The Galloway Forest Park is virtually unmatched elsewhere in the UK for its wealth of Wildlife
With the Park situated in the Southern Uplands it has flora and fauna which are typical to the Highlands but without the severity of the Highland climate it has many species that are typical of more Southerly Latitudes.
Deer
There are 3 types of Deer in the Galloway Forest Park. Red, Roe and Fallow. Around the Dome it is mostly Roe deer you will often hear barking in the night; however, they are shy and generally you will only get a glance of them when they go past.
Fox
There is a resident Vixen who visits the Dome often, occasionally in Summer she will bring her cubs onto the grass in front of the Dome. If you are quiet and still you can watch the cups play fighting and learning the skills they will need when they venture off on their own.
Red Squirrels
There are increasing numbers of Red Squirrels in the area, this is in part due to the Healthy population of Pine Martens keeping out the Grey Squirrels. The Red Squirrels visit the Dome daily, they are most active in the summer months, but they will venture out in the winter for shorter periods. They can be watched from about 2 meters away as they take advantage of the feeder outside of the dome.
Birds
Six of the seven species of British titmice are common throughout the Park. The Blue tit, Great Tit, coal Tit, March tit Willow tit and Long-tailed tit. The name titmouse arose from two words: Tittr; an old Icelandic word meaning small and Mase, an old English word for small bird. They can be entertaining to watch at the Dome feeder. Nuthatch, Haw Finch, Siskin, Greater Spotted Woodpecker and many more birds visit the Dome.
Pine Marten
The Pine Martens lead a mainly arboreal (living in trees) but can be seen on the ground. They were hunted to almost extinction, thankfully their numbers are now recovering. They are mainly nocturnal, but you may be lucky and see them from the dome, they often climb the squirrel feeder looking for a free snack. The American Grey Squirrels are less agile than our native Reds, this makes them easy pray for the Pine Martens. So far, they have kept the area free of Grey Squirrels and stopped the squirrel pox virus reaching the Red Squirrels here.
Pond Life
There is a small pond close to the Dome, this brings in a variety of wildlife. You will often see frogs, toads, newts and Dragon flies around the Dome.