The RSPB: Balranald

Sign in or Register Contact us

Coral sand beach and dunes at RSPB Balranald nature reserve

Portrait of singing corncrake, Scotland

Lapwing in display flight over breeding grounds

Great yellow bumblebee

Basking shark

Machair habitat and northern Marsh orchid at RSPB Balranald nature reserve, North Uist

Beach at Balranald

Female hen harrier flying low

Buzzard perching on wooden post

Winter-plumaged dunlin feeding

Otter looking back over its shoulder

Feeding flock of barnacle geese, RSPB Loch Gruinart reserve, Islay

Explore a wildlife-rich grassland haven on a beautiful island

Season

Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Weather today

13°C

Where is it?

View map

Right, let's go...

Plan a visit Visit

Browse others

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
K
L
M
N
O
P
R
S
T
U
V
W
Y

Balranald

Wildlife awards

Balranald is one of the best places for wildlife in the UK.

Top things to do in Spring

Follow the reserve path to the sea and experience the wonderful open landscape
Sit on the bench at the visitor centre and listen to the distinctive rasping corncrakes
Watch lapwings and other waders brooding their eggs and chicks

Top things to do in Summer

Walk through the wildflower-rich machair grasslands
Can you spot a rare great yellow bumblebee?
Watch for seals or even a basking shark on calm days from the visitor trail

Top things to do in Autumn

Watch otters fishing in the lochs and sea
Enjoy the bird of prey spectacle - hen harriers and merlins join the resident buzzards hunting
Watch the hustle and bustle of the crofters harvesting their crops

Top things to do in Winter

See hundreds of barnacle and greylag geese move around the reserve
Walk over the machair watching for flocks of finches, larks and buntings
Seaweed deposited on the beach by winter storms attracts flocks of waders and many small birds

What's on?

27 May
Corncrake walk on Benbecula
Guided walk
27 May to 17 June
Crofting Walks with Machair LIFE+
Guided walk
28 May to 27 August
The wildlife of Balranald reserve.
Guided walk

Downloads

WildSquare Bingo

2.8Mb, PDF

Date: 21 June 2010

Extend your stay

Find other attractions nearby at Visit Scotland
Find accommodation at Cottages4you

Other places to visit

Red-necked phalarope stretching wings

Loch na Muilne

An exposed, wild coastal moorland site, shaped by salt spray and wind

Isle of Coll

Coll

A remote and quiet island with farmland, dunes and machair

Male pied flycatcher at nest hole

Nagshead

A stunning woodland set in the heart of the Forest of Dean

Find another place to visit

Search by place name or postcode.