Although often thought of for its oil and granite, the city of Aberdeen and its surrounding shire offer an abundance of wildlife for nature fans to observe.

As well as frequent sightings of foxes, badgers and red squirrels, visitors to the north east of Scotland often report seeing numerous varieties of birds - both to tourist bodies and to friends and families as they recount their time travelling in and around Aberdeen.

As a harbour town, fishing is a vital part of Aberdeen's history and culture and as with any city with large fishing fleets, seagulls are always nearby. The seagulls in Aberdeen, however, have achieved notoriety - whether it's for their abnormally large size or for making national news for learning to pilfer crisps from newsagents.

Birds of prey are a popular sight and these can be found in the city centre as well as more abundantly on the outskirts and in the suburbs of the city. Peregrine falcons have recently been taking up nests in prominent positions across Aberdeen as they look to take advantage of the high number of pigeons that they can feast on. Farther away from the city centre - and closer to the farmyard animals just outside Aberdeen - birds of prey are more frequently seen, including buzzards.

Perhaps the most sought after bird is the golden eagle that is regularly spotted in the nearby Cairngorms mountains.

For lovers of more gentle birds, Troup Head - around 50 miles north of Aberdeen - houses the only gannet colony on mainland Britain. Every summer around 150,000 breeding seabirds flock to the area - that includes gannets as well as kittiwakes, guillemots and puffins; the nearby water houses dolphins, seals and minke whales.

Later in the year - as the leaves drop from the trees - large numbers of birdwatchers descend upon the Loch of Strathbeg (roughly 40 miles north of Aberdeen) - to watch displays of flighting geese.

While these geese only make annual trip to Scotland, some visitors take flights to Aberdeen throughout the year and want to see wildlife at more convenient times. One such location that offers this - for bird lovers as well as animal lovers - is Doonies Farm. Situated on the southeast edge of the city, near the village of Cove, Doonies is a haven for rare breeds of animals and offers visitors a hands-on experience, with many people getting their first real taste of the countryside at the location.

With so many options for wildlife lovers in and around Aberdeen, there's no reason for its image of being a city only valued for its oil and granite.