As a rural region there is no shortage of wild and wonderful creatures.
We have our very own red squirrels inhabiting the trees outside the front door, regularly running to the feeders, leaping through the trees, hanging upside down and hiding nuts around the garden. Much to the dismay of the gardeners when they dig them up! Pheasants and partridge roam around the grounds and a family of deer make regular trips into our garden from the natural haven of Rhu-Na-Haven Rd. The river Dee to the back of the house often throws up wild salmon leaping as they swim upstream not to mention the stoats, weasels and otters, although a lot more difficult to spy.
The Falls of Feugh near Banchory have a viewing bridge to enable visitors to watch the salmon leaping up the waterfalls.
Capercaillie live wild in many glens with Glen Tanar regularly posting sgns of where to find them. Muir of Dinnet nature reserve is also a wonderful place to find a plethora of small creatures.
In the spring time the swifts return to nest in our eaves and a wren recently nested in the topiary tree outside the office window literally giving us a bird’s eye view of her feeding her young. In the autumn we hear the rutting calls of the stags roaring down Glen Tanar and across the valley towards the house as the females gather in the field on the other side of the river.