Scottish National Heritage - The Nature of Scotland Spring 2011 Issue - 11

www.snh.gov.
uk
Scottish Natural Heritage
Spring 2011
The Nature of Scotland
Lend a hand
Its the year of
the volunteer
Plant
connections
Using plants to
bridge cultures
Fatal attraction
The lure of litter
for wildlife
Contents
Features
8

Helping the detectives

Top tips for reporting wildlife crime
10 Making a difference

Three cheers for volunteers
30
26 The wild side of tourism

Nature-based tourism continues

to grow
17
25
27
28 Lasting impressions

Plants project works across ages

and cultures
40
61
Regulars
34 What a load of rubbish

Litter and wildlife, a bad

combination
Where we are
SNH contact details
Welcome
50 Scotlands finest

The qualities that make a

landscape special
Wild calendar
Where to go and what to see
this spring
52 Black watch

Boosting black grouse numbers

in the Borders
16 Dualchas coitcheann/

Common heritage

Linking language and environment
54 Well connected

Communities project draws to

a close
18 News
60 Gravel let it be

Gravel bed rivers are best

left alone
24 Inspired by nature

Show and tell whats inspired

you?
36 Reserve focus

Discover Ariundle NNR
62 A trip in the hills

Meet one of our most unusual

birds
42 Area news

Reports from round the country
46 Events diary

Guide to what's on
49 Print out

Our latest publications
58 Kids only!

Activities for younger readers
64 Mailing list

Make sure you always receive

a copy
www.snh.gov.uk
Credits
The Magazine of Scottish Natural Heritage
Issue Number 11 Spring 2011
Published quarterly
SNH 2011
ISSN 1350 309X
Where we are
Area offices
You can contact SNH by

letter, telephone or email.
The following details
should enable you to find
your nearest main office,
but bear in mind that we
also have a number of
smaller offices than those
listed.
Argyll and Stirling

The Beta Centre,
Innovation Park,
University of Stirling,
Stirling FK9 4NF
Tel. 01786 450 362
Editor: John Walters

Tel. 01463 725 222
A full list of our offices

appears on the SNH
website: www.snh.gov.uk
Cover photo: This male hare was part of a group of males that had been
following a female around. He kept licking his upper lip as he'd been
kicked in the mouth by the female. Sometimes these rebuffs by females
can result in the males losing the sight of an eye or they can even prove
fatal.
Photographer: Danny Green
Inside cover photo: Boxing hares. Courtship involves boxing, and this
well-known mad March hare behaviour actually involves unreceptive
females fending off passionate males.
Photographer: Mark Hamblin
Welcome page: Rainbow over the coast at Kintradwell, north of Brora in
Sutherland.
Photographer: Lorne Gill/SNH
Corporate
headquarters
Photography all images by Lorne Gill/SNH other than: David Whitaker 7b,
38t, 39t, 40b; Terry Andrewartha/Nature Picture Library 9; Laurie Campbell
7a, 7c, 17, 18, 20; Graham Burns/BTCV 12, 14; JM Roberts 19; apply pictures/
Alamy 21; Dougie Barnett/SNH 22, 45a; Mike Lane/Alamy 23; Kishor Dangol
28, 30, 31, 32, 33; Andy Rouse/ naturepl.com 34; SSPCA 35; Steve Moore/
SNH 42a; Nathan McLaughlan 42b; Donald Rice 42c; Ewen Cameron 43a;
43c; Max Wilson44a; Jonathan Swale 44b; Dougie Barnett/SNH 45a; Tess
Darwin 45b; Liz Douglas 45c; Mark Hamblin 52, 63; Sulwath Connections
Project 54, 56, 57; Trevor McDonald/NHPA 61.
Map, 37 Ashworth Maps and Interpretation Ltd 2011.
Based on Ordnance Survey mapping. Crown copyright
and database right 2011. All rights reserved.
Ordnance Survey Licence number SNH 100017908.
To share your views about The Nature of Scotland or suggest articles for
future issues please contact the editor:
SNH Magazine
Great Glen House, Leachkin Road,
Inverness IV3 8NW
Email: editor@snh.gov.uk
The views expressed in this magazine do not
necessarily reflect those of SNH.
Printed by: J Thomson Colour Printers, Glasgow
JTCP32k0311
When you've finished with this magazine, please recycle it. Pass it to
another reader or dispose of it at your local waste-collection point.
Great Glen House,

Leachkin Road,
Inverness IV3 8NW
Tel. 01463 725 000
Email: enquiries@snh.gov.uk
Other main offices

Battleby, Redgorton,
Perth PH1 3EW
Tel. 01738 444 177
Silvan House,
3rd Floor East,
231 Corstorphine Road,
Edinburgh EH12 7AT
Tel. 0131 316 2600
Caspian House,
Mariner Court,
Clydebank Business Park,
Clydebank G81 2NR
Tel. 0141 951 4488
Dumfries and Galloway

Carmont House,
The Crichton,
Bankend Road,
Dumfries DG1 4ZF
Tel. 01387 247 010
Northern Isles
Ground Floor,
Stewart Building,
Alexandra Wharf,
Lerwick,
Shetland ZE1 0LL
Tel. 01595 693 345
East Highland
Fodderty Way,
Dingwall Business Park,
Dingwall IV15 9XB
Tel. 01349 865 333
North Highland
The Links,
Golspie Business Park,
Golspie,
Sutherland KW10 6UB
Tel. 01408 634 063
West Highland
The Governors House,
The Parade, Fort William,
Inverness-shire PH33 6BA
Tel. 01397 704 716
Strathclyde and Ayrshire
Caspian House,
Mariner Court,
Clydebank Business Park,
Clydebank G81 2NR
Tel. 0141 951 4488
Tayside and
Clackmannanshire
Battleby, Redgorton,
Perth PH1 3EW
Tel. 01738 444 177
Western Isles
32 Francis Street,
Stornoway,
Isle of Lewis HS1 2ND
Tel. 01851 705 258
Forth and Borders
Silvan House,
3rd Floor East,
231 Corstorphine Road,
Edinburgh EH12 7AT
Tel. 0131 316 2600
Grampian
Inverdee House,
Baxter Street,
Torry,
Aberdeen AB11 9QA
Tel. 01224 266 500
Welcome
Sid Patten
Deputy Chairman
www.snh.gov.uk
At the end of last year I was delighted, and perhaps just a little surprised, to
learn that I was to be appointed deputy chairman of Scottish Natural Heritage. I
responded to the ministers invitation by saying that I was not only delighted but
also felt privileged to take on the role.
Certainly, I have always been acutely aware of the fragility of our natural
heritage and the absolute need to protect it. But I was surprised at the invitation
because I have also, for many years, acted on behalf of business and industry in
challenging what many of my members and customers perceived as a barrier to
development.
So you see, it came as a bit of a shock to me that, at least in terms of
perception, this nuisance from the other side should be asked to come on board!
Was this a sign that things were changing? I asked myself. And, of course, the
answer was that things are always changing.
You only have to look at the major programmes of work with which SNH are
involved to see that managing change is becoming one of our top priorities. From
dealing with whats happening to our climate, and how that impacts on our natural
world, to having an influence on how we safely and responsibly generate new and
cleaner energy our potential remit is huge and vitally important.
Change can be both exhilarating and frightening. It can provide us with the
momentum to progress and it can paralyse us to the point where we feel helpless.
In a recent issue of The Observer, there was an article that set out 20 wideranging predictions on how the world could change in the next 25 years. They
included a more varied energy system thats still reliant on fossil fuels, the growing
importance of nanotechnology, and a redefined concept of nature and close
interactions with people.
Now, Ive no idea how accurate these predictions might be, and theres a fair
chance that Ill not be around to find out. But if were willing to accept that change
is a big part of our personal and professional lives, perhaps we can be even more
influential in how that change happens.
Spring
4
1
White streaks along
the high-rise
sandstone ledges of
Orkneys Marwick
Head show where
guillemots and other
seabirds nest,
beneath clifftops
coloured by sea
pinks and sea
campion.
Wild
calendar
Kenny Taylor gives
some seasonal
tips for savouring
Scottish wildlife and
landscapes
This is the time of unfolding, as flowers emerge,
birds sing, the ground grows green and daylight
extends. Wherever you are, you could notice a
sign of change each day. It could be a scent, a
sound. It could be the way the lengthening days
give a sense of new possibilities. So throw those
curtains wide, as the song goes. Days like these
each year will see you right.
A head for seabird heights

Along parts of the Scottish coast that host seabird colonies,
spring works startling changes. Silent cliffs become
thronged with nesters and the air comes alive with calls and
wings. A reek of guano gives tang to the updraughts. Above
the precipices, small flowers stud the turf.
Summer may lure more visitors to these places, thanks to
the cuteness of most seabird chicks and the appeal of more
predictable weather. But spring is when colonies gear up for
the challenges of the breeding season ahead. Pairs re-unite,
neighbours fight, nests are renewed.
At Marwick Head RSPB reserve, on Orkney Mainland,
you can watch guillemots jostle for space on sandstone
ledges, while fulmars glide past, stiff winged. Look down to
see flocks of puffins and other auks riding the swell. Flowers
include spring squill, its leaves a tracery of green curves,
thrift with blousy pink blooms and sea campion, white as
ocean spray. Combine a trip here with a visit to the Neolithic
village of Skara Brae, 6.5 km away, for an enjoyable sense of
Orkney present and past.
Web tip:
www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/m/marwickhead/
index.aspx
www.snh.gov.uk
Mini-beasts to the max
Down in the pinewoods, something stirs. Small creatures by

the million are warming to the season. As you walk a forest
track among broadly spaced conifers, look and listen for
the signs: a mound of old pine needles, rising to perhaps
a metre from the ground; a faint rustle if you listen, very
closely; an aroma like vinegar if you sniff at a mound.
Wood ants. Scotland is a great place for them,
especially in the old Caledonian pinewoods that are now
thriving again across large parts of the Highlands and
Aberdeenshire. There are three kinds of mound-building ants
you might encounter. The narrow-headed ant scarcest
of these makes quite small nests and is largely confined
to Strathspey. Scottish wood ants and hairy wood ants
construct larger nests.
Telling these species apart can be tricky. But you dont
need to be an expert to appreciate their building skills, or to
marvel at how piles of dull, dead needles are transformed by
the movement of a mass of tiny bodies.
Web tip:
www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/fcin090.pdf/$FILE/fcin090.pdf
2
Wood ants regularly
make the largest nests
of any British insect.
Each colony can be
home to perhaps
100,000 or more of
these hard-working
creatures.
3
Glen Roy NNR is a
great place for learning
to read evidence of
landscape changes
since the Ice Age,
revealed in features
such as shorelines,
terraces and channels.
4
Its not all sweetness in
the light of a spring
woodland floor.
Ramsons (with white
flowers) give a healthy,
garlic-rich reek to clear
the nostrils as you
walk.
Parallel lines
Some people reckoned they were the work of giants.

Charles Darwin thought they showed where ancient shores
had been left, high and dry, when the ocean retreated (and
he was almost correct). It took a Swiss naturalist, Louis
Agassiz, and a Scottish geologist, Thomas Jamieson, to work
out the answer.
The beauty of it is that you can walk the tracks of the
stories and the theories, and see the evidence writ large
along the slopes of one of Scotlands more unusual national
nature reserves. Glen Roy, not far from Roybridge, is where
three parallel straight lines stretch far along the hillsides.
Its hard not to see them as the work of people. But
these parallel roads are quite natural. Together, they hold
the best evidence in Britain of how a series of ice-dammed
lakes formed and then suddenly drained here at the end of
the last Ice Age. After each glacier burst, the mark of the old
lake shoreline remained to show the former waters edge. Its
enough to give these roads international importance. Enjoy
the tidemarks.
Web tip:
www.nnr-scotland.org.uk/reserve.asp?NNRId=23
6
Borders bouquets
Mention spring flowers and many
people will picture a haze of bluebells.
Bonny, without doubt, but you dont
always need to get the blues to be
impressed by the new seasons colours.
Both broadleaved and mixed woods
can have impressive displays of early
blooming flowers, before overhead
greenery shades the woodland floor.
Woods from the North Isles to the
Solway can hold floral surprises at this
time of the year, including the primroses
that quite literally have popped up
beside a path where you didnt expect
to see them.
In the Borders, many woods where
ash and elm are distinctive trees
have been boosted by recent work
to conserve and expand them. This
means that each spring can bring
fresh floral bonuses. Whitlaw Wood, a
Scottish Wildlife Trust reserve beside
Hawick, is one of these ash-elm woods.
Harts-tongue fern, with shiny green
leaves, gives gloss to Whitlaws floor,
in contrast to the soft tones of its
wood anemones or windflowers. Herb
Robert, with small, beautifully simple
flowers, is another of Whitlaws plants
to savour.
Web tip:
www.swt.org.uk/visit/reserves/
WHW/Whitlaw%20Wood/
4
Some other things to look for in spring:

