Local Wildlife

Take a seat upstairs and watch the wildlife...

Seals

With the sea just accross the road from the cafe, you can watch the seals in the harbour. There are also many seals in Mallaig harbour.

Otters

If you're lucky, otters can also be spotted very close to the Cafe. The shores of Rhu itself have a good otter population, and is a popular spot for many nature enthusiasts.The turn off is beside the Land, Sea and Island Centre, about 50m from the cafe.

'Scarface', taking his name from a scar above one of his eyes, is an otter usually found in Mallaig. If your lucky you might see him cheekily stealing fish from one of the fishermen at the pier in Mallaig.

Birds

There are many species of bird found in the area. From small birds to sea birds to larger birds of prey. The area is a good all round place for bird enthusiasts. Many of these can be seen from the cafe.

Sea Eagles

White-tailed sea eagle was successfully re-introduced to the Isle of Rum, in the Small Isles, in 1975 and now breeds throughout the Western Isles and the mainland coast of Wester Ross. The White-tailed Eagle is still a rare breeder in Britain following its extinction and reintroduction, with 36 pairs in 2006. More information from the RSPB

Deer

There are many red deer in Scotland, and on a visit to Arisaig or the surrounding area in the Winter you will spot many (hopefully not on the roads!). If you are about in October, you may be lucky enough to catch the deer in their rutting season where the males can be heard roaring to warn other stags from their hinds. There have been uni researchers on Rum recently, and BBC Autumnwatch has also been spending some time filming the deer on Rum recently, you can view the dairies and see footage by clicking on the link bottom right of their page on the subject.

Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises

The Shearwater does day trips to neighbouring islands, and if you're lucky, you will spot some whales, dolphins or porpoises. There have also been a large number of dolphins spotted in Mallaig harbour in recent times. Trips are also run by Bruce Watt from Mallaig. You can help the mammals by reporting sightings of whales and dolphins on the Sea Watch website.