Top of the animal hit parade here is the Eurasian Otter. Otters are very much at home around our coast and this is where you have most chance of seeing them. Perhaps the best time to watch for them is as the tide is rising, bringing fish like the slippery butterfish out of the nooks and crannies they hide in while the tide is out. Look out for the characteristic 'v' shaped wave otters make as they cruise along with their nose just out of the water and the flick of a tell-tale slim tail as they dive down to search for prey.

Legendary Red deer and the majestic stags sighted in Highland Glens, watch with cautious dignity as you walk by, however grazing the roadside at dawn and dusk, they are a hazard to traffic, of which they have no fear.

Brown hares have lived for centuries in areas of Skye and Lochalsh and these very territorial creatures can be seen boxing in Mad March flings. The Highland red fox with diamond white eyes and a penchant for livestock, makes these cunning beauties a target as vermin by crofters, especially at lambing time. Smaller rodents such as weasels and stoats are a reward for the careful observer. Adders are often spotted sunbathing on a warm rock but will quickly disappear when company arrives.

For the botanically minded, walk from Broadford along the Marble Line path to Beinn Suardal in spring or early summer to see a range of lime-loving plants including herb Paris, holly fern and mountain avens. Climb the Storr mountain and you will find a range of Arctic and Alpine plants: arctic clubmoss, mossy cyphel, purple saxifrage and Iceland purslane amongst others.

What else? Rare burnet moths at Talisker, white water lilies on many of the freshwater lochs, pine martens (recent arrivals since the opening of the Skye bridge). Too much to describe in a few short paragraphs...

One last word. If you see something specially interesting - do tell us about it, we'll post it on our website. The local Tourist Information Offices keep wildlife records for public viewing and the Highland Council Countryside Rangers will pass on sightings to the local and national records.