Wildlife & Nature

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As you might expect lying in the Eastern Cairngorms surrounded by mountains and woodland the variety of wildlife on offer near The Gordon is exceptional.  In winter skeins of geese regularly fly over the house while in summer Ospreys fish the river all round the village.  Red Kites and Buzzards soar over Craigendarroch Hill and are easily visible from the front facing windows in the house.  The Dee holds Dippers in the village and just a short walk out of the village brings a whole range of new species.

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The restricted range Scotch Argus butterfly is easy to spot on Devil's Bit Scabious flowers while the much wished for Red Squirrel is most easily seen in autumn as it begins to store nuts for the winter.  Autumn also sees the emergence of vast number of fungi in all the woodlands, Fly Agaric being the most common.

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In terms of natural features the magnificent cauldron of 'The Vat' and the 'Linn of Dee' river gorge and waterfall are unsurpassed in the area.

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For those who prefer to look upwards Ballater benefits from some stunning cloud formations - lenticular (flying saucer) clouds are common and on Christmas Eve 2023 we had a wonderful display of nacreous (Mother of Pearl) clouds which the local children interpreted as being magical clouds associated with Santa Claus.  Our sunrises and sunsets particularly in November to March are simply magnificent.  After nightfall a short trip out of the village in any direction will give you pitch black skies to stargaze or look for the aurura borealis (Northern Lights) which are regularly seen here in winter.

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This is just a small fraction of the possibilities on offer here - Steve is a keen nature watcher and would be happy to discuss any specific interests with guests, or if you are from distant lands he is happy to walk you through the commoner bird species seen in and around Ballater.  You need only look at our house logo to see where our interests lie!