NATURE WATCH
INLAND
Our cabins are very fortunate in that a great variety of birds and animals have chosen to nest or hunt close by.
We have resident populations of pheasants, partridges, woodpeckers, hen harriers, pine martens, badgers, foxes, roe deer, and most small garden birds.
During the winter you may spot fieldfares or geese passing through.
The RSPB Nature Reserve at Troup Head, though tricky to find, is well worth a visit. Just under an hour's drive from the cabins you will find colonies of Gannets, Kittiwakes, Guillemots and Razorbills. In spring and early summer you may spot the comical Puffins walking among the precipitous cliffs.
Further afield, up the Spey Valley at Boat of Garten, about 75 mins drive from the cabins, lies the RSPB Osprey Centre.
During the season you can watch the ospreys raising their young from a hide surrounded by other interesting wildlife, including pine martens and red squirrels.
SEA LIFE
Just 4 miles along the coast from Buckie, at Portgordon, is a resident population of common and grey seals.
As you drive along the coast at low tide you might spot what appears to be the end of a timber post sticking up out of the sea. Look a little closer and you may find it's actually the snout of a seal.
When the tide is in they are often to be seen basking on the rocks very close to the road. There's an information plaque, picnic table and small parking area just beside their favourite rocks.
The resident population of Moray Firth Bottlenose dolphins can be seen from many vantage points along the coast from Findhorn to Rattray Head.
If you're not lucky enough to catch a glimpse from land (they can be elusive) you might want to try a boat trip from Buckie.
The Spey Bay Wildlife Centre has a great deal of information, not just on dolphins, porpoises and minke whales, but on the wide variety of seabirds that populate the estaury.
Ospreys can sometimes be seen feeding in this area.