Lochranza
Lochranza is a small village nestled under hills on the shores of Loch Ranza at the north end of the Isle of Arran. It is home to a distillery, built in the 1990s, and also to a good variety of typical Scottish birds.
Local (and special) birds
The loch is a good place to see Black Guillemots, and commoner shorebirds such as Redshank and Curlew regularly feed around the shallow area near the castle. Star birds are undoubtedly the Golden Eagles which frequent the mountains behind Lochranza, and can be watched from the car park of the distillery. The area is a good place to see a range of raptors, including Hen Harriers.
When to visit
Birds occur throughout the year but spring is a good time to watch the eagles as well as breeding Wheatears and Whinchats on the bracken-covered hillsides. Outside the breeding season, Goosanders sometimes patrol the loch and Eiders gather on the reef on the eastern shore. Great Northern Divers can be present in some numbers offshore.
How to get there
Lochranza is on the main road which runs around the circumference of Arran. Arran can be reached by ferry, with boats to Brodick from Ardrossan in Ayrshire, or directly to Lochranza from Claonaig, south of Tarbert on Kintyre.