The River Spey flows south to north from its origin at Loch Spey into the Moray Firth, an inlet of the North Sea. Much of its valley was formed by glaciers about 2.5 million years ago. Its fast moving waters is home to four endangered species: the sea lamprey, the freshwater pearl mussel, Atlantic salmon and the otter, known in Gaelic as the dobhran or beaste dubh (black beast). It also provided lunch for this diving common tern.
