Temperatures are still cold until March heralds the start of spring – with average temperatures struggling to get above 6C – but it’s still possible to spot butterflies, flowering plants and many of Scotland’s most iconic creatures.
Indeed, the lack of leaves on deciduous trees means that animals that tend to be hidden by plentiful foliage during the rest of the year are easier to see.
Meanwhile, the relatively low levels of tourism at this time of year mean that you have a greater chance of getting wildlife spotting destinations all to yourself – with more chance to catch shy creatures that generally give crowds of humans a wide berth.
So, when you’re out and about Scotland this February, here are the sights and sound you should be looking out for.
Read more:
Meanwhile, the relatively low levels of tourism at this time of year mean that you have a greater chance of getting wildlife spotting destinations all to yourself – with more chance to catch shy creatures that generally give crowds of humans a wide berth.
![Ring-necked parakeets are a relatively new arrival to Scotland but there are now a number of well-established colonies in the Central Belt - try the Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh, or take a walk in Glasgow's Dawsholm or Kelvingrove Park. Their vivid green colour usually offers great camouflague in leafy trees, so they are much easier to see in the winter when they stand out against the sparse bgackdrop. Nobody knows for sure how they arrived in this country, but many believe that a few escaped pets started to breed and settled in to our parks.](https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOmZhMDg4Y2I3LTdhZjUtNGQ5My04MTM1LTIzNDYyNDkzYTkyYzphN2Y0ZTMxNC0xNDRmLTRiZDktOTc1Zi00MTZiMDFmZmY3ZWQ=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=800)
5. Look to the trees for an exotic new resident
Ring-necked parakeets are a relatively new arrival to Scotland but there are now a number of well-established colonies in the Central Belt - try the Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh, or take a walk in Glasgow's Dawsholm or Kelvingrove Park. Their vivid green colour usually offers great camouflague in leafy trees, so they are much easier to see in the winter when they stand out against the sparse bgackdrop. Nobody knows for sure how they arrived in this country, but many believe that a few escaped pets started to breed and settled in to our parks. Photo: Canva/Getty Images
![A stretch of warmer days in February can prompt frogs and toads to start breeding - with ponds quickly becoming filled with frog spawn and toad spawn (the former in clumps of eggs, the latter in long strings). Each female can lay up to 3,000 eggs, although very few of the resulting tadpoles mange to escape predation to become adults.](https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjE4ZGZmMjM1LTkyNDgtNDQwZS04MGFkLTg3ZDY1ZjRjNWRjNjpmMGZiMzhhMC03MmM0LTQyMDEtYmRmZS1jOWY1ZTljODRhYmI=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=800)
6. See frogs hopping to it
A stretch of warmer days in February can prompt frogs and toads to start breeding - with ponds quickly becoming filled with frog spawn and toad spawn (the former in clumps of eggs, the latter in long strings). Each female can lay up to 3,000 eggs, although very few of the resulting tadpoles mange to escape predation to become adults. Photo: Canva/Getty Images
![Primroses are one of the earliest plants to flower and can be seen in woodland, hedgerows and grasslands across Scotland asa early as February, blooming until late May Primroses represent eternal love and in Irish folklore are used to protect the home from mischievous fairies.](https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjdjMzYyMGNlLTMxYjgtNDQ4Yy1hZDkwLTA0YTZlMDU1MDk1NjphYjAyNzdjNC05YjBiLTQ2MTctOWQ2Yy0wNTBlY2Y5MTZjZDQ=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=800)
7. Look out for eternal love blooming
Primroses are one of the earliest plants to flower and can be seen in woodland, hedgerows and grasslands across Scotland asa early as February, blooming until late May Primroses represent eternal love and in Irish folklore are used to protect the home from mischievous fairies. Photo: Canva/Getty Images
![All four of Scotland's deer species - red, roe, fallow and sika - can be seen during winter, but it's the roe deer you are most likely to spot. A walk in any local wood - including in some city parks - is likely to result in a sighting, particularly as they're easier to see when trees and hedges are bare.](https://www.falkirkherald.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOmM5MjIxOGFkLTdmNTEtNDAxZi05Y2FiLWU5YzNkNmUzMzBjMjo1OWVmYThiOC1kYzM1LTQxN2UtODMyMS1kOWU2ZDRhMTY3YTA=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=800)
8. Roe, a deer!
All four of Scotland's deer species - red, roe, fallow and sika - can be seen during winter, but it's the roe deer you are most likely to spot. A walk in any local wood - including in some city parks - is likely to result in a sighting, particularly as they're easier to see when trees and hedges are bare. Photo: Canva/Getty Images