Wild Skye

Few places on earth pack so much natural drama into so small a space as the Isle of Skye. Wild Skye is the first book to bring together the full natural history of this extraordinary Scottish island, from its volcanic origins and world-class dinosaur fossils to its golden eagles, otters, cetaceans and ancient human landscapes. Drawing on deep local knowledge and illustrated throughout with superb photographs, it celebrates the island’s most important and iconic wildlife. The book opens with Skye’s dramatic geological story – its ice-age origins and volcanic fire – before moving through the island’s astonishing palaeontological record, including its globally significant Jurassic dinosaur sites. Subsequent chapters explore how human settlement has shaped the landscape over millennia, then survey the living island in rich detail: its varied flora; birds of mountain, moor and coast; land mammals including red deer, pine marten and otter; marine life from seals to the minke whale; invertebrates; reptiles and amphibians; and the remarkable aerial spectacle in the skies above. Wild Skye will appeal to anyone with a love of this extraordinary island: visitors and residents alike, birdwatchers, wildlife enthusiasts, walkers and those who simply want to better understand the wild world around them. DOI: 10.53061/VUCU2982