This month has also been a very busy month for wildlife spotting throughout the Glen.  Over the month we have spotted a number of ring ouzels, peregrine falcons, an osprey, and a pine martin scurrying about around the visitor centre.  We are also lucky enough to have barn owls nesting on the property, which, as mentioned in our news articles, we ringed this month (see here).

The heath-spotted orchids are also now in full bloom around the glen.  These gorgeous pyramidal flowers are out throughout both Glencoe and Glen Etive, and are definitely worth looking out for if you are in the area!

In other wildlife-related news the stags have now reached full ‘velvet’, whereby their antlers, having dropped in the spring, are currently re-growing, driven by the stags testosterone.  The red deer have also now gained their famous red summer coat after shedding the last of their winter coat over the past month, rubbing most of it off on trees!  The onset of summer, however, means that the deer are far harder to spot as they leave their winter homes in the lower reaches of the glen to venture far higher up the hill. This is to escape bugs and midges and also because the vegetation at higher altitudes is now once again able to sustain them.

The arrival of peak season in July also means a huge increase in our ranger-led activities!  As well as our Land Rover safaris, we now have children’s events running every weekday between 3 and 4pm right throughout July.  We also have guided walks around the visitor centre and, for the more adventurous, full and half-day walks to less accessible parts of the glen.  There is interest also within the visitor centre, where Colin Homes’ photographs will be displayed in his exhibition ‘Timeless Light’.  For all the information on our upcoming events please check out our What’s On diary.