Six-spot Burnet moth |

The Natural World of Coll

It's the location of Coll, it's isolation, a minimal human inhabitance and a sympathetic community that all add up in maintaining Coll's rich natural environment. Coll has many diverse habitats and this alone contributes to the unique variety of common and unusual species found here. The list of Coll rarities is quite special and this attracts many to the island to study, or just experience the thrill of a find.

Much of Coll's wildlife is shy or elusive and very often it's best to explore the outback in small groups (two or less?). The concept of a swarm of birders marauding across our open, featureless terrain is somewhat self-defeating; it's quite different to the collective pleasures experienced within a woodland. And photographing wildlife is best done alone!
There's little need for anything fancy, you will trip over the abundance of nature wherever you go and it’s far more rewarding to discover for oneself even if, at first, you misidentify.

Not sure what you're looking at? If you carry a smart phone give Google lens a try, an app where you take a snap and Google tells you what it is. It's not infallible but it's pretty good.

The Natural World of Coll

Further Reading