Wildlife and Nature on the Small Isles: Scotland’s Living Islands

The Small Isles, Eigg, Rum, Muck and Canna, are alive with natural wonders. Together they form a remarkable pocket of Scotland where people and nature exist in close balance. Whether you come for a day or stay a week, these islands invite you to slow down, look closer and reconnect with the wild world around you.

Canna

Linked to its smaller neighbour Sanday by a tidal causeway, Canna is one of Scotland’s most remarkable wildlife islands. Its mosaic of habitats, rich grasslands, machair and dramatic sea cliffs, supports an extraordinary variety of species on land, sea and sky.

Canna’s cliffs host thriving colonies of seabirds, including guillemots, kittiwakes, great skuas and puffins, while open moorland shelters pipits and wheatears. Down by the bay, as the tide retreats, mudflats draw in ducks, gulls and waders feeding on the exposed shore.

On Sanday, the mix of bog and heath provides nesting ground for both golden and white-tailed eagles, and the island is one of the few places in Scotland where you might see both in the same day.

Canna is also a key site in the national Seabird Monitoring Programme, coordinated by the British Trust for Ornithology and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. Since 1969, volunteers from the Highland Ringing Group have returned each year to monitor seabird populations, track breeding success, and study how climate change is affecting these vital species. Their work helps safeguard the island’s wildlife for generations to come.

Perhaps most heartening of all is the return of the corncrake, one of Scotland’s rarest birds. Once reduced to just one or two calling males on Canna, new conservation-focused farming practices supported by the National Trust for Scotland have helped that number rise to between 12 and 14 calling males - a “promising” recovery that highlights what careful stewardship can achieve.

Rum

The largest of the islands, Rum is a designated National Nature Reserve and a haven for wildlife watchers. Its dramatic Cuillin peaks and open glens are home to red deer, golden and white-tailed eagles. Each autumn, the island transforms into a natural amphitheatre for the red deer rut, when the roars of stags echo across Kilmory Bay. Visitors can observe this powerful spectacle from the deer hide overlooking the bay - a perfect spot to take in both the grandeur of the landscape and the drama unfolding within it.

Rum is also home to around 23% of the world’s population of Manx shearwaters, which nest in burrows high on the hillsides. Their eerie nocturnal calls fill the air in summer, offering a reminder of how deeply wild this island still is.

Eigg

Eigg is a biodiversity powerhouse. More than 200 species of birds have been recorded and a dazzling array of flora that changes with each passing month. In spring, the air fills with the scent of wild garlic and bluebells, while by early summer, orchids and heath flowers colour the hillsides. Keep your binoculars ready for cuckoos, sedge warblers, short-eared owls and even the occasional white-tailed eagle soaring overhead. 

Throughout the summer months, you can join a guided nature walk with the island’s ranger to explore Eigg’s meadows, woodlands and shorelines. You’ll learn about native plants, spot nesting seabirds and gain insight into the community’s ongoing conservation work. From replanting native woodland to managing renewable energy systems that make the island almost entirely self-sufficient.

Muck

Small and welcoming, Muck is a birdwatcher’s paradise. Over 140 bird species have been recorded here. From coastal waders like oystercatchers and sandpipers to raptors such as buzzards, owls and even golden eagles. The island’s mixed habitats - cliffs, farmland, woodland and open hills - provide perfect breeding grounds for both resident and migratory birds.

Muck is also part of the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trail and sightings of minke whales, dolphins and porpoises are common in the surrounding waters. The coastline is dotted with seals, too, both common (harbour) and grey seals breed here, often seen lounging on the rocks around Gallanach Bay or Horse Island.

If you’re lucky, you might spot a fluffy grey seal pup in autumn - but please admire them from a respectful distance.

Below the waves, the fertile seas around the Small Isles are home to minke whales, porpoises and dolphins. Lucky visitors might even glimpse John Coe and Aquarius, the last surviving members of the West Coast orca pod or the gentle shadow of a basking shark gliding by. Grey and harbour seals are regulars in the bay - often seen “bottling” in the water, their noses just breaking the surface as they sleep.

Otters are resident too, though elusive. They are best spotted at dawn or dusk by scanning the shoreline for movement or telltale tracks.

The Small Isles Snorkel Trail

For a truly different perspective, take the plunge along the Small Isles Snorkel Trail - a new collaboration between the Small Isles Community Council and the Scottish Wildlife Trust. This self-guided trail highlights some of the best snorkelling spots across the islands, opening up a colourful underwater world of kelp forests, anemones and curious crabs. The trail invites you to explore responsibly and deepen your connection to Scotland’s seas.

A Shared Commitment to Nature

Across all four islands, community and conservation go hand in hand. Locals work alongside organisations such as the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, and NatureScot to protect habitats, monitor species, and promote sustainable tourism. Visitors are encouraged to play their part too by treading lightly, supporting local initiatives and taking only memories home.