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Wildlife & Biodiversity

If you’re interested in wildlife and biodiversity, you’ll love the rivers, lochs, woodlands, farmland and parkland here at Drumlanrig Castle. There are so many different habitats for plants and animals to call home that you’ll find lots to explore all year round.

The farmland and parkland plays host to breeding Lapwing, Green Woodpecker and Oystercatchers, and the holes in mature trees provide nest sites for Tawny and Barn Owls. Heron, Dipper, Little Grebe and Kingfisher all love our unpolluted rivers and lochs.

Have a wander around and see if you’re lucky enough to see Roe Deer, Badger, Stoat and even the Otters that regularly fish in our lochs.

If you visit Drumlanrig Castle in spring or early summer you’re in for a special treat when the forest floor will be ablaze with wildflowers. A great way to experience the wealth of wildlife and plant life at Drumlanrig is to take a stroll round one of our waymarked trails.

Discover the Walks
red squirrel
red squirrel

Red Squirrels

See if you can spot one of our wildlife highlights here at Drumlanrig – the native Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris). The best time to catch a glimpse is during the summer months when the adults are busy with their young and therefore more preoccupied with being parents than being wary of the many eyes watching them.

Trees and scenery

Trees

We have a fantastic mix of tree species, both native and introduced. Our woodland is managed so that only individual trees or small areas of woodland are felled at one time, mirroring the process of nature – with sun-warmed glades opening up as mature trees die.  Sadly in recent years, the woodlands have been badly damaged by storms and we have also had to remove a number of infected Larch trees.

loch, forestry

Wildlife Habitats

You’ll notice how the farmland around Drumlanrig Castle is carefully managed to provide perfect wildlife habitats. There will always be hedgerows, small farm woods, field margins and ponds in the grounds of Drumlanrig Castle, long after they have disappeared throughout much of the country. Why not take some of these ideas home with you and see how you can encourage wildlife habitats in your own garden?

South West Scotland Scenery

Feathered Friends

Our Parkland is open grassland peppered with mature trees of varying ages, and is a favourite hunting ground for the many Barn Owls found in the area. You’ll also find a wide variety of birdlife from the tiny Goldcrest through to the much larger Buzzard. In addition to our finches, tits, thrushes and warblers, see if you can spot our more memorable woodland inhabitants – the Great Spotted Woodpecker, Sparrowhawk, Pied Flycatcher and, unusual in Scotland, the Nuthatch.

Lady taking photograph of children with hilly backdrop

Share your discoveries!

If you do spot something spectacular, please share it with us!   You can let us know by emailing the team, or tag pictures and videos on our social media channels, Facebook or Instagram using the hashtags #drumlanrigcastle

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