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Cullen
and the surrounding area is home to a wealth of wildlife.
Here is a taste of what can be seen. Why not come and stay a
while and see for yourself?
The rocky shore to the east of Cullen
is host to busy colonies of Fulmars and Herring Gulls which
nest on the grassy ledges of the steeper cliffs. These
cliffs are also sometimes home to a pair of Peregrine Falcons and
Kestrels.
In summer the quieter rocky coves
and small sandy bays foster crèches of Eider ducklings with their
attendant "aunties".
Here too it is possible to see a
striking black pigeon-sized bird feeding close inshore as the
scarcest Auk, the Black Guillemot nests along this
coast. (First recorded as breeding in 1982).
Also known by its Viking name of tystie, it feeds on sand eels and
butterfish in the shallow inshore waters.
Equally interesting is the number
of Stonechats, Linnets, Warblers and the many other songbirds
which haunt the gorse-covered (ulex europaeus) cliffs and rocky
gullies that run inland to the farmland on the cliff tops above.
An early morning walk along the
cliffs may also be rewarded by the sight of foxes, badgers and roe
deer as all live and breed here among the thickets of gorse and
dwarf willow. A few kilometers inland the mature woodland
which surrounds Cullen House and the Bin Hill, is a veritable mini
Caledonian pine forest and is home to a wide variety of
wildlife. Here siskins nest annually and crossbills stay to
breed if the cone crop is bountiful.
Sparrow hawks are common and
buzzards are now becoming more plentiful. In recent years,
goshawks have been seen in these woods and in the nearby deciduous
woodland.
Great Spotted Woodpeckers can be
regularly heard drumming on the pine and beech trees although they
are rarely seen. Green Woodpeckers can also be heard, their
yaffling call a relatively rare sound this far north.
The soft purring call of crested
tits can be heard for they too haunt these woods, excavating their
nest holes in rotten stumps of pines. The giant "old
man of the woods".. the capercaillie.. can also be seen here
as a release programme to enhance their numbers took place on the
Bin in recent years. With some luck, you may see a pine
marten, one of Scotland's rarest creatures.
Outside the woods, on the nearby
farmland, quail are occasionally heard in summer and breeding
pairs of linnets and brightly-coloured goldfinches can be found
here and there in rough corners. Later in the year they
gather into flocks which attract the occasional hen harrier or Merlin
which winter in the area.
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