There are plenty of opportunities to keep fit and go walking in the local area and enjoy some nature spotting.

These are some of my favourite places to go and see nature in its own backyard.

It is always worth taking a camera or a pair of binoculars with you on your travels so you can share picture of some of our natural neighbours in their habitats.

Largs and Millport Weekly News:

1) With varied bird populations on the Isle of Cumbrae, there are plenty of enjoyable walks from seeing the buzzards flying above the Glaidstone at the top of the island, to even spotting common lizards lurking in the undergrowth near the Hush Hush to the north east of the island. Seals normally congregate on The Eileans and can easily be seen with a pair of binoculars or even in plain sight from Millport bay. A walk around the anti clockwise side of the island from the Cumbrae ferry is fascinating for all the different bird life scattered along the shoreline and you can regularly be rewarded with curlew, redshanks, heron and ringed plovers.

Largs and Millport Weekly News:

2) Ardneil Bay, West Kilbride... There is a colony of seals which live near Seamill and with a good pair of binoculars or a zoom in camera you can regularly get a good view of them lounging around on the rocks or swimming in the sea. If you are particularly lucky, you can sometimes see them 'porpoising' as they swim in and out of the sea. And if you walk further along towards Ardrossan, swans and their cygnets can also be regularly seen just past The Waterside. The beach also has an abudance of bird life including wagtails, curlew and herons.

3) Southannan Sands, Fairlie... The wet sands provide plenty of viewing opportunities for all manner of sea birds including swans, herons, redshanks little egrets and oyster catchers. Greylag geese can also be regularly seen flying overhead in large clusters at present, sometimes as many as 50-60.

Largs and Millport Weekly News:

4) Kelburn County Centre ... The estate is beautiful to walk through at this time of year as the leaves change colour with a number of lovely walks up the back hills with magnificent scenery views, and of course, lots of lovely creatures to see. There is an abundance of wildlife to witness from squirrels to pheasant and rabbits. Keep your eyes on the branches up above too for an assortment of birds.

Largs and Millport Weekly News:

5) The walk from Seamill to Portencross an onwards to Hunterston is popular with amatuer photographers not just for the spectacular sunsets and its historic castle setting but for its wonderful wildlife including hares and deer in the adjacent fields sometimes, and then there is also the rare opportunity to see some birds of prey, sometimes even including peregrin falcon. Swallows and goldfinches can also regularly be spotted. 

Largs and Millport Weekly News:

6) Pencil bay to Largs ... It is always worth keeping an eye out on the local bay - sometimes you can see seals sleeping in the channel with their snout and whiskers sticking out of the water, while the Clyde can sometimes be busy with passing swans, heron, oyster catchers and if you are very lucky you can sometimes see porpoises on the bay. Sailors have even observed Kylie the dolphin near Fairlie bay. In recent weeks, there have also been sightings of bottlenose whales, and basking sharks.

Largs and Millport Weekly News: