Evening Wildlife Watching Hide Update October 2026
Introduction
October has been another good month for sightings at our Evening Wildlife Watching Hide, with plenty of Badgers and Pine Martens, along with some appearances from the Scottish Wildcat. We've also had Wood Mice, while Leopard Slugs and Brown Slugs have been seen on our walks back to the car park.
The night skies have been full of stars, and hopefully November will be just as good for wildlife sightings.
Badgers
Badgers have been visiting the hide every night this month. One evening, about half an hour into the watch, a Badger appeared from the right and started feeding.
In previous months, it was usually the dominant male that arrived first, but recently a new pattern has emerged. Since the end of September, the smaller male has been arriving ahead of the others and has even been seen growling at the larger male, which I had previously considered to be the dominant one.
Perhaps they'd fought at some point and the leadership had changed. Whatever the reason, it's now the smaller male that tends to arrive first.
As the evening went on, four females joined him, bringing the total to five Badgers feeding together. Once most had left, another appeared. There seem to be at least one or two individuals that arrive later than the others, and eventually, after having their fill, they too disappeared into the darkness.
Pine Martens
We've continued to have Pine Marten sightings throughout October. One evening, some guests told me they had visited the hide five times previously without seeing a single Pine Marten.
After all the Badgers had left, a female Pine Marten appeared from the left-hand side. She ran along the back wall of the platform, jumped onto the log bridge and began feeding.
After a while, a male joined her and, rather interestingly, the female repeatedly climbed onto his back. I'm not entirely sure why she was doing this, but perhaps it was an affectionate gesture, as I think the male was a kit born this year and the female was his mother.
The guests had gone from seeing no Pine Martens on any of their previous visits to seeing two together, something that doesn't happen very often. It was a particularly satisfying evening for everyone.
Scottish Wildcat
We've also continued to see the Scottish Wildcat. One night, as we approached the hide from the car park, we spotted it huddled beneath a tree. We spread out and were able to watch it for some time, which was a fantastic way to start the evening.
Encounters like this are particularly good because they complement sightings of the more reliable visitors, such as the Badgers. Even if no Pine Martens appear, seeing both the Scottish Wildcat and Badgers is enough to make most people's evenings.
It also means that, for guests hoping to see other mammal species in the Highlands or elsewhere in the UK, there's one more species they can tick off their list.
Other Wildlife
Tawny Owls have been heard hooting, although none have been seen this month. In my experience, when they do appear close enough to the hide's lights to be seen, they tend to be young birds that haven't yet learned to be as wary as they should be.
We also heard a Barn Owl on one evening, while Leopard Slugs have continued to appear on our walks back to the car park.
One night, a Common Toad was found inside the hide, having taken shelter beneath one of the peanut sacks. It was promptly released outside.
On another evening, I discovered a Devil's Horsecoach Beetle inside the hide, while a Millipede made an appearance on a different night. I showed it to the guests before putting it back outside.
If you would like a chance to see our nocturnal visitors go to: http://bit.ly/sw_EWW to book your place.
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