Croftjane Cottage is in the heart of Nithsdale, and there are outstanding opportunities to see wildlife of all kinds. Around the cottage, you will see many garden and farmland birds, and we have swallows and house martins nesting around the house and farmyard. On the farm, you can see buzzards, red kites, lapwings, oystercatchers and many other birds, as well as brown hare and roe deer.
Roe Deer
There are deer in the woods around the farm and they can also be seen moving among the trees alongside the drive, or crossing the road.
Badgers
Occasionally, badgers can be seen in the woods surrounding the farm; or, if you are very lucky, when walking down the tree-lined farm drive.
Red Kites
Red kites can be seen regularly at Croftjane, but they have been congregating at Bellymack Hill Farm, near Castle Douglas, since 2001 when they were reintroduced to Galloway. Since 2003, the feeding has allowed visitors to get close first-hand experiences of these gregarious birds when they come in to spectacularly snatch food provided for them. Kites are fed daily at 2pm. The visitor centre provides all-weather, close-viewing of the action, together with more distant views of perched birds against the panoramic Galloway countryside.
Lapwing (Peewits)
During the spring and summer, we enjoy seeing the spectacular tumbling displays of peewits in the fields around the farm. Their call is instantly recognisable and one of the welcome signs of Spring.