For the serious birdwatcher, the area has many different nature reserves. The nearby Fairy Glen RSPB reserve is ideal for a spring walk to see dippers and grey wagtails – not to mention the woodland flowers at their best. The local rangers even organise early morning

The Black Isle is literally alive with wildlife. Visit us at Flowerburn and you won’t have to go far to see some of Scotland’s finest and most intriguing birds and animals.

Take a walk through the pine forest behind our lodges and you might catch a glimpse of a red squirrel or a crested tit. There are also pine martins in the woods, which you might be able to tempt out of hiding if you leave a little bread on your balcony.

Look above and you’ll see buzzards – and maybe a rare red kite – soaring above the local farmland looking for prey, or flocks of thrushes, coming from Scandinavia over the winter. We also have a colony of rare brown long-eared bats at Flowerburn, so if you’re with us over the warmer months you could see them setting out at dusk in search of insects to eat.

There are also some larger animals to see, with roe deer emerging from the forests in Spring to feed on the fresh grass in nearby fields. Take a walk down Rosemarkie Beach and look out for deer taking a drink from the Rosemarkie or Learnie Burns. And if you’re walking through the Flowerburn Wood – and you’re very lucky – you might even see a badger (it’s been a couple of years since we have).

For the serious birdwatcher, the area has many different nature reserves. The nearby Fairy Glen RSPB reserve is ideal for a spring walk to see dippers and grey wagtails – not to mention the woodland flowers at their best. The local rangers even organise early morning walks to hear the incredible dawn chorus.

Both the Moray and Cromarty Firths are internationally renowned for their water-bird populations. Just ten minutes’ drive from Flowerburn, at Udale Bay, the RSPB have a hide where you can watch the spring and autumn migrations. While we have curlew, oystercatchers and redshank all year round, from autumn to spring we’re also joined by dunlin, knot, bartailed godwit and ducks such as wigeon, teal and scaup.

There’s another RSPB reserve at Nigg, which you can reach by ferry from Cromarty, while the Munlochy Bay nature reserve is just a few miles south of Flowerburn – and has a large wintering population, including Greylag Geese.