Wild Skye

An Island and its Wildlife

The first comprehensive natural history of the Isle of Skye, covering geology, palaeontology, flora, fauna and human history.
Authoritative coverage of Skye’s world-class dinosaur sites and fossil record, including the latest discoveries.
Richly illustrated throughout with outstanding photography of Skye’s wildlife, landscapes and fossils.

Subject: ornithology-birds-birdwatching natural-history wildlife-travel

Tags:

birds
Coming Soon
hebrides
islands
mammals
marine life
natural history
skye
wildlife

Description

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

About the Author

David Blakesley is a keen birder and naturalist, with a passion for the wildlife of Skye. After teaching horticulture at the University of Bath, his interests turned to ecology. He co-founded the Forest Restoration Research Unit in Thailand, and co-authored Restoring Tropical Forests: A Practical Guide (Kew Publishing). David has also written several books on habitat restoration in the UK with Peter Buckley, including Grassland Restoration and Management (Pelagic Publishing). Later in his career, he dedicated more time to engaging children with autism with the natural world. David also published a children’s novel set on the Isle of Skye, The Island Where Dinosaurs Roamed (Skirinish Publishing).

Robert McMillan is a retired police officer who moved to Skye in 2004 and has since dedicated himself to ornithology. He has served with the Scottish Raptor Study Group, Scottish Ornithologists’ Club and British Trust for Ornithology, and has published and contributed to numerous ornithological papers and the annual Highland Bird Report. In 2005 he published Skye Birds, now in its third edition, and maintains the long-running website www.skye-birds.com.

Tone Blakesley is an early career researcher in Palaeontology. He is currently studying for a PhD at the Open University on fossil spores and pollen. He has an MScR from the University of Edinburgh, where he described an extensive new dinosaur track site which he co-discovered. He has several peer-reviewed publications on dinosaur tracks and recently co-developed the DinoTracker app. Tone returns to Skye every year in search of dinosaurs and produced a feature-length documentary on his dinosaur track site research. Tone has also designed books and educational resources on natural history, including a display at Bexhill Museum.