Well over 100 species of birds are present on Islay every day of the year, and during the migratory seasons that number can peak at 120. In fact, over the years as many as 265 different species of birds have been recorded on the island, a twitchers’ heaven, and the clamorous roar of thousands of Greenland Barnacle and Whitefronted geese is hard to beat for drama in a winter dusk. Islay is a mecca for bird watchers, but it is not just in birdlife that it is richly endowed. Ardtalla is one of the best places to see red and fallow deer at close quarters, and it is particularly thrilling to hear the roaring of stags during the rut in September and October. The grazing land on the estate is home to the rare Marsh Fritillary butterfly, which thrives on the lightly grazed heathery meadows.
Ardtalla provides a variety of habitats, with rivers, herb-rich pasture, native woodland, freshwater lochs, peat bogs, heather moorland and mountains. Within the estate is the highest point in Islay, the summit of Ben Bheigeir, 491 metres (about 1600 feet) above sea level. Its more than 20 kilometres of coastline is dotted with skerries, islands, saltings, sandy and pebble beaches, salt marsh and cliffs. The shoreline is frequented by otters and there are almost always seals to be seen sunbathing on skerries or eying up strangers on the shore.
The extensive Atlantic oak woodland at Ardtalla is part of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) that “contains the largest example of native woodland in Islay and is representative of the former woodland cover of the Hebrides”. This features a mix mainly of oak, birch and hazel, though other tree species such as alder, willow and rowan fill specific niches. An abundance of mosses, lichens and liverworts can be found on the steep, rocky and shady places. These woods are in a climatic zone considered to be hyper-oceanic, where the mild winters and moderately high rainfall are coupled with unpolluted air and frequent strong winds. The result is wind-firm trees of generally small stature with oak in particular showing signs of wind-pruning.
In 1870 the head of an Irish Elk was found in a peat bog on Kildalton. This giant deer is believed to have roamed the lowlands of central and eastern Ireland, weighing up to 800-1000 lbs. and stood at 2 metres at the shoulder, with antler width of up to 4 metres, (weighing up to 35kg) are the largest antlers know to have existed on any deer. They were palm like antlers, similar to those of a fallow deer.
It is understood they were a victim of the Ice Age finally disappearing around 10,500 years ago. They had very few enemies due to their size, with the wolf posing very little threat. Even though they are known as the Irish Elk, fossils have been found in such countries as France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Britain, Italy and Central Asia. However the best collection of fossils can be found at the National Museum of Ireland where there are 10 complete deer skeletons and over 250 partial remains. These fossils have been mainly found in peat bogs and in old lakes, with some older fossils even being found in caves.
