2019: A Big Butterfly Year

In 2019 I challenged myself to do a ‘big butterfly year’. A challenge, in which I wanted to see how many species of butterfly  I could see in Scotland in a whole season. I wanted to do this as I enjoy looking at butterflies and there were some species in Scotland that I have read about numerous times but never seen.

There are 35 breeding species of butterfly in Scotland, a few of which are quite scarce and rare. There also an additional 6 rare and extremely rare migratory butterflies that have been recorded in Scotland. My goal was to set out and see how many these butterflies that I could see in 2019. Coming across the extremely rare migratory species is a gamble, as you never know if one will turn up from one year to the next, so I set myself a reasonable target of seeing 25+ butterfly species for the year.

The first butterfly of the year was on the 25th February. It was an unseasonably warm day at St Cyrus NNR and as I got out of my van I saw this freshly emerged Peacock butterfly. It was a beauty and a nice way to start my big butterfly year!

I watched it as it fluttered around the cattle field at St Cyrus NNR, just about warm enough to fly. You can see from the photo what a stunning example it was! What a way to start my big butterfly challenge…

The next day I headed to Muir of Dinnet NNR with a friend for a look around in the hope of some more butterflies. It was 18 degrees in late February which was unusual and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the emerging butterflies that would inevitably be struck with normal cold, wet, early spring weather eventually! However, on this warm day we had 7 Peacock butterflies and another new species; 1 Small Tortoiseshell.

The next butterfly didn’t come until the 27th March at St Cyrus NNR. It was a stonking Green-veined White. Always one of the firsts to appear at the start of the year. After this date, a number of other species also started to appear around me! I was pleasantly surprised to have found an Orange Tip in my parents Garden on the 10th April. This was the first 2019 record north of the River Tay in Scotland! One of my favourite butterflies. This was also a species that was never recorded on St Cyrus NNR, until this year where the Reserve Manager managed to find a male on the transect. Sadly I was not on site that day, but there is always this year to find another one!

Red Admiral on Isle of May

I also started to see other butterflies on the wing in April. Red Admiral was seen throughout the month, but no doubt one of my favourite butterflies of all time; Green Hairstreak!

Slighty tatty Green Hairstreak

After work I met with Gus on 29th April in Deeside. During the day he phoned me excitedly telling me about the Green Hairstreaks he had flying all around him. This was a butterfly that I had wanted to see for a while, so I nipped over the hill and met him in the late afternoon. We started our walk and within 10 minutes we had seen dozens of Green Hairstreaks, it was fantastic! I reckon that we saw about 50 during the course of our short walk. Such stunning butterflies and surprisingly small! A true butterfly highlight that I will never forget.

Look at them! Immensely stunning

It wasn’t long until another new butterfly graced me with its presence…on the 10th May I got my first Small Copper of the year. Easily one of my favourite butterflies! I had a lovely fresh individual on the dunes at Easthaven in Angus. Absolute stonkers…

Small Copper

The day after my first small copper, I had my first small heath at St Cyrus NNR – a butterfly that is very abundant on the reserve in summer.

Small Heath (Gus Routledge)

Then a couple of days after I got another new ‘lifer’ butterfly. A very scarce butterfly in Scotland. It was a beautiful Pearl-bordered fritillary. We also had heaps of Speckled Wood as well, another first for the year.

Pearl-bordered Fritillary, what a beauty!

On the 5th June, my first migratory butterfly flew into my periphery! In-fact, there were a decent arrival of them! Painted Lady’s on the Isle of May. Lovely butterflies.

Painted Lady, probably flown from southern Europe!

Then a couple of days later Jeremy and I headed to the west coast for a wardens football match and some lepidoptering. Our target was an extremely rare butterfly that is confined only to a small western area of Scotland, can you guess what it is? That’s right! It’s a chequered Skipper, my oh my what an absolute beauty!! The scenes when we found the first one, only to be followed by another 9 of them flying around! WHAT A DAY.

Chequered Skipper!

oooooft

I don’t think our team won a single match of football that day, but I didn’t mind, I saw those beauties! I then had some more brilliant butterfly action over the next couple of days. Gus and I had a good day around Speyside on 20th June. Dingy Skipper, Small Blue, Northern Brown Argus and some quality botany! The small blues were looking lovely, again this was the first time I had seen this species, absolutely amazing.

