scottish national heritage - the nature of scotland autumnwinter2013issue_18

7/25/2019 Scottish National Heritage - The Nature of Scotland AutumnWinter2013Issue_18

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Creag MeagaidhRevival Reserve

BumblebeesChallenging times

Ocean odysseyAtlantic salmon research

The Nature of ScotlandScottish Natural Heritage Autumn / Winter 2013


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www.snh.gov.uk

Contents

4 30

26

Features10 Year of Natural Highlights from a

12 The John Muir W Marking John Mu

15 Choosing our tr Scotland prepar

national tree

16 Climate change How we can hel

18 Adder Man Norman Morriso

26 Wild Scotland The Royal Zoolo

Scotland links w

28 Tackling wildlife The role of the W

Education Office

30 The art of the m Derek Robertson

residence at Ten

49 Scottish osprey Lending a hand

reintroduction

50 History and nat Plants and anima

Scotland sites

54 Lost at Sea ? Understanding t

salmons ocean

60 Bumblebees in Working to rever

decline

Regulars2 Where we are SNH contact details

3 Welcome

4 Wild calendar Where to go and what to see

this autumn and winter

20 Dualchas coitcheann/Common heritage

Linking language and environment

22 News

36 Reserve focus Discover Creag Meagaidh NNR

42 Area news Reports from around the country

64 Mailing list Change your details or subscribe

to our e-newsletter

18

10 50

54

Scotlands nature blog

We have a variety of blogs for you to follow. Our Scotlands nacovers a wide range of subjects, and recent posts have featurethe Cairngorms National Park, the role of commercial dog walkephotography and the last great auks. You can find a link to this bthe homepage of our website.


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Welcome

Susan DaviesDirector of Policy & AdviceScottish Natural Heritage

Weve passed the mid point of 2013 Year of Natural Scotland. opportunities to get involved, have been taking place across thea round-up of some of these events in this magazine. The debathink your wildlife Big 5 should be also continues. Top of my lismagnificent gannet Morus bassanaswhich can be seen flying aaround our coasts, and especially when they migrate south betwOctober. Scotland holds internationally important numbers of bbut many are in decline. This is particularly so for those feedingshoaling fish such as sandeels. These fish are susceptible to thsea as a result of climate change.

Professor Dave Goulson, in his article, tells us about a grouthat are also affected by climate change. Bumblebees have sophysiological features that give them an in-built resilience to thepatterns occurring more frequently now as a result of climate ca vital component of our natural word essential for pollinationpressures are affecting them. Dave gives us some advice on wattract bumblebees to our gardens. So, if you have a few minutenot get involved and do your bit t o give our bumblebees a helpi

Getting involved is just what Andy Turner is doing in his roleConstable for Wildlife Crime in Grampian. Sadly wildlife crime sthroughout Scotland but through education and action awareneand those who commit these crimes will be brought to justice.

about his role in combatting wildlife crime.There are a number of other ways in which you can get invothe Year of Natural Scotland, from naming our national tree to gon how Scotlands seas should be managed in the future. Youon proposals for a suite of Marine Protected Areas in the seas aDetails of these and other opportunities are set out in the pagehope you will give us your views about what matters to you andout and enjoy the nature on your doorstep over the coming mon

edits

ature of Scotlandagazine of Scottish Natural HeritageNumber 18 Autumn / Winter 2013

hed twice per yearH 20131350 309X

: Jim Jeffrey738 458528

photo: Tree sparrowgrapher: Lorne Gill/SNH

cover photo: Winter treescover photographer: Lorne Gill/SNH

me page photographer: Lorne Gill/SNH

graphy all images by Lorne Gill/SNH other than Fergus020Vision p6 top; Terry Whittaker/2020Vision 6 image 1 in strip, 7

2 in strip; Lorne Gill/20 20Vision 6 image 2 in strip; Laurie Campbellge 3 in strip, 7 images 3 and 4 in strip, 28, 53, 54 , 58; Marklin/2020Visi on 8, 36, 40; Becky Duncan/SNH 12 and 13, 23 left;

Arndt/naturep1.com 17; FLPA/Alamy 24 left; Paul Naylor 24 right;Cairns 26; David Whitaker 38 left, 60, 62; Mark H amblin 39; RSPBnd 42r: Celine Marchbank 43l; Guy Harewood/Stirling Council 43c;Bartholomew 44l; Steven Duffield 44r; Dave Genney 44c; Peadarnell 45c; National Museum of Scotland/Michael Coates 45r; Lauriebell 46l; Anne Elliot 46c; Vicky Stonebridge 46r; Claire Glaister 47l;d Fraser 47c; June Topping 48l; John Macpherson 48c; Graemer 48r; David Tipling 49; Richard Shucksmith 50; Chrisrsall/2020Vision 52; Rob Jordan/2020Vision 56; Deirdre Brennan,

etown Productions 57; Cath Milne 59; Dave Goulson 63.

ations on page 30 to 35 courtesy of Derek Robertson.

are your views about The Nature of Scotlandor suggest articles forissues please contact the editor:

Magazineby, Redgorton,PH1 3EW

[email protected]

ews expressed in this magazine do notsarily reflect those of SNH.

d by: J Thomson Colour Printers, Glasgow2k1013

youve finished with this magazine, please recycle it. Pass it toer reader or dispose of it at your local waste-collection point.

Where we are

You can contact SNH byletter, telephone or email.The following detailsshould enable you to findyour nearest main office,but bear in mind that wealso have a number ofoffices smaller than thoselisted.

A full list of our officesappears on the SNHwebsite: www.snh.gov.uk

Corporateheadquarters

Great Glen House,Leachkin Road,Inverness IV3 8NWTel. 01463 725 000Email: [email protected]

Other offices

Battleby, Redgorton,Perth PH1 3EWTel. 01738 444 177

Silvan House,3rd Floor East,231 Corstorphine Road,Edinburgh EH12 7ATTel. 0131 316 2600

Caspian House,Mariner Court,Clydebank Business Park,Clydebank G81 2NRTel. 0141 951 4488

Area offices

Argyll & Outer Hebrides32 Francis Street,Stornoway,Isle of Lewis HS1 2NDTel. 01851 705 258

ForthSilvan House,3rd Floor East,231 Corstorphine Road,Edinburgh EH12 7ATTel. 0131 316 2600

ForthThe Beta Centre,Innovation Park,University of Stirling,Stirling FK9 4NFTel. 01786 450 362

Northern Isles& North HighlandThe Links,Golspie Business Park,Golspie,Sutherland KW10 6UBTel. 01408 634 063

Northern Isles& North Highland

Ground Floor,Stewart Building,Alexandra Wharf,Lerwick,Shetland ZE1 0LLTel. 01595 693 345

South HighlandFodderty Way,Dingwall Business Park,Dingwall IV15 9XBTel. 01349 865 333

South HighlandThe Governors House,The Parade, Fort William,Inverness-shire PH33 6BATel. 01397 704 716

Southern ScotlandGreystone Park,55/57 Moffat Road,Dumfries DG1 1NPTel. 01387 272 440

Strathclyde & AyrshireCaspian House,Mariner Court,Clydebank Business Park,Clydebank G81 2NRTel. 0141 951 4488

Tayside & GrampianBattleby, Redgorton,Perth PH1 3EW

Tel. 01738 444 177

Tayside & GrampianInverdee House,Baxter Street,Torry,Aberdeen AB11 9QATel. 01224 266 500

The Nature of Scotland


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The Nature of Scotland www.snh.gov.uk

The sun is low in the sky now. All the better tothe changing tones of foliage and cast long shbrowning grasses. This is the time to notice nawhen each day can be different in sights, souscents. Crunch a windfall apple as you walk; lswish of leaves; breathe the mists of morning to savour the earthy bite and brevity of it all.

Kenny Taylor gives someseasonal tips for savouringScottish wildlife and landscapes

Sublime fallsPlaces which are beautiful throughoutthe year can become even moreimpressive as autumn tints rise to fullflood. Waterfalls in woodlands do thisto perfection, cascading ribbons ofwhite under flame-tones of foliage toplummet in dark plunge p ools below.

The Birks of Aberfeldy, named forthe nearby Perthshire village, blendswoodland, gorge and f alls. You canhike a circular walk of about 4k m hereto view colours and ogle the Falls ofMoness from a bridge above the chasmin the flank of the hill.

Some 18th century visitors well-versed in the philosophy of art wouldhave thought this prospect sublime,combining natural grandeur with ashiver of fear. Robert Burns came herethen, and wrote a poem praising thebraes that ascend like lofty was wherethe foaming stream deep-roaring fas.

There werent many birches (birks)here in Burns day, but he used thetune of The Birks o Abergeldie (inAberdeenshire) as inspiration, migratingthe birches concept to suit. Both craftyand artful, was Rabbie.

Web tipwww.perthshire.co.uk/index.asp?pg=327

Hurrah for Theres something beway colours in naturefor a while as hours oThey blaze, blaze agathe light.

Autumns many tinof vibrant-coloured rogarden varieties and along hedges. Not onlook good, they are abirds such as greenfiexpert at splitting themany seeds within. Fseeds have little valuechildren may still knowvery good itching age

The seed-free pulis still used by some natural source of vitaWorld War Two, the Bconsidered this to besubstitute for citrus fr

short supply) that it oharvesting of hips. In collection continued after the conflict, inclschoolchildren who efee for every paper badelivered to school.

