write a little article to help direct your eyes around this exciting time of year…

Cetaceans (whales and dolphins)

The warm waters around scotland become teeming with life at this time of year and this brings the larger marine species towards the coasts. July and August are prime times to see some truly spectacular species. The first to arrive are the bottlenose dolphins; I wrote a whole blog article about these amazing animals and you can see it here. The dolphins can regularly be seen along the Moray coast from Channory Point, Fort George, Burghead Lookout and Spey Bay Whale and Dolphin Centre. The best time to see these amazing animals is an hour either side of high tide as they head west along the coast to catch the fish around the mouth of the river estuaries. 

Minke whales can also be seen at this time of year lunge feeding in the sudden multitude of bait fish which are at the surface. My best advice for photographing or watching for these cetaceans is to look out for large flocks of seabirds, in particular gannets, diving and feeding out to sea. Gannets will often follow the whales as they look for a meal. The best places to watch the minke this year (2023) seems to be along Cullen Bay or Burghead. These large mammals reach 10-15m and tend not to go so far up the Moray Firth. 

Finally, although not classified as a cetacean but a very large fish, the basking sharks will make their way to the Scottish coastline in August usually. These behemoths are the second largest fish on the planet and can be seen all around the coastline. It’s difficult to predict where they may surface but lookouts at Burghead and Spey Bay would be the best places to start your search. 

Osprey

This time of year is of course marked by the return of the osprey. One of my personal favourite species, these birds migrate from Southern Africa each year to raise their young; driven by the healthy supply of fish. Luckily for us wildlife fanatics, populations of these birds it relatively healthy and individuals can be seen hunting all along the coastline and rivers around Moray and the Cairngorms. For unrivalled footage, I’d recommend visiting the RSPB Loch Garten Osprey Centre; there they have live cameras on nesting birds and loads of information on hand. If you want to try and spot ospreys for yourself though I can recommend the mouth of the river Spey, Lossiemouth and Findhorn. Adults and juveniles are regularly seen fishing here. For the best chance of seeing successful fishing though, you’ll want to try and get there around low tide when the fish are concentrated in a shallow area of water. 

Many of the images of fishing ospreys are taken at the Aviemore Osprey Hide. A truly unrivalled display from the birds will cost you a bit of money but is apparently well worth the cash. 

Red Deer

When the snow has receded from the highlands for the summer, red deer tend to head to high ground away from people and other threats. Summer is therefore a time when you’re less likely to bump into these impressive animals. However, there are still literally thousands of deer round the cairngorms and the highlands and a few spots where you’re more likely to see them than others. My best suggestion for this is to hike around the Ralia Estate, south of Kingussie. The estate hasn’t been managed extensively for years and as a result, deer populations are really high. In August, the stags’ antlers are at their most impressive and you’ll start seeing signs of threshing in preparation for the rut in October. 

Northern Gannets

This species is another firm favourite of mine and another summer migrated from Africa. The northern gannets travel up to take advantage of the influx of fish around this time of year. In July and August the best places to see these birds up close are either RSPB Troup Head in Aberdeenshire or Bass Rock near North Bewick. The former is absolutely astounding and will give up incredible views of thousands of nesting birds for free. It’s a reserve which is hidden away and pretty quiet - we’ve spent many happy afternoons watching the birds there. In late August you will start to see the juvenile birds starting to practice their fishing skills along the moray coast. The best places to spot this is from the Burghead lookout or from Findhorn beach where the water is shallow. Although you’ll also see this along the coast at many beaches and coves where the fish are channelled to the surface. 

Seals 

These are not uncommon species throughout Moray (so long as you’re looking along the coast!) but there are a few spots which are particularly popular with these adorable aquatic mammals! There are two species of seal in the UK - the common seal and the grey seal. The former is considerably smaller, only about 1-1.5m in length. They like to hang around in the estuaries of rivers and will regularly be seen in the mouth of the Spey river, Lossiemouth estuary or in Findhorn marina. The grey seals are larger and live in large communal groups. One of these colonies is at Findhorn along the beach at low tide although individuals can be spotted all along the beaches there. There are a few very relaxed grey seals living in Burghead harbour taking fish from the fishing boats which means that they come incredibly close to the shore. 

Golden Eagles

This is one of those species which I’m yet to get a good picture of however I;m fortunate enough to be able to see on a semi regular basis. These are one of the UK’s most iconic species and certainly one to look out for in the Cairngorms and highlands. They are also protected species which means that nest sites are kept very secret and any disturbance to them is reported and treated with severity. As a result, I’m not going to discuss sure fire locations for Golden Eagles; however there is a valley in Strathdearn which has gained popularity in recent years for a number of bird of prey. Its nickname is raptor valley and is just south of Tomatin in the The Monadhliath Mountains. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot them soaring above the mountain peaks. My best advice for spotting them is to watch for ravens who follow the eagles around and mob them in search of scraps. 

So there you have it. Just a few of my favourite local wildlife hotspots. Which species did I miss? Let me know and happy watching!