Songbirds in full dawn chorus; ospreys arriving back from Africa;
tadpoles in ponds; hawthorn blooming in hedges and along railway
lines; and small tortoiseshell butterflies on the wing.
www.snh.gov.uk
Helping the detectives

Last September, Grampian police became the first force in
the UK to appoint a wildlife crime education officer. Their new
recruit, Andy Turner, explains how the public can best help in
the fight against wildlife crime
104,317. No, those arent the

latest winning lottery numbers,
but they do represent the
enormous total land area of
Scotland in square km.
Like other crime, its committed by a

very small minority of people who either
knowingly flaunt the law or commit an
offence through lack of awareness. It
can often be linked to other rural crime,
and for that reason suspects should
never be approached by the public.
That number can present a bit of a
While the police keep records of
problem for wildlife crime officers.
each reported wildlife crime, its hard
Divided equally among the 90 or so
to establish the true extent of it in
wildlife crime officers in Scotland, each Scotland. This is due mainly to the vast
officer would have a beat of around
areas of countryside where crime may
1,159 square km! Thats an awful lot
go undetected or unreported.
of ground to cover and can obviously
Heres another big number:
make it difficult in terms of detection
5,168,500. That number could be
and law enforcement.
part of the answer for wildlife crime
Wildlife crime continues to blight
officers because its the current size of
Scotlands outstanding natural heritage. Scotlands population (2008 figure).
It can affect rare and iconic species,
The population is generally
often involves cruelty to animals, can
becoming more mobile, and access to
destroy specially protected habitats,
the countryside is more readily available
and interferes with lawful countryside
now for activities such as mountain
management and recreation.
biking and hill walking. This wider
access presents a great opportunity for

the public to help detect incidents in
remote areas, making that 1,159 square
km beat a bit more manageable!
In the Grampian police area alone,
the wildlife crime unit can receive
over 50 calls per month, ranging from
hare coursing near Elgin, to dolphin
disturbance at Aberdeen harbour or
salmon poaching on Deeside. Among
the genuine reports, there are others
that can end up being about wildlife
killed on the roads, natural deaths or
even miniature penguins at Aberdeen
beach which turned out to be young
guillemots!
However, we dont want to
discourage the public from picking up
the phone to call the police in fact,
quite the opposite. But it helps to have
all the information at hand to help the
police deal with the call in the best
possible way.
1
Scotland is one of the
best places in Europe
to watch whales,
dolphins and
porpoises, but boat
users need to bear in
mind that it's an
offence to recklessly
disturb or harass them.
2
Hares don't dig
burrows underground,
unlike their cousin the
rabbit. Instead, they
create a nest or 'form'
in long grass. The lack
of a safe bolt hole
makes them a target
for illegal hare
coursing.
By following a simple checklist when reporting a wildlife crime, it might be possible to establish a true
picture of wildlife crime and help to stamp it out throughout Scotland. The purpose of better reporting
is to reduce the time spent by officers searching the countryside after receiving a poor lead or
inaccurate information. So, if you suspect a wildlife crime is taking place or has occurred, you should:
Do
Report any suspicious activity as soon as possible to your local police

station and ask to speak to a wildlife crime officer.
Take a note of the date, time and weather conditions.
If possible, identify a map reference or ideally a GPS (global positioning
system) reading of both the incident scene and the location from where you

witnessed the incident.
Note a description of person(s) involved, including gender, age, height,
clothing, etc.
Write down any vehicle registration numbers, make, model and colour that
may be involved.
Identify other witnesses and get their name and contact details.
If possible, video or photograph the scene, or make a rough sketch.
Cover up any suspected poisoned baits or victims to prevent any animal or
person coming into contact with them.
Report the incident, even if youre not sure. The evidence of wildlife crime
is not always obvious.
Dont
Dont disturb the scene by moving items or walking about unnecessarily.

Dont touch dead animals or birds, especially if you suspect that poison may

have been used.
Dont interfere with legal countryside practices, such as the legal use of
traps and snares, hides, high seats and shooting butts.
Never
Never approach suspects or intervene if you suspect someone is committing

a wildlife crime. You may put yourself in danger.
www.snh.gov.uk
Making a difference
10
2011 is the European Year

of Volunteering, so why not
join the 100 million other
Europeans who regularly take
part in voluntary activities
1
Action Earth
volunteers on a spring
clean at a wildlife
garden in Niddrie,
Edinburgh.
www.snh.gov.uk
11
European Year of Volunteering is

a celebration of the commitment
from millions of people across
Europe who work during their
free time without being paid.
Path builders
Community path volunteers across Scotland are working

hard to create places close to home for people to have fun,
get healthy, travel more sustainably and be closer to nature.
With big funding cuts ahead, the need for path groups to
take local action has never been greater.
They come from all walks of life and
The Paths for All organisation received a flood of
offer their time in a whole host of ways,
enquiries recently for their Local People: Local Paths
including working in schools, hospitals
Small Grants for Groups programme. Supported by SNH,
and sports clubs, protecting the
this small pilot grants scheme offered up to 1,000 to help
environment, providing social services
establish a local path group, expand what existing groups
and helping people in other countries.
are doing or carry out a small project.
These efforts, and those of the
Over 70 groups applied for funding to purchase
many thousands of volunteering
insurance or basic tools, get trained up, buy materials to
organisations, make a huge difference
improve paths, produce local path leaflets or carry out
to all our lives in countless ways.
repairs. Sadly, demand massively outstripped supply and it
Scotland would certainly be much the
wasnt possible to support every group.
poorer without volunteers and so
Some great ideas came forward. For example, Boghead
would our nature and landscapes!
Community Group in South Lanarkshire want to develop
And volunteering provides more
and maintain paths around their community and link
than just public benefits. It can also
Boghead, Blackwood, Kirkmuirhill and Lesmahagow. The
benefit the individual in various ways
group recently bought the local red phone box and will be
whether thats through learning new
transforming it into an information point for the local path
skills or by keeping active physically
networks.
and mentally. It can be fun and sociable
The grant will pay for some remedial work on the
too, as well as helping to build stronger
phone box and help to open up unusable paths choked
communities.
with vegetation, explained Fiona McInally of Paths for All.
Its estimated that there are currently
However, thats just the start. The group have big plans to
at least 35,000 people who regularly
make local paths more accessible and usable all year round,
volunteer in Scotland across a wide
which will mean a better quality of life for people who live
range of environmental projects and
there!
activities. As part of the European
If youre keen to make a difference to your local paths,
celebration, well be exploring different
but cant find out whats happening locally, contact info@
aspects of volunteering in Scotland,
pathsforall.org.uk for help. Paths for All is the national charity
starting here with how environmental
supporting and promoting path networks and walking for
volunteering can benefit your
health. You can find out more at www.pathsforall.org.uk
community. Here are some examples
across a range of community focused
volunteering, which we hope might
inspire you to get involved.
12
2
Getting to grips with
a patch of invasive
Himalayan balsam at
Corstorphine Hill in
Edinburgh.
3
Urban Roots volunteers
working at Malls Mire,
a community woodland
in the Toryglen area of
Glasgow.
www.snh.gov.uk
Wood made good

Malls Mire Woodland is a large site near Toryglen in Glasgow, owned by Glasgow
City Council and planted with native trees some 15 years ago. The site then
became a focus for local gangs and was seen by local people as dangerous.
Local people decided to take action to improve safety, attract more wildlife,
increase access and provide a place for environmental education. They got
support from Glasgow City Council and the British Trust for Conservation
Volunteers (BTCV), and the project now has a regular group of 30 volunteers.
Local environmental organisation Urban Roots, based in the Toryglen area,
manage the project and provide support in the form of insurance, training and
tools. The wider community are also involved in the wood through organising
community days and working with primary schools in the area. The volunteers
are trained in woodland management, drystane dyking, interpretation, plant
identification and other environmental skills.
The project has been a real success, commented Abi Mordin of Urban
Roots. The woodland is now regarded as a safe area and lots of adults and
children regularly use the wood. Indeed, locals have asked the volunteers to
lead walks in the wood. Theyve made a massive improvement to this site for the
benefit of the local community.
You can find out more at www.urbanroots.org.uk
13
14
4
BTCV volunteers
clearing vegetation
from an overgrown
section of the moat at
Lochmaben Castle in
Dumfries & Galloway.
Spring into action

This campaign has been running since 2004 and its now a key event in
Scotlands environmental calendar, with the number of projects and volunteers
taking part increasing year on year.
The aim of Action Earth is to encourage more people to take action to improve
their local environment. The campaign supports projects that involve volunteers in
practical action. Two grants are offered: a 50 Action Earth award, and a 250
Biodiversity award for projects that protect and improve Scotlands variety of
wildlife.
Last year, 7,200 volunteers helped on 300 projects around Scotland,
including clean-ups, woodland planting and garden creation. Many different
groups take part, and its clear from their feedback that the campaign is a valuable
source of support and funding.
The grant was a great addition to our garden budget, which is tight,
remarked Lisa Archibold of New Horizons in the Borders. It was a good
opportunity to draw in new volunteers and recognise and celebrate their efforts.
The 2011 campaign kicks off in March. As well as 100 SNH biodiversity
awards, the campaign now includes at least 15 awards of up to 500 for projects
that involve volunteers at local nature reserves. Check it out at
www.actionearth.org.uk/joomla
Bike and hike

Aileen Armstrong is a volunteer with Kirkhill and Bunchrew Community Trust near
Inverness, which aims to take forward projects that bring social, economic or
environmental benefits to the local community.
The trust received funds to commission a design for two sections of an
off-road path for cyclists and walkers. It will run between Beauly and Inverness,
allowing local people to leave their cars at home and to travel safely by bike or on
foot.
Theres a wide range of skills, knowledge and goodwill available within our
small community, commented Aileen. That made it possible for us to source and
apply for funds, write a project brief, appoint consultants and then manage the
project and budget.
We all learned from each other. But we also sought professional advice, when
required, particularly from the local council team. Its been challenging at times,
but a rewarding experience for everyone involved.
To find out more, go to www.kirkhillandbunchrew.org.uk
It's been challenging

at times, but a
rewarding experience
for everyone involved.
If youre interested in exploring the possibilities for a volunteer opportunity near
you, the best place to start is your local volunteer centre. You can find out more at
the Volunteer Scotland website www.volunteerscotland.org.uk/aboutUs.aspx
And dont worry you wont need to commit yourself if you dont want to!
Many organisations offer volunteers a taster session so that you can decide
whether its for you. Why not give it a try?
www.snh.gov.uk
15
Dualchas coitcheann
Common heritage
St Brigid, or Bride, is remembered in
many Scottish place names, as well as in
three of our wildlife species. Its all to do
with the date of her feast day, explains
Ruairidh MacIlleathain, unless you believe
the stories
Lus is ein Brde