Web tiphttp://enwiki/Rose_hip

Wild calendar


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Autumn Winter

Dark until mid-momid-afternoon: noto snuggle and wthrough fogged wcosiness inside cthe better after a experience some The salt tang of sNorth Sea shore; grey geese goingtingle of snow onof aurora in a nortstuff of fireside tayet to come.

Song swans

As the cuckoo is to spring, the whooper can be to autumn.The names of both birds carry echoes of their calls, oneraising thoughts of lengthening days, the other a p aleoutrider of approaching dark.

Unlike the cuckoo, the whooper swan is a very rarebreeder in Scotland, with barely a handful nesting inmost years. So nigh-on every whooper that flocks here inautumn and winter is a migrant, from the Icelandic breedingpopulation.

First arrivals in mid-September tend to be failed breedersand non-breeders. Then come the families, where white-plumaged parents travel with up to six dappled brown-and-white cygnets.

Counts of cygnets can give a measure of how good thebreeding season has been in Iceland. Thats a useful s tatisticfor international conservation workers. But aside from thescience, its the sights and sounds of these beautiful birdsthat inspire.

When a group of wild swans flies near, pale wingsbeating slow, their calls rising in wild whoops to the st ormysky, you can sense the very essence of natural change.

Web tip www.wwt.org.ukand enter whooper swan insearch box.

ome other things to look for in autumn:d deer stags roaring; salmonleaping at waterfalls; starlingroost gatherings; coloursof

mble leaves.

Six sides alimits

Snow. Some loathe itseeing snow only in tBlocked roads, delaypavements so ploupush it away.

Others love it, knostuff of waking dreamon a bluebird day onslope; conifers made whitening; scope for sliding.

And snowflakes. Ehas countless millionof us take time to focastonishing details. Syoure in the snow-lovpopulation, go outsidmagnifier in the next syour arm out for a few

If you can see somin luck. Next step is toindividual flakes throu

Prepare to be amasix-sided structure, wmay never have beenthat combination. Linmolecules is behind tComplexity of freezinthe variations. Naturaoutcome.

Web tipwww2.wknowledge/science/

Tinderhoof

Botanists know it as Fomesfomentarius. Others may call it horseshoof fungus or tinder fungus. Whatname people gave it more than 5,000years ago is forever lost.

Whats certain is that thisdistinctively shaped fungus has beenuseful to survival-savvy travellers for atleast that many millennia. Thats whentzi The Iceman was alive. Hismummified body was found in meltingalpine ice in 1991.

tzi wore a pouch filled with a darkmass of the fungus, within which weretraces of iron pyrite. The Iceman couldhave set the fungal material aglowby striking sparks into it when he hitpyrite nodules against flint. Its a neat,compact fire-lighting kit.

Then, as now, preparing the inner

material of the fungus to make drytinder would be a slow process. Thisinner layer is known to anglers asamadou. Some still find it useful fordrying artificial flies used as lures.

These fungal hooves grow allyear from some birch trunks. Buttheir shapes and patterns can seemparticularly obvious in autumn andwinter.

Web tip www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/16/1178895/-The-Horse-s-Hoof-Fungus-a-fungus-with-a-secret-inside#


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ang out withe buntings

snow bunting is the hardiesthing bird in the northern world, ablee and breed closer to the pole thanother. Around the arctic and a littleto the south, it can be a familiararound settlements. Cock birds,

ng in black-and-white plumage,o sing from rooftops as moreouflaged hens search for seedsnsects nearby.few snow buntings breed in

lands high mountains. But thetime to see these tough and bonnybirds is winter, when flocks fromthe north (mainly Iceland) make

all.hey have a particular liking for soft,y shores fringed with tall grassesg parts of the eastern seaboard. Soes such as Culbin Sands and the

Fleet and Tentsmuir NNRs can beh a close look.nother excellent location foring snow buntings in winter is thecar park on Cairngorm Mountainre some birds may be locals).f youre blessed with seasonal luck here, you might even see

e with a few reindeer grazing in theground.

Web tipwww.caithness.org/nessfieldclub/bulletins/1992/

ering_snow_buntings.htm

Some other things to look for in winter:The waning moonin the night sky; purplesandpipers on rocky shores; squirrel

bare branches; robinssinging winter songs.

Peak experiencespossible

Sometimes wider than the wholesky viewed from any point on Earth.Shimmering, strange, unpredictable.Merry Dancers. Aurora borealis.Northern Lights. Often imagined, muchless often seen.

Auroras result from the push andpull of both sun-generated and Earth-produced particles and forces. The sunemits sub-atomic protons and electronsthat ride a solar wind of magneticfield lines and can meet Earths ownmagnetic force field.

Drawn in over polar regions, solarparticles collide with terrestrial gases.Release of energy from these collisions,often as green or red light, is whatpowers and colours auroras.

Theyre visible every day from space.But seeing a good aurora from groundlevel in the northern world usuallyrequires a big explosion from a sunspotregion facing Earth during autumn andwinter. Sunspot numbers peak andtrough roughly every eleven years, andthe good news is that were now at apeak.

So keep venturing out on clearnights over the next few months andyou may have the best chance for thenext decade of ogling those MerryDancers.

Web tipwww.spaceweather.com

Old leaves in winter woodland canreveal beautiful patterns. Beyond thefading of tones after autumn, decay cangenerate natural art.

Once the cells across most of a leafhave rotted away, what remains for awhile can be the internal plumbing: theveins that carried water to and fromthose cells when alive. The network ofveins, some thick, some fine as filigree,can look amazing.

Finding leaf skeletons in the wildcan be tricky. To speed the process(including to provide material for an artproject, perhaps), you could try severalmethods. Holly and aspen can both begood sources of potential skeletons.

Simplest is to let some leaves sitin water for weeks. You can also tryboiling leaves in weak solutions ofwashing soda or household bleach.Then take the leaves from the brew andtry to tweak out remaining cells with apaintbrush. All of these methods aresmelly and the last two are b est donewith protective gloves.

Compare different websites andexperiment with leaf types, timings andquantities to fine-tune. Then add glueand imagination, to preserve accordingto taste.

Web tip Use Make leaf skeleton asa search term, and compare sites.

The pleasuresof plumbing


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How did you celebrate the Yearof Natural Scotland? We knowthat, in the early part of the yearat least, there were more peoplevisiting the outdoors during thisspecial year. Many of you wererising to the challenge of doingsomething new or different toget involved with our naturalenvironment. Together withpartners across the public andprivate sector, SNH offereda wide range of activities andevents to tempt you out andabout and these appear to havebeen well received.

The popular Scotlands Big 5 campaigncaught your imagination, raising lotsof discussion about what is importantabout our natural environment.The campaign, led by SNH andVisitScotland, celebrated our countrysiconic species whilst encouraginglocal Scots and visitors to find outmore about our stunning wildlife andlandscapes. Many organisationsdeveloped their own top five species,including Edinburgh Zoo, HighlandWildlife Park, the Scottish Sea BirdCentre and the Royal Botanic Gardensto name but a few.

At the end of the d ay, althougheach poll has its own winner, the realbenefit has been the fun and excitingway that people have joined thedebate about what is important for ourcountrys natural heritage, Visit www.visitscotland.com/snhto check on theoutcome of the Scotlands Big 5 vote.

Creativity and nature

Year of Natural Scotland saw a wide

variety of projects exploring andcelebrating the long standing linksbetween nature and the arts. Fromliving sculptures in forests, performancepicnics and scavenger hunts, to soundmaps, songs and theatre inspired bythe natural world, a range of creativeactivity has been funded by CreativeScotland and SNH. This has resultedin a blossoming of new partnerships

between a range of organisations fromthe creative and environment sectorsand encouraged people from acrossScotland to experience and enjoy ournature and landscapes in new ways.

Going mobile

Taking advantage of new digitaltechnology, SNH produced three freeapps to help you enjoy and exploreour country during the Year of NaturalScotland and beyond. The View fromthe Train app features the sounds andsights of the wildlife and landscapes,combined with history and culturalinformation, along our most populartrain routes. The Scotlands Big 5 appand Scotlands Nature apps both offermore information about our wildlifeand landscapes to help you exploreScotland.

John Muir

When John Muir made his mark thedigital age was but a dream. But today

his legacy spans the generations, and2013 marked the 175th anniversaryof the birth of a Scotsman knownas the Father of the National Parksmovement. As part of the Big AprilAdventure, many of you attendedevents celebrating John Muir and hiswork, held on National Nature Reservesacross Scotland. Next year, the Year ofHomecoming Scotland 2014, will see

Looking backYear of Natural Scotland set out to encourage everyone to enjoyand admire Scotlands stunning landscapes and magnificentwildlife. As the year draws to a close we reflect on a busy time.

1Game fairs and eventsacross Scotland werewell attended in aglorious summer.

2Our Scotlands Big 5voting game provedpopular with all ages.

3The Minister forEnvironment andClimate Change, PaulWheelhouse, was onhand at several eventsto lend his support toYear of NaturalScotland.

the launch of the Johna ten day festival in A

Young People

Through a partnershipyoung people througon board with Year ofby sharing their experwonderful natural resmedia.

The year isnt ovemove towards 2014 Scotland took celebrbiodiversity, people aplace to a new level i


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hleigh Tooth unveils plans for Scotland to permanently recognise the contributionone of the world's greatest conservationists with a new long-distance path.

