Arnbeg Cottage is situated in 50 acres of its own farmland, and surrounding that, more farmland!  This is the ideal setting to spot lots of wildlife (and not so wild!) that you wouldn’t normally see in towns or cities.  Here are just a few examples of what to expect to see when staying in the cottage:

Turkeys

We have 4 four breeding turkeys, which we hatched (incubator) ourselves last year – Terry and his 3 gals!  They are very sociable and friendly as they were hand reared so do not be afraid!

Ducks 

We have 21 ducks (Aylesbury and Khaki Campbells) which are very good layers – your eggs in the Welcome Pack will come from these ducks (laid on the morning of your arrival).  It is a misconception that duck eggs are much stronger as they are very similar to hen eggs except for the fact that they have a much larger yolk – Very tasty poached – try them for yourself and see the difference between freshly laid eggs compared to your supermarket ones.

Hens

We have 20 hens (Light Sussex and Moran) which are also good layers – they will come over to you, especially if you wield the magic food – bread!

All our birds are FREE RANGE and have the free run of the farm – very happy birds!

Doves

You will see our White Doves flying around which is a lovely sight to see, especially when they do a fly over across the farm.

Kestrel

We have a resident kestrel that flies about and, although it is a beautiful bird, it is a deadly weapon against our doves.  Let us know if you spot it!

 Buzzards    

Some of the surrounding farmland has forest areas and this is the ideal nesting area for Buzzards – Last year I spotted 9 buzzards playing above the trees – Amazing!

Owls

I have spotted a couple of owls when heading up the farm road at night, one of which was a Barn Owl – the wing span was spectacular.

Bats

They are my favourite!  If you go for an after dinner walk, just before darkness, you will spot bats feeding on all the insects on the farm road and around the farm.  Sit on the rock outside the courtyard gate and you will see and feel them swooping overhead!  Fantastic!!

Deer

I have seen Red Deer on our farm road quite a number of times – they use this road to move into the next field and you can often spot them in the nearby fields, especially at dawn.

 Oyster Catchers

You will hear the distinct call of these beautiful birds, which use the fields for nesting and feeding – we are not far from the River Forth which is just a 5 minute walk away.

Otter

If you take a walk down to Faraway (5 minute walk away) you will see the River Forth from the pathway – I was lucky enough to spot an otter on the river bank – ideal time to spot them is just before dark.

 Hares

Hares can be spotted around Arnbeg Cottage, and although most wildlife is more commonly seen at dusk and dawn, Hares are often seen during daylight hours in the spring, when their mating rituals (boxing and chasing each other) bring them into the open.

Foxes

Foxes are beautiful animals and can be spotted in the nearby fields, dusk and dawn.  They are beautiful as long as they stay away from our birds!!  We think foxes are the reason why we do not have any rabbits around the farm – a positive by-product of foxes in the vicinity!