Tha ainm Brde (no Brghde) a nochdadh ann am mran suidheachaidhean co-cheangailte ri ndar
is aghaidh na tre ann an Alba. S e pears-eaglais ainmeil dhen 5mh 6mh linn a bh ann am Brde, a
bhuineadh do Chill Dara ann an irinn, ged a bha ban-dia phganach be roimhpe air an robh Brde
cuideachd (agus grunnan phears-eaglaisean s a didh a ghabh a h-ainm a bharrachd). Chan iad na
Gidheil a-mhin a bha dleas dhi; bha i naomh do shligh eile ann am Breatainn, Cruithnich na h-Alba
nam measg. Agus bha i na naomh-taice do mhnathan-gline, boireannaich throma agus banaraich, am
measg eile.
Ro linn an Ath-leasachaidh bha Naomh Brde air leth cudromach do Ghidheil na h-Alba, agus tha
i air a cli a ghleidheadh thar nan linntean anns na coimhearsnachdan a mhair dleas don chreideamh
Chaitligeach, leithid ann an Uibhist is Barraigh. Agus tha i air a cuimhneachadh ann an grunn aiteachan
ann an Alba air a bheil Cille Brde mar eisimpleir ann an Saoil, Latharna, le, Tiriodh, Bd, Arainn,
Uibhist agus san Eilean Sgitheanach, gun luaidh air a bhaile mhr ann am meadhan na dthcha
Cille Brde an Ear. Tha Lann Brde ann am Moireibh ga cuimhneachadh cuideachd, mar a tha grunn
ainmean eaglaisean ann an caochladh sgrean, deas agus tuath.
Ann an silean nan Gidheal, tha dleab Brde be fhathast co-cheangailte ri tr gnithean
ndarrach lus agus d eun. Tha e coltach gun d fhuair am bernan-brde ainm an naoimh leis
gum bi e a nochdadh fo bhlth trth as t-Earrach, oir tha Fill Brde anns a Ghearran. Tha cuid dhen
bheachd, ge-t, gur e as coireach ris a cheangal gun robh dath an fhlir a comharrachadh an teine a
bha a losgadh fad na h-ine ann am manachainn Brde. Thathar a danamh an aon sersa ceangail
eadar teine Brde agus am bigein-Brde, eun beag air a bheil broilleach dearg.
Ach, gu frinneach, s dcha gur e gum bi am bigein-Brde a ceilearadh mu m Fill Brde, s didh
dha a bhith smhach sa gheamhradh, as coireach ri a cheangal ris an naomh, agus tha coltas ann
gu bheil an dearbh rud for mun Bhrdean (Brde-eun) no gille-Brde, ged a tha mneachadh eile
aig stiridh laghach beul-aithris. Bha Naomh Brde a teicheadh bho ghrisg aig an robh droch-rn
dhi. Ruith i gu ruige trigh, ach cha robh ite ann airson a dhol am falach agus cha robh dol-s aice.
Ligh i air a ghainmhich, agus i gun dchas a bhith be fada, ach chunnaic na brdein i. Chmhdaich
na h-ein le feamainn i, cha robh sgeul oirre nuair a rinig a ghrisg an cladach, agus mhair i be.
Bheannaich i an t-eun agus bhon latha sin a-mach s e eun Brde a bh ann ann an sealladh nan
Gidheal, an d chuid ann an Alba agus Eilean Mhanainn (far a bheilear a gabhail bridjeen air).
istibh gu dlth ris a bhrdean agus cluinnidh sibh e a cantainn bi glic gu tric. Tha Acadamaidh
nam Poileas ann an Tulach Alain air d bhrdean a thaghadh airson an t-suaicheantais oifigeil aca, leis
a chomhairle sin bi glic, bi glic sgrobhte fodha.
16
Thathar a danamh an
t-samhlaidh cho
elach s a tha am
Bridean san trigh. Is e
seo an rainneachd
anns an do shbhail an
t-eun seo beatha
Brde, a rir beulaithris.
A Gaelic simile says as
well acquainted as the
oystercatcher is with
the shore. This is the
environment in which,
according to oral
tradition, St Brigids
life was saved by the
oystercatcher. From
that point on, it has
been Brigids bird in
Gaelic Scotland.
www.snh.gov.uk
Saintly species
Many places in Scotland called Kilbride (Cille Brde, the cell or church of Brigid
or Bride) are named after the famous saint who lived in the 5th to 6th century and
was associated with Kildare in Ireland. Shes also remembered in Lhanbryde
(Lann Brde, the enclosure of Brigid) in Moray and in the dedications of a number
of churches around Scotland. In pre-Reformation times, Brigid (who shared her
name with an earlier pre-Christian goddess) was a very significant religious figure
nationally. In the communities that kept their original Catholicism, notably in the
Western Isles, she has held on to her significance.
Three species are linked to the saint in Scotland, owing to their being in flower
or becoming active at the time of her feast day in February, the earliest of the
calendar. The dandelion the English name of which came from the French dentde-lion (lions tooth) is known as bernan-Brde in Gaelic or the gapped one of
Brigid (referring to its leaf shape). Its yellow flowers are said to be suggestive of
the fire that burned constantly in her monastery. Two birds carry the saints name
the bigein-Brde (Brigids little bird) or linnet, and the Brdean (Brigids bird)
or gille-Brde (Brigids servant), which is the oystercatcher. The formers reddish
breast is supposed to represent Brigids fire, while a group of the latter is said to
have saved the saints life by covering her with seaweed to hide her from a band
of men who planned to kill her. She blessed the oystercatcher on that day and, for
the last millennium and a half, it has been Brigids bird to Scotlands Gaels.
17
NEWS
18
Project tackles harrier decline

An innovative project in Renfrewshire is combating the decline in numbers of hen
harriers.
Over the last three years, SNH have been working with land managers in
the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park to support management of their moorland
for wildlife. In all, 10 land managers have signed up to a management scheme
covering 8,380 hectares of moorland.
Known as Renfrewshire Heights, the moorland is internationally important for
breeding hen harriers and its designated as a site of special scientific interest
(SSSI) and special protection area.
Over a number of years, muirburn and high levels of grazing have caused a
loss of heather cover on the moor. This has affected not only the habitat but also
the wildlife that lives there, including the hen harrier.
The scheme, which runs until 2014, will restore the moorland by reducing
grazing and carefully targeting muirburn. It will benefit not only harriers, but also
other moorland wildlife, with measures that will include regenerating scrub and
marking fences to stop black grouse flying into them.
These moorlands are one of the best breeding sites for hen harriers in
Scotland, explained local SNH area officer Andy MacGregor. The scheme
has helped farmers and estates continue their good stewardship of the land by
improving the habitat. We hope this will help the wildlife here thrive for years to
come.
Hunterston Estate is one of the landholdings that has signed up to the
scheme. With a five-year agreement that covers 1,368 hectares of land, the
estate plan to reduce the number of grazing sheep by 900. At their own expense,
theyve also removed a further 1,000 sheep and put a new, summer-only grazing
regime in place for 390 sheep and 30 cattle. The estate has also stopped
muirburn throughout the term of the agreement. The changes will maintain a good
variety of habitats and help the heather to recover.
Weve fully embraced the SSSI at Renfrewshire Heights, commented Nigel
Cochran-Patrick of Hunterston Estate. This is a great opportunity to reverse
the desert-like appearance caused by years of overgrazing and the unfortunate
drainage schemes of the past.
My only worry is that the five years for which the scheme runs will only just be
enough time to halt the decline. Hopefully, the scheme will run for a further five
years to really make a difference. People forget how long things in nature take to
grow.
Wild red deer on Rum are rutting earlier in the year because of climate change,
scientists have suggested.
Research has indicated that the annual rutting season on the NNR could be
changing because of warming spring and summer temperatures. The rut takes
place in the autumn and involves the males competing for a mate.
Scientists from Edinburgh and Cambridge universities showed that the
deer rutting and calving seasons are now up to two weeks earlier on average
compared with 30 years ago. The research was based on a 38-year study of the
relationship between red deer and the environment on Rum and used annual
records of breeding success in more than 3,000 deer.
The scientists say this provides rare evidence that warming temperatures
are affecting the behaviour of British mammals. Although many kinds of plants
and animals are known to be reproducing earlier, evidence of early reproduction
in large mammals is very unusual. More work is needed to understand whether
similar changes are taking place in deer populations elsewhere, and what the
implications will be.
NEWS
Islands red deer rutting earlier
Click on corals
Scottish scientists have set up a new website to raise awareness of cold-water
corals (such as the ones shown above) and their conservation.
World renowned naturalist Sir David Attenborough has given his support to
the site www.lophelia.org and recorded a short film for it.
Scientists from Heriot-Watt University are behind the website, which sets
out to publicise the importance of cold-water coral conservation in Scotland and
around the world.
The university team discovered the only known inshore coral reef in Scottish
waters the Mingulay reef complex in 2003. The reef was discovered in the
Sea of the Hebrides when the area was mapped using modern sonar techniques.
Were now discovering that cold-water corals are probably more abundant
and widespread across the oceans of the world than tropical corals, commented
Sir David.
Theyre certainly very remarkable. For instance, one cold-water coral is 4,000
years old, probably making it the oldest living organism on this planet. The more
thats being discovered the more we realise how precious, diverse, important and
endangered these cold-water corals are.
www.snh.gov.uk
19
NEWS
20
Creating a northern safe haven

A conservation initiative aimed at creating a wildlife haven in the north of Scotland
thats free of the American mink is set to start in April.
The intention is to protect nationally significant and economically important
populations of salmon, water vole (pictured below) and ground-nesting birds
such as greenshank and lapwing by clearing the area of mink.
The initiative will build on previous projects, and is set to appoint four
regionally based community officers covering the Highlands, rural Aberdeenshire,
rural Tayside, and Moray and the Cairngorms.
This exciting project is the first stage of a strategic approach to manage the
spread of mink in mainland Scotland, explained Rob Raynor, SNHs species
adviser. By building on previous successes in the Cairngorms and northeast
Scotland, the project will establish a strategic monitoring and control zone across
the north. As we gradually establish areas free from mink, we hope eventually to
expand the zone southwards.
The strategy relies on the involvement of volunteers and the local rivers and
fisheries trusts, with their network of ghillies, water bailiffs and gamekeepers. We
believe theyre central to making this initiative a success.
The project has secured support from a number of funders including various
LEADER programmes and SNH through the Species Action Framework. Over
920,000 has been raised to get the three-year partnership initiative off the
ground. It will involve the Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland (RAFTS),
Scottish Wildlife Trust, University of Aberdeen, SNH and more than 16 other
organisations.
Invasive non-native species, like the American mink, damage our environment
and economy, commented Chris Horrill, project development manager for
RAFTS. In north Scotland, an area that relies heavily on sustainable angling and
shooting industries as well as wildlife tourism, we cant afford to take the risk of
losing parts of our biodiversity.
The project will monitor the movements of the mink population using mink rafts
to identify their footprints. Its hoped to maintain mink-free zones by undertaking
the minimum amount of control necessary and to prevent further spread of
American mink across the Highlands.
Were establishing an alert system, made up of local landowners and
volunteers, to ensure we can respond to animal movements in our target areas,
added Paul Gallagher, habitats and species officer for the Scottish Wildlife Trust.
And animal welfare considerations will be paramount to our operations.
The American mink is a non-native predator thats contributing to the loss
of Scotlands biodiversity through its hunting of water voles and salmon, as well
as bird eggs and chicks. The decline or loss of these species could also have a
negative impact on local economies that depend on angling, shooting or wildlife
tourism. Were working to protect peoples livelihoods as well as our native
wildlife.
NEWS
Fight against wildlife crime continues
The fight against wildlife crime has been strengthened by a dedicated grant
scheme that has been supporting a range of projects.
Funding under the Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime (PAW)
Scotland has been used for new and innovative schemes. Examples under the
170,000 committed so far include:
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland received 20,000 towards a
wildlife DNA forensic testing laboratory. Work included the testing of
samples for Scottish wildlife crime investigations in its first year.
The University of Strathclyde used 5,000 for its work in linking the recovery
of human DNA from animal parts to provide evidence of contact. This includes
the linking of poison baits with vehicles, guns, containers and suspects.
The Morvern deer poaching initiative received 8,000 to trial and develop a
model to appoint and support a seasonal deer watcher to tackle locally
intense deer poaching issues.
Wildlife crime takes many forms, commented minister for the environment and
climate change Roseanna Cunningham, from badger persecution and illegal
poisoning of wild birds, to illegal fishing of freshwater pearl mussels and bat
persecution.
This funding signals the Scottish Governments clear and continuing intention
to tackle the root causes of wildlife crime and address the often harrowing
suffering caused by wildlife crime to Scotlands native wild animals.
New seal laws welcomed

Laws banning the killing of seals in Scotland without a licence have come into
force.
In addition to outlawing unregulated shooting of seals, the measures under
the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 establish a new licensing system to manage
shooting and introduce a number of seal conservation areas around Scotland.
Marine Scotland will be responsible for implementing and monitoring the new
measures.
Given the serious and worrying decline in the numbers of common or
harbour seals, these new measures are particularly important, remarked John
Baxter, SNHs principal adviser on seals.
Theyre a considerable improvement on provisions contained in previous
legislation. They provide a clear approach to seal conservation, while taking
account of the needs of fisheries and fish farming interests to protect and manage
their stocks.
www.snh.gov.uk
21
NEWS
Woodland favourites
The arrival of spring has seen the Woodland Trust launch a VisitWoods website
to help people find their nearest accessible woodland.
VisitWoods aims to encourage more people to get out and enjoy all that our
woodlands have to offer. At the heart of the project is www.VisitWoods.org.uk, a
new interactive website showcasing all the woods you can visit in Scotland and
across the UK.
The project is part of a unique partnership between all the major woodland
owning organisations in Scotland. It will give people living in Scotland the chance
to discover the woods on their doorstep and enjoy the outdoors more often.
The website is packed with everything you need to plan a great day out,
including searchable maps, inspiring ideas and free activities, plus theres space
for visitors to share their photos and tips.
The project needs enthusiastic people to share their stories, comments,
photographs, ideas and even rate their favourite woods on the website, explained
Carol Evans, Woodland Trust Scotland director.
Sharing personal experiences of the woods we love to visit and what they
have to offer will make a real difference to people who have never been before.
Personal content will hopefully encourage more people to get outside and enjoy
the wonders of Scotlands woodland through the seasons.
New start at Craigie

