Venture North: Tourist Information for Caithness & Sutherland
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    • Accommodation
      • Harrow Cottages
      • Melvich Hotel
      • Highland Glen Lodges
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      • Apartment 65B, Thurso
      • Munro House / Croft 148 3 Bed Caravan / Campervan Parking
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      • Greenland House
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      • The Blue Door Coffee Shop Diner, Thurso Bay
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      • Assynt Fly Fishing
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      • Space to Just be
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      • Wick Away-Day: History and Heritage
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  • What to do
    • Golf
    • Surfing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Beaches
    • Bird Watching
    • Cycling
    • Paddlesport
    • Flora
    • Hiking and Walking
    • Archaeology
    • Wildlife
    • Fishing & Fieldsports
    • Aurora Borealis
    • Scuba Diving
    • Castles
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    • East Caithness
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Bird Watching

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  • Bird Watching

Bird Watching

More than 300 bird species have occurred naturally in the far north thanks to the diversity of habitats for resident birds and the area’s favourable location for passage and migrant birds.

Kittewake - Ken CrossanOyster Catcher - Catherine MacleodPuffin - Wendy SutherlandGuillemots - Caithness BiodiversityReed Bunting - Caithness BiodiversityHeron - Caithness BiodiversityAlbino Meadow pipit - Caithness Biodiversity

Along the coastline in summer the high cliffs and stacks support amazing seabird colonies. Later in the year the bays shelter migrating and wintering ducks and the beaches provide refuge and feeding for numerous wader species. Seabird passage can be spectacular particularly along the East coast.

At inland sites, many species that have suffered badly from intensification of agriculture in other areas are still to be found in reasonable numbers here. Undisturbed moorland and flows support some very special breeding species such as Greenshank, Black-throated Diver and Common Scoter.

With a number of great birding locations and always wonderful scenery, birding in Caithness and Sutherland can be very rewarding at any time of year and there’s plenty of scope for discovering something interesting and unusual.

  • Visit our Tour Operators & Other Services page to find a local guide to take you on your next adventure
  • View our Heritage Map to find nature sites to visit if you're planning your own travels

Photos on this page by Ken Crossan, Wendy Sutherland.

Latest Post

Venture North Discovery: Cycling Scot

Venture North Discovery: Cycling Scot

Posted by Colin Baird on May 23rd 2016

Colin Baird blogs about travelling in Scotland by bicycle on his cyclingscot.co.uk website. His aim is to explore the entire country on his bike. Caithness and Sutherland is one of his favourite areas - he loves the quiet, single-track roads and the …

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Venture North are the Destination Management Organisation for tourism in Caithness and Sutherland. We play a lead role in tourism across the region, working with local partners, tourism businesses and communities to ensure Caithness and Sutherland continues to be a high-quality tourism destination offering a wide range of activities and experiences for visitors in a unique and stunning natural landscape and environment.

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