Mingarry Lodges
. . . time for nature in the heart of the Northwest Highlands of Scotland
Wildlife on Site
Mingarry Lodges provide a wonderful opportunity to observe nature close-up. The site has over 20 species of resident woodland and garden birds, including siskins, bullfinches, treecreepers, greater spotted woodpeckers and tawny owls. Summer visitors included willow warblers and swallows. Ravens and buzzards can be seen soaring overhead, and the evocative trills of curlew and dunlin and the ringing whistle of greenshanks drift in from the Moss.
Pipistrelle bats (Pipistrellus pipistrellus and P. pygmaeus), one of our smallest species of bats, are regularly seen feeding on the wing on warm summer evenings; there are two natal roosts in the grounds of the Old Chapel House. Natterer's bats (Myotis nattereri) are also common in the area and can be often spotted in your car headlands when driving at night.
The site is also visited by native red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) . Adults and juveniles are regularly seen around the lodges.
Pine martens (Martes martes) are found in the woods behind the lodges and have been seen around the cabins. Early in 2010 we encountered this little kit outside Tooting Lodge.
There is also a resident population of slow worms (Anguis fragilis) (legless lizards) in the grounds. These lizards are sometimes mistaken for snakes, but if you look closely you will see their eyelids, unlike snakes. There are also common lizards on site. Both can be seen basking in the sun (weather permitting).
Red deer (Cervus elaphus) the largest and most impressive native deer species roam freely in the open hills and moorland behind the lodges; the roar of males in the rutting season in autumn is a sound not to be missed.
Distinctive lichen communities are found in the local Atlantic woodlands, including parmelion, lobarion, usneion and graphidion, a real treat for lichenologists.
Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripts), Yellow Flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus), Northern Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza purpurella), Lesser Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera bifolia) and Marsh Thistle (Cirsium palustre) are just some of the floral highlights in the grounds.
Site Management
The site is being actively managed; bird boxes, feeding the birds and squirrels, bat boxes, grassland management, woodland management. The lodges are both pet free in recognition of the sensitivity of the wildlife on site.