Offenders on community service orders are helping to create a new habitat for
birds, bees and butterflies at West Craigie Farm, west of Edinburgh, this year.
West Craigie Local Food Project is a social enterprise established to supply
high-quality vegetables to local outlets. SNH have given them a grant to work
with the City of Edinburgh Council Criminal Justice Service in their supervision of
the offenders on community service orders.
The project helps offenders develop the key skills and work experience they
need to get into employment. This group, who are all women, will design and
build the wildlife garden, which will benefit wildlife and visitors to the farm.
Well use the SNH funding to pay for consultancy time to help with the
planning, explained Yvonne Dalziel, manager at West Craigie Local Food Project,
and to pay for materials like bee houses, bird-feeding stations, interpretive
boards and plants.
Karen Morrison, communities officer at SNH, said they were keen to help
people from all walks of life experience the outdoors. We hope the people
involved in this project will enjoy seeing the wildlife garden develop and will
go back with other members of the public to enjoy the fruits of their work, she
added.
22
MSPs have backed an order to license the keeping of muntjac deer in Scotland.
Muntjac (pictured below) are originally from Asia but have become an
invasive species in England and Wales. They cause widespread damage
to farming and the natural heritage, as well as being a major source of road
accidents. Theyve even been branded asbo bambis by some critics.
Theres no known wild population in Scotland, but there are two collections
kept securely in deer parks in Fife. Under the new legislation, muntjac can only be
kept with a licence that sets out the minimum standards for enclosures.
The legislation also means that owners of captive muntjac will have to report
any escapes within 24 hours. SNH will have powers to enter onto land to control
these animals if the owners cannot recapture or control them.
NEWS
Little deer, big menace
Goose management
Changes to Scotlands goose management schemes are being considered with a
view to making them more responsive to conservation needs.
It follows a fundamental review suggesting that the current schemes have
been very successful in protecting and sustaining many important goose
populations. However, the review also suggests that the help available is
inconsistent.
As a result, the Scottish Government are working with SNH and the National
Goose Management Review Group to target funds accordingly. The aim is to
concentrate on protecting those species of higher conservation status, such as
the Greenland white-fronted goose.
The proposals would continue to allow farmers and crofters to organise the
control of geese locally, but will re-balance the focus of payments made under
local goose management schemes.
"It's encouraging that some populations of these birds are thriving thanks
to the goose management schemes, some of which were put in place over 10
years ago, commented minister for environment and climate change Roseanna
Cunningham.
This is the result of the collaborative effort to protect them. We have to build
on this success by concentrating our efforts on species that aren't doing so well.
This will allow us to target the money available where it's needed most.
www.snh.gov.uk
23
Inspired by nature
Thanks for another great

response to our request for
images and stories of wild
encounters. There were
some fine submissions
again, and here are some
of the entries that weve
selected. Please keep them
coming. Email your images
and stories to
editor@snh.gov.uk
24
1 Cove Bay
The location lies to
the east of Hopeman,
which is a little village
on the Moray coast,
near to Lossiemouth.
I never moved anything
and just composed
around what was
there. Its a beautiful
and unspoiled area of
coastline, composed
mostly of sandstone,
and is an area that
never fails to impress
me. Jim Robertson,
Lossiemouth
2 Out of the
ordinary
This beautiful bird
appeared in my garden
this winter. Its either a
partial albino blackbird,
or a leucistic thrush or
fieldfare. It visited every
day while there were
holly berries on the
tree. It used to chase
the other blackbirds
that it fed alongside
away from the titbits
that I put out for them.
It has now disappeared
completely. Shirley
Milne, Archiestown,
Aberlour
3 Fruit feast
4 Not so sleek
5 Early frosts
6 Colour rush
I grabbed this photo

of a wasp while it was
feeding on a ripening
blackberry in my
garden. I have a few
blackberry bushes and
the wasps were coming
and going. I focused
on the one berry and
when the wasp landed I
had about four seconds
before it took off again.
Stan Wilson, Langholm
I took this picture

through my kitchen
window as I was
surprised to see how
'furry' swallows are! We
normally think of them
as sleek, fast speed
merchants, but closeup we can see another
character. John White,
Kilmuir, Isle of Skye
The photo was taken

looking up to the
Northern Corries of
the Cairngorms. I
took it beside the ski
road at Glenmore,
late in the morning
during November. Bob
Kinnaird, Glenmore
We spotted this
peacock butterfly along
the northeast coast at
Lunan Bay. The four
stunning eyespots on
the wings designed
to frighten away or
divert predators
actually helped us to
make quick and easy
eye contact with this
stunning insect before
it fluttered away on the
gentle breeze. David
Elder, Cheltenham
Give us your best!
www.snh.gov.uk
If youd like to send in your images and

stories of wild encounters, please email
them to editor@snh.gov.uk
Remember to include your name, where
you live and some background information
on any pictures submitted. Please restrict
yourself to only three entries per person
per issue. If youre sending in photos that
have children in them, then we need written
permission from a parent or guardian of
each child in the picture.
In contributing to The Nature of
Scotland you agree to grant us royalty-free,
non-exclusive use of your material in any
way we want and in any media.
However, youll still own the copyright
to everything you contribute, and well aim
to publish your name alongside anything
published. SNH cannot guarantee that all
pictures will be used and we reserve the
right to edit any material provided.
25
Nature-based tourism is already worth at least

1.4 billion a year to the Scottish economy and the
sector looks set to expand further
The wild side

of tourism
Tourism spending on nature-based activities brings in 1.4 billion
a year, accounts for nearly 40% of all tourism spending in Scotland
and supports 39,000 full-time jobs. Those were the headline figures
in a recent report that underlined the value of Scotlands nature to
the overall economy.
The largest contributors are walking and landscape tourism, which together bring
in at least 900 million. Adventure activities such as mountain biking, canoeing
and kayaking are worth 178m, and field sports including game shooting,
deer stalking and angling generate 136m.
Wildlife tourism produces a further 127m through activities such as bird
watching, dolphin watching and practical conservation holidays, making it the
main driver behind more than a million trips to Scotland each year.
Nature-based tourism is certainly well recognised in the Outer Hebrides,
where encounters with seals, otters, dolphins, seabirds and even the shy
corncrake are commonplace for residents.
Television programmes such as the recent Great Climb 2010 in Harris
and Cameron McNeishs Hebridean Trail have helped highlight not only the
exceptional environment of the Western Isles but also the wide range of outdoor
and adventure activities to be enjoyed there.
Now, a group of tourism businesses is aiming to make the islands a
destination of excellence for nature-based tourism, aided by a two-year project
that will develop the outdoor experience for visitors.
Under a project known as Tourism Hebrides, communications for visitors will
be improved to let people know what they can expect to see, where and at what
time of year.
Weve always known how special our islands are, commented Anne Ryan of
Tourism Hebrides, but we havent always been as good as some other areas at
getting that message across.
Many people are already aware of places like St Kilda, which has World
Heritage status, and the standing stones at Calanais, which predate Stonehenge.
But the opportunity to play a part in developing other aspects of tourism in the
islands is hugely exciting.
Were aiming to work with tourism businesses across the islands to promote
the fantastic natural assets that we have here. It won't be too long before visitors
will be able to reap the benefits, through improved publications, signage and
information sharing.
A couple of initiatives linked to 2011 will also help spread the message.
This is Scotlands Year of Islands Culture and its also the basis for a year-long
focus on Scotland as a leading active travel destination. Active Scotland will
unite the tourism industry in a drive to encourage visitors to come to Scotland
and experience the vast and varied range of activities on offer. There will be an
26
Tourist boats moored

in Village Bay on St
Kilda.
extensive programme of events, festivals, activities and marketing to showcase

Scotland as a must-visit activity and adventure destination.
And for those interested in developing their own wildlife or nature-based
products and activities, the organisation Wild Scotland is offering help through a
wildlife tourism advisory service. Wild Scotland are the Scottish wildlife tourism
association and, using their experienced members, they will provide practical
advice on a range of issues relating to this growing sector of the tourism industry.
For further information go to www.wild-scotland.co.uk
www.snh.gov.uk
27
1
Picking hawthorn
berries.
28
Scotlands native plants and their

use in medicine and cosmetics
have been the focus of a project
with Edinburghs Nepalese
community
Lasting
impressions
Its been a good experience for me because for the first time ever
in my life I have visited and checked the wonder of the trees and
plants. I learned the mystery of the plant world.
So wrote Keshab Timsina, of Edinburghs Nepalese community, after one of
his visits as part of the Healing in the Fields and Forests project. The year-long
project gave members of the community the chance to discover the traditional
medicinal and cosmetic uses of Scotlands native plant life.
The project was developed through Forestry Commission Scotland and SNH
funding, and designed by Joanna Boyce of Creative Art Works working with the
Gurkha Association Scotland and herbalist Monica Wilde. It brought together a
group of Nepalese Scots, botanists from the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh
(RBGE), medical herbalists and community educators. Together, they explored
forests and rural areas to experience Scotlands variety of plants and their uses.
Being outside and connecting to the countryside is very much part of
Nepalese culture, explained Joanna Boyce, so it was important to their
community in Edinburgh to find a relevant way to discover their local Scottish
woodlands. They also wanted to inspire in their children a life-long interest in
nature and love of the great outdoors.
The project set out to acheive this using nature and plants as a common
theme. The aim was to exchange knowledge and understanding about the
medicinal and cosmetic uses of plants, both in the UK and in Nepal, and also
encourage the use of woodlands and green space by the Nepalese community.
The folk who took part went on guided walks to learn about the plants and
their uses, with links made to related plants in Nepal and how theyre used
there. The walks were followed up with workshops that used a selection of plants
for practical sessions preparing medicinal tonics, creams, ointments, soaps,
perfumes, tinctures and syrups.
www.snh.gov.uk
29
Making and drinking the juices was great.

I learnt a lot about plants, something I have
little knowledge about, and it was fascinating
to hear the medical implications they have.
Ashkan Ziaie
2
30
3
Two Bangladeshi
women joined the
Nepalese community
for the day and made a
spring detox tonic from
cleavers.
4
Working together to
clean and sort
hawthorn berries for
use in a tincture to help
lower blood pressure
and strengthen the
heart.
www.snh.gov.uk
All ages
The project ran across four seasons and involved a total of eight day-long trips
to the woodlands and forests. The enthusiasm and interest was so great that the
first winter workshop was over-subscribed, with 55 people appearing on the first
day. Numbers had to be more carefully managed down to about 30 a day for the
spring, summer and autumn sessions.
Those taking part included all ages, and involved the usually difficult-to-reach
teenager group. While the adults and older children experienced the workshops,
younger children explored the woods, enjoyed woodland activities and created
nature-inspired artworks.
The format of the day worked well, Joanna continued. To begin with, the
group went for a walk of about two hours where we identified, collected and
talked about the plants we saw. The areas we explored included a community-run
walled garden with surrounding woodland, a council-run country park with visitor
centre facilities, and the fields and hedgerows near a community-run village hall.
Afterwards, we ran workshops making simple medicinal or cosmetic items
using the materials we gathered. This helped those taking part to relate the plants
to the end products that are often similar to those they see around them in the
shops in the city. They found this really interesting and we think it helped them to
remember the plants better. Storyteller Alasdair Taylor also joined us on some of
the walks and his memorable stories from Gaelic and Celtic folklore added some
forest magic to our walks.
Monica Wilde from Napiers, the herbalists in Edinburgh, ran the practical
workshops. Her main reason for getting involved was to help preserve and pass
on the knowledge of British herbal medicine and the practical applications of it
that are easily accessible to everyone.
31
Making links
Many modern drugs are still discovered from plant and
fungi sources that have been known locally for centuries,
and its important to make that collective knowledge widely
available. There was also a genuine pleasure in seeing
people discover or rediscover the open spaces and forests
around our cities, knowing that they will pass on this
pleasure to their families and communities.
Two other important partners in the project were Bhaskar
Adhikari and Mark Watson of RBGE, who were able to make
the links between plants in Scotland and Nepal.
Nepal is one of our major research areas, explained
Mark, and RBGE have a long-term commitment to working
with our colleagues over there to document their plant
biodiversity. Engaging with the UK Nepalese community
is part of that work, and we were very pleased to use our
knowledge of British and Nepalese plants to help people
learn more about the nature around them and make links
back to familiar plants in Nepal.
Scientific outreach is an important part of the work of
RBGE, he continued, and we have an active programme
of educational events and exhibitions. The Nepalese
community based in Edinburgh, like many ethnic minority
urban communities, dont often venture out of the city to
explore the countryside. Were keen to engage more with
local communities, especially groups that are traditionally
hard to reach, and this project was a wonderful opportunity
to do that.
The Healing in the Fields and Forests project has now
been selected as a case study for the Science for All
32
Going Beyond the Usual Suspects initiative. This is being

promoted through the UK Government Department of
Business, Innovation and Skills, and also involves the
Association for Science and Discovery Centres and the
British Science Association. A range of case studies will
appear on various websites to inspire others to undertake
similar schemes.
Certainly, the strong response and enthusiasm from
the Nepalese community has encouraged Joanna Boyce
to look at working with other cultural groups, such as the
Edinburgh Bengali community, who might be interested in
developing a similar venture.
The Gurkha Association Scotland and the Nepal
Scotland Association wanted to design a project that
would encourage members of their community, from
the oldest to the youngest, to venture out of the city to
explore the countryside. They wanted to instill a love of the
Scottish outdoors in their children and young people at the
same time as making real connections to their Nepalese
heritage.
Traditionally, the experience of foraging and sharing
food and celebrating within the landscape is part of
Nepalese culture. So it was of prime importance to the
Nepalese community in Scotland to find a way to continue
their native outdoor lifestyle in a local Scottish context. This
is especially important for those who have recently arrived
in Scotland and may still need to orientate themselves
and adapt to the Scottish way of life. This project offers a
model for how to bridge cultures.
5
Using a dock leaf as a
traditional remedy for
nettle stings.
6
The children made
their own masks after
hearing the story of the
Green Man, the
mythical figure often
shown as a mask made
entirely of leaves.
www.snh.gov.uk
33
Litter remains an
unsightly problem
in Scotland,
costing millions of
pounds every year
to clear. It can
also prove to be
a fatal attraction
for wildlife
What a load of rubbish

