wildlife
Welcome to Great Bernera, where the eagles are as big as sheep!
From majestic eagles to playful otters to sunbathing seals, our island is a paradise for wildlife watchers. This is a selection of some of the air, sea and land creatures regularly observed around our shores:
in the air
Look up (or all around) and you’ll very likely see a wide range of birdlife including white-tailed sea eagles, hawks, buzzards, cormorants, guillemots, shags, divers, seagulls, gannets, herons, terns, curlews, lapwings, oystercatchers, corncrakes, cuckoos, snipes, finches, robins, tits, starlings, blackbirds, pigeons, geese and ducks.
in the water
Probably the most common sea mammals to be seen are seals, especially when they’re sunning themselves on exposed rocks at lower tides, or curiously observing events above the surface of the water. Loch Roag, the tidal waters surrounding Great Bernera, is also visited by dolphins and occasionally whales. And, of course, the otters enter in search of food. The sea loch is rich with salmon and mackerel, and freshwater trout can be found in the inland lochs (LINK TO FISHING?)
on the land
It takes some patience to spot otters but the best place to look is near the Bernera Bridge. Deer rarely come over to the island so the best place to see them is on the Tir Mor side of the bridge. They tend to venture onto the road at dawn or dusk, so take care if you are driving at those times as they are known to spring out without warning!
With thanks to Matt and Jenny Wilson of Kirkibost for providing many of the photos for this page.