Our last nature walk was a truly special one, led by guest ornithologist Celia Holmes. We explored a newly developed wildlife oasis at Brodick Castle Garden, an area created from trees that fell during the last storm. This space has quickly become a haven for birds and other wildlife, adding an exciting new dimension to the gardens.

During our walk, we were fortunate to see a variety of birds, including treecreepers, coal tits, chaffinches, blackbirds, blue tits, and robins. We also heard the delicate calls of goldcrests, a thrilling experience for bird lovers. Celia shared her fascinating insights into birdsong, revealing that blackbirds across the UK develop regional variations in their songs, much like our own dialects! It’s these unique details that make nature walks so rewarding.

Birds Spotted on Our Walk:

• Robin
• Great Tit
• Blue Tit
• Coal Tit
• Chaffinch
• Goldfinch
• Treecreeper
• Goldcrest
• Crow
• Blackbird
• Dunnock
• Common Gull (overhead)

Birds You Might Spot Soon:

Other birds that frequent this area but were not seen on our walk include wood pigeons, ravens, buzzards, herons, pheasants, wrens, and the striking greater spotted woodpecker.

For those planning a visit to Brodick Castle over the next few weeks, keep an ear out for the songs of our summer visitors, including chiffchaffs, willow warblers, blackcaps, house martins, swallows, and sand martins.

Continuing the Nature Walks

Although this was the last walk in our current series, the StrollWithIt programme hopes to continue featuring nature-themed walks in the future. If you’re interested in joining, simply email strollwithit@arranecosavvy.org.uk, and Diana Turbett will keep you updated on upcoming walks and any new locations we explore. You can view the current walks still available in our calendar here.

Thank You!

A huge thank you to everyone who has made this series of Nature Health Walks such a success. It has been a joy to learn alongside you all, and we hope you continue to enjoy these walks with us.

A special thank you to Juliette Walsh, who has led the health walk programme over the past year with dedication and enthusiasm as well as all of our amazing walk leaders and experts who have joined us along the way. We are also immensely grateful to our funders, Paths for All, whose support has made this opportunity possible.

We would also like to express our gratitude to Sofi Graham, who has done an outstanding job of promoting the walks through social media and the Eco Savvy monthly newsletters. If you’d like to reach out to Sofi, you can contact her at sofi@arranecosavvy.org.uk.

We look forward to seeing you on future StrollWithIt walks and continuing our journey of exploring Arran’s incredible wildlife together!

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