We all enjoy the spectacular scenery and stunning landscapes for which Scotland is
rightly famous. So that makes it all the more unpleasant to see the mass of discarded
litter and dumped waste that blights our towns, cities and countryside.
Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB) estimate that the cost of clearing litter across Scottish local authorities
stands at over 100 million per year. That cost forms part of the council tax charges that we all have to
pay.
Keep Scotland Beautiful run the National Spring Clean campaign every year, which encourages
people to get together and help pick up litter from their neighbourhood. Last year, more than 83,000
people across Scotland gave their time to support the campaign. Each person collected on average
one and a half black bags of discarded rubbish thats enough to fill 42,000 standard household
wheelie bins!
But its not just people who have a problem with litter. Wildlife suffers too, with animals and birds
being cut by sharp objects such as cans or broken glass, strangled by plastic ring packaging, and
choked or poisoned on plastic waste or cigarette butts. Animals can sometimes be freed back to the
wild, but in many cases treatment and care is required by wildlife rescue specialists or the refuse may
even cause death.
Scotlands animal welfare charity, the Scottish SPCA, regularly rescue wild animals trapped or hurt
by discarded litter. It's horrifying to see the suffering and impact that litter can have on the welfare of
wild animals, commented Scottish SPCA Wildlife Rescue Centre Manager Colin Seddon.
Litter presents a lot of risks to wildlife, including swans, seals, otters, owls, badgers, foxes and
seabirds. Some of the worst cases are never discovered until it's too late.
Keep Scotland Beautiful are urging everyone to have more pride. Litter and dumped waste can
affect us all at some time, commented KSBs Suzanne Roberts, whether its close to our homes or in
the countryside that we visit, and its up to everyone to do what they can to stop it.
If youd like to help out with this years National Spring Clean campaign from 14 March to 16 May,
then go to http://springclean.keepscotlandtidy.org
34
1
This hedgehog was
lucky a vet was able
to remove the plastic
rings without serious
injury. But others have
ended up being
strangled in similar
incidents.
Top tips for disposing of litter and preventing harm to wildlife:

Plastic holders for drinks cans can choke animals, so cut open the loops of the plastic
holders.
Tin cans often trap animals and a half-open lid may cut them badly. Take the lid off,
put it inside and crush or pinch the opening shut.
Plastic bags can suffocate. Re-use your bags instead of throwing them away, or tie a
knot in them when you dispose of them properly.
Broken bottles can cut. Take all glass to a bottle bank.
Fishing line can strangle. Take it home and cut it up.
Balloons can kill if eaten. Avoid balloon releases and cut up used balloons.
Deadly nylon
The sort of danger that litter can present for
wildlife was made plain last July when the
SSPCA were involved in a cliff-top rescue
operation to recover a young peregrine falcon
in Dumfries & Galloway. When they got to the
nest, they discovered that the bird's feet had
been amputated after becoming tangled in
nylon string (pictured left).
This incident only occurred as a result of
rubbish being discarded and washed up on the
shoreline. Both of its feet had been tragically
cut off after its legs had become snared in
plastic wire and netting, which the parents had
used to build the nest. Due to the extent of its
injuries, the only humane option was to put the
falcon to sleep.
Its a sad fact that discarded rubbish is now
a feature of our coastlines and countryside,
explained local SSPCA inspector Janet
Proudlock, and birds are commonly building
their nests from materials that they wouldnt
naturally find in the wild. The birds dont
know the difference between nylon string and
grasses, and this is the reason why tragedies
like this occur. If people just cleaned up after
themselves, we wouldnt have to deal with this
sort of issue. To lose a magnificent bird such
as a peregrine falcon in this way is very sad
indeed.
www.snh.gov.uk
35
Reserve focus
36
Ariundle oakwood is one of the finest examples in

Scotland of the ancient oakwoods that once spread along
Europes Atlantic edge. Its renowned for its old oak trees
with luxurious growth of mosses, lichens, liverworts and
ferns. And its also one of the best sites in Scotland to
catch a glimpse of the rare chequered skipper butterfly
Shieling of the white meadow

1
Ceann a
Chreagain
The Croft
A Chroit
Ariundle
irigh Fhionndail
Anaheilt
th na h-ilde
Capall
A' Choille Dhubh
5
6
ver n
R i- S t h e i
n t
i a a n An Torra Bn
t
n n
i nne
t n
a
All
A Mhinn
Allt Coire na n
Waterfall
Scotstown
Hut Circle
r o Sr
S tinn
Abh
Reserve boundary
Trail
h
nF
ta
Al
l
Car park
Tea room and craft shop
aid
Surfaced road
Track
To Strontian
Gu Srn an t-Sthein
kilometre
mile
1
1
Ariundle lies at the eastern edge of the celebrated Sunart

oakwoods, which cloak much of the north shore of Loch Sunart on
the Ardnamurchan peninsula. The reserve occupies the southeast
facing slopes of Strontian Glen on the northern side of the Strontian
River.
1
Ariundle oakwood is
clothed in a green
carpet of mosses,
lichens and liverworts.
www.snh.gov.uk
The Gaelic name of this place is irigh Fhionndail, meaning the shieling of the
white meadow, perhaps because the summer pastures amongst the trees had
a carpet of white-petalled wood anemones. The oakwoods have been central to
local history and culture in Sunart, surviving because local people have valued,
carefully managed and nurtured the woods. Today, the Sunart Oakwoods
Initiative aims to restore and expand these native woodlands to improve the areas
biodiversity and support rural development.
SNH and Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) care for this important
woodland reserve, which lies 3 km northeast of the village of Strontian,
approximately 38 km from Fort William via the Corran ferry. To reach Ariundle from
Strontian, cross the bridge over the River Strontian and take an immediate right
hand turn. Follow the FCS signs for Airigh Fhionndail car park.
This walk takes in the wooded slopes of Ariundle oakwood and then follows
the east bank of the Strontian River as it meanders downstream through the
glen. The loop trail is approximately 5 km. Visit in spring and summer when the
woodland is alive with birdsong, butterflies and dragonflies, while spring colours
unfold on the woodland floor.
37
This walk starts from the FCS car park

at Strontian. Follow the track heading
up the glen. As you begin your walk
through the woodland, keep a look
out for open glades. On sunny days
in summer, the shelter provided by
trees transforms these glades into
warm suntraps where butterflies and
dragonflies flourish. If youre lucky,
you may catch sight of the chequered
skipper butterfly among the purple moor
grass, which provides its larvae with
food and shelter. Chequered skippers
are on the wing here between late
May and early July. Lochabers western
oakwoods are now the UK stronghold
for this species.
At the first junction on the left, take the route signed

woodland walk. This path takes you steeply up the hill, high
into the native oakwood. Youll soon see why Ariundle is
such a special place. The mild climate and moist conditions
inside the wood provide an ideal environment for a rich range
of lichens, mosses and liverworts. Look closely at branches,
boulders and gullies and youll be amazed at the sheer
variety of these primitive plants in every imaginable shade of
green. Many of these species are internationally important
owing to their rarity.
2
The small, fast-flying
chequered skipper
butterfly is now
restricted in the UK to
damp grassy habitats
in western Scotland.
The adults feed mostly
on nectar from flowers
such as bluebell and
bugle.
3
Mosses, lichens and
liverworts take in water
and minerals through
their leaves and stems.
4
Wood warblers visit the
UK in summer. One of
the best places to see
them is upland western
oakwoods where they
feed on insects and
spiders.
5
Lesser celandine and
primrose are among
the earliest spring
wildflowers.
38
3
Most of Ariundles trees are sessile oaks, so-called because
their acorns sit close to the fresh shoots. Below the trees
are the early flowers on Ariundles woodland floor, including
lesser celandine, wood sorrel, wood anemone and primrose.
The glorious unfolding of spring colours is matched by the
richness of the birdsong in the forest canopy. Summervisiting redstarts, wood warblers and tree pipits join the
resident tits, chaffinches, robins and wrens in a grand spring
chorus. As you continue along the path, youll pass through
an area of open ground past a ruined croft, abandoned in the
early 20th century.
4
Higher up the hill, a spur from the path leads you to a large
mound, thought to be the site of an Iron Age round house.
Continue down the hill to rejoin the main track, then walk a
short way along this track away from the car park until you
come to a branch on the right. Turn right onto the track that
leads down to the Strontian River.
www.snh.gov.uk
39
As you leave the woodlands, look out

for a stone dyke. This was built to
control grazing animals when these
woodlands were valued and protected
to supply charcoal to the Bonawe iron
furnace. You may have noticed the
multiple stems of trees where people
coppiced them to make charcoal for
smelting until the late 19th century.
Evidence of charcoal burning platforms
can still be found in Ariundle oakwood.
Continue across the river to enjoy
a walk through more open ground
following the river downstream.
Look carefully as you continue along

the riverside and you may catch sight of
a dipper bobbing on midstream rocks.
But mind your feet pine martens
often leave twisted black droppings
on the path! Stop a moment to take in
the views back up the glen before recrossing the river and making your way
back to the car park.
6
This stone dyke once
stopped grazing cattle
from entering the
woods, as the trees
were highly valued as a
source of charcoal for
the iron smelting
industry.
Ariundle is one of
over 50 national
nature reserves in
Scotland. Find out
more at www.nnrscotland.org.uk.
40
7
Scotland is the last
stronghold of the pine
marten in the UK. Pine
martens favour
well-wooded areas
where they can nest in
hollow trees and old
animal homes.
8
The Ariundle trail leads
you through the
oakwood and then out
onto more open
ground alongside the
Strontian River.
Essential information
To reach Ariundle, follow the signs for FCS Airigh Fhionndail
car park 3 km north of Strontian. You reach the reserve and
the loop trail via a track, which also forms part of the FCS
Strontian River Trail.
control means that the dog is able to respond to your

commands and is kept close at heel.
OS maps
Landranger 40 (Mallaig & Glenfinnan)
Explorer 391 (Ardgour & Strontian)
You can download a leaflet about the reserve at

www.nnr-scotland.org.uk/publications.asp?reserve=25.
You can contact SNH on 01397 704 716 or FCS on 01397
702 184.
Trail length
Nearby natural attractions
5 km (3 miles)
At Ardery, 13 km west of Strontian, the Sunart Oakwoods

Initiative have set up the Garbh Eilean wildlife hide
overlooking two islands in Loch Sunart. From here, you
can spy on seals, nesting seabirds and herons, with the
occasional chance of spotting an otter.
Visit RSPBs Glenborrodale reserve on the shore of Loch
Sunart, where wood warblers nest in the spring, along with
redstarts, spotted flycatchers and common woodland birds.
You may well see an otter along the shore, and seals are
common. During the summer, staff organise a guided walks
programme.
The Ardnamurchan Natural History Centre provides an
introduction to the natural environment of Ardnamurchan, the
most westerly part of the British mainland. The focal point is
an interactive exhibition housed in the living building, where
you can discover the secrets of the varied plants and animals
found in the area.
Terrain
The start and end of the walk are on a level, wide forestry
track. The paths are narrower and steep in places. They're
often wet, with loose stones, tree roots and sections of
narrow boardwalk.
Dogs
Please follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code and local
guidance at the reserve. Take extra care to avoid disturbing
birds, especially between 1 April and 30 June, when many
birds nest on the ground. Please keep your dog(s) under
close control or on a short lead in forests and grassland.
A short lead is taken to be two metres, and under close
Further information
www.snh.gov.uk
41
SNH Area News

