The unavoidable residents of Jura are the red deer, which outnumber the people on the island 500 to 1. They were originally introduced to be hunted on Jura’s many estates, and, having no natural predators other than humans (one can enjoy a very delightful venison burger at the Jura Hotel), have free rein on the island. 

However, in addition to this introduced species, Jura provides a home to a diversity of other creatures.  The rocky shore is often lined with seals, basking in the sun (or rain), and the waters around Jura provide passage and feeding grounds for whales and dolphins. Otters enjoy the abundance of shellfish and crustaceans living in the sheltered waters around Jura; and birdlife is plentiful as well.  There are even several pairs of sea eagles, once on the verge of extinction but now making a comeback thanks to recent conservation efforts.  The sea eagle photographed above has a nesting site along the northeastern shore of the island, and we were lucky enough to see it on our boat journey up to the Corryvreckan, the intensely turbulent channel separating the northern tip of Jura from the uninhabited island of Scarba to the north.