Print pageStar species
Our star species are some of the most interesting birds you may see on your visit to the reserve.
Large numbers of barnacle geese arrive on Coll in the autumn. You can see them grazing vegetation in the wet areas in densely-packed flocks through the winter. |  |
Listen in spring and summer for the repetitive, rasping call of the male corncrake - it sounds rather like a coin being scraped along the teeth of a comb. |  |
Watch the nesting lapwings here chasing predators that may come too close to their nests or show too much of an interest in their chicks. The protective parents regularly give chase to crows and do not stop their 'mobbing' attacks until the danger has passed. |  |
Keep an eye out for the redshanks' towering display flights over the wet meadows in spring. They are sometimes known as 'the sentinel of the marshes' for their noisy habit of drawing attention to predators. |  |
White-fronted geese which breed in Greenland migrate to Coll for winter to enjoy the relatively mild climate and safe feeding. |  |