North Highland
Correspondents: Ian Mitchell, Nathan McLaughlan, Tamara Lawton
For peats sake
Hide and seek
West coast surprises
In the last few months, a number of land

managers in Sutherland and Caithness
have been awarded funding to manage
protected areas sustainably for their
peatland habitats and species.
The funding came from the Scotland
Rural Development Programme
(SRDP), and in particular the Rural
Priorities element. This provides a wide
range of funding for projects across
Scotland, including the management of
nationally important nature sites.
Among the successful applicants
were a common grazings committee
in north Sutherland, who have been
awarded almost 94,000 to manage
West Borgie Site of Special Scientific
Interest. The management will protect
the peatland and bird interests on the
site, which is part of the internationally
important peatlands of Caithness and
Sutherland.
Their plans include low levels of
grazing on upland and peatland areas
and the removal of gorse and bracken
from the site. This will contribute to the
governments target of bringing 95%
of the features on Scotland's nationally
important nature sites into a condition
that is favourable.
A new wildlife-watching hide

overlooking Balblair Bay near Golspie
is now open at Loch Fleet NNR.
Balblair Wood is already a popular area
for walkers and wildlife enthusiasts,
and the new hide will allow more
people to enjoy the wildlife from a
sheltered dry environment.
The new hide demonstrates what
can be done using locally grown Scots
pine, sourced from Sutherland. It
was developed through a partnership
involving Highland Birchwoods,
SNH, Sutherland Estates, Scottish
Wildlife Trust and Forestry
Commission Scotland.
The hide lies on the north shore of
Loch Fleet, about 1km from the Balblair
Wood entrance on the Golspie to
Littleferry road. The best time to see
birds is on an incoming tide. Notable
sightings have already included otter
and brent goose, which is an unusual
species for this part of Scotland.
The hide was officially opened by
the primary 5/6 class from Golspie
Primary School, whose teacher, Miss
Macleod, has strong connections with
Loch Fleet. Her mother grew up in a
cottage a few hundred metres from the
new hide. So it was gratifying that she
could attend the opening and describe
growing up in what is now an NNR and
how the area has changed over the
past 60 years.
Dundonnell Biodiversity Weekend

was held in August last year to help
celebrate the International Year
of Biodiversity.
Dundonnell Estate lies by the
coast in a beautiful part of Wester
Ross and has a rich variety of habitats
and species. Activities included moth
trapping, electro-fishing, night-time bat
surveys and a lot of species recording
in different habitats. The results are
still being gathered into a report on the
areas wildlife, which will be available on
the SNH website later in the year.
Initial results, however, show a
number of interesting finds. A total of
58 macro-moth species were recorded,
with three of them nationally scarce
across the UK: the Scotch annulet,
plain clay and angle-striped sallow.
Plant surveys found manynew
records for the area, such as soft lady's
mantle and hart's tongue fern, only
previously recorded from five other sites
in the whole of Wester Ross. Another
highlight was finding wild cranberry,
only recorded once before in Wester
Ross in 1881! And there were also
sightings of at least 20 red squirrels,
following their recent re-introduction to
the estate.
The events got an eager response,
especially with the younger ones
returning enthusiastically early the next
day for more fun, after a late-night
bat survey.
42
SNH Area News

Grampian
Correspondent: Ewen Cameron
New route to nature
Centre of attraction
Wildlife records
Some time ago, we talked with Mental

Health Aberdeen about the therapeutic
value of the outdoors for those suffering
from mental illness. However, we were
aware that many charitable groups face
practical problems in getting started.
Other demands put this idea on
the back burner, but we now have a
practical way to move forward. A local
charity, called the Buchan Countryside
Group (BCG), have often helped us
turn an idea into reality.
On our behalf, BCG operate a
grant pictured being handed over
above that provides half the cost of
bus hire. This helps community and
voluntary groups get their clients to
places such as nature reserves, where
somebody can provide an introduction
to the outdoors. With the confidence
that comes from a taster like this,
many groups and individuals go on to
explore and enjoy the outdoors on their
own doorstep.
All of Scotlands people should be
able to enjoy our natural heritage. This
grant will help those who have never
really explored the outdoors, or who
face more barriers than the rest of us,
to make a start. Application details and
other useful information can be found at
www.outdoors4all.org.uk or
www.buchancountrysidegroup.org.uk
Weve now finished renovating and

extending our base at the Burn o Vat
on Muir of Dinnet NNR on Deeside.
The new combined reserve centre
and office brings us closer to our
visitors. We also share it with the local
Aberdeenshire Councils countryside
ranger, so both organisations save
some money and are able to help one
another more easily. The woodenclad extension has attracted positive
comments from visitors and has been
checked out recently by a woodpecker!
As we also share the building with
a colony of bats, we had to make sure
that the new building suited them too.
And with Dinnet growing steadily in
popularity, weve also extended our car
park a little to provide space for another
17 cars. Finally, we plan to update the
displays in the centre in the next couple
of years so that they give a better idea
of the management for nature we
carry out.
Nowadays, Dinnet rarely produces
the winter spectacle of 40,000 geese
flying in to roost on the lochs (they
overwinter in Orkney now), but there
are lots of other wonders to behold.
Wed be happy to show you, so why
not call in for a visit?
Many people assume that we know

about wildlife in every nook and cranny
of Scotland, but thats not so. We
know about sites of special scientific
interest (SSSIs), but thats only 13% of
Scotland and 6% of Aberdeenshire.
In Grampian, were lucky to have
NESBReC, the North East Scotland
Biological Records Centre. The
information they hold is certainly of
interest to wildlife watchers, but it
also allows planners and developers
to pick up natural heritage impacts
at the earliest stage, making it easier
to incorporate improvements and
avoid delays. NESBReC carry out
up to 1,500 searches a year for
Aberdeenshire planners for some
1,000 planning applications.
Lots of other people need to
know the whereabouts of wildlife,
and NESBReC have accumulated
over 680,000 records, which are
publicly available on their website.
This information is gathered from many
sources, and NESBReC run training
courses for ordinary people who want
to improve their wildlife identification
skills. Casual records such as the
dead pine marten shown above at the
side of an Aberdeenshire road are
valuable in understanding the spread of
wildlife. Check out their website
www.nesbrec.org.uk to see how you
could help. But if youre watching the
side of the road, please do so carefully!
www.snh.gov.uk
43
SNH Area News

Northern Isles
Correspondents: Kevin Riley, Jonathan Swale, Gail Churchill
Seal surveys
Some like it cold
Viking revival
For the past few years, staff in the

Lerwick office have been actively
involved in monitoring the grey seal
populations of Shetland. There are five
main sites across the islands and these
are visited several times throughout
October and November. During each
visit, staff count the number of pups,
moulted pups and adults, so that they
can work out population size and how
many pups the adults are producing.
Many of the sites are in remote
places and some can be accessed
only from the sea, so we work with
local fishermen and boat owners to find
breaks in the autumn weather. It gives
a welcome opportunity for office-based
staff to test their sea legs, as well as
offering a new perspective on familiar
places. The island of Mousa is one such
place. The seals on Mousa find their
way surprisingly far inland, with pups
hiding in burns, sheltering in the ruins
of old buildings and basking on the
grassy hillsides.
The surveys show that the Shetland
population remains stable at around
3,000, and has done so for about
30 years now. We believe that the
reason for this is the limited number of
suitable pupping sites available.
The winter of 2009/10 was the

coldest for many years in Shetland, but
for some of Shetlands rarest plants it
seems to have been a blessing.
Norwegian sandwort (above) and
Edmondstons chickweed are arcticalpine species that grow in a few
places on Unst, including the Keen of
Hamar NNR. Both are national rarities
(in fact, Edmondstons chickweed
grows nowhere else on Earth), so we
keep a close eye on their numbers.
The populations of both plants can
change dramatically from year to year,
but a steady decline seemed to set in
from the late 1990s.
A look at the data gathered on the
Keen of Hamar NNR between 1978
and 2006 suggested a link between
the changing populations and winter
temperatures. The theory is that seeds
lying dormant in the soil need a cold
snap to make them start germinating.
Warmer winters meant fewer
seedlings in the spring and their
numbers fell as the older plants died
until 2010. The populations counted
last year all showed an increase, which
seems to bear out the theory and
is a relief, at least in the short term.
Unfortunately, it calls into question the
long-term future for these little gems in
a world of changing climate.
Last October saw the completion of

the Viking Heaths Project in Orkney.
This was a five-year scheme, which
helped many farmers to manage and
conserve maritime grassland and
heaths across Orkney.
Farmers were encouraged to
adopt conservation grazing, whereby
flowering plants are allowed to set seed
before grazing animals get access to
the ground to reduce the annual plant
growth. Along with only limited grazing
in the winter and spring, this has led to
an increase in the quantity and variety
of plants.
Another part of the project has
created and installed several coastal
footpaths, such as the one on the east
coast of South Ronaldsay. These will
help people to gain better access to
these wonderful coastal areas. The
project also produced a variety of
information and advice on the special
qualities of Orkneys maritime grassland
and heaths. And some pioneering work
was carried out to test out various
ways of restoring heaths that have
been damaged.
The 1.26 million project was
funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund
with additional support from Orkney
Islands Council, SNH, RSPB, Scottish
Wildlife Trust and Orkney Enterprise.
44
SNH Area News

Forth and Borders
Correspondents: Neville Makan, Caroline Crawford, Sarah Eno
Plateau of beans
21st century woodlands
Algae inspired art
Children from Slamannan Primary

School in Falkirk staged an art
exhibition during the winter to
celebrate the return of a very special
flock of birds to their area.
The Slamannan plateau has
Scotlands only population of bean
geese and theyre one of only two
flocks to visit the UK in winter. The
primary school has been working with
the local Bean Goose Action Group
to help the children understand more
about these rare birds.
Following a visit to see the
geese, the children worked with
environmental artist Andrew
Mackenzie to create a range of art
works. They launched the exhibition at
the school, and over 100 people from
the local community attended.
The children produced some
fantastic pieces of work and learned
all about the migration of the bean
geese and their likely breeding
grounds in other countries. Everyone
had a wonderful time, commented
Julie Bell, a teacher at the school, and
we hope that weve gone some way to
increase interest.
The children really did show they
care about the geese and, realising
that theyre the only flock in Scotland,
began to feel a sense of responsibility
for them. And were all looking forward
to building on this interest through
other projects being planned for
the future.
Were supporting a novel programme

of events and courses linked closely to
the idea of getting people interested
in looking after woodlands for the
21st century. The Falkland Centre for
Stewardship in Fife has developed
the programme.
Using local woodlands in and
around Falkland, the programme offers
a range of opportunities for people of
all ages to learn something new. The
events and courses cover a range of
topics including biodiversity, wildlife
surveying, managing woodland,
woodland crafts and woodland-based
community businesses.
The programme encourages
volunteers to get actively involved
in different aspects of looking after
woodlands. In addition, pupils from Bell
Baxter High School (pictured above)
in nearby Cupar have taken part in a
week-long course on woodland and
forestry. Theyve been able to make
use of a new woodland education base
recently built from local timber.
There are also opportunities for the
public to explore the woodlands on
Falkland Estate, using the network of
paths and interpretation. The estate
covers some 1,900 hectares, just under
one-fifth of which is wooded, with the
rest divided between arable farmland
on the low ground and rough grazing
on the hills.
Whitlaw Mosses NNR is made up of

four mosses in the heart of the Borders.
Theyre the best examples in Scotland
of a moss habitat known as base-rich
fen. These mosses are particularly
widespread in the Borders and consist
mainly of peat-filled basins developed
from former open waters. They still
retain pools and capsules of water
under the peat and floating vegetation.
They also have a great variety of
plants and insects, and are places to
experience the beauty of damselflies,
bogbean, marsh marigolds, rich
coloured bog mosses and the elusive
water rail.
A Borders artist, Liz Douglas, has
been working on diatoms (a form of
algae) collected from the reserve.
Using their beautiful body structures as
inspiration, she has composed a series
of banners, including the one pictured
above. These are being used in local
exhibitions and were also selected for
display in the Scottish Society of Artists
2011 event.
Besides her own art work, Liz also
worked with local schoolchildren and
staff on art and science themes. This
project had the spin-off benefit of
discovering one diatom on the reserve
thats very rarely been identified on any
of our wetland sites.
www.snh.gov.uk
45
Events diary 2011

April
Friday 1
Mire
Harestanes Visitor
Centre
Ancrum
Jedburgh
The extraordinary world of single-celled diatoms

or algae is the inspiration for Liz Douglas
exploration of biological science and art. The
exhibition results from field work carried out at
Whitlaw Mosses NNR near Selkirk. Free entry.
Tel: 01835 830 306
Thursday 7
Flooders Nature Trail

Caerlaverock NNR
Dumfries & Galloway
Fancy trying your hand at being a nature

detective? Then come along to Scotlands largest
wetland NNR from 10.30am to 2pm and explore
the Flooders Nature Trail. Youll need a keen pair
of eyes to find all the clues on this
2.5 km circular trail!
Tel: 01387 770 275
Thursday 7
Bird Box Building

Caerlaverock NNR
Dumfries & Galloway
With spring in the air, garden birds will be turning

their attention to nesting, so come along from
11am to 2pm and make a free nest box to take
home! We have a camera installed in the nest box
at the reserve office and linked to the visitor room,
so we hope to have close-up views of birds in the
process of nesting.
Tel: 01387 770 275
Sunday 10 Scottish Plants and

Animals
Corrie Fee NNR
Angus
As part of Tartan Day Angus 2011, join the ranger

from 2pm to 4pm on a guided walk in Glen Doll
to celebrate the springtime plants and animals
of Scotland. Meet at the Glen Doll ranger base.
Booking essential.
Tel: 01575 550 233
Sunday 10 Spring has Sprung

St Cyrus NNR
Aberdeenshire
A walk around this beautiful reserve to look at

emerging wild flowers, bugs and birds.
Tel: 01674 830 736
Sunday 10 Spring Beach Clean

Forvie NNR
Aberdeenshire
Join in from 10am to 3pm as reserve staff and

volunteers comb the beach and clean up for
the arriving migratory birds. Gloves, bags, litter
picking tools and refreshments provided.
Tel: 01358 751 330

Forvie@snh.gov.uk
Well wait patiently at dusk for badgers to emerge

from their setts, before the midge season gets
under way! Meet in Tayvallich village hall car park
at 6pm (ends 9pm). Booking essential.
Tel: 01546 603 611
Experience the magic of storytelling from 10am

to 4pm, bringing the landscape to life with tales
of fairy folk and mythological creatures, and
exploring one of southwest Scotlands wildest
places. Suitable for children of all ages! Booking
preferred but not essential.
Tel: 01557 814 435
Join staff from Dumfries & Galloway

Environmental Resources Centre and SNH
from 10am to 1pm for a walk around the reserve
looking for some of our most shy and elusive
animals. Booking essential.
Tel: 01387 249 207
Friday 15
Badger Watch
Taynish NNR
Argyll
Saturday 16 Selkies, Kelpies and

Watery Tales
Cairnsmore of Fleet
NNR
Dumfries & Galloway
Wednesday 20 Reptile Ramble

Kirkconnell Flow NNR
Dumfries & Galloway
46
Peek in the Pond

Beinn Eighe NNR
Wester Ross
Ever wondered what lurks beneath the water?