Marking John Muirs legacy

a surprisingly little-known fact t hatMuir was a Scot and that it wasotland he first fell in love withe. The father of the National Park

ement is revered in many nationsnow Scotland is set to recognisemazing achievements by openingpectacular coast-to-coast JohnWay in 2014. This latest great traile a significant route, stretchingss Scotlands heartland for almostmiles (215 km).unning between John Muirsplace of Dunbar on the east coast,Helensburgh on the west, nearoch Lomond and The Trossachs

onal Park, it will offer the travelleran garrisons, castles and palaces

as it rolls through woodlands, meadowsand over gentle hills.

And, of course, the calm waters oftwo famous canals will never be toofar away. The canals in question arethe Union and Forth/Clyde, the latteras Scotlands first canal having beenextremely important for our fishing tradeand opened in 1790.

What are the best bits?

This will be a natural question fromlong-distance trail enthusiasts and day-trippers alike, and its easy to answer!From Dunbar, the route will in the mainfollow the current John Muir Way to theoutskirts of Edinburgh and then zig-zag

through the leafiest and most scenicsuburbs of the city.

Walking west, historical highlightswill surely include the much under-ratedBlackness Castle on the Firth of Forth;the seaport which in medieval timesserved the royal burgh of Linlithgow.The castle was built in the 15th centuryby one of Scotlands most powerfulfamilies, the Crichtons, but in 1453 itbecame a royal castle and its enduringroles were those of garrison fortressand state prison!

It makes good sense that the newtrail intends to use the StrathkelvinRailway Path near Strathblane. Here theroute can follow last centurys tradingtracks and will be a speedy bit of the

route suitable for bikes, push-chairsor the fleet of foot! However, the highpoint of the route is the Stoneymollanroad from Balloch to Helensburgh,which offers superb views over LochLomond and the distant mountains.Whatever the weather dishes up foryou, its an exhilarating experience towalk over this final section, an ancientcoffin road to Helensburghs fine town,scenic pier and sumptuous diversity ofrefreshments.

Clear route marking

The route is being designed to takein the best views, remote areas, andcultural, historical and natural heritagesites. We will of course try to ensurethat anyone using the route wont getlost! New way-marking, printed mapsand a mobile website should provide

assistance to most people, so youwont need advanced navigational skillsto complete this cross-country route.

The route is truly intended foreveryone. You dont need any specialkit unless youre planning to do it endto end. Take it in five-mile stretches orfrom village to town, just do it your way!

John Muir Festival

From 17 April through to 26 April therewill be a 10 day John Muir Festival. ThisFestival will be one of the major eventsin Homecoming Scotland 2014, andwill provide numerous opportunitiesfor people of all ages to celebrateand explore the life and legacy ofJohn Muir. Look out for details of theFestival programme being developed bypartners including SNH, EventScotland,Creative Scotland and East LothianCouncil. Building on the Festival,SNH will be supporting a number ofevents and activities to encourage morepeople to get out and enjoy the JohnMuir Way which will officially open on21 April.

Whats in a name ?

Given that Muir was born in Dunbar,its ironic that to date Scotland hasntreally celebrated his achievementsand philosophy. But this is a

Muirs writingsbecame a personalguide into naturefor countless

individuals.

major opportunity to rcontributions to cons

And what a contracross a range of subnoted for being an ecwhose writings becamguide into nature for cindividuals. He was aa geologist, a naturalinventor, a glaciologisconservationist.

Muirs environmehelped save the Yosethe area now known aNational Park and othareas in the USA, eartitle of father of the nmovement. In 1892 hthe Sierra Club and bpresident, a position death in 1914. The ca membership of wel

across many states inhelped inspire similarFriends of the Earth.

If the John Muir WScotland can come toachievements and insgeneration of outdoothe great man himselfvery proud indeed. Hthat should finally shocelebrates John Muir

1The route is designedto take in some of thebest views aroundLoch Lomond.

2Off road cyclists willfind several parts ofthe route to their liking.

1


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ar-long programme of inspirationalts and festivals are planned for

4 and will fall broadly into fivees:eative,tive,tural,cestral, andod and drink.

One natural highlight will be theMuir Festival which will runeen 17 and 26 April. During that

val the new John Muir Way will on 21 April and this extended

omecoming 2014:natural opportunity

route will be a fitting celebration of hisremarkable legacy.

Homecoming is a celebration ofScotland both for those who call ithome and for those with links to, or aninterest in Scotland. The wild, ruggednatural landscapes will be a huge draw,as will the fabulous wildlife that thenation boasts. Stunning scenery andiconic species will give the perfectbackdrop to a year-long welcome to theworld.

The Commonwealth Games cometo Glasgow in 2014 and, whilst thefocus will be on our elite athletes, theintention is that the atmosphere andexperience will encourage others toparticipate by boat, bike and f oot in theaftermath. The Glasgow Games willbe the 20th in one of the worlds mostenjoyable multi-sports events.

The golfing highlight of the year willundoubtedly be the world class RyderCup at Gleneagles. Golf is a hugelypopular pastime in Scotland and thesplendid scenery and wildlife aroundour golf courses will be in the sp otlight

during and after this internationallyfamous competition.

Other events with a natural focuswill include the Orkney Nature Festival.Now well established, this features aweek-long feast of activities and eventscelebrating the nature of Orkney.Amongst the highlights are boat tripsto uninhabited islands, cruises tospectacular and noisy seabird colonies,and bird watching across a range ofislands.

Scotlands first ever Year ofHomecoming took place in 2009 andwas a great success. 95,000 visitorswere introduced to all that Scotlandhas to offer and an additional 53mwas generated in tourism revenue.There is every reason to expect a similarsuccess in 2014.

014 Scotland welcomesworld to join in an excitingar of Homecoming. This willan opportunity to reinforcetlands position on thernational stage as a beautiful,amic and creative nationst building on the benefitsosting the Commonwealth

mes and Ryder Cup.

Choosing a natiotree for Scotland

Loch Shiel typifies thespectacular Highlandscenery.

Ask anyone what makes the landof Scotland so stunning and treelikely to be part of the answer.

Our forests and woodlands arethe envy of many countries andthey have helped shape whatScotland is today. Our trees aregreat. They provide thousandsof jobs through timber, support

tourism, boost healthy lifestylesand are natures own carbonsink. Forests and woodlands arealso home to some of the mostamazing animals, birds, insects,and lichens.

The oldest living thing in Europe is theFortingall Yew said to be anywherebetween 3,000 to 5,000 years old soit is no wonder that trees are embeddedin our rich culture and heritage.

The letters of the Gaelic alphabeteach take their names from trees nativeto Scotland, and the graves of ancientScottish warriors and clan chiefs weresaid to be marked with a Scots pinetree. On the grimmer side, trees wereregularly used as gallows.

Trees are also fundamental to ourmyths and legends. For example, therowan, particularly on the west coastof Scotland, is said to have powers toward off witches and evil spirits. So, it isfair to say we have a great affection forour trees in Scotland.

Forestry Commission Scotlandsown surveys suggest that around threequarters of us have visited woodlandsrecently and about the same amountwould really like to get out into awoodland at least once a month. Mostwould like to see more trees plantedtoo. The people of Scotland value the

nations trees and woand are concerned attree diseases hitting o just think of the widattention that ash die

On a more positivone member of the pu

different approach toour trees. Last year, Acampaigned for the nNational Tree of Scotpetition to the ScottisHamilton garnered crfor a national tree andGovernment respondthree-month consultato find out if the publiwould like a national twhich species.

The designation otree would be symbohighlighting the greattrees, woods and forecommunities, wildlifeeconomy.

When better to doYear of Natural Scotlaappropriate occasionprofile of some of ourspecies. Whether yorowan, Scots pine, haa particular affection everyone has a chancmake their views know

The consultation cDecember 2013 withmade sometime early

To get involved logforestry.gov.uk/scot


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ate change poses one of theest threats to Scotlands natureandscapes. Of course, there willome winners, but some wildlifeold dear will suffer. Whilst our

ate has changed over thousands ofs, the rate and scale of change nowars to be far greater than recordedously with the underlyinge being the growing emissionseenhouse gases associated withan activity.NH is playing a key role inonding to climate change, both toce greenhouse gas emissions (whatall mitigation) and to prepare forew conditions climate change will (adaptation to change).ature helps us cope with climatege in many ways, not least through:toring carbon, and so reducing theffects of carbon dioxide emissions;ndustaining ecosystems, which if keptealthy, will provide food and water,nd help control flooding, diseasend pest outbreaks, and pollutants.

How can we help naturedapt to climate change?

And of course, healthy ecosystemswork in our favour, so we want to dowhat we can to achieve good health.Working across our National NatureReserves (NNRs) we are endeavouringto lead on new ways of managing theseareas to cope with a changing climate.Let us look at two aspects.

Reducing other pressures

Climate change is not the only threat toour natural systems; many face otherpressures. Loch Leven NNR, mid-way between Edinburgh and Perth, issurrounded by towns, villages, arablefarming and industry, and has longbattled with water pollution. Its nutrient-rich waters support abundant foodsources, which make it attractive to awealth of birds.

Run-off from farms and dischargefrom domestic and industrial sourcesled to a build-up of nutrients in theLoch, particularly phosphorus. Thiscaused algal blooms which reduced theclarity of the water, so that plants could

only grow in shallow water. This in turnreduced the diversity and abundance ofplants and invertebrates in the Loch.

Research here has shown thatclimate change can make problemswith poor water quality even worse.During warm, dry and calm weather,algal blooms can occur naturally,but are made worse by too m anynutrients. So, if we can reduce thenutrients entering Loch Leven we canhelp future-proof the site against thewarmer, drier summers of the future.

