UDALE BAY

Udale Bay, to the west of the delightfully named Jemimaville on the north coast of the Black Isle, is an RSPB reserve which serves as an important wintering destination for a variety of waders and wildfowl. Visitors who come just before or after high tide are rewarded with the sight of enormous flocks of birds flying. Ospreys can be observed in late summer, peregrines in winter, and in the autumn up to 5,000 wigeon come here to feed. Other birds frequenting the site include redshanks, lapwings, pink-footed geese and pintails. Out in the bay, leaping dolphins are a frequent sight. Earlier this month it was reported that a new purpose-built hide is to be built at Udale Bay with the aim of providing a more comfortable viewing experience than that afforded by the present hide.

Map of the area.

Udale Bay - geograph.org.uk - 1039936. Photo by Sylvia Duckworth, via Wikimedia Commons.