Forty percent of the UK population live here, particularly on Coll, Colonsay, Iona and Tiree, where farmers leave a 'corncrake corner' for the birds to nest in. It's a similar story for the chough, a member of the crow family. Nearly a quarter of the UK population is found here, mostly around the Rhinns and the Oa on Islay. You can see chough at Islay's Loch Gruinart Reserve, as well as several species of birds of prey. On wetter ground, wildfowl and waders nest in the summer, but it is the winter visitors - flocks of barnacle and Greenland white-fronted geese - that provide the greatest spectacle.

Other reserves include Totronald on Coll, Oronsay Island, Upper Killyean on Islay, and The Reef Reserve on Tiree, one of the finest examples of machair in the islands. Mull can also be rewarding for birdwatchers. Around the Mishnish lochs you'll find whinchats and stonechats, and you might see a red-throated diver fishing. You may also see merlin and other birds of prey: but Glen More is a better spot for raptors, including hen harriers, peregrine falcons and golden eagles (Mull has one of the highest densities of golden eagles in Europe).

If you're lucky, you might spot a white-tailed sea eagle, the UK's largest bird, whose wingspan can exceed 7ft (2.2m). Re-introduction programmes have helped the great birds re-colonise Mull and beyond.

One of the best places to observe birds is from a hide, such as at Loch Bhasapol on Tiree and Loch Gruinart on Islay. Another really good way to get closer to birdlife is to join a wildlife safari, or take a boat trip out to the more remote islets, such as the Treshnish Isles, to see puffins, guillemots, shags, kittiwakes and fulmars.

Before humans arrived on the islands, the land was covered in a mixed woodland of oak, birch and hazel. Most of the forest was cleared centuries ago but pockets remain at Scallastle on Mull, near Craignure.

24 species of whales and dolphins have been recorded in the Sea Kingdom, from small harbour porpoises to bottlenose and common dolphins, minke whales and orcas - and even the occasional blue whale.

All over Argyll's Atlantic Islands, but most especially in the machair, you'll find an incredibly rich flora, with bugloss, blue speedwell, eyebright, harebell, bloody cranes bill, sea holly and field madder among many different species. Higher up, look out for arctic-alpines such as moss campion, alpine lady's mantle and saxifrage. On the highest ridges, dwarf willows eke out a precarious existence.

There's an equally rich fauna to look out for. Red deer (especially numerous on Jura) are conspicuous on open hillsides, but their smaller cousins, roe deer,are harder to spot in their forest homes. Otters are fairly common around coasts and freshwater lochs and rivers.

The sea is just as fertile as the land and literally teems with life. These waters have the greatest abundance of cetaceans in the UK; 24 species have been recorded, from small harbour porpoises to bottlenose and common dolphins, minke whales and orcas.

The Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust Centre in Tobermory has exhibitions on the marine life in the Argyll Islands' waters. Or you can get even closer on board a sealife cruise, available from a number of islands. As well as the whales, you might see common and grey seals and basking sharks, gentle giants that slowly sieve the water for plankton.