SNH and partners are workingon a catchment management planwhich is already leading to significantimprovements in the quality of the waterdischarged into the Loch. We are d oingthis through: Improving farming practices to

reduce soil and fertiliser run-off; and Upgrading and regulating waste

water management in the catchment.And the great news is that aquatic

plants have already responded,growing once more in deeper waterand returning to some of the shores

ristina Bell leads much of our work on tackling climate change. Here she describesw a new approach on our National Nature Reserves is leading the way.

where they had all but disappeared.The ecosystem now stands a betterchance of adapting to climate change.

Planning for change

We cant save everything; as theclimate changes there will be winnersand losers among our species. Thecoast is ever changing but rising sealevels increase the likelihood of flooding.Caerlaverock NNR on the Solway Firthis a coastline dominated by saltmarshand vulnerable to coastal squeeze.

Swathes of saltmarsh and other coastalhabitats are trapped between the risingsea on one side and sea walls andvarious uses of the land on the other.So, here we want to try and free upsome space for nature, but how?

Caerlaverock is home to the mostnortherly population of natterjack toads(Epidalea calamita)in Britain, and thisis particularly vulnerable to habitat

Climate changes seewinners and losersamong our species.

1Loch Leven NationalNature Reserve isbenefiting fromprojects to improvewater quality.

2At Caerlaverock stepsare being taken toimprove the habitat fornatterjack toads.

loss. Shallow freshwater pools at theedge of the saltmarsh, or merse, as itsknown locally, provide ideal habitat forbreeding natterjacks. In the longer termif sea levels rise as a result of climatechange it is possible that the freshwatermarsh will revert to merse or evenmudflats. In this event we will need tolook at how to facilitate the creationof freshwater and brackish coastalhabitats to maintain this importanthabitat and the species that dependon it.

There is only limited space to moveinland by a natural process of retreat,so the Caerlaverock NNR team havebeen working with others since 2002to help the natterjacks adapt. Shallowpools have been excavated on farmlandinland of the reserve to give the isolatedpopulations of this species a chanceto boost breeding success despite therising sea. A small amount of salt waterinundation helps to kill off predatorssuch as fish and larger aquaticinvertebrates which would otherwiseeat the toads eggs and tadpoles. S o,we need to strike just the right balance!

For further examples of how we arehelping nature adapt see: www.snh.gov.uk/climatechange


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Although the crofters son from Lewishad only two years of schooling, hebecame recognised as the foremostauthority on adders in Great Britain.His observations were published in thescientific journal Nature, he attained adoctorate from a French institute, waselected a Fellow of the Royal ZoologicalSociety of Scotland and he spokebefore scientific gatherings in London,Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Morrison turned his enquiring mindto many aspects of nature, from theeel to the humble rat, but he alwaysreturned to his fascination with reptilesand in particular the adder.

There had been others beforehim who had studied Scotlandsreptiles, but Morrison was the first toapply a modern scientific approach.He had a meticulous eye for detailand was not afraid to contradict therecognised experts of his day when hisobservations did not square with theirs.

Morrisons interest in nature beganwhen he was a boy growing up inthe small village of Shawbost on thewest coast of Lewis in the 1870sand 1880s. In his autobiography hedescribed his observations of slow-worms in the nearby moors, as wellas a wide variety of other animals.He enjoyed the little time he had atschool but the Education Act tooktime to take effect in his communityand much of his childhood was spent

helping his parents or searching forwildlife amongst the spectacular Lewiscountryside. He left school at twelveand after a short and unsuccessfulstint as a fisherman, which earned himhis by-name of Tormodan T-Seladair(Norman the sailor), he travelled southto Glasgow and embarked on a careeras a policeman.

Adder man

Ask any Scottish police officer about Norman Morrisonand theyll tell you he was the co-founder of the ScottishPolice Federation but its unlikely theyll know he was alsoa pioneer in the study of Scotlands reptiles. Along the way,he published collections of Hebridean folklore and wasone of the first photographers to portray the people of theWestern Isles. David O'Brien tells us more.

A self-taught enthusiast

During his time in the police force hewas a champion of the fledgling unionmovement and wrote extensively. Hestill found time, however, to devote tohis studies of the natural world. Beforethe advent of terms like citizen scienceand in an era when most naturalistswere gentlemen of means, Morrisontaught himself through books, debate

and diligent examination of nature.He was respected by scientists fromBritain and the Empire, as well asEurope and America. His careful studyof the adder in particular was onlyequalled in the 1970s some fifty yearsafter the publication of his book Thelife-story of the adder.

At a time when most people,including many scientists, felt thatthe only good snake was a deadsnake, Morrison called for adders tobe recognised for their important rolein maintaining the balance of natureby eating rodents, and warned oftheir decline. His writings advocatedthe protection of these timid snakesrather than their persecution. He alsoproposed that snake venom could havean important role in the fight againstcancer, an area of research which hasrecently yielded interesting results.

It is difficult to single out one pieceof work from his scientific career, hisliterary output or his campaigning for

a fairer society. Perhaps his greatestlegacy is that he showed that a self-taught enthusiast could reach the top ofhis chosen field.

If you would like to find out moreabout Norman Morrisons life and work,including online versions of his books,visit www.tormod.co.uk.


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Dualchas coitcheannCommon heritage

Loch nan Innsean

Tha am facal innis a nochdadh ann an grunn riochdan ann an ainmean-tre nah-Alba mar eilean, dail an cois ab hainn no cluain a th air a cuairteachadh lecoille, am measg eile. Tha e gu math cumant a air feadh Alba, mar as trice ledreach mar inch no insh air ann am Beurla (me Inchinnan, Inchmarnoch, Inshes,Loch Insh).

Tha beachd-smuain de eilean ite air a chuairteachadh le rainn de s hersaeile co-cheangailte ri gach ciall dheth. Ach, an-diugh, s e eilean talmhaidh annan uisge an aon chiall nach eil be anns a chnan, agus am facal eilean fhin,a thathar an dil a thinig on t-Seann Lochlannais, air a ghabhail thairis. Mar sin,fhuair eilean air a bheil innis ainm o chionn fhada.

S e an t-ite as fherr far am faicear innis a riochdachadh eilean an-diughceann a deas Loch Laomainn, far a bheil dusan dhiubh ann an crileagan, agus

iad uile bragha, eachdraidheil is luachmhor a thaobh ndar. S dcha gur e ant-eilean as aithnichte dhiubh don mhr-shluagh Innis Cailleach (Inchcailloch), faran do chuir a Bhan-naomh Caintigern (chaochail 734 AC) taigh chailleachan-dubha air chois. S i a tha ainmichte ann am Bealach Mo Cha (Balmaha) faisg airlimh; s e Mo Cha frith-ainm a bh air an naomh.

Tha d eilean eile aig a bheil ceangal do phearsaichean eaglais Innis Mearain(Inchmurrin), ainmichte airson Naomh Mearain, a tha co-cheangailte gu lidir riPislig, agus Innis Taigh a Mhanaich (Inchtavannach), far an robh manachainnuaireigin, agus aig a bheil ceangal eachdraidheil do Naomh Ceasag (a th air achuimhneachadh an d chuid anns an sgre sin agus ann an Inbhir Nis).

Tha ceithir eileanan a faighinn an ainmean bhon cumaidhean an InnisChruinn (Inchcruin) bho rubha cruinn air an taobh an ear dheth, a Chlr-Innis(Clairinch) eilean cmhnard, Trr-Innis (Torrinch) eilean le creag rd, agusan Innis Fhada (Inchfad), a tha gu dearbh fada an coimeas ri a leud. Agus thandar co-cheangailte ri ainmean tr eileanan Innis Lnaig (Inchlonaig) eilean naboglaich bhig, far an deach craobhan-iubhair a chur le Rgh Raibeart Brus, a rirbeul-aithris, Boc-Innis (Bucinch) eilean nam boc goibhre agus a Chraobh Innis(Creinch), a thathar an dil a bha craobhach nuair a bha na h-eileanan eile lom.

Tha Innis Mna (Inchmoan) a cuimhneachadh mar a bhiodh muinntir Luis afalbh a-mach don eilean airson mine fhaighinn, agus thathar a mneachadh InnisChonachain (Inchconnachan) mar eilean Clann a Chombaich.

Tha grunn eileanan beaga air Loch Laomainn nach eil ainmichte le innis, agustha dil gu bheil na h-ainmean sin nas ire na n fheadhainn eile ach tha tsGidhlig aca uile. S iad A Cherdach (Ceardach), far an robhar a danamh obairle meatailt uaireigin, Eilean a Bhth (Island I Vow), Eilean Darach (Ellanderroch),

Fraoch Eilean (Fraoch Island) agus Eilean an Tairbeirt (Tarbet Isle).

Ruairidh MacIlleathain guides us through the fascinating Inches the Gaelic-named islands of Loch Lomond.

Loch of the In

Among the meaningsGaelic place-name el(pronounced IN-ish) ameadow or clearing usually anglicised incInchinnan, InchmarnoLoch Insh. Its likely orisland in water is no the language, having by the Norse-derivednames with innis are

Perhaps the best

island names is the soLoch Lomond where in close proximity, thewhich is probably IncBalmaha; this is Innisof nuns, named for thestablished by St Ken734 AD). Two other ireligious references Mearain), named for Shas strong connectioInchtavannach (Innis the island of the monconnected to St Kess

Four islands derivtheir shapes or profileInnis Chruinn round ipeninsula on its easteis Clr-Innis flat islanTrr-Innis, named for south-western end anFhada long island. Tislands have links to n(Innis Lnaig) island Bucinch (Boc-Innis)

goats and Creinch (Cisland.

Inchmoan (Innis Mreminds us that this wfuel for the people of times, and Inchconnamean isle of the Colq

An sealladh gu tuath Innis Cailleach thairisair an Innis Fhada guInnis Lnaig agusceann a tuath LochLaomainn. Air an taobhdheas, tha BeinnLaomainn a thug ah-ainm don loch fhin.

Looking north fromInchcailloch overInchfad to Inchlonaigand the northern end ofLoch Lomond. To theright is Ben Lomond,which gave its name tothe loch.


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NEWS

Kittiwake concern

The Isle of May is one of our most interesting NationalNature Reserves. It provides not only a wonderful visitorexperience but also a haven for a whole host of seabirds andresearchers. As such its often a useful barometer on thefortunes of some of our seabird species.

We are still gathering our statistics and comparing themto previous years but the early signs are reasonable for our45,000 or so puffins. Many readers will recall the puffinwreck in spring when 3,500 dead p uffins were found alongthe east coast. However, by the end of the breeding season

the population is about the same as five years ago. Puffinbreeding this year was about three weeks later than normal,but incredibly compressed into just a few busy weeks.

Sadly our kittiwakes have endured a very poor year, withfewer birds breeding. The reasons are not entirely clear andperhaps down to a combination of factors, but the bottomline is that the kittiwake population on the May has droppedin the last 20 years from 8000 pairs to 2000 pairs andthis season is a big d isappointment after they enjoyed aproductive year in 2012.

Clean up Scotland

Keep Scotland Beautiful is anindependent charity which campaigns,acts and educates on a range ofenvironmental issues which affectpeoples quality of life. It is committed

to making Scotland clean and green.Clean Up Scotland is their newlylaunched campaign which aims toquickly remove litter and mess soScotland shines when the worldis watching in 2014. By graduallychanging behaviour littering shouldbecome as unacceptable in future asdrink-driving is today.

Scotland is famous worldwidefor its scenery and landscape and bytaking pride in how it appears we canshow it to its best advantage. Litter alsoposes a hazard to wildlife, and detractsfrom local parks and greenspaceswhere people can enjoy nature.

Keep Scotland Beautiful is puttingtogether a national coalition ofsupporters for Clean Up Scotland,including politicians and government,public bodies and charities.

How can you help? Clean UpScotland is asking people acrossScotland to get involved by helpingto free their communities of litter

and graffiti, reporting incidences offlytipping and abandoned vehicles, andresponsibly disposing of litter.

So far this year over 70,000 peoplehave joined the campaign and takenpart in litter-picks across the lengthof Scotland why not join them? Youcan register for free kit and back thecampaign at www.cleanupscotland.com.

Plant tracker

Invasive non-native plant species area threat to native wildlife in the U K.The first step in tackling this problemis accurately determining where theseplants are. Now a brand-new app isable to help build a comprehensive

picture of the UKs invasive, non-nativeplant species.Spreading quickly across

the country, invasive non-nativeplants displace native species anddetrimentally affect the ecology of manyvulnerable habitats. Some even posea considerable threat to human health.These plants also present a largefinancial cost to the UK economy withthe annual cost of all invasive, non-native species totalling some 2 billion.

The PlantTracker app, available freefrom the iTunes App Store and AndroidMarket, shows you how to identifyeach species and enables you to easilysubmit geo-located photos wheneveryou find one. The app now features 14invasive plant species and also includesa Confusion Species gallery for eachone, to help you separate some ofthe similar-looking plants you mightencounter.

One potential bonus of the newapp is an increase in our k nowledge of

species distribution. A recent SealifeTracker app resulted in species beingrecorded in new 10km squares and thishas already happened countless timeswith PlantTracker.

You can see how PlantTracker ispeforming by following the NatureLocator Facebook pagewww.facebook.com/NatureLocatorandTwitter account (@NatureLocator )

Lots of us already know where to go to enjoy the great

outdoors and appreciate nature, but because of barriers,such as budget, culture and confidence, many dont. Arecent SNH project, Simple Pleasures within Under-Represented Communities, has started to change this.

SNHs funding always benefits the natural heritage,but funding projects directly for people can make a hugedifference, not just to their knowledge and appreciation ofthe natural heritage but also to their lives.

Open Aye was commissioned to facilitate work withgroups from six under-represented communities. BeckyDuncan of Open Aye uses participative photography to bondgroups, empower people, share the wonders of nature andexplore new and wild places.

Her approach was simple: to teach photographictechniques to the participants, starting close to home b utoutdoors, regardless of weather! Gradually she rangedfurther from home with her groups, exploring Local andNational Nature Reserves and a National Park, taking inseascapes, woodland, hills and lochs.

The results indicate that being exposed to thecombination of inspiring landscapes and an expert facilitator,sees participants grow in ability and self-confidence.

Some of the participants were recovering from mentalhealth illnesses and described experiencing new beauty,balance and tranquillity in their lives. Their attendance and

interest grew and developed, with some seeing the courseas a creative lifeline in their recovery process.

To celebrate the project, Becky arranged an exhibitionof the participants photos in Kelvingrove Museum, and onits opening about 50 of the participants came to share theirenthusiasm, as well as to see each others creations. Theirenjoyment and appreciation of our natural heritage shonethrough in every image.

Open Aye opened eyes


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NEWS

Marine ProtectedAreas consultation

The Scottish Government is asking for peoples views on aproposed network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

Susan Davies, Director of Policy and Advice forScottish Natural Heritage, said: This consultation is animportant opportunity for people to have their say on howScotlands seas should be managed in the future. Our seasare biologically rich, special and an important economicresource. The right balance between interests such asrenewables, fishing and recreation and the management ofthese special places can be achieved.

The consultation will last for 16 weeks until 13 November2013. Marine Scotland and SNH are hosting a series ofevents around Scotland including drop-in sessions in coastalcommunities close to the possible MPAs. These eventsprovide an opportunity for the public to get to know moreabout their local seas and discuss the proposals.

Times and dates of events are available on the Scottish

Government website at - http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/marine/marine-consultation/events

Information about the possible sites in Scottishinshore waters can be found on the Protecting ScotlandsNature pages of the SNH website at www.snh.gov.uk/protecting-scotlands-nature/protected-areas/national-designations/mpa-consultations/

To submit a consultation response visit the ScottishGovernment website at www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/marine/marine-consultation

The African word Imbewu, meaning seed in Zulu,symbolises the potential for growth from smallbeginnings. This is the basis for an exciting newrural skills initiative, Imbewu Scotland, being runjointly by Wilderness Foundation UK and ScottishLand & Estates across Scotland, with fundingsupport from SNH.

Imbewu Scotland aims to increaseunderstanding of ecological issues andsustainable land management, enabling youngpeople to develop an awareness and love ofnature and the outdoors, while opening their eyesto future career opportunities within the ruralsector.

In early summer, five young people set outon the very first Imbewu Scotland journey, whichtook them from the comfort of their urban homesinto the wild heart of the Scottish Cairngorms.With wilderness guides, they navigated their waythrough remote areas, wild camping and followingLeave No Trace principles.

Learning first-hand from those who live andwork in Scotlands beautiful countryside, theywere able to tap into knowledge of land use and

management acquired over many generations.The group spent time with the head st alker

of the National Trust for Scotlands Mar LodgeEstate, learning about field sports and deermanagement, and found out how to spot wildlifecrime with the local Wildlife Crime Officer.

With Estate Rangers they discovered localwildlife and took part in a practical conservationtask repairing brash fencing to protect nativetrees from deer. They heard about the wide

Five go wild camping

range of employment, training and volunteeringopportunities in the rural sector, fromgamekeeping to wildlife tourism and g uiding. Eachparticipant was awarded a John Muir DiscoveryAward and Leave No Trace accreditation inrecognition of their achievements.

Contact with nature undoubtedly inspires ouryoung people, developing in them a respect forthe natural world and a deeper understandingof the interdependence of humans and nature;hopefully this will ensure that they continue toenjoy and protect our wild places in the future.Nature provided them not only with aestheticenjoyment but a classroom in which they learnedthe value of balancing nature conservation idealswith economic land management goals.

In this Year of Natural Scotland, John Muirsclarion call to come to the woods is beinganswered by more and more of us as we seekrespite from what can be a frenzied modernworld. Imbewu Scotland is hopefully sowing theseeds of a new generation of environmentalistswho, assisted by land managers, can help bringMuirs conservation message to an increasingly

urbanised society disconnected from nature andwild places.

In partnership with Scottish Land & Est ates,the Wilderness Foundation is running ImbewuScotland as a two-year pilot approach to re-connecting young people to the land.

Further information from:[email protected]

Ferry good news

The Blomers rivulet, a moth notpreviously recorded in Scotland, hasbeen spotted for the first time bymembers of Butterfly Conservation atLochaline.

The discovery came from a groupwhiling away the hours waiting for aferry to Mull. The delicately patterned

grey and rusty brown moth wasntthought to be present in Scotland andindeed is classed as nationally scarcein England and Wales too.

The moths identity was confirmedby moth expert Roy Leverton, whonoted that This is a most unlikelyfind. I could just about have imaginedit turning up in the B orders, or evenDumfries and Galloway, but not this farnorth.

Highland branch member MargaretCurrie, of Culbokie, had the presenceof mind to take some photographs, andsaid the moth was spotted low down ina hazel tree. The moth takes its namefrom 18th century naturalist CharlesBlomer, and is thought to only be onthe wing from June to July.

Paul Kirkland, director of ButterflyConservation Scotland said; Thisis a very exciting find, and it showsthat there are corners of the countrywhere new moth colonies can still bediscovered.


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Wild Scotland

An organisation whose profile ismore closely associated with apair of black and white bamboo-chomping bears than nativespecies conservation may seeman unusual bedfellow for SNH.But the Royal Zoological Society

of Scotland (RZSS) has beenquietly working in partnershipwith SNH for a number of years,offering support and expertisederived from over a century ofcaptive breeding and scientificresearch.

As we continue at RZSS to expand ourcredentials as a serious player in theconservation arena, this relationshiphas stepped up a g ear, most recentlywitnessed by the Scottish WildcatConservation Action Plan launchedon 24 September where RZSS willact as lead co-ordinator of the captivebreeding aspect of the plan.

Scottish-based global reach

To those not entirely familiar with ourorganisation, we are a Scottish-basedconservation charity with a global reach,established in 1909. We also ownand manage both Edinburgh Zoo andHighland Wildlife Park (HWP). Ourconservation work abroad includesmanaging the Budongo ConservationField Station in Uganda, where ourwork supports chimpanzees; and thePantanal Conservation and ResearchInitiative where our research isbeing used to promote conservationthroughout Brazil.

Somewhat intriguingly, we arepart of an international award-winningbreeding programme for the Partulasnail, which is now completely extinctin the wild. Hidden away in a smalloff-show area of Edinburgh Zoo dueto the conditions they require in orderto survive and thrive, we house a

collection of tiny, exotic snails.Closer to home however, native

species conservation is very mucha priority for us, hence the need forcollaboration with SNH and others.

Flagship projects

We are working on a number ofprojects in Scotland. One of ourflagship projects is the Scottish BeaverTrial (where we are applying our skillsin animal husbandry and ecologicalmonitoring) in partnership with theScottish Wildlife Trust.

The first of its kind in Britain, thetrial is exploring whether or not thereintroduction of beavers is feasible andbeneficial to nature conservation. SNHhas been co-ordinating an independentscientific monitoring programme toassess the effect beavers have onthe local environment. Monitoring willconclude in May 2014, with findingspresented to the Scottish Government.

A decision on the future of beaverreintroduction in Scotland is expectedin May 2015. Although not part of thelicensed reintroduction programme,members of RZSS staff are also usingtheir experience to monitor the health ofthe population of b eavers on the Tay.

The Scottish Wildcat ConservationAction Plan identifies RZSS as the leadco-ordinator in the captive breeding

ris West, chief executivehe Royal Zoologicalciety of Scotland, shedst on the developing linksween his organisation Scottish Natural

ritage.

aspect of the overall led by SNH. Our exteof managing animals captive breeding makchoice for this work, wa facility purpose builand reintroduction of genetic make-up.

More recently, ourWildgenes Laboratorwhich provides DNA to zoos worldwide, hascat samples to provof distinguishing wilddomestic ancestry anin determining a true wildcat population loo

Aside from our skhowever, an area whecan truly make a hugevia mass public engaowning the Zoo and HThese two sites see avisitors a year pass thand therefore the chainspire and encouragpeople with conservaimmense.

In addition, we hasocial media opportuour websites, FaceboYouTube outlets. We literally millions of peo

world with our news aThis is an exciting

the environment in Scdetermined to be confuture of wild Scotlana positive way, workinwith organisations su

Its good to be frie


16/35


Tackling Wildlife CrimeWildlife Crime Prevention is best achieved through improved education andawareness. Andy Turner became a Wildlife Crime Education Officer in July 2010and reflects on his experiences in this challenging area of work.

I joined Scottish Natural Heritagein 2001 and for several yearsI worked as Reserve Managerat Forvie and St Cyrus NationalNature Reserves. However,I developed an interest inwildlife crime and in July 2010I was appointed as the UKsfirst Wildlife Crime EducationOfficer, working within the thenGrampian Police Force WildlifeCrime Unit.

While the concept of the post wasborne from the police, the developmentwas achieved very much in partnership,with funding from Grampian Police,Scottish Natural Heritage, LEADER(European Funding for CommunityProjects) together with some privatefunding.

The primary aim of the WildlifeCrime Education Officer post wassimple to reduce the incidence ofwildlife crime in Grampian througha programme of education andawareness raising.

Before I could deliver any sort ofmeaningful programme I had to gaina thorough understanding of wildlifecrime investigations, land managementconflicts, and the intricacies oflegislation. And so I was encouragedto become a Special Police Constable.After attending interviews, exams andtraining I was sworn in and ready foraction in July 2011.

Involvement in police investigationshas really helped me. For one thing itshowed me how to distinguish betweenlegal countryside practices and illegalactivity, a fundamental element inensuring effective delivery of the post.

As a Wildlife Crime Officer Ifocused on five areas in particular :

creation of an education programmefor school children, delivery of seminars and training, visible presence at shows and events development of a proactive media

approach, and improved crime prevention and

reporting measures.Id like to think that three years of

the post have delivered the above. For

example Ive overseen the developmentof an education pack for schools, whichis soon to be hosted on the ScottishGovernment Partnership AgainstWildlife Crime Scotland website, anddeveloped an iPhone app to reportwildlife crime. It will ultimately be free todownload on iTunes.

Not everything has had a technicalelement however. Ive deliveredseminars to over 1800 people from60 organisations, including regularlectures at Scotlands Rural College,attended 26 shows and events withover 100,000 members of the public,and had 50 news items featured locallyand nationally.

In addition to the above Ive helpedinstall measures to improve andpromote reporting of wildlife crimeusing a national reporting card, createdRiverWatch posters, and organised a

successful rural crime conference.No matter how much effort youput in it remains notoriously difficult toquantify the success of such a post. Onthe one hand you could suggest it ismeasured through increased reportingof wildlife crime incidents resultingfrom improved detection, on the other aquite different measure might be seeinga decrease in reports due to m oreaccurate or educated reporting.

Stonehaven success

A number of wildlife crimes havebeen reported as a direct result of theEducation Officer post. Perhaps thebest example is that of a hare coursingincident that occurred in spring 2013near to Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire.

The level of detail provided bythe witness was exceptional. Uponidentifying the ongoing offence, thewitness immediately contacted thepolice and provided an accurate

account of the locus, the suspects,suspects dogs, vehicle numberplate, and direction of onward travel.Remarkably, and encouragingly, thewitness was a 15 year-old school pupilwho had attended a wildlife crimepresentation by the Wildlife CrimeEducation Officer.

The post has succeeded inincreasing awareness of wildlife crime

1Roe deer have beenvictims of wildlifecrime around thefringes of urban areas.

2Andy (right) picturedwith the winner of aschools wildlife crimeposter competition.

issues among all stakbrought increasing mthe issues.

It would be fair alswe have seen an impstandard of reportingin terms of increased improved working beorganisations.

Funding for the thhas now expired. Howcontinuing as a Specin Grampian in a postby Scottish Natural Hretaining close links wScotland. Id like to thwork both for the prein tackling wildlife crim

1


17/35


The art of the matterA wildlife artist celebrates Tentsmuirs delights


18/35


ng trail cameras around the Reserve Ive managedther some great footage of roe deer, badgers, redrels, otters, woodcock and more, and Ive been able to

use this footage to produce new s ketches especially ofbadgers, which I hardly ever see in d aylight on the Reserve.

A major element of the project has been construction ofan online art trail. Walk around the trails at Morton Lochs andnearby Kinshaldy (which is a Forestry Commission Scotlandsite) and you can see plaques f eaturing some of Dereksindividual sketches of species that inhabit that particularpart of the Reserve, and in the corner of each plaque is ahelpful QR code (a Quick Response code that looks likea square barcode). If you have a s martphone or tablet youcan scan the code and it will take you to an individual pageon the Memory of Tides website (www.memoryoftides.com) showing all the drawings and paintings he has createdof that particular animal near the sp ot where the reader isstanding.

ly in 2013 Derek Robertson was invited by Scottish Natural Heritage to be artist-in-dence at Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve. He set to work studying then sketchingwildlife and landscape around this coastal reserve in Fife, and the result is a

ebration of Tentsmuir like nothing that has gone before.

Accompanying the imagery is text about the animaland also a piece of video t aken with trail cameras aroundthe reserve. This means you can see some of the hard-to-spot, shy and nocturnal animals that live there even ifyou are there in a large and noisy crowd. The resource hasalready been used by educational groups so children cansee recognisable, individual animals that actually live nearthat spot the otter with a small scar on its nose or the redsquirrel with the very dark fur for example.

Whilst Derek captures the art, his findings andobservations are contributing to building a more accuratepicture of the wildlife seen at Tentsmuir. He has beensending records and sightings to the Reserve Manager, TomCunningham, and filling in forms on the BTO BirdTrack site.

A good example of the value of this work came in thewinter when Derek, whilst having a look around the marshydunes near Tentsmuir Point, discovered large numbers ofwoodcock around 30 at a time which showed that thiswas an important winter foraging site for these birds in Fife.It was known that woodcock were present, but not in t hesenumbers.

Derek takes up the story of how his studious method

of preparing for painting is reaping dividends across theseasons. I did a BTO breeding woodcock survey in thenearby forest and had a huge count of 32 birds in just overan hour, suggesting that the reserve doesnt only provide awinter feeding area but is a major habitat for breeding birdsas well.

In the spring I did a survey of Morton Lochs for theelusive water rails. They are notoriously difficult to observebecause they rarely leave dense cover and are almost neverseen. My friend, Steve Moyes, and I developed a way ofcounting them in the Tay reedbeds using audio playback.The method is increasingly adopted as a standard surveytechnique for the species.

Interestingly at Morton, I located three pairs and heardthe characteristic tic-tic call of a bird giving an alarm callfor its young. The trail camera footage has p erhaps identifiedthe reason why badgers. There are cubs at a nearbybadger set and at least five recognisable, individual adults.There are jays too, and although Ive never seen more thanthree at any one time, there are regularly between five andseven in shot on the cameras!

Looking ahead, Derek will be working up some largerpaintings from the sketches he has completed andattempting to set up a substantial, cross-disciplinary projectthat brings together scientists, environmental managers andartists using many mediums to p roduce collaborative work atthe end of the year. Those involved have all been working ontheir own projects at Tentsmuir including dance, poetry, film,storytelling, geography, biology, conservation ecology andmore.

Paintings from the project have already been on displayto groups and in exhibitions around Scotland and Derek hasa series of solo shows planned towards the end of 2013 andinto 2014 including one at The Piggery outdoor exhibitionspace at Taynish National Nature Reserve in Argyll.

Derek, one of Scotlands most noted wildlifets, the invite sparked an intensely busy

ative period. I have been completing a brandbody of work, he explained, which has

tly consisted of field studies and paintings inch I have gathered material reflecting the variedexciting wildlife of the Reserve. Highlights

e included otters, sea eagles, seals, long-tailedks, and jays.


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He has created portfolios for the local tand St Andrews, as well as arranging on-sstudio days and sketching demonstrationswith the artist.

The publicity attracted by the project hasubstantial, with articles in local press andnews, BBC Radio Scotlands Out of DoorBBC Countryfile. This, allied to articles on and social media sites, has extended the roriginated in Tentsmuir to well beyond Fife

The final word from Derek is that it hasexperience being an artist-in-residence at sReserve. It has struck me how much localtreasure the Reserve and surroundings. Ivmeeting the many people who have come themselves and asked about the p roject. I a huge thank you for the tremendous suppgiven by everyone at SNH and all the Forestaff at Tentsmuir too.

Anyone fortunate enough to view Deredisagree that he has m ade a telling contribNatural Scotland and left behind a beautifu

hugely popular Reserve.

6The detail in thisstunning painting of apair of garganeytypifies Derek'sstudious approach


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Reservefocus

Revival ReservePioneering conservation work is delivering a stunningtransformation on Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve

Creag Meagaidh National NatureReserve sits on the spine ofScotland, straddling the westand east Highlands, and thetranslation of its Gaelic nameto bogland rock or crag of theboggy place hints at the varietyof landscapes encountered here.

It provides a good example of thetypes of habitats to be found in theHighlands, taking in lochshore andriver flats, birch and alder woodland,open hills and moors, cliffs and corries,and culminating in the high summitplateau of the tops. That mix of habitatsand scenery have long made CreagMeagaidh a truly inspirational place to

0 2kilometres

0 2miles

Ashworth Maps and Interpretation Ltd 2010.Based on Ordnance Survey mapping. Crown copyrightand database right 2010. All rights reserved.Ordnance Survey Licence number SNH 100017908.

visit and enjoy, but there were timeswhen it was less inviting than today.

Ice sheets and glaciers once layheavily on the land here. Again andagain, over the last two and a halfmillion years, the deep freeze of the IceAge has smothered Creag Meagaidh.Sometimes glaciers covered the wholemountain, other times they filled onlythe corries and glens with a glacier ortwo. But each big chill left its mark . Theresults have been striking; hummocksof glacial rubble, gravel terraces andof course great corries and cliffswere formed. Perhaps most strikingly,glaciers scooped out the great bowl ofCoire Ardair.

When the ice sheets retreatedthey left a bare rocky landscape thatwas gradually covered by a mixture

of woodland and hea1700s, heavy grazingdeer meant few treesmuch of the wildlife ththem was lost.

However, in 1986became a National Nand this signalled a npressure was reduceand animal communitrestored. Now wildlifeFrom the golden eagptarmigan of the highgrouse, small pearl-band dragonflies of thethere is much to see more closely and yourare alpine speedwelhawkweeds as well atrees.

1

1

Loch

Lag

gan

To Fort William

Creag Mhr

Moy CorrieAn Cearcallach

Meall CoireChoillearais

PuistCoirerdair

Srn aGhoire

CoireChrannaig

Na Cnapanan

Aberarder Forest

Meall ant-Snaim

Carn Liath

Srn a Gharbh Choire

Am Meall

Co

ire

Choillearais

Cre

ag

Tha

rsain

n

CoireChom

hars

ain

Creag

Bheag

24

5

6

Our suggestedwalk is along thered dotted line,the numberedstops 1 to 6 pointout what you cansee from thewalk.

K

Aberarder

3


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g Meagaidh, in the heart ofHighlands, is well known as at high-level walk with its threeros. The route we have featureds challenging, but the walk fromhores of Loch Laggan into thenificent Coire Ardair gives you aeel for its natural highlights.walk starts on the flat land whereurns flowing from Creag MeagaidhLoch Laggan. This would have valuable farmland to past human

bitants, and we are cultivatingelds again, sowing conservation

s to provide a winter food sourcearmland birds such as chaffinch,bling, linnet and twite. The alder along the river here are some of

Reserves oldest inhabitants andgrown here for hundreds of years.out for large flocks of siskin and

olls feeding on alder cones andvisiting our bird feeding station.

As the path climbs higher, beyondthe Reserve base at Aberarder, youpass through a thriving young birchwoodland. Birch trees can live to 80 or100 years but most of these are muchyounger. They date from the time thatCreag Meagaidh became a NationalNature Reserve. In past times the birchwoods would have cloaked much ofthe lower slopes of the hills here, andwe are trying to restore them to theirformer glory. The woods are a summerhome to willow warblers and tree pipitsand plants like wood cranesbill and

globeflower grow among their shelter.As summer gives way to autumn andwinter the birches provide colour their leaves changing to gold and thendropping off to reveal bare purple twigs.

Birch woodland gives way to openmoorland, and in autumn the russethues of heather and deer grass addcolour to any walk. This zone, wherewoodland meets moor, is the favouriteplace for the beautiful black grouse.Numbers of black grouse here havebeen increasing as their habitatexpands and you can see them roostingin birch trees. In spring time they gatheron traditional courtship areas, or leks,where males compete for the chanceto breed with hen grouse. Be sure toplan a visit in the spring to see this

spectacle. In autumn the rowan treeswill be laden with berries look out formigrant thrushes such as fieldfares andredwing, as well as our locally breedingring ouzels. These migrants will be fillingup before heading for the mountains ofNorth Africa to spend the winter.

1Regeneration has seenthe return of mixedwoodland communitiesto the area.

2Siskin feeding on alder.

3The zone between woodand moor changesgradually and isimportant for wildlife.

4The spectacular blackgrouse is a resident onthis popular Reserve.

2 3

3


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Creag Meagaidh NNR lies roughlyhalf-way between Fort William andNewtonmore on the A86 by LochLaggan. The reserve is open all year.There are toilets, a picnic area, car parkand trails for different abilities.

OS maps

Explorer 401 (Loch Laggan & CreagMeagaidh)Landranger 42 (Glen Garry & LochRannoch)

Trail lengthsWaymarked trails make it easyto explore Creag Meagaidh. TheAlderwood Trail is suitable for allabilities. Situated next to the car parkand about 1.1km or 0.7miles long thisis a superb place to see alder trees andowls, redpolls and siskins are residenthere. Allow 30 minutes.

The Allt Dubh Trail takes you to theedge of the hill land where you canglimpse great views of the reserve.There is a poem by Sorley MacLeancarved into stones by the path.Surfaces are good but there are somesteep steps and slopes and stoutfootwear is essential. 1.8 km or 1.1miles long, please allow about one hour.

The An Sidehean Trail is1km or 0.6

miles long, and skirts the fields you cansee from the car park. Watch for blackgrouse and woodcock along the way.You may see Highland cattle too as weplough and farm these fields, keepingthe environment close to what it wouldhave been like when people farmed thisland.

TerrainThe walks are on hard surfaces, but

there are some steepsteps involved. Youllwalking shoes, and wwaterproofs.

DogsPlease follow the ScoAccess Code and loc

the reserve. Please keunder close control oat sensitive times andnotices you see. A shto be two metres, andcontrol means that threspond to your comclose at heel.

Nearby natural aHeading from the resWilliam you will have to visit Glen Roy. Travpeople alike have lonby the Parallel Roadswhich are striking horhillsides of Glen Roy,Glen Spean. In the 19Parallel Roads attractmany of the foundinggeology, including theBuckland, James GeiDarwin, Charles LyellPrestwich. This intere

the Parallel Roads, anparticular, featured prdevelopment of geolo

Further informatYou can contact SNH544265. You can alsleaflet about the resescotland.org.uk/creapublications

g Meagaidh is a good place tothe bigger birds of mountain andrland. Look out for ravens soaringin search of deer carrion and listenor their prukpruk call. Goldenes nest on the rocky crags ofg Meagaidh, and, as for ravens,carrion is an important source

od for them in winter. In Februaryagles start breeding, and will be

ing up their nests in preparation.

Red deer are the most common deeron Creag Meagaidh and keeping thenumbers in balance with woodlandregeneration is the main managementwe need to carry out. In the summer thedeer tend to graze the higher groundon the Reserve, while in the winterthey come down to the woods and lowground for shelter. During the autumnthe stags challenge each other for the

right to mate with the hinds, and theirbellowing roars over open hillsides areone of the most exciting sounds of theScottish autumn.

Eventually the path reaches CoireArdair. This dramatic horseshoe ofsheer cliffs was carved during the lastice age by a huge glacier. Its toweringcliffs are in shade for most of thewinter and attract hordes of intrepidice climbers in cold weather. The shadysecurity of the crags shelters specialplants such as alpine speedwell andrare mountain willows.

Essential information

5Stunning Coire Ardairis one the mostimpressive features onthe Creag MeagaidhNational NatureReserve.

5 6


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ssils of the far north

small country, Scotland has aningly varied g eology. To celebrate

of Natural Scotland, we steppedin time to explore the fossils ofhness and Sutherland.alaeontologist Professor Nigelin of Aberdeen University talkedt our fossil heritage at theonmental Research Institute,so, and at Timespan, Helmsdale.e events were followed by fossils at Achanarras Quarry and

g the Helmsdale Coast. Professorins new book, Scottish Fossils,ust been published by Dunedin

demic Press.chanarras Quarry and the

msdale Coast are both geologicalof Special Scientific Interest.

anarras is a disused Caithnesstone quarry and world renowneds well-preserved fish of Middleonian age (c.385 million years

The Helmsdale Coast in easterland is important for its fossilisedne creatures from the Jurassicd (c.150 million years ago).

Over 50 people attended theoor events. A number of different fish species were found

chanarras and a sunny walkg Helmsdale beach at low tidealed fossil corals, belemnites andonites.

In search of Orkneys Big 5

Scotlands Big 5 has been a flagshipcampaign in Year of Natural Scotland.

As part of our celebrations in Orkney,we were keen to give our wildlife thefame it deserves by putting our own fivespecial species in the limelight.

Area staff chose their top five forOrkney and then promoted these atlocal events: hen harrier, fulmar, Scottish primrose (Primula scotica), curlew, seals.

Although we thought our fivespecies would be strong candidates asOrkneys Big 5, we wanted to get localfolk involved in choosing a final Big 5for the islands.

At Orkneys County Show we askedthe public to vote for their favourite fivefrom amongst our range of stunningwildlife. This sparked a lively debate anda steady stream of people filling in theirvoting cards.

After the show a grand total of1,191 votes were recorded and these

were for over 120 different species!The final Big 5 was announced at

the Orkney Science Festival in earlySeptember and the chosen five were,in order of popularity; seal, puffin, henharrier, Scottish primrose (Primulascotica), and curlew.

The sounds of Shetland

At the beginning of June a crowdof people gathered in the darkened

auditorium of Shetlands new arts venueMareel and sat or lay on the floorin silence while weird and wonderfulnatural sounds including stridulatingants, drumming snipe and poppingpistol shrimps played all around.

This free public event was theculmination of a three-day sound-recording course led by ChrisWatson and funded by SNH as partof our celebrations of Year of NaturalScotland. Chris Watson is a leader inhis field and his work has won BAFTAsfor a number of David Attenboroughseries. He was also a founding memberof seminal electro-pop band CabaretVoltaire!

As well as being impressed bythe state-of-the-art sound facilities atMareel, Chris was also taken by thelack of noise pollution in Shetland,something he said was exceptional inthe UK.

The sound course and performancewas the first of a host of events in

Shetland as part of Year of NaturalScotland, including the highlysuccessful Shetland Nature Festivalheld in the first week of July.

NH Area Newsrthern Isles and North Highlandspondents: Karen Reid, Christine Skene, Juan Brown

Local surveys

A major volunteer recording project,supported by an SNH grant and

co-ordinated by the Forth Naturalistand Historian (FNH), is documentingchanges over time in the biodiversityof the Forth Valley area. FNH wasfounded in 1975 and aims to promoteunderstanding of the natural andcultural heritage of the area.

FNH publishes a journal and is arepository for biological records. The2013 What's Changed project hasbeen repeating surveys published inearlier volumes to see how things havechanged.

Eight surveys are being undertaken,including monitoring changes in gianthogweed populations along the AllanWater; pond ecology at Tailend Moss;sticky catchfly on cliff ledges in theOchil Hills; and hoverflies of the Stirlingarea.

Surveys have been led by localorganisations including Stirling CouncilRanger Service, Buglife Scotland andStirling University Nature Society. Eachsurvey has involved training volunteers

from students to retirees. Thousandsof records have been collected andwill be made available on the NationalBiodiversity Network.

The results of these surveys will bedisplayed at the FNH Conference on16 November which all are welcome toattend. See http://ow.ly/oJfzl for moreinformation.

Fifes knitted nature

To mark Year of Natural Scotland, Fifesrich natural heritage is being celebrated

through an ambitious knitting project.Bringing together knitters fromacross the county, the project isthe result of collaboration betweenmembers of Fife Councils BiodiversityTeam and staff at SNHs Cupar office.

From a list of animals, plants,birds, fungi and invertebrates whichare iconic, threatened, or play animportant role in Fife, the talentedgroup produced some wonderful items,everything from earthworms to dolphins,fly agaric toadstools to seaweed. Great-crested newts, bluebells and kingfishersalso feature.

Launched in May, the knitted plantsand animals are now on tour aroundthe Kingdom. Theyve already appearedat the Fife show and landed at theEarthship visitor centre in Kinghorn.They have served as clues in a treasuretrail at Tentsmuir National NatureReserves Open Day and sailed acrossto the Isle of May for a Year of NaturalScotland Arts Festival.

Everywhere they go, theyattract plenty of attention, providingopportunities to raise awareness ofFifes non-knitted nature!

If youd like to see more of theknitted plants and animals, check outthe photos on Fifes Knitted NatureFacebook page.

SNH Area NewsForthCorrespondents: Sarah Eaton, Caroline Crawford, Dave Pickett

May opportun

The Isle of May Natiois well known as a sp

see seabirds and seaThe islands intere

there, however, as it acultural and historica5,000 or so years it hmonks, pilgrims, fisheand even smugglers.

Perhaps the mostof the islands historyScotlands first ever lBeacon built in 163island, while the mainresembles a castle, wthe early 19th centuryengineer Robert Stev

Another interest isfoghorn system, whiccentral engine room vto two large foghornsthe island.

You can view the buildings at any time, September these andincluding a smaller ligkeepers cottages, are

the public for the daycontribution to Fife D

Follow the Isle of details of the 2014 e


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re than bricks and mortar

ish Mill, nestled within thewoods of Taynish National Nature

erve by the shores of Loch Sween,been given a new lease of life.oration work using traditional limear to stabilise the stonework hasbeen completed and the Reserveare considering how to use the

and tell the story of Taynishsple and wildlife.t present it has no roof, butestions to use this magical space

n interpretation area have beene. If you have any ideas on this,love to hear them. Email yourestions to [email protected] mill has a long history and ismentioned in 1724 in an obligatione MacNeills Taynish estate. Thisr-powered mill was a hub of activityworking years and continues tohub with a different nature in theent day.he Mill attracts a wide variety ofies including dragonflies suche Highland darter which bask inhine on the stonework of the Mill.

ent visitors to the Mill have alsoded otters. Go to our websiteew images of before and afteroration. www.nnr-scotland.org.uk/ish.

Machair fun day

SNH staff in Uist celebrated Year ofNatural Scotland (YNS) with a Machair

Fun Day at Lionacleit, Benbecula. Therewas a scavenger hunt, a guided walk, aBig 5 Vote, a sand castle competition,face painting, story-telling and craftsession, tours around the SustainableUibhist garden, an ice-cream van andbarbeque.

Nets and insect boxes wereprovided for the scavenger hunt wewere so impressed with the rangeof mini-beasts the children caught,including belted beauty caterpillar,great yellow bumblebee and even adragonfly! Highlights from the guidedwalk were the six-spot burnet moth (avivid day-flying moth), and a group ofpyramidal orchids.

The local library ran one of theirpopular story-telling and craft sessionsas part of their YNS celebrations. Theycovered a different wildlife theme eachweek during the school holidays.

We had perfect weather for theday, there was a good turnout andeveryone enjoyed themselves. We

would like to thank all those whosupported us including: the library staff;Maria Scholten (community garden);Brannigans face painting; the Barraice-cream van; the Dark Island Hotel;and Stephen Peteranna and AndrewMacKinnon, who gave us permission touse their land.

NH Area News

spondents: Mags Russell , Stan Phillips, Johanne Ferguson

Bryophyte bliss on BBC

With the visual extravaganza of oursummer machair flowers fresh in the

memory, its easy to forget that our oldoak woodlands on the west coast arehome to a huge diversity of less wellknown species of plants.

Mosses, liverworts and lichenscarpet the ground, rocks and trees inthese woodlands, forming one of themost diverse places on the planet forthese plants.

This was the key message of aBBC Landward programme beingfilmed in Kintyre.

Operations Officer Stan Phillipsdiscussed the rich moss and liverwortflora of Claonaig Wood, on the eastcoast of Kintyre, with Landwardpresenter Dougie Vipond.

scottish national heritage - the nature of scotland autumnwinter2013issue_18

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