Wildlife and Flora
A haven for wildlife
Drimnin and its surrounding area and waters are a haven for wildlife and home to a number of protected species including the White-tailed and Golden Eagles, Scottish wildcats, red squirrels, pine martens, dolphins, porpoises and otters.
Single or pairs of otters are frequently observed during daylight hours, and on occasions, you might see entire otter families interacting. Dolphins and porpoises travel down the Sound of Mull and have been seen from both the Drimnin jetty and in the Tobermory harbour on Mull.
The wildcats are a little trickier to spot, and as with all cats, sightings tend to be on their own terms. Tiptoeing along the Drimnin track in the hope of catching sight of one that has just disappeared into the undergrowth, you may find that they are quietly sitting and watching you from a superior vantage point instead. Here in Drimnin we have been working closely with Scottish Wildcat Action which is the official wildcat conservation project delivering a national action plan to save the Scottish wildcat. To find out more about their work visit http://www.scottishwildcataction.org/ 
Pine martens are another Drimnin resident but local opinion is divided on whether they are entertaining streetwise opportunists, or undesirable squatters and poultry killers. What is certain is that they are fearless: they won't hesitate to venture out to eat peanuts scattered on the patio, undeterred by the dog a foot away on the other side of a glass door, steal seed potatoes from the porch, or occassionally venture boldly into the house.
Red squirrels were recently re-introduced onto Drimnin Estate, with the help of the rewilding charity, Trees for Life. The species were once common across Scotland but habitat loss, human persecution, disease and competition from grey squirrels decimated their populations. Six squirrels made Drimnin their home in 2024 and have since been thriving. It is hoped that Drimnin's population will eventually merge with other populations such as the twenty-one that were re-introduced near Localine in 2022.
We also have abundant birdlife. Highlights include watching as a pair of white tailed eagles perform their beautiful aerial courtship dance, hearing the call of Great Northern Divers as they fish just offshore, watching a sandpiper feign injury to distract you from the location of her nest, or a grey wagtail foraging amongst the seaweed. For those wishing to see puffins, a day trip to Staffa and Lunga is just a day trip away with boats leaving from a number of locations on Mull, some of which can arrange for you to be picked up at the Fishnish ferry.
Close Encounters
As with all wildlife sightings, luck does play its part so we cannot, of course, promise that you'll see these headline species during your stay. It is not just the presence of these headline species, however, that makes Drimnin special. It is also the pleasure that one gets from spending a few hours watching the day-to-day antics and activities of, as the British naturalist Gerald Durrell would have phrased it, the `little brown jobs’ and `small uglies’ that may otherwise be overlooked when visiting the busier and more densely populated parts of our country: lizards sunning themselves on a stone, slow worms attempting the perilous journey across our luckily quiet road, hermit crabs scurrying along the beach, dragonflies laying their eggs in muddy puddles and many more.
Habitat
The geology of Drimnin's landscape has created a variety of habitats from upland moors, rich grazing pastures, pine and broadleaf woodland to rocky shoreline and freshwater lochans. Much of the area is protected by legislation as Sites of Special Scientific Interest and Scottish Natural Heritage Marine Protection Areas. It is this varied and relatively undisturbed landscape that has created the haven we have today. In addition to the wonderful wildlife, in spring Drimnin is covered in bluebells and we have many orchids including a few rare slender leafed helleborines.
So, whatever the season, as you stroll quietly along the paths and shoreline of Drimnin and the surrounding area, you will be hard pressed to leave without seeing something that has stopped you in your tracks. But please do so safely and with respect to the wildlife.Guidance can be found here.
Guide to best practice for watching marine wildlife
Gallery