How many different beasties can we find? Come
along from 2pm to 4pm and find out! Wellies and
midge repellent required! All children must be
accompanied by an adult. Booking essential.
Tel: 01854 613 904
Sunday 24 Nature Detectives

Loch Leven NNR
Tayside
As spring rolls in, join SNH at Findatie from 10am

to 12 noon for an exploration of the budding
nature in our local woodlands. Prepare for a
wealth of sights and sounds to feed your senses.
Booking essential.
Tel: 01577 864 439
Thursday 21
Wednesday 27 Area Evening

Reception
Lanark
May
Saturday 14 Drystone Dyking

Sunday 15 Weekend
Taynish NNR
Argyll
Join Gordon and Doug for one day or

two who will teach you the traditional craft of
drystone dyking. Meet in Tayvallich village hall car
park at 10am on both days (ends 4pm).
Booking essential.
Tel: 01546 603 611
Wednesday 18 Area Evening

Reception
Invergordon
All welcome (please check SNH website or local

Area office to confirm venue and timing).
Wednesday 18 Burleigh Botany

Loch Leven NNR
Tayside
Gather at Burleigh for a guided walk from 6pm to

8pm in search of plants of interest as they appear
during spring and summer. Booking essential.
Tel: 01577 864 439
A day cleaning the nature reserves beaches

and discussing the effects that rubbish has on
marine life.
Tel: 01674 830 736
Gather at Findatie for a guided walk from 6pm to

8pm in search of plants of interest as they appear
during spring and summer. Booking essential.
Tel: 01577 864 439
2011 is International Year of Forests, so come

along from 2pm to 4pm and discover the variety
of trees that grow within Glen Doll Forest. Learn
how to identify them and what theyre used for.
Meet at the Glen Doll ranger base. Booking
essential.
Tel: 01575 550 233
Sunday 22 Clean Her Up

St Cyrus NNR
Aberdeenshire
Wednesday 25 Findatie Botany

Loch Leven NNR
Tayside
Sunday 29 Whats That Tree?

Corrie Fee NNR
Angus
www.snh.gov.uk

47
Events diary 2011

June
48
Thursday 9
Area Evening
Reception
Galashiels

Saturday 11 Marvellous Moths

Moine Mhr NNR
Argyll
Come along and be inspired by the beautiful

contents of our live moth traps. Meet at the
reserve car park, near the west end of Long Walk
at 9am (ends 11am). If youd like to set your own
moth trap, please come along at 9pm on
Friday 10th. Open event no need to book.
Tel: 01546 603 611
Wednesday 15 Wildflowers Myth

and Medicine
Caerlaverock NNR
Dumfries & Galloway
Come along and learn about the wildflowers that

grow on the merse and in the woodlands. Find
out about some of the fascinating mythology that
surrounds these plants and discover how some
were used to cure everything from headaches to
witches curses!
Tel: 01387 770 275
Sunday 26 Raptor Watch

Corrie Fee NNR
Angus
Join the ranger from 11am to 3pm in his search

for golden eagle and other birds of prey that
live in upper Glen Clova. Meet at the Glen Doll
ranger base. A telescope will be available for use
but bring binoculars if you have them. Booking
essential.
Tel: 01575 550 233
Sunday 26 Marvellous Moths

St Cyrus NNR
Aberdeenshire
Discover the magic and beauty of moths.
Tel: 01674 830 736
Print out
New guidance promoting good environmental practice in wind
farm construction has won a Scottish Green Energy Award. The
publication is intended to share good practice across the industry
and to demonstrate what can be achieved on windfarm sites in
Scotland.
The guidance draws on the experience gained to date through
building and operating more than 60 windfarms already operating
in Scotland. It focuses on preventing pollution and conserving
nature, as well as landscape, drainage and related issues.
The guidance takes what all the partners have learned in
recent years about building windfarms and shares it with all those
involved in the industry, remarked Brendan Turvey, SNH policy and
advice manager for renewables. I believe it will be a real boost to
the responsible development of the renewable energy sector in
Scotland.
The final titles in the long-running series A Landscape Fashioned

by Geology are now available. Orkney and Shetland, Argyll and the
Islands and Moray and Caithness are being published to complete
the 20-title series.
These publications include descriptions of the long disappeared
Lake Orcadie and its long extinct population of 400 million-yearold fishes that are now preserved in fossil layers. Also featured are
the tropical swamps that once covered parts of Argyll and the gold
rush fervour that once swept Kildonan in Caithness.
The books tell the story of the geology of these areas of
Scotland in a rich mix of words, photographs and other illustrations.
They're all priced at 7.95 and can be purchased in the various
ways detailed below.
You can order copies of SNH publications via the SNH website. You can also buy our publications in person from the shop in the
reception area of our SNH Battleby office or tel: 01738 444 177. The vast bulk of SNH publications are free, but the Naturally Scottish
and Landscape Fashioned by Geology series do carry a cover price. Hard copies of our research and report series, as well as the annual
calendar, are also priced items.
www.snh.gov.uk
49
50
Scotlands
finest
There are 40 National Scenic Areas
(NSAs) in Scotland, representing the
finest landscapes in the country. These
iconic places are important for both
their natural and their cultural heritage
and cover 13% of the land area.
NSAs range from Shetland to the
Solway Firth. They include spectacular
mountain areas such as the Skye
Cuillins, Ben Nevis and Glen Coe, as
well as the unique island landscapes of
the Hebrides and Northern Isles. They
also embrace some of the more gentle
landscapes of Perthshire, the Borders
and Dumfries & Galloway.
Recently, SNH have surveyed all
the NSAs and produced an up-to-date
list of the landscape qualities that make
each one special. The work was carried
out along with Historic Scotland and
the Royal Commission on the Ancient
and Historical Monuments of Scotland,
with the report of over 300 pages being
published last year.
This extensive publication provides
detailed maps of the NSAs and gives
individual descriptions. You can find it
online at www.snh.gov.uk/protectingscotlands-nature/protected-areas/
national-designations/nsa/specialqualities
Listing the qualities is only the first
stage in safeguarding the landscapes
of these areas. SNH are now
developing short NSA Statements
identifying whats required to make
sure the special qualities of each NSA
are maintained or improved. SNH
hope that identifying these qualities
will help safeguard the NSAs for future
generations to enjoy.
The northern part of

the island of Arran in
the Firth of Clyde is
scenically outstanding.
The rugged peaks rise
to nearly 900 metres
and are separated by
deep glens.
www.snh.gov.uk
51
If you live in the Borders

and dont mind getting
up early in the morning,
then heres an inspiring
project that would really
welcome your help
Black watch
The sight and sound of black grouse in the hills is an experience
youre unlikely ever to forget. Indeed, the black grouse lek where
males display in order to attract a mate is regarded as one of the
great showpieces of birdwatching theatre.
However, the black grouse is also one of the fastest declining birds in the UK. It
was once widespread across the country, but theres been a serious decline in
numbers over recent decades and populations have become fragmented. The
species is now mostly confined to parts of the Scottish uplands, with only a few
surviving strongholds in areas of Wales and the north of England.
Since 2004, the Southern Uplands Partnership have been working to increase
black grouse numbers in the central Scottish Borders. Recently, SNH, RSPB and
the Scottish Borders LEADER programme came up with the funding to employ a
project officer. Chris Land works with other organisations and land managers to
raise awareness of the problems that black grouse face and to improve conditions
for them.
52
1
The key period for the
black grouse lek is
April and May. The
males gather at dawn
to compete for females
by inflating their necks,
raising their tails and
making a bubbling
sound.
2
Black grouse are
generally found on
moorland edges,
where the moor meets
grassy fields used for
rough grazing and
areas of scrubby
willow, birch and
conifer woodland.
.....weve got to try

and hold on to what
we've got.
An early morning walk in the

Borders hills in spring can still be
enriched with the sight and sound of
lekking black grouse, explained Chris,
so were hoping that there will be
some early-rising folk in the area who
would like to help us out with recording
where the birds are this spring.
Unfortunately, the birds have
disappeared completely from several
areas in the Borders and have declined
in others. For instance, the area south
of Hawick once had hundreds of birds,
but its now down to just 11.
The decline in numbers is mainly
due to changes in the way the land
is managed. There are more forestry
plantations in the hills and these have
split up the areas where black grouse
can live. There are also fewer grouse
moors, resulting in less heather to
provide cover for the birds.
Its not all doom and gloom though.
The efforts of individual landowners
and funding from the Scotland Rural
Development Programme have resulted
in black grouse numbers increasing at
some sites. The aim of Chriss project
is to build on this success and improve
conditions so that the population
continues to grow and the birds range
expands. Funding has also come in
from windfarm developments and this
has allowed the project to carry out
works to improve the habitat for black
grouse and other key upland species.
For example, some fences have
been marked so that black grouse are
less likely to fly into them, and areas
of old heather have been swiped to

break them up. This creates structure
in the heather, with different stages
providing food and shelter for the
birds. The project also works closely
with the Borders Forest Trust to
create appropriate new broadleaved
woodland, which is attractive to the
birds.
Volunteers and a contract
fieldworker carried out a survey in
spring last year and it provided valuable
information on where the lek sites are
and how many birds use them. This led
to a better understanding of how well
the species is doing in the Borders.
The survey identified three core
areas Morpeth Hills, the Yarrow and
Ettrick valleys and Tweedsmuir where
the long-term downward trend appears
to have been reversed. Its hoped that
the success of the birds in these areas
can be repeated across the Borders
and their populations gradually linked
up.
Were not going to be able to turn
the clock back 50 or 60 years in terms
of black grouse populations across the
Borders, commented Chris, but weve
got to try and hold on to what weve
got.
We think there are about 230
cock birds across the region and were
going to resurvey all the Borders sites
this spring. So if anyone would like to
volunteer to give us a hand, then please
get in touch.
You can contact Chris on 01750
725 157 or email chris@sup.org.uk
2
www.snh.gov.uk
53
The end is in sight for a four-year project that has

inspired communities across Dumfries & Galloway
to lead on local landscape schemes
54
Well
connected
The acclaimed Sulwath Connections Project
draws to a close this year, leaving behind a fine
legacy of imaginative projects and volunteering
experiences, as well as an impressive example of
partnership working.
Sulwath Connections is a landscape partnership project
covering the coastlands and river valleys of the Scottish
Solway between Langholm and Stranraer. In 2007 it was
awarded grants totalling 3.9 million from Heritage Lottery
Fund, SNH, Dumfries & Galloway Council (through its
Quality of Life Fund), the National Trust for Scotland and
RSPB.
Led by Dumfries & Galloway Council, the project has
been a hugely successful group effort that has inspired
communities and achieved many significant results that will
benefit the region for years to come.
Among the 23 projects progressed under the Sulwath
Connections umbrella have been:
the popular Annandale Way, a new long-distance walk
from the Solway coast along the River Annan to the Devils
Beef Tub in the Southern Uplands;
the development of a former farmhouse into a centre for
fieldwork teachers and home for residential volunteers at
the Mersehead Nature Reserve near Castle Douglas;
fishing platforms for wheelchair users on the River Nith;
the Robert the Bruces Trail, which encourages people to
explore right across the region;
In my View, a year-long digital photography competition
that has prompted over 600 people to get out into the
countryside with their cameras.
1
The Annandale Way
is the new 88 km
long-distance walking
route following the
River Annan from
source to sea.
www.snh.gov.uk
Our team has worked with communities, conservation

groups and businesses across Dumfries & Galloway,
explained Ed Forrest, the project manager. Certainly, a
big part of delivering on most of the projects was involving
communities from the outset.
This community approach was a powerful way to
encourage a deeper sense of ownership of the projects
and to develop natural and cultural heritage skills among
members of the community.
55
Successful projects
Whats in a name?
The outputs for the project are impressive and include:
The name Sulwath is the

ancient name for the Solway
over 1.85 million of work for local contractors and businesses;
Estuary. Its thought to date
nine full-time and three part-time staff employed for three years;
back to a settlement to
over 4,000 volunteer days worth over 300,000;
over 900 pupils engaged in over 400 school activities.
the east of Annan and was
therefore a name specific
Some of the most successful projects have been the local community-led
to the Scottish side of the
biodiversity initiatives. Thirteen communities have been involved in developing
Solway Firth. Sol is a term that
local green spaces. Large numbers of primary school children and adults from
was common to Anglo-Saxon
as far apart as Whithorn in the west to Langholm in the east have actively taken
and to the Norse languages,
part in planting and arts-based projects for their schools or local green spaces.
Through these projects, theyve learned about their immediate natural environment meaning mud. The Angloand how to support local plants and animals, as well as creating spaces for the
Saxon word woeth which
whole community to use and enjoy.
is also a frequent suffix in
For instance, the Whithorn Evergreens, together with local primary school
children, parents, local businesses and members of the community, have worked Icelandic local names is a
word for ford. So Sulwath
to transform Castle Hill Park into a vibrant and beautiful place thats busy with
translates as muddy ford.
wildlife. This public space is now enjoyed by both the community and visitors
alike.
Meanwhile, Creetown residents and the local school got together to realise an
ambitious project in Balloch Wood. They have created a new granite stone circle
called Creehenge, which is one of a series of Sulwath Connections-funded
projects led by the Balloch Wood Community Project. It aims to increase access
to this beautiful, unspoilt and ancient woodland on the edge of the town. The
stone circle is inscribed with haiku poems written by pupils of Creetown Primary
School. These now offer walkers a special insight into the plants and animals of
the area.
2
56
2
Johnstone Primary
School from
Kirkcudbright won
the environmental
challenge competition
for their design of a
wildlife garden. They
then helped create it
at the Allanton Peace
Centre in Nithsdale.

3
A local community
group are creating a
bog garden at Castle
Hill Park in Whithorn.
The enthusiasm,
dedication and hard
work of community
partners, volunteers
and local residents
have been really
motivating.
Over at Colvend, the biodiversity initiative involved planting a new community

orchard at the primary school. Pupils and teachers worked with the councils
national scenic area officer, a local poet and countryside volunteers to plant trees
and hedging, make paths and write poems for a specially commissioned readers
chair. This work has resulted in an outdoor classroom for pupils and a place of
quiet for the community.
We ended up working with 28 partner organisations across the region, Ed
Forrest remarked. Everyone has shown a passion for enhancing and celebrating
the landscape, wildlife and environment that help to make Dumfries and Galloway
such a special place, and also to encourage visitors to the area.
The enthusiasm, dedication and hard work of community partners, volunteers
and local residents have been really motivating. It confirms that Dumfries and
Galloway's coasts, landscapes and wildlife have a huge role in supporting both
the quality of life of the people who live here and many aspects of the local
economy.
You can find out more about the various Sulwath Connections projects at
www.sulwathconnections.org
www.snh.gov.uk
57
Kids only!
Make a day of it ... get the whole family to come along, plan a
bike ride or go for a walk. Make a picnic to take with you, stop off at a burn
and have a paddle, or explore the woods. Take a camera and photograph your
day what you see and who you are with. Print out the pictures when you
get home and make a collage of your day. The possibilities are endless...
itll be fun, and good for you all, so get out and enjoy the longer, warmer days.
Spring is natures way of

saying, lets party!
ROBIN WILLIAMS
58
Tawny owl kite

Theres something wonderful about flying a kite. Its so exciting after
running with your kite to finally see it fly up into the sky. Follow
the instructions to make your own kite.
You will need: kite instructions and template printed from our website, tyvek
material (available to buy on the internet), carbon paper, markers or paint,
scissors, cane or thin stick, ribbon, long length of string and super glue.
Go to http://www.snh.gov.uk/enjoying-the-outdoors/simple-pleasures/simple-activities/
to download the instructions and a template for the kite.
TAWNY OWL FACTS...

1. Tawny owls are nocturnal, so you wont see them during the day.
2. You can hear the male and female owls calling to each other the females Toowit and the males reply Toowoo.
3. The males and females tend to stay together for life.
4. Its left ear is higher than its right ear and points

downwards so it can hear noises from both
below and above at the same time.
5. The male is 3/4 the weight of the
female.
Moving gravel around in a river can have

unexpected and costly results
Gravel let it be
Our knowledge of how rivers work is a lot better now than it used
to be. As a result, we have a much clearer understanding of how
effective some flood defence operations are likely to be in the long
term.
A good example is where land managers remove gravel to deepen and widen a
river channel to get the water away from their land more quickly and reduce the
chance of flooding. They may put the gravel theyve removed at the sides of the
river to create higher banks or use it on tracks and paths across their ground.
However, this type of flood defence frequently needs ongoing and often costly
maintenance for it to be successful. The gravel thats removed may quickly be
replaced by material from farther upstream, particularly if theres a period of heavy
rainfall.
And even more frustrating is that the work carried out may actually have
significantly less effect on whether or not land is flooded than was expected.
Its not uncommon for the removal of even large quantities of gravel to have little
effect on the likelihood of land flooding. This is because the amount of water
coming down the river in flood is simply too great to be affected much by the
localised removal of gravel.
60
1
Gravel movement
creates a varied river
bed with deep pools,
shallows and exposed
areas of gravel. These
provide habitats for
fish and other species
under drought, normal
and flood conditions.
2
Female salmon, prior
to spawning, in the
River Dee.
... battling against

nature instead
of trying to work
with it will become
increasingly futile.
The other thing to bear in mind, explained Angus Tree, a freshwater adviser
with SNH, is that when change happens in one area, its likely to have knock-on
effects for some distance both downstream and upstream.
Unforeseen and unwanted side effects often occur some distance from the
area where the river engineering is taking place. That may be costly for both
neighbouring landowners and the natural heritage.
Scotlands gravel bed rivers are certainly a significant feature in the
landscape. Many are virtually household names and some are known the world
over, particularly for the quality of their salmon fishing.
They range in size and energy, depending on where they are and the local
climate and underlying geology. Short, steep rivers, such as the Kerry and Nevis,
flow to the west coast. Larger, more varied ones, such as the Dee and Tay, flow to
the east.
No matter what size they are, each of these rivers supports wildlife thats
specially adapted to an ever-changing environment. The Atlantic salmon, for
instance, depends on clean gravel with plenty of oxygen for its eggs to incubate.
And the complex lifecycle of the freshwater pearl mussel requires not only a
healthy salmon or trout population, but also clean gravel with lots of oxygen in
which to develop and live.
There have been some big impacts on Scotlands gravel bed rivers
through people altering them to try to provide flood defences, added Angus.
Land managers have widened and deepened rivers by removing gravel to
accommodate higher flows, theyve straightened them to increase the speed with
which they carry water, and theyve built up banks to protect roads and buildings
on floodplains.
But if you remove gravel, for whatever purpose, it changes the shape of a
rivers channel, and you may end up with unexpected and sometimes alarming
results. And climate change predictions of more frequent and larger floods
suggest that battling against nature instead of trying to work with it will become
increasingly futile.
If youd like to find out more about river management, then SNH and
the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) now have a number of
publications on the subject. These are available through their websites and
include SEPAs Good Practice Guide Sediment Management and Floods,
Dredging and River Changes, as well as SNHs Gravel Working in the River Tay
System A Code of Good Practice.
2
www.snh.gov.uk
61
A trip in the hills

Head for the high tops in summer and you
may come across one of our most unusual
birds, as Andy Douse of SNHs species
group explains
Scotlands mountain tops often

appear barren, almost lifeless,
with a great expanse of bare
ground speckled with patches
of moss and wind-clipped grass.
Few animals are ever seen
apart from the occasional eagle
soaring on high, the odd raven
and a few hardy meadow pipits.
behind to breed. In fact, its only on

Scotlands high tops that the dotterel
can be seen in Britain in summer. Most
live on the gravelly plateaux of the
Cairngorms National Park or nearby
high tops to the west and northwest.
Females stay around only as long
as it takes to complete a clutch before
they move on to mate again, sometimes
up to five times with different partners.
Some of these birds may fly farther
But there are a number of really special north into Norway, others may remain in
birds that are at home in this spartan
Scotland to find unpaired males.
environment. Ptarmigan, snow bunting
Unusually, the female is brighter
and dotterel are the best known
than the male, which reinforces the role
species, and a welcome sight for hill
reversal that the birds display in raising
walkers who may see little else during a their young. Much of the brooding
day in the hills.
and chick rearing is undertaken by the
Dotterel are among the most
males, and its in June when birds are
remarkable of all these species, with
seen with small chicks, and most of the
a breeding strategy quite unlike most
adults are males.
birds. The adults spend the winter in
While the dotterel males incubate
Africa probably Morocco from the few the brood, they can leave the eggs
recoveries of ringed birds but then in unattended for periods of between two
spring head north again.
and ten hours, in temperatures as low
Its during this return migration that
as 0C, while they seek food. In 2000,
birds can be seen along the hills of
Scottish researchers discovered that,
Britain at traditional stopping places.
contrary to previous belief, the eggs still
These parties curiously known as
hatch if their temperature has dropped
trips are only on passage, but in
to these levels during incubation,
Scotland some of these birds may stay although they take longer to do so.
62
The dotterel nests in a

bare ground scrape
and lays two to four
eggs. The male is
generally responsible
for incubation and
looks after the chicks.
Despite being one of our most

handsome birds, the name is
uncomplimentary. In English, a dotterel
is a rather slow-witted, dull person.
Indeed, its Latin name morinellus
means slow and rather stupid. Its
thought that the name comes from the
birds trusting nature, which allowed it
to be easily caught.
In 1999 it was estimated that there
were 630 breeding males present in
Scotland, but that figure may be lower
now as dotterel are thought to be
in decline. It's not clear though how
extensive this drop in numbers has
been or why its happening. So SNH
are working with RSPB to plan a new
survey along with some much needed
research, building on work undertaken
by SNH many years ago.
The mountain zone is likely to be
one of the most sensitive environments
when it comes to climate change, so
the decline may be an early indication
of change as summers warm. Whatever
the cause, the decline of this most
unusual of birds is something to be
concerned about. The loss of its sad
call and its splendid plumage from our
mountain summits would be something
to truly regret.
www.snh.gov.uk
63
Join our mailing list
Spring 2011
Lend a hand
Its the year of
the volunteer
Plant
connections
Using plants to
bridge cultures
Waste product
Fatal attraction
for wildlife
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64
www.snh.gov.uk
Spring 2011
Lend a hand
Its the year of
the volunteer
Plant
connections
Using plants to
bridge cultures
Fatal attraction
The lure of litter
for wildlife

Scottish National Heritage - The Nature of Scotland Spring 2011 Issue - 11

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Scottish National Heritage - The Nature of Scotland Spring 2011 Issue - 11

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Scottish Natural Heritage

The Nature of Scotland

Helping the detectives

26 The wild side of tourism

34 What a load of rubbish

62 A trip in the hills

You can contact SNH by

Argyll and Stirling

Editor: John Walters

A full list of our offices

Great Glen House,

Other main offices

Dumfries and Galloway

The Nature of Scotland

The Nature of Scotland

A head for seabird heights

Mini-beasts to the max

Down in the pinewoods, something stirs. Small creatures by

Some people reckoned they were the work of giants.

The Nature of Scotland

Some other things to look for in spring:

Helping the detectives

104,317. No, those arent the

Like other crime, its committed by a

access presents a great opportunity for

The Nature of Scotland

Report any suspicious activity as soon as possible to your local police

Dont disturb the scene by moving items or walking about unnecessarily.

Never approach suspects or intervene if you suspect someone is committing

The Nature of Scotland

2011 is the European Year

European Year of Volunteering is

Community path volunteers across Scotland are working

The Nature of Scotland

Wood made good

The Nature of Scotland

Spring into action

Bike and hike

It's been challenging

Lus is ein Brde

Project tackles harrier decline

The Nature of Scotland

Islands red deer rutting earlier

Creating a northern safe haven

The Nature of Scotland

New seal laws welcomed

New start at Craigie

The Nature of Scotland

Little deer, big menace

Thanks for another great

The Nature of Scotland

I grabbed this photo

I took this picture

The photo was taken

Give us your best!

If youd like to send in your images and

Nature-based tourism is already worth at least

The wild side

Tourist boats moored

The Nature of Scotland

extensive programme of events, festivals, activities and marketing to showcase

The Nature of Scotland