Wildlife

Roe Deer
Roe deer live in our woodland garden
Rabbit
We love our rabbits – and our rabbits love our flowers and vegetables!!
Tawny Owl
Can you spot our Tawny Owl’s silhouette at the top of one of the trees directly behind the Bothy

We are lucky to have an abundance of wildlife throughout our woodland garden, and along the river. So if you are coming to stay, do bring your binoculars and cameras. From 2018 onwards, we have been doing a lot of work to cut down and replace invasive Cherry Laurel and Rhododendron Ponticum with a range of of native planting to further improve the biodiversity of our woodland garden. We have also cut in a range of paths so that you can wander around. Planting includes: Willow; Hazel; Alder; Birch; Rowan and Hawthorn. We also have a number of ‘wild’ areas to further provide wildlife havens.

Our overall aim is to create a holiday setting, which is more than ‘just a place to stay in’ or ‘a room for the night’, but one that is both peaceful and relaxing, but also harmonises the needs of our holiday business and our guest experience, alongside a rich wildlife habitat.

At various times of the year, you can expect to see Roe deer, rabbits, squirrels, pheasants, partridges, owls, herons, ducks, kingfishers, stoats, foxes; voles, mice and shrews; white throated dippers; a wide variety of finches and tits, plus many more species.

We also have at least 4 varieties of bat – Common and Soprano Pipestrelle; Daubenton and Leisler. If staying, why not ask to borrow our bat detector and bat detection guide!

The Scottish Wildlife Trust suggest that there are over 35 species of birds.

Chris recieving our official Nectar Network business partner plaque from Scottish Wildlife Trust project lead Lynne Bates.
pheasant
We do have an abundance of pheasant
Dipper
White throated Dippers bob along the River Doon
Red legged partridge
Red legged Partridge are regular visitors to Doonbank
Our squirrels get first dibs at the plums and other fruit and nuts!