Forvie National Nature Reserve

26/06/2026

Here be pirates. The ternery sometimes attracts unwelcome (for the terns, at least) attention in the form of Arctic skuas. These birds are technically 'kleptoparasites' ie they nick someone else's food. here, the skua is pursuing the terns in the hope of making them drop or regurgitate any fish they have caught. if you're lucky enough to see it happen, it's quite the aerial dogfight!

24/06/2026

A brood of newly hatched eider ducklings, being led down to the water by their mums and/or aunties. Often broods will join up to form 'creches' - there's safety in numbers, after all - and various mother and 'auntie' eider ducks (non-breeding females) will join in to protect the chicks from predators.

22/06/2026

Breaking news: No, not that….there’s a spoonbill on the Ythan Estuary! It's either been asleep on Inch Geck, or spooning its way through the mud on the Sleek of Tarty.

21/06/2026

When you spend a ten-hour day covered in flour, sweat and guano, while being repeatedly bashed on the head by psychotic seabirds, it's no wonder people tell you that you've got the best job in the world. Who am I to argue?

For wildlife and Reserve staff alike, the middle week of June typically represents the busiest period of the busiest month of the busiest season here at Forvie. We’re now at the very height o…

20/06/2026

It looks like summer has finally arrived in time for the solstice this weekend! With 18 hours of daylight, there’s plenty of time to visit the reserve and plenty to see too as wildflowers bloom, insects hum, and fledglings take to the wind.

One of our Reserve Officers will be on site today, if you see them, feel free to ask any questions. The Visitor Centre will be closed this Sunday, apologies for any inconvenience. The nearest toilets are at Collieston Harbour.

A gentle reminder to dog walkers, please remember it is still breeding season. We advise to keep dogs on the lead or at close heel to avoid disturbance of ground nesting birds and other wildlife.

Thank you, The Forvie Team

19/06/2026

'Ye'll ken me again'...an oft said Doric phrase when someone's staring at you. We could certainly have applied it to this fulmar, which had a couple of close fly-bys to check we weren't a threat when we were counting the kittiwakes!

18/06/2026

A count of eider ducklings on the estuary yesterday revealed at least 240 bundles of little fluffy joy bobbing around on the water. There may have been more - some of the creches were asleep on the shore in a cosy pile of ducklings- and it's impossible to tell where one fluffy body ends and another begins!

17/06/2026

We had a report of a major disturbance incident at the ternery last night (16th June) between 16.30 and 18.00, possibly in relation to some fishermen getting too close to the ternery. Did anyone out there see anything and could provide us with any more information/details/ photographs please? Thank you!

16/06/2026

The flag irises are out in the damp places on the reserve just now. One of the clumps along the estuary side marks the site of the old well, where it's said the Collieston folk used to get fresh water when they went to collect mussels from the estuary. Time and tide may have taken the stones of the well but the irises persist where the fresh water runs into the estuary.

15/06/2026

We have our first Arctic tern chicks of the year! It's always exciting (and very cute) to see new arrivals at the ternery. Always blows my mind to think this pom-pom could grow up to be one of the greatest travellers in the animal kingdom.