Northern Brown Argus

Small Blue – stunning!!

Dingy Skipper – maybe not the best looking butterfly, but super rare in Scotland!

Dingy Skipper are extremely rare in Scotland, although they might not be the best looking butterflies. Still nice to see! 🙂

It was getting later in the year, most of the butterflies I wanted to see I did see. There were just a few more left to see for the remainder of the year. I got Common Blue on 19th June at St Cyrus NNR, Dark Green Fritillary on the 22nd June at St Cyrus NNR, Grayling and Meadow Brown on 29th June at St Cyrus NNR, followed by Ringlet the day after.

Common Blue

Dark Green Fritillary

Grayling

A ringless Ringlet!

Another nice scarce butterfly I saw in late summer was Small Pearl Bordered Fritillary, absolutely stunning butterflies and another lifer for me!

Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries!

Beautifully marbled underwing

There were only two more butterflies that I saw in 2019; my first ever large heath in Perthshire on 15th July and one of the last butterflies to emerge; a Scotch Argus on 15th August!

In terms of butterflies that I missed, I didn’t see any of the characteristic southern species; Wall, White-letter Hairstreak and Small/Large Skipper. I also didn’t manage to see Purple Hairstreak, Mountain Ringlet, Marsh Fritillary and my most obvious missing butterfly….Comma!

In total I saw 25 species of butterfly in Scotland in 2019 and what a fantastic experience it was! I saw some beautiful species and I enjoyed recording and watching these amazing and charming insects with some good friends. I plan on looking for some Purple Hairstreaks in 2020 and enjoying all of the local butterflies around me.

Below are the species that I recorded in 2019;

Speckled Wood
Green Hairstreak
Pearl-bordered Fritillary
Dingy Skipper
Chequered Skipper
Small Blue
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary

Large Heath
Large White
Small White
Green-veined White
Orange Tip
Small Copper
Northern Brown Argus
Common Blue
Red Admiral
Painted Lady
Small Tortoiseshell
Peacock
Dark Green Fritillary
Grayling
Meadow Brown
Ringlet
Small Heath
Scotch Argus

I encourage all of you to get out when lockdown is over and hunt for some butterflies. It is a truly rewarding experience and any encounter of these amazing insects is a memorable one. So here is to the summer of 2020 and the butterflies that will grace us!

Cheers,

Simon

Northern Brown Argus

Wildlife in 2019

Well, 2019 has flown through and what a year it has been! Maybe even my best ‘wildlife year’ to date! I had a few trips planned to various places, and a season ahead to look forward to at St Cyrus NNR. It has been a fantastic year and I have seen many wildlife phenomenons and new species of bird, plant and butterfly! It is going to be hard to summarise all of the stunning wildlife that I have seen this year, so I will try my best to include most of my highlights….

Isle of May Bird Observatory

Ill start with spring. ‘Patch birding’ was the main event in late winter; returning Raven to St Cyrus NNR, Black-throated Diver, Red Kite and my first singing Skylarks on the 13th February. It’s nice to appreciate the common stuff on your local patch, some common things that you get elsewhere might be ‘patch megas’! More on that later….

I spent a bit of time on the Isle of May in mid-february, first bird of the year on the Island was a Lapwing, and this was the only record of lapwing on the Island all year! (Sorry Steely). During my short spell on the Island my highlights were Short-eared Owls, Pink-footed Geese, Stonechat and *Kumlien’s Gull*. This is was the first ever record of this Iceland Gull subspecies for the Island and is normally found in Arctic Canada.

I had also decided that in 2019, I was going to see how many species of butterfly I could see in Scotland in one season…I had my first butterfly on the 25th of February and that’s where it began. It was a freshly emerged Peacock at St Cyrus NNR and it was a noticeably warm and sunny day.

St Cyrus NNR

On the 21st of March, I received my first bird ‘lifer’ for the year… Gus and I headed to Findlater Castle near Portsoy to look for White-billed Diver. Thankfully after looking for an hour or so and slipping on my arse, we managed to pick out this massive diver with a humongous banana beak. Job done, what a stonker! We then headed to Troup head and watched all of the Gannets collecting nest material, what an experience!

