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A
remarkably rich abundance of wildlife can be found in and
around Brora and you would be amazed at how personal your
encounters can be at often stunning close range.
If you know what you're doing and understand the
countryside, the rewards can be immeasurable. All the
wildlife featured here can be found around Brora.
 Seals
may flop around on beaches, but there is little to compare with the beauty of
seals in the water, which can be as graceful as an underwater
ballet. Although you wouldn't think it by looking at them,
there is a world of difference between grey and common
seals.
Common seals breed all year round, but grey seals give birth
in November. Also, grey seal pups
are helpless for the first few weeks, remaining ashore, unlike
common seal pups which swim as soon as they are born.
 Grey
seal pups only weigh around 30lbs at birth, but since their
mother's milk contains 60% fat, they quickly fatten
up and develop the blubber layer that keeps them warm.
Perhaps paradoxically, the pups who stay ashore to suckle
the longest stand the best chances of survival. Starvation
is a notable cause of death amongst the pups, who must learn
to survive quickly before the onset of winter. Those who try
to fend for themselves too early often find themselves at a
disadvantage in that they must now learn to catch their own
food while other pups are still fattening up on milk.
 The Northern Fulmar,
fulmarus glacialis, although similar in appearance to
seagulls is in fact a true Procellaridae, making it more
closely related to the albatross.
Fulmars
drink sea water, and the strange beak configuration is
actually a salt water distilling system which removes excess
salt from their bodies. Fulmars only come to land
to breed, they lay but one egg per year, and there is
documentation of fulmars still breeding at forty years of
age.
 Arctic terns are a welcome
visitor to Brora, arriving in the late spring. These are the
ultimate long distance migrators, visiting both the north
and south poles every year. They are also the only birds
besides hummingbirds with the ability to hover in flight.
Terns nest on the ground so
if you're
being dive bombed, you're too close to their nests. Be wary when terns swoop
down as they are only protecting their nests and
their chicks. If they are dive bombing you, move away from
their nesting site and watch where you're putting your feet,
For more photographs of
local wildlife, please visit
Highlands of Scotland Photography |
