Visit Eigg for its scenery, coastlines, geology, wildflowers, and birdwatching.
Shaped from dramatic beginnings, Eigg is home to a huge diversity of living things: on land, in the sea and sky, and in the range of habitats within them.
- Nationally important: 3 nature reserves (SSSIs) within a National scenic area.
- Host of habitats: hay meadows, rough pasture, coniferous plantation, deciduous woodland (alder, willow, ash, hazel, oak, beech, rowan, field maple, sycamore, and elm), moorland, raised bog, willow and hazel scrub. Coastline. Temperate rainforest
- Boundless birdlife: the island teems with bird life; 200 resident and migrant birds (around 70 species) breed here: golden eagle, raven, hen harrier, snipe, ringed plover, black guillemot, Manx shearwater, eider duck and red-throated diver; plus, a large breeding colony of gannets. Willow warblers, meadow pipits, twite, stone chat, whinchat, cuckoos in the woodlands
- Winged creatures: moths, butterflies, nine species of dragonfly and damselfly.
- Fabulous flora: 12 species of orchid, arctic alpine flowers, over 300 species of bryophytes (liverworts, hornworts, and mosses), woodland supporting ground flora
- Marine mammals: basking sharks, minke whales, dolphins and other aquatic mammals. Otters along the coastline
- Geological greats from another age: An Sgurr (pitchstone ridge, remnant of a volcanic eruption), basalt columns, Ice Age and glaciation. Fossil sea creatures from the time of the dinosaurs (plesiosaur). Singing Sands. Geological features between Laig and the Singing Sands (more than anywhere in the west coast), Valtos sandstone & the Stegosaur. Caves to the south and north (historic Clanranald cave). Hugh Miller.
The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a partner of Isle of Eigg Heritage Trust with responsibilities for wildlife conservation policies. The Scottish Wildlife Trust employs a seasonal ranger to carry out wildlife surveys, lead guided walks and events, provide wildlife information, carry out practical conservation tasks and help with land management issues.
Eigg Tree Nursery grows 20,000 trees per annum from locally harvested seed. 50% are used to restock harvested areas and create new woodland on Eigg, and the balance is sold retail and wholesale, off-Eigg. Eigg Tree Nursery are specialist growers of native trees and shrubs with local provenance of the Isle of Eigg, Zone 104.