Gannets at Troup Head

The next day myself and Gus were speakers at the North East Scotland Biodiversity Partnership seminar and we were both lucky enough to be presented with ‘Young Wildlife Champion Award’ for our involvement with conservation and wildlife in North-East Scotland.

It was truly an honour, we live in such a beautiful part of the world, why shouldn’t we promote and protect it. There were lots of amazing talks at the seminar and some truly inspiring young pioneers! The future is safe in the hands of these brilliant young people.

Gus and I with our trophies!

I started back at St Cyrus NNR as the seasonal warden in late march, it was great to be back and I was looking forward to the busy season ahead. Our summer migrants started arriving, and for me this is always an enjoyable part of the year. I always note the date of the first terns, martins, swallows and warblers arriving and it excites me for the anticipation of more unusual stuff arriving on our coasts during spring migration. I was enjoying looking at Raptors up the Angus Glens in April and also watching our breeding raven at St Cyrus. The first unusual bird to appear was a Black Redstart on the 28th April. Other notable April wildlife includes; seeing my first Moschatel (Adoxa moschatellina) plant which is a lovely, charismatic and locally scarce flower that grows in damp, wet areas. Gus, Jeremy and I also saw a cracking male Kentish Glory moth which was a first for all of us (I think) and my first ever Green Hairstreaks, which were astounding! 

Moschatel (Adoxa moschatellina)

Male Kentish Glory (STONKER)

Green Hairstreak

May then came along and what a month it was! It started with the Early-Purple Orchids (Orchis mascula) at St Cyrus. This is one of the key flowers that we count every year. Gus, Daniel and I also took a trip to Pennan to see Purple Saxifrage (Saxifraga oppositifolia), on that same day we also saw some other proper rare plants including Herb Paris (Paris quadrifolia).

 

Herb Paris

On the 12th May I was greeted in the St Cyrus NNR cattle field with a Hoopoe! Stunning birds… this one over-shot during its migration and landed in Aberdeenshire. I’ll never tire of admiring these exotic looking birds.

Hoopoe

Bizarrely a week later I had my first ever Bluethroat at Tangleha’ just north of St Cyrus, such an amazing moment! Absolutely stunning birds, I was so chuffed to finally find and see one.

Bluethroat at Tangleha’

Our Peregrines at St Cyrus also hatched 3 chicks in May, so I spent a lot of time admiring the adults hunting around the reserve and watching the chicks grow.

June started with another visit to the Isle of May; I seemed to time it well as we had some good birding! Marsh Warbler, Red-backed Shrike and 2 Icterine Warbler were the highlights, fantastic!

Icterine Warbler

Marsh Warbler

After I came off the Isle of May, I went on a wee trip with Jeremy. We went up to Glenfinnan and saw a rare butterfly called a chequered Skipper! What a beauty, I will let the pictures do the talking…

Stunning Chequered Skipper!

I will do another blog post soon about my big butterfly year and I will go into more detail!

A few days after I went and saw a rare wader from the taiga forests of siberia and north western europe. It was a Terek Sandpiper and it was an amazing bird! It had made landfall on the Ythan estuary, the Forvie reserve manager had found it and I stuck the news out after he sent me a message. Cracking bird, unfortunately I have no photos, so here is one from the internet…

Terek Sandpiper (c) Kuwaitbirds

Then on the 20th June, Gus and I had a fantastic wildlife filled day in Moray and Speyside! We were adding some butterfly species to our big year and I managed to get Dingy Skipper, which its only Scottish distribution is in isolated pockets to the north and west. Unfortunately Gus didn’t manage to see it (Sorry Rootledge). We also had my first ever Small Blues(!), as well as Northern Brown Argus, One-flowered Wintergreen (Moneses uniflora), Coralroot Orchid (Corallorhiza trifida), Lesser Twayblade (Neottia cordata), Heath-Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata), Small White Orchid (Pseudorchis alba), Lesser Butterfly Orchid (Platanthera bifolia), Twinflower (Linnaea borealis) and a Pine Marten running across the road!

Dingy Skipper

July came along and this included some more bird, plant and butterfly trips! On the 2nd of July, Jeremy and I went on a wildlife adventure that took us to the idyllic, picturesque lochs of….Glasgow. We managed to see a Blue-winged Teal at Frankfield Loch. We then went to a SSSI and saw my first Greater Butterfly Orchids. After that we went to Tentsmuir NNR to see some rare plants. We managed to see Twinflower, Seaside Centuary (Centauriam littorale) and Sea Pea (Lathyrus japonicus) (which is now my all time favourite plant). 

Sea Pea

Greater Butterfly Orchid

I then had another outing with Gus around highland Perthshire on 24th July. Some excellent highland birding and botanising. Black-throated Diver, Ring Ouzel, Whinchat and Wheatear. Marsh Helleborine (Epipactus palustris), Marsh-fragrant Orchid (Gymnadenia densiflora), Dark-red Helleborine (Epipactus atrorubens) and Bog Orchid (Hammarbya Paludosa)! We certainly have some wild days oot!

Marsh Helleborine

Heath-fragrant Orchid

Dark-red Helleborine

A few days later, I saw one of the rarest birds I have ever seen in Scotland. I got a boat out to the Isle of May and saw an Aquatic Warbler! It’s nearest breeding population is in eastern-europe, so it is an extremely rare vagrant to the east coast of Scotland and it was a pleasure to observe!

I spent a few days on the Isle of May in August, a few common migrants around and also some Fulmar ringing which was extremely entertaining and absolutely stinking…

Happy chappies ringing Fulmar!

Magic birds, even though they are humming….

As soon as I left the Isle of May, I headed for an epic road trip with Jeremy and Gus…we departed for the Island of Colonsay in the hope for some rare wildlife and it did not disappoint! I felt sorry for the Island, 3 loud blokes, squished together in the front of the van looking for wildlife in the rain. We certainly would have been a sight for sore eyes for any well-respected member of society. However, we ploutered on and as soon as we departed the ferry we were off to our first site in the pouring rain in true Scottish fashion. The first site proved a blank in our quest for our rare orchid, so we went to the second site. Hallelujah,  here it was, the moment we had all been waiting for….Irish Lady’s Tresses (Spiranthes romanzoffiana).

Irish Lady’s Tresses

This rare orchid is only found on a handful of sites in the British Isles and we were lucky we spotted them! Unfortunately, they were a little past it but still looked astonishing. We also had 6 Chough on this trip which were a lifer for Gus and I!

Autumn felt imminent when I had my first skein of 41 Pink-footed Geese over my head on the 2nd September. They then started flooding in over the course of September. Autumns birding was good on the patch with; Red-backed Shrike, Adult Sabine’s Gull, Yellow-browed Warbler and Sooty Shearwater!

St Cyrus Red-backed Shrike

October then came in and the birds took the forefront again! Apart from on the 4th October….Gus and I were doing some birding at Crawton which is his ‘patch’. When in sheer panic Gus told me that he had just spotted a LEATHERBACK SEA TURTLE. It took me 30 seconds or so but I managed to get on this beastly reptile! It was like a Jacuzzi floating in the North Sea, absolute scenes!! It then drifted off into the sunlight and we didn’t see it again, we were both absolutely in shock….

During the course of October, the birding was good. It started with White-tailed Eagle and Hobby in Fife. Some highlights through the month include; Lesser Whitethroat, Golden Eagle, 280 Whooper Swan, American Golden Plover, Short-eared Owl (In-off the North Sea), Yellow-browed Warbler, heaps of winter thrushes, Hen Harrier and a Snow Goose.

The latter of the list was extra special….Gus and I had the pleasure of going out with Michaela Strachan from BBC Autumnwatch to film Geese. Every year Gus and I head out in Autumn and look for rare geese as well as just enjoying the spectacle of Migration. The BBC liked the sound of this idea and got in touch with us, it all escalated from there and we had Michaela Strachan out on a ‘Wild Goose Chase’! It was an excellent day, but one thing that I certainly did not predict was finding a Blue Phase Snow Goose in the morning roost at Montrose Basin! Fantastic, and it was even caught on film!

Gus, me and Michaela!

Blue Phase Snow Goose

I then finished my wonderful Season at St Cyrus NNR on the 27th October, I had a fantastic season filled with many great memories and fantastic wildlife. I am looking forward to returning in April! In Summary, the 2019 season at St Cyrus highlights were; record count of Nottingham Catchfly (Silene nutans), Fantastic growing season, successful breeding Peregrine and Raven, brilliant butterfly surveys and birding plus much more!

Nottingham Catchfly

Clustered Bellflower (Campanula glomerata)

I then finished off my 2019 season on the Isle of May for 12 days. The birding was excellent! Woodcock galore, Siberian Chiffchaff, Glaucous Gull, Snow Bunting, Long-eared Owl, Pallas’ Warbler, Olive-backed Pipit (which I sadly never saw), Waxwing, Little Auk, Whimbrel, Little Grebe (Island rarity), Yellow-browed Warbler and Firecrest amongst much more! I then departed the Island and went straight to Musselburgh to see the White-winged Scoter and got some (very) distant views.

Isle of May Bird Observatory

To top it all off, I have just had an amazing weekend at the Scottish Ringers Conference with some pals! So in summary, 2019 has been absolutely mental! Great wildlife, fantastic season at St Cyrus and many memories made with good friends, isn’t that what it’s all about?

Who knows what the winter will bring and the 2020 summer season, I cannot wait!

Look out for an upcoming blog for more detail on my big butterfly year.

Peace x

Tales of the Wild Wood; Carrifran

After many months of discussion, Gus and I finally set out on one of our most anticipated trips of 2018; Carrifran Wild Wood. Carrifran is a site in the southern uplands of Scotland, in the Scottish Borders County. Carrifran Wild Wood is an on-going ecological restoration project which is looking at the establishment and expansion of native woodland and vegetation cover. This project is managed by the borders forest trust and was first established in 2000; it has been coming on leaps and bounds since.

One of the aims of the carrifran project is to create a natural woodland and montane ecosystem, similar to what was present around 6000 years ago. Sadly in the last 6000 years, human intervention has lead to the degredation and loss of many of our native woodland and upland habitats. This is from the introduction of sheep, grouse, farming and other factors such as the loss of our keystone predator species including the Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) and Wolf (Canis lupis). Currently, much of our uplands are ecologically barren with un-naturally high numbers of grazing species i.e sheep and deer. Mis-management of our uplands also play a massive factor in this issue as most of our uplands are managed for Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus scotica) which involves the systematic burning of heather which limits growth of any other species. Another factor is the introduction of sheep which munch and nibble at anything that tries to establish; this creates a unique habitat called MAMBA (Miles and Miles of Bugger All). Anyway, all of these factors ensure that much of our uplands are void of species rich vegetation and dense tree cover. However the Carrifran project is the total opposite from the current cultural traditions of our uplands. As soon as you arrive in the car park, you know you are somewhere special.

Looking North towards the back of the glen.

As you take your first steps into the glen you are greeted with a welcome site of rich vegetation and a plethora of establishing native trees; something that has become a bit of a scarcity in Scotland. Walking through the glen on the valley floor is a pleasant experience, on each side of you are hills which rise to around 600-750m. On these hills are expanses of established trees that are spreading upwards towards the tree-line. The main tree species that is dominating Carrifran currently is the Downy Birch (Betula pubescens). This pioneering tree species is normally the first to colonise woodland areas and has certainly made a mark in the Carrifran glen. Other tree species that are present in good numbers around the glen is; Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), Sessile Oak (Quercus petrea), Rowan (Sorbus acuparia), Ash (Fraxinus excelsior) Holly (Ilex aquifolium), Hazel (Corylus avellana), Alder (Alnus glutinosa) and Aspen (Populus tremula).

Looking up the hill to the west

 

Deeper into the Glen with the tree cover starting to thin out

A nice panoramic view looking south to the entrance of the Glen

To date, volunteers from the borders forest trust has planted over 500,000 trees in the glen. That’s a lot of hard work, but when you look at the ecological change that is occurring and the rich tree cover that is starting to develop, it is all worth it!

Trees and some ‘Tasty’ Vegetation

It is not only trees that are being planted; healthy woodland and montane ecosystems should also contain a shrub layer.  They have planted shrub vegetation at Carrifran most of which being different species of Willow (Salix) and Juniper (Juniperus communis). We identified 8 different species of Salix as we ascended up the corrie; Salix lapponum, S. herbacea, S. cinerea, S. caprea, S. myrsinifolia, S. viminalis, S. pentandra and S. aurita. In English names that is Downy, Dwarf, Grey, Goat, Tea-Leaved, Osier, Bay and Eared Willow. Quite a selection! Most of these will have been planted although I imagine Dwarf Willow (Salix herbacea) will have occurred naturally.

Downy Willow (Salix lapponum)

Dwarf Willow (Salix herbacea) with Crowberry  (Empetrum nigrum)   (c) Gus Routledge

For all you habitat enthusiasts out there as we walked from the Car Park up into the heart of the Glen and to the back corrie called Firthhope Rig we identified and passed through a number of NVC (National Vegetation Classification) type habitats. This included; Upland Oak-Birch Woodland (W11), Birch Woodland (W4), Juniper, Birch-Rowan Woodland (W19), General Upland Broad-leaved Woodland (W7 & W9) and my favourite which was the Upland Oak-Birch Woodland with Holly, Hazel and Juniper (W17).

Woodland!

How Glens should look…

As we ascended up the face of the corrie, we noticed a change in the vegetation under foot. We were currently walking through the species poor Molinia caerulea/Potentilla erecta (M25a) habitat. This was a grassy, ‘knolly’ habitat with little of flowering/vegetation interest, but then it started to transition into a more ‘dwarf shrub heath’ habitat with Vaccinium and Salix species starting to become more abundant. This was a welcome change as I wasn’t sure my knees and ankles could handle the grassy knolls anymore… this dwarf heath shrub is starting to succeed over the M25 habitat as the vegetation is being allowed to flourish now that large herbivores have been removed

The habitat starting to transition from (M25a) into a montane shrub later (c) Gus Rootledge

As we ascended to around 600m the trees disappeared and gave way to the ‘dwarf shrub heath’ habitat. Blaeberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), Cowberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea) and Crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) were more abundant here and provided a tasty snack while we ascended the 350m Corrie.

Cowberry ( Vaccinium vitis-idaea)

Firthhope Rig Corrie from Below (Notice the vegetation change half way up the hill)

As we stopped to have a rest near the top of the corrie, we noticed a peregrine that was having a tussle with another bird. This other bird was a Black-Headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) that happened to wander into the peregrines territory. This did not end well for the Black-Headed Gull and we got some amazing views of a peregrine hunting and capturing its prey. It then flew off into the distant with this dead gull hanging from its talons – isn’t nature cool af?

The lean, mean, black-headed gull killing machine

We then reached the top of the corrie and traversed along the corrie ridge looking at plants and vegetation along the way. The vegetation here was not as rich as further down the slopes but there were still some flowers to be spotted such as Starry Saxifrage (Saxifraga stellaris) and Thyme (Thymus polytrichus).

Some excellent vegetation!

Carrifran Glen

The heed of the Corrie

Thyme (Thymus polytrichus) growing at 750m

Downy Willow in the foreground and the Firthhope Waterfall in the background

 

Firthhope Waterfall

One thing that was very apparent as we reached the top of the corrie and worked our way south onto the Carrifran Gans at 750/800m was the wind! It was gusting around 90-100mph and at one point the waterfall was falling up the hill…It was actually so windy that it was hard to breathe and that a short while after we descended I was slightly deaf. It was a proper cool experience and it made sure that I felt alive and present.

The vegetation was not as rich at this altitude although there were some very nice species rich flushes and calcareous grasslands. The plateau of the hills gave some nice views of the glen and surrounding areas;

Looking West towards Moffat

Scree Slopes and Hills

Looking North (Notice the difference in the ecology of the surrounding hills – MAMBA)

As we descended from the top of the extremely windy Carrifran Gans, I was excited again to return back into the shelter of the expanding tree line. However the route down was extremely steep and once again I’d meet my enemy – (M25a)  the knolly, grassy and arseholey habitat.

Ah yes, the ever warming and welcoming tree line

Went Arse over Elbow a few times thanks to M25a (c) Gus Routledge

Back into the treeline thankfully!

As we headed back into the treeline with sprained ankles and knobbly knees, it was encouraging to walk through the recently planted and established woodlands that will soon provide seed for the rest of the trees that will habituate the glen. This is true ecological restoration at its finest. From what we observed the grazing pressure in the glen seemed to be low, trees were growing well with little sign of browsing from deer and the vegetation was high and flourishing. All of this seemed to be occurring without the need of a deer fence, so presumably the deer are well managed in the Carrifran area? It will be something that I will investigate.

I cant help but feel optimistic about the future of Scotland’s uplands when great projects such as Carrifran are being undertaken. A project like this shows the potential that Scotland’s uplands can become; we need to see more of Scotland’s glens becoming re-forested with native species. Woodland’s like Carrifran can have so much more benefits than biodiversity and wildlife alone. Native Woodland’s can prevent flooding, improve mental and physical health, retain soil, clean the air, safeguard species and create enjoyment in peoples lives. I for one cannot wait to return to Carrifran, I have hopeful visions of what it will transform into 30 years down the line. Even now as a newly established project, it is a truly amazing place with so much interesting flora and habitats. Carrifran is definitely one of my favourite places in Scotland, and I will return as soon as I can.

Enjoying the View (c) Gus Routledge

A happy man next to some Rowan (Sorbus acuparia)

For more information on the Carrifran Wildwood Project, visit here; http://www.carrifran.org.uk/

Peace. x

 

Iceland Gulls and Peregrines

Saturday the 17th of February started off a little fuzzy…a reunion with some good Isle of May friends and a few beers was to blame. Nevertheless a day of birding was planned ahead and the weather was looking decent for February, so we headed out weary-headed and optimistic!  We headed to west sands after a walk through busy St Andrews with our scopes and wellies, we potentially had a few stares…

At west sands we were greeted by a large congregation of Common Scoter (Melanitta nigra) out to sea. There must have been around c400 birds rafting, now and again something would disturb the birds and they would fly en-mass on the horizon which provided a nice morning spectacle. We sifted through the Scoter rafts for anything slightly more unusual, but to no avail.

Common Scoter on the horizon (Gus Routledge)

While looking at the Scoter rafts we noticed there were large flocks of Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis). The Fulmar were soaring above the small waves on the horizon, they were diving for fish and resting amongst the bobbing sea. Fulmar are truly magnificent and a ‘proper hardcore’ seabird, these birds can handle almost any oceanic conditions with ease. Some other birds that caught our attention were two Great-Crested Grebes (Podiceps cristatus). These birds were fairly close in-shore and were actually showing courtship behaviour; spring is definitely on its way, although in the Scottish East Coast winds, it certainly didn’t feel like it…

We then headed a few miles in-land to the Eden Estuary, this estuary is a haven for wildfowl, waders and (sometimes) White-Tailed Eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla). When we arrived the estuary boasted great numbers of waders; Redshank (Tringa totanus), Dunlin (Calidris alpina), Black-Tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa), Bar-Tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica) and Curlew (Numenius arquata) were showing well. We were also spoilt with great views of Pale-Bellied Brent Geese (Branta bernicla), 8 individuals were sitting on the water about 30 feet in front of us.

5 Brent Geese on the Eden

We noticed some disturbance on the far end of the estuary; a heap of lapwings (Vanellus vanellus), godwits, wigeon (Anas penelope) and teal (Anas crecca) lifted. This provided a nice tableau of species in the air above the factories and airbase, a true pandemonium in the winter sky. After scanning the area for the potential cause of disturbance, we found the culprit. It wasn’t the eagerly awaited white-tailed eagle but a beautiful peregrine (Falco peregrinus) that was flying directly towards us. This peregrine provided some nice views as it was hunting for a quick snack.

Peregrine (Gus Routledge)

After the excitement on the Eden with Sam and Daryl, Gus and I decided to head north back home. On the way we decided to check out the wintering juvenile Iceland Gull (Larus glaucoides) in Arbroath. This would have been a new bird for Gus and it has been pretty site faithful over the last few months, although it hadn’t been reported for a week or two previous. We scanned a small flock of Black-Headed Gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) with a few scattered herring gulls (Larus argentatus), but no luck. As we were slowly driving away with dampened spirits I noticed this pale, white winged gull flying above the van and immediately stopped and shouted ‘Iceland Gull!’. Thankfully we managed to keep an eye on it and follow the bird’s movements 400 yards down the road where some residents were throwing out bread for feeding, this allowed us to get some good pictures.

Iceland Gull ‘Chilling’

Iceland Gull over the sea

Arbroath Iceland Gull (Paul Ross)

Iceland Gull looking for the bread (Gus Routledge)

This is a very pretty looking gull, