Coll

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Address
RSPB Coll, An Sabhal, Isle of Coll PA78 6TB
Grid ref
NM167563

Well-known for its sandy beaches that rise to form large dunes, Coll is a spectacular Scottish island. It's remote, but a visit is worth it for the abundance of farmland birds, not to mention the peace and quiet. It's also one of the best places to see corncrake.

Plan your visit

Opening times

Open at all times. 

Entrance charges

Free entrance to RSPB members
Yes
Adults
Free, but donations are very welcome.
Children
Free, but donations are very welcome.

Facilities

  • No visitor centre
  • Car park
  • Toilets off-site
  • Accessible toilets off-site
  • No Refreshments
  • Guided walks
  • Viewing point
  • Nature trails
  • Shop off-site

Accessibility

How to get here

By road

Coll is six miles (9.6 km) west of Arinagour, Isle of Coll, on the B8070.

Sat nav POI file: If you have a satellite navigation system that can accept POI files, please see our POI page for a download link and instructions.

Other ways to get there

Coll is reached by ferry from Oban, Landing at Arinagour on Coll. Contact Caledonian MacBrayne, tel: 08705 650000

Get directions from Google Maps
RSPB reserves on Google Earth

What will the weather be like?

16 degrees, Partly cloudy (day)

Downloads

Find your way around the Isle of Coll with these suggested well-worn routes. PDF, 756Kb.

Isle of Coll reserve guide

Contact Coll

  • RSPB Coll, An Sabhal, Isle of Coll PA78 6TB
  • 01879 230301

What will you see?

Our star species

Seasonal highlights

Corncrakes start arriving from their wintering grounds in south-east Africa in spring. Large numbers of breeding waders - lapwings, redshanks and snipe - start displaying and nesting. See the last of the barnacle and Greenland white-fronted geese as they leave for their summer breeding grounds in the Arctic.

In summer, corncrakes are in the hay/silage fields, with breeding waders on the machair. The reserve is full of breeding birds - seabirds can be seen offshore including razorbills, guillemots, puffins, Manx shearwaters and terns. This is also a good time to see large numbers of basking sharks and otters.

The first of our wintering population of barnacle and Greenland white-fronted geese start arriving back in October. The reserve is busy with passage birds - fieldfares and redwings are often seen with wading birds such as dunlins, black-tailed and bar-tailed godwits and golden plovers all migrating south. 

Large numbers of barnacle and Greenland white-fronted geese can be seen on the fields. Divers and long-tailed ducks are offshore and flocks of twites, skylarks and rock doves can be seen feeding on the stubble fields. Hen harriers and merlins hunt over the moorland.

About Coll

Habitat

Coll is a remote and quiet island made up of a variety of habitats including farmland, wetland, sand dunes and machair.

The shallow sandy shore is a great place to see terns feeding on sand eels and in the winter you may come across an otter fishing for flat fish. In July the machair is a spectacular display of wild flowers which insects use to feed on, if you are very lucky you may come across the great yellow bumblebee. From late March the wading birds on the wetlands have started displaying and by late April they are in full swing, the best time to hear them is at dusk.

The farmland is working system where both agriculture and wildlife coexists. Skylarks are plentiful, swallows feed over the hay meadows and corncrakes are in every patch of rough grass.

Conservation

Coll’s corncrakes breed on in-bye fields. We have already more than quadrupled their population on the reserve to a maximum of 66 calling males. Small adjustments to farming practice made in partnership with local farmers are largely responsible for this success. Other birds of the in-bye fields which benefit from corncrake conservation include skylark, twite and reed bunting, while the fields host important wintering populations of barnacle and Greenland white-fronted geese. We use grazing to maintain feeding areas and undisturbed roost sites for the geese.

The sand dune habitats protect such notable species as sand lizard, belted beauty moth and the extremely rare short-necked oil beetle, Meloe brevicollis. We are working to maintain their condition, using low intensity grazing with cattle and sheep.

The reserve’s upland habitats include heather moorland, bog and unimproved grassland. We are working to maintain these for their plant life, raptors and passerines such as twite.

Site information

Coll is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), as well as a Natura 2000 site.

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