Wildlife of Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh sits between the Pentland Hills and the seabird cliffs of the Firth of Forth, so a day of wildlife-watching can move from red squirrels and roe deer to puffins, gannets and grey seals on the Isle of May. The city itself has one of the world's densest urban populations of oystercatchers and its own resident peregrines on the crags.
Best timeMay – July for breeding seabirds, October – March for wintering waders in the Forth.
- 1Puffins breed on the Isle of May, an hour east of the city.
- 2Arthur's Seat is home to peregrines and one of Britain's most urban ravens.
- 3Bottlenose dolphins occasionally enter the Firth of Forth.
Signature species
Curated for Edinburgh, Scotland, each tagged with its IUCN Red List status.
- VU
Atlantic puffin
Fratercula arctica
- NT
European otter
Lutra lutra
- LC
Bottlenose dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
- LC
Red squirrel
Sciurus vulgaris
Recovering here as greys are controlled.
- LC
Peregrine falcon
Falco peregrinus
IUCN codes — EX extinct · EW extinct in wild · CR critically endangered · EN endangered · VU vulnerable · NT near threatened · LC least concern · DD data deficient
Dos & don'ts
Local etiquette that keeps wildlife wild.
Do
- Take the Isle of May ferry in June for puffins.
- Support red-squirrel-friendly feeders.
- Keep distance — use zoom or binoculars, never bait animals closer.
- Stay on marked trails to avoid trampling nests, burrows and plants.
Don't
- Don't disturb seal haul-outs at Ravenscraig.
- Don't feed grey squirrels — they crowd out reds.
- Never feed wildlife — human food changes behaviour and shortens lives.
- Don't share exact locations of nests, dens or rare species online.
Spotted here lately
Live from iNaturalist — research-grade observations within 60km, last 30 days.
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