Along the burnsides, the little dipper is always busy. Sandpipers and wagtails are summer visitors. Otters are common but elusive. Spend a summer evening by a pool on the Tilt or Garry and you may be lucky, but keep the secret to yourself!
Goosanders and goldeneye nest in holes in trees. Ospreys visit in the spring and spend the summer fishing. We don’t have a breeding record in Atholl yet. Red Kites have been seen; they are the most beautiful fliers with their distinctive forked tail.
An early morning walk at daybreak in the spring may bring a strange burbling sound to your ears. Track the sound and watch from a distance. You will have found the display ground of the Blackgrouse. Marvel at the strutting and posturing, the hisses and gurgles of the lek.
The capercailzie, known as the horse of the woods, still exists here, but is in terrible trouble. Numbers have plummeted in Scotland in the last few years. Caper are too rare and sensitive to be watched. Be patient and in a few years, when numbers have recovered, you may get your first sighting of this magnificent pinewood specialist.
Crossbills are here. Listen for the metallic tinkling of the family groups as they feed in the pine canopy. Red squirrels are common, always busy in the tree tops.
Mountain hares can be seen on the moorland. Harriers, merlins and shorteared owls hunt and breed here. Peregrines and eagles are the top predators of the high hills.
Foxes, badgers, wildcats and pine martens stalk the forest edges, but they are elusive. Have patience and sit quietly - you may be rewarded.
Roe and red deer are common, roe on the woodland edges and the larger red on the hill. The rut in September is a good time to watch the roaring and chasing.
If visitors with strong legs and a good heart make it to the ridges they may be well rewarded! Ptarmigan live here; they are white in winter and mottled in summer. Dotterel breed in summer and snow buntings have been seen. The lonely call of the Plover is one to remember.
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