Documenti di Didattica
Documenti di Professioni
Documenti di Cultura
uk
Simple pleasures
A new challenge
Hen harriers
Orkney success story
Corrieshalloch
Bridge with a view
Contents
Features
10 Corrie high spot
Spanning Scotlands most
impressive gorge
32
50
16
60
28
Regulars
Where we are
SNH contact details
Welcome
Wild calendar
Where to go and what to see this
spring and summer
18 News
24 Inspired by nature
Show and tell
whats inspired you?
30 Dualchas coitcheann
/Common heritage
Linking language and environment
36 Reserve focus
Discover Beinn Eighe NNR
42 Area news
Reports from round the country
64 Mailing list
Make sure you
always receive a copy
www.snh.gov.uk
Credits
The Nature of Scotland
The Magazine of Scottish Natural Heritage
Issue Number 15 Spring / Summer 2012
Published twice per year
SNH 2012
ISSN 1350 309X
Where we are
Area offices
Forth
The Beta Centre,
Innovation Park,
University of Stirling,
Stirling FK9 4NF
Tel. 01786 450 362
Corporate
headquarters
Forth
Silvan House,
3rd Floor East,
231 Corstorphine Road,
Edinburgh EH12 7AT
Tel. 0131 316 2600
Southern Scotland
Carmont House,
The Crichton,
Bankend Road,
Dumfries DG1 4ZF
Tel. 01387 247 010
Northern Isles
& North Highland
Ground Floor,
Stewart Building,
Alexandra Wharf,
Lerwick,
Shetland ZE1 0LL
Tel. 01595 693 345
Northern Isles
& North Highland
The Links,
Golspie Business Park,
Golspie,
Sutherland KW10 6UB
Tel. 01408 634 063
South Highland
Fodderty Way,
Dingwall Business Park,
Dingwall IV15 9XB
Tel. 01349 865 333
South Highland
The Governors House,
The Parade, Fort William,
Inverness-shire PH33 6BA
Tel. 01397 704 716
Tayside & Grampian
Battleby, Redgorton,
Perth PH1 3EW
Tel. 01738 444 177
Tayside & Grampian
Inverdee House,
Baxter Street,
Torry,
Aberdeen AB11 9QA
Tel. 01224 266 500
Argyll & Outer Hebrides
32 Francis Street,
Stornoway,
Isle of Lewis HS1 2ND
Tel. 01851 705 258
Welcome
Ian Jardine
Chief Executive
Scottish Natural Heritage
Wild calendar
Kenny Taylor gives
some seasonal
tips for savouring
Scottish wildlife
and landscapes
Ponder a pond
Spring
Green resistance
www.snh.gov.uk
Summer
Summer
Peek at a puffin
Perhaps its the bright beakware and the tangerine-coloured feet that do it. Maybe its the rounded
features and the serious look in the forward-facing eyes. Whatever the reasons, one thing is certain:
people like puffins.
But although many are familiar with the name and the image, far fewer have managed to see a
puffin on its home ground (or water). In summer, that could be on one of the many Scottish islands
where puffins breed, or at a few mainland sites.
Puffinries are often tricky to reach (think of St Kilda and youll get the picture), but some have easier
access. Those include Lunga, on the Treshnish Islands, off Mull, and the National Nature Reserves at
Hermaness and Noss on Shetland all places where the local puffins are fairly relaxed about people.
On the Isle of May NNR another major, much-visited colony the puffins are often more wary.
A golden rule of puffin watching is not to spend too long beside one group. Look, enjoy, then move
on, and youll help to keep the colony healthy.
Web tip: visit.shetland.org/bird-watching
www.snh.gov.uk
Sea of flowers
Machair. The Gaelic word has a throat-clearing sound in the
core of it. But the real thing, where a grassy plain stretches
inland from an Atlantic-facing beach, can be soft as a
summer breeze.
Quite simply, theres nowhere finer in the whole of Britain
and Ireland to enjoy flower-rich pastures and the birds and
insects linked to them. Generations of low-intensity farming
on the machair along parts of the Scottish west coast and
in the Hebrides have produced land that is a boon for plants
and wildlife.
Machairs fertility comes from windblown shell sand. Its
enduring quality comes from traditional grazing by crofters
Summer
www.snh.gov.uk
1
The famous old
suspension bridge at
Corrieshalloch was
taken back to a near
skeleton stage as part
of a major overhaul.
www.snh.gov.uk
11
2
The scale of the
wonderful Falls of
Measach as seen from
the ever popular
viewing platform.
3
Corrieshalloch Gorge
is both steep and
narrow; a classic
box-canyon.
12
www.snh.gov.uk
13
14
1
Getting outside can be
a great family activity.
2
Simple pleasures in
the great outdoors
fun at any age.
15
A sense of purpose
Theresa was keen to explain the logic
behind the calendar. Evidence shows
that people who write things down,
such as keeping food and exercise
diaries when trying to lose weight
or training for an event, have more
success than those who dont. This
explains why this year were trying the
tick-off chart in our dangle books to
see if people find it motivational.
Every month you aim to add at
least four ticks as you try to reach a
grand total of 52 or more for the whole
year. It would be great if such a simple
idea caught on. Weve done a lot of
promotion around Biodiversity Week
this year too, said Theresa. Once
people have sampled a fun event, we
hope theyll be inspired to take on the
Take time out with nature challenge
for the rest of the year using the bag
dangle book as inspiration.
Getting outdoors really doesnt
need to be a big adventure requiring
lots of planning or buying of serious
equipment. In fact, the hope is that
most people will absorb getting out and
about into their daily lives. If youre just
heading out for a quick half-hour, take
your coat and your bag and go as you
are. It could be walking to work, visiting
16
3
The dangle books are
intended to provide
inspiration and a raft of
ideas.
4
Spring and summer
bring a host of natural
new experiences to
inspire young and old.
5
Getting outdoors
doesnt need to involve
expensive equipment
or planning and it
can be really good fun.
www.snh.gov.uk
17
NEWS
Northern sights
A stretch of woods in the Highlands contains what is likely to be the UKs most
northerly population of the scarce Natterers bat.
A survey by Lyn Wells, part-funded by SNH, took in the 93-hectare oak wood
at Ledmore Wood on the Dornoch Firth in Sutherland last year and found soprano
pipistrelle, common pipistrelle, Daubentons bat and the scarce Natterers bat.
The area is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of
Conservation for its impressive mature oak woodland habitat.
It is considered to be high-value habitat for bats due to the gnarled nature
of the oak trees which provide nooks and crevices used by roosting bats.
The mature woodland canopy and the woodland plants support an abundance
of moths and spiders which also supplies excellent foraging potential for bats.
Lyn confirmed: This constitutes the first record for Natterers bat in Sutherland
and it is currently the most northerly UK location by around four kilometres.
This makes it an exciting discovery and further voluntary survey work this summer
may help us to gauge how this scarce bat species is using this terrific old oak
woodland site.
A special digital bat detector was used at Ledmore oak wood to clinch the
identification of the Natterers bat, as its quiet high-frequency ultrasonic calls are
often difficult to detect.
Lesley Cranna, SNHs Northern Isles and North Highland area manager,
added: This work shows that the area is important for bats. Further survey effort
will give us more information on how they are using Ledmore Wood and if they
are breeding.
Furthermore this project provides us with information which allows us to
monitor future changes to bat populations. Factors such as climate change may
affect their distribution.
Meanwhile, a bat survey carried out by the same surveyors and also funded by
SNH suggests that Daubentons bats a species typically associated with water
may roost at Silver Rock near Golspie, Sutherland.
18
www.snh.gov.uk
NEWS
19
NEWS
Caught on camera
Motion-sensitive cameras are being used in Glen
Nevis, near Fort William, to try and discover more
about the wildlife that lives there.
Staff from the John Muir Trust and Highland
Council are using the cameras in a bid to regularly
capture images of some of the glens more elusive
creatures such as pine marten, otter and golden
eagle.
Glen Nevis is a popular spot with the public
and already the local junior ranger group is
benefitting, with youngsters capturing images
of the bird life around the Glen Nevis visitor
centre.
The cameras should give us a better idea of
the species present in the Steall Gorge in the glen
Lrach-ln r do Dhualchas
Ndair na h-Alba
An robh fios agad gun tinig an ainm Beurla
ptarmigan bhon Ghidhlig trmachan? Tha
an dlth-cheangal eadar a Ghidhlig agus ar
dualchas ndarra air a thaisbeanadh anns an
lrach-ln r seo bho Dualchas Ndair na h-Alba.
A bharrachd air na Faclan Ndair, an str-dta
de dhfhaclan Gidhlig ceangailte ri ndair, tha trr
ri ionnsachadh mu dheidhinn gnithean, rainnean
agus cruthan-tre agus meal na dealbhan alainn
ri fhaighinn air an lrach. Rannsaich iteachan
diofraichte far am faodar tadhail gus am blr
a-muigh a mhealtainn is dhfhaodadh gu bheil
cuid de na h-iteachan morbhailteach seo air do
stairsnich fhin!
Tha foillsichidhean agus goireasan foghlaim
Gidhlig agus d-chnanach ri fhaighinn air
loidhne no faodaidh tu rdugh a chur a-staigh.
Ma tha thu nad fhileantach no ma tha thu ag
ionnsachadh Gidhlig agus idh agad ann an
dualchas ndarra carson nach tadhal thu air
ar lrach-ln Ghidhlig r aig www.snh.gov.uk/
gaelic
20
BBCs Landward programme and a group of volunteers from the British Trust for Conservation
Volunteers (BTCV) were among the first visitors as the 2012 season got underway at Isle of May,
National Nature Reserve.
Landwards Dougie Vipond visited the island to help out the BTCV volunteers for a segment
screened in late April. Dougie and the volunteers were hard at work building tern nesting platforms,
re-building a boardwalk, cleaning the beach, and painting the visitor centre.
In spring and summer, the islands cliffs are covered with kittiwakes, razorbills, guillemots and
shags. Thousands of burrow-nesting puffins can be seen inland, and over 250 bird species have been
recorded on the island.
David Pickett, SNHs Isle of May reserve manager, said: The island is such a magical place and
visitors love it; I think the island is one of the most amazing wildlife spots in Scotland. Im lucky enough
to live here for a good part of the year, and I love welcoming people out here. Were so grateful to
the BTCV volunteers. They had a jam-packed weekend and, as a result, the island was in ship-shape
condition for visitors.
Anna Dennis, Volunteer Development Officer at BTCV, added: Our volunteers look forward to
helping out in such a fabulous location and making sure visitors get to see it at its very best.
BTCV works tirelessly, and often very quietly, improving green space right across the UK so we
were really pleased to able to show Landwards viewers the difference our volunteers make.
SNH welcomes boat trips to the island from April until the end of September. We do not charge for
visiting, although there is a charge for the boat trip out to the island. The island has a visitor centre and
marked paths which help guide people round this fabulous nature reserve.
You can find out how to visit the Isle of May NNR by going to www.nnr-scotland.org.uk/
isle-of-may/visiting
www.snh.gov.uk
NEWS
21
Where will Scotlands Great Trails take you this spring and summer? With
three new additions to the family of routes you've got plenty to choose from!
22
1
The Great Glen Canoe
Trail offers a unique
trail experience linking
east and west coasts.
2
Enjoying the view of
Bonnington Linn on the
Clyde Walkway.
www.snh.gov.uk
23
Inspired by nature
Thanks for another great response to our request for images and stories of wild
encounters. We received some fine submissions again, and below are some of the
entries that weve selected. Please keep them coming.
1
24
1 Common crossbill
25
Wild Plant
Horizons
Scotland aims to provide a better
future for our native plants and
fungi, and there are signs that
actions being taken now might
reap long-term benefits.
26
1
The striking lesser
butterfly orchid
(Platanthera bifolia)
growing in a meadow
near Kirriemuir.
2
Ali Murfitt Natural
Talent Apprentice out
in the field surveying
grassland.
www.snh.gov.uk
27
28
Without plants
there is no life
our survival depends
on plants.
www.snh.gov.uk
29
Dualchas coitcheann
Common heritage
30
A life-saver
The silverweed is known as brisgean (BREESH-kun, brittle one) in Gaelic, referring to its roots
which were widely used as a foodstuff in Scotland over a very long time (it might well have been in use
continuously from Mesolithic times into the modern age). Despite being viewed as a fairy food, it was
indispensable to humans at times of food shortage. Victims of clearance, particularly in the islands of
the west where its one of the common machair plants sometimes survived near the shore for a
period on silverweed and shellfish.
Its remembered in Gaelic tradition as Blessed silverweed of the spring, the seventh bread of the
Gael, as it was regularly eaten in spring when food supplies were running low. The root was powdered
to make bread (the other six breads probably being oat, barley, rye, pease, wheat and gingerbread) or
porridge. The root was also boiled (sometimes with sugar), roasted or singed above peat embers.
Some people liken the flavour to nuts, others to parsnip. Like some of the tribes of the Pacific North
West of North America, the Gaels sometimes, in the days before the introduction of the potato, grew
silverweed like a crop. Under these circumstances, the plant grows larger than normal, both above and
below the ground.
www.snh.gov.uk
31
Walking back
to health
Five years ago the Cairngorms
Outdoor Access Trust expanded the
Walking to Health programme to cover
the Cairngorms National Park and
surrounding area. The results have been
spectacular.
32
1
Getting out and about
in the sunshine with
the Ballater Walking to
Health group on their
weekly outing this
spring.
2
For many in the group
having others to enjoy
the outdoors with is a
huge bonus.
www.snh.gov.uk
33
these walks are in the immediate vicinity of Ballater, but as confidence has grown
they now occasionally spread their wings a little farther, for example to nearby
Dinnet. The walks always end with a cup of tea and a chat; its a social as well as
a physical experience.
There is huge value in the social network the groups create. The walks
become a shared experience and so many of our walkers say that it is easier to
both start off walking in a group and keep attending if they remain in a group.
Often they feel that they make strong friendships this way and there is a
sense of shared purpose and enjoyment.
We keep statistics on the numbers coming along to all of our walks and
recently evaluated our programme. We ran over 1,000 health walks between
April 2011 and March 2012 and each week we reckon we had an average
of 230 walkers join in.
One of the lasting benefits is that we have trained 60 Walk Leaders since
2006 and this has helped us greatly in expanding the reach of the project.
The project provides the formal training, support meetings and walk equipment
to support the recruitment and development of the volunteer leaders.
Patsy and Martin Reynolds are two of the volunteer walk leaders and they
enthuse about the programme and want to see it thrive. What I see is a group
of people walking together in beautiful surroundings, enjoying their walk, the
company, and their ability now to walk farther than when they joined, said Patsy
and all we have to do as leaders is make that possible.
Cairngorms Walking to Health project started life in 2004 as a community
health and learning initiative. It is a low-cost scheme at just 30,000 to deliver
annually, which equals a spend of approximately 140 per walker.
34
The project now sits under Cairngorms Outdoor Access Trust leadership,
which seeks to maintain and develop the suite of health walks whilst supporting
the upgrade and development of local paths between communities for the benefit
of locals and visitors alike.
There is no doubt that the scheme can increase participants physical fitness
and therefore their general health. What is now becoming increasingly evident
are the social benefits of walking as part of group. As well as the valuable social
company there is a growing belief that being in a group motivates many to keep
attending.
Recently Alan has noted comments such as When I am walking on my own
I am just walking. With the group youve got the company there and you have a
laugh. You talk about various different things and share experiences.
It makes it more interesting.
Another enthusiastic walker explained Its good to have a regular walking
date each week, because if theres a set day and time it makes me go on the walk.
I might otherwise find other things to do.
Scotland has on occasion been referred to as the sick man of Europe. It was
a title nobody could be anything but disappointed with. The COAT initiative is
a good example of how national issues are being tackled at a local level for the
benefit of individuals and communities.
Funded by the Cairngorms National Park Authority, Scottish Natural Heritage,
Paths for All Partnership and both the Cairngorms and Rural Aberdeenshire
LEADER Programmes, this project looks set to deliver lasting benefits for some
time to come.
www.cairngormsoutdooraccess.org.uk
www.snh.gov.uk
3
The walks enable
locals to forge lasting
friendships whilst
finding a shared
purpose and
enjoyment.
4
Beyond the walks
themselves, the
project works to
promote access
awareness and interest
through production of
path leaflets,
information boards,
the local press and
websites.
35
Reserve focus
Britains oldest National
Nature Reserve, Beinn
Eighe covers a great
swathe of remote and
rugged ground in Wester
Ross. Here you can
explore an extensive
trails network offering
something for everyone.
36
1
The view of the
quartzite peaks of
Beinn Eighe from the
pine woods near
Kinlochewe.
Coille na Glas-Leitir
4
Key
2
Limited parking
Picnic area
32
Woodland trail
A8
Loch Maree
www.snh.gov.uk
kilometres
miles
37
1
As you follow the footpath up through
the wood, pause at stopping point 2.
Now youre close to the first of the tall
pines along the trail. Scots pine is the
worlds most widespread cone-bearing
tree, as familiar to someone in Siberia
as it is to someone in Scotland. But
the Scots pines here in their namesake
country are special. Theyve developed
in a climate that is much more moist,
thanks to ocean-driven rain, than that
on the continent.
38
2
You can pause at stopping point 4 and
rest at the bench. The trees near here
are young, but as you look around there
are also many older, broad-crowned
Scots pines. Some of these grew as
seedlings when the ground was bared
after severe fires that destroyed many
trees more than 300 years ago. More
recently, in pine lifetime terms, many
trees in this part of the wood were
felled in the 1940s. Royal Pioneer
Corps lumberjacks from Newfoundland
(then still linked to Britain, later part of
Canada) did the felling towards the end
of the Second World War. The pine
timber was used to make ammunition
boxes.
2
Looking towards Loch
Maree from the
woodland trail, visitors
can see a range of
pines of different ages.
3
Many visitors take the
opportunity to pause
for a rest by the cairn at
the woodland trail high
point.
4
Rowan berries provide
a source of food for a
range of birds and the
elusive pine marten.
5
The dazzling great
spotted woodpecker
takes advantage of the
standing deadwood
seen along the trail.
6
The scarce northern
emerald is one of the
dragonflies visitors
might spot.
39
40
6
Look carefully at the bog at
point 11 and you could see
several different kinds of
sphagnum moss. Each has a
keynote colour, whether winered, buff or green. Pressed
together over centuries and
more, these mosses are the
raw material for peat. They
form a living skin at the bog
surface and hold tiny life forms
within their cells. More obvious
creatures are the dragonflies
(some scarce, such as the
northern emerald) that patrol
Beinn Eighes bogs. Our high
rainfall on the west coast helps
these bogs thrive, and it also
makes the west coast native
woods different to the drier
forests of the east. Those in the
west have many more moistureloving plants, such as mosses,
to soften their tree shapes.
Essential information
Beinn Eighe NNR lies at the southern end of Loch Maree in Wester Ross, near
the village of Kinlochewe. You can reach it from both the A832 and A896 roads.
The visitor centre is open from April to October, but the toilets and trails are open
all year round. Three all-abilities trails leave from the centre. The self-guided
woodland and mountain trails leave from the side of the A832.
OS maps
Trail length
Beginning at the lochside car park, the
Woodland Trail runs for roughly 1.5 km
upslope and back.
Terrain
The trail surface is rough and can be
muddy in places after rain. The trail
climbs to 100 metres and includes
some steep sections with rocky steps,
but its fairly easy to walk. There are
several benches along the route where
you can pause, rest and enjoy the view.
Dogs
Please follow the Scottish Outdoor
Access Code and local guidance at
the reserve. Keep dog(s) under close
control or on a short lead at sensitive
times and comply with any notices
you see. A short lead is taken to be
two metres, and under close control
means the dog responds to your
commands and is kept close at heel.
Further information
You can contact SNH on 01445
760 254. You can also download a
leaflet about the reserve at www.nnrscotland.org.uk/beinn-eighe/
Beinn Eighe is
one of 47 NNRs in
Scotland. Find out
more at www.nnrscotland.org.uk
www.snh.gov.uk
41
42
Citizen Science
www.snh.gov.uk
43
River volunteers
44
www.snh.gov.uk
45
Rockin at Knockan
46
Making connections
Quality grassland
Stalled Spaces
www.snh.gov.uk
47
More to enjoy
at Loch Lomond
Red squirrels at
Tentsmuir
Planning around
the Firth of Forth
48
Raptors
The latest title in our Naturally
Scottish series has just been
published. The subject
Raptors includes some of the
most iconic species to be found
in Scotland.
Golden eagle, osprey,
red kite and a host of other
impressive birds of prey are
featured in a booklet that gives
a marvellous insight into the
behaviour and appeal of these
wonderful birds.
Superbly illustrated by some
of Scotlands leading natural
history photographers, this 64
page publication is a welcome
addition to a series renowned
for its production values and the
clear, stimulating text.
Wildcats
Red squirrels
Print out
Naturally Scottish
Whales, Dolphins
and Porpoises
Nearly a quarter of the worlds
cetacean species are found in
Scotlands coastal waters. Rarely
seen, and poorly understood,
theyre among the most exciting
species that are naturally
Scottish.
Discover more about the
big four cetacean species
killer whale, minke whale,
bottlenose dolphin and porpoise
and the best places to watch
cetaceans around Scotlands
coasts.
www.snh.gov.uk
49
www.snh.gov.uk
51
1
Juvenile hen harrier.
2
The hen harrier is a
ground-nesting bird;
these youngsters were
photographed in a
moorland nest.
www.snh.gov.uk
53
54
3
The main prey for
Orkney hen harriers
like this stunning male
are Orkney voles,
skylarks, meadowpipits and rabbits.
4
The female hen harrier
is larger than the male
and predominantly
brown. It was known as
a ringtail because of
the distinctive white
ring around the tail
feathers.
Its wonderful
to see the Orkney
hen harrier
population thriving
www.snh.gov.uk
55
Dolphin-watching is
one of the most
engaging wildlife
spectacles in Scotland.
56
www.snh.gov.uk
57
Time to bring
John Muir home
John Muirs name and legacy looms large over the environmental landscape.
In a couple of years time it will be a century since one of Scotlands most
influential voices fell silent and Keith Geddes, chair of Central Scotland Green
Network, explains what plans are afoot to mark the occasion.
58
1
An aerial view of the
coast between
Belhaven and Dunbar.
John Muir was born in
Dunbar.
www.snh.gov.uk
59
Flower power
Slovenian style
1
60
Outstanding destination
Realising from past experience that mass tourism
development was not for them, the search was on for ways
to extend the tourist season into the quieter periods of the
year. Since it was the wild flowers, stunning mountains and
unique culture of the area which really made Bohinj stand
out as an Alpine holiday destination, the people of Bohinj
held their first ever Bohinj International Wild Flower Festival
in May 2007.
61
In the five years since the first Wild Flower Festival, this
event has indeed demonstrated that such events can extend
the viable tourism season. It has been so successful in fact,
that there is now an autumn Hiking Festival in Bohinj in late
September. This too is growing in popularity and becoming
known across Europe.
The main objective of the Wild Flower Festival has always
been To build a sustainable future for both people and
nature. Each year there is a different range of activities and
events which take place over a two week period during
the last week of May and first week of June. The Festival is
designed for both local people and visitors with activities
dispersed throughout the area to different villages and
venues.
The events are all designed to be entertaining and fun but
they also raise awareness of the natural riches of the region,
promoting a feeling of pride in the long alpine farming
heritage and the high quality of the countryside that this has
developed over thousands of years.
The events typically include folklore and traditional
activities like selling local produce and crafts, traditional
folk dancing, demonstrations of haymaking by hand,
making traditional wildflower bouquets and embroidery.
There are painting and photography exhibitions, musical
concerts, many activities especially for children and families,
culinary workshops and wild flower foods, illustrated
talks, workshops, seminars and a major annual Festival
Conference attracting international speakers and Slovene
Government Ministers.
62
1
Meadow flowers
during the Festival in
Bohinj.
2
Mountain avens (Dryas
octopetala).
3
Festival Workshop on
edible wild flowers.
4
Scree slopes above
Bohinj with Potentilla
nitida, known locally as
the Triglav rose.
5
Julian poppy (Papaver
alpinum subsp.
ernesti-mayeri) and
the mountains around
Bohinj.
www.snh.gov.uk
Title / Name
Title / Name
Organisation, if applicable
Organisation, if applicable
Previous address
New address
Town
Postcode
Town
Postcode
64
www.snh.gov.uk
Simple pleasures
A new challenge
Hen harriers
Orkney success story
Corrieshalloch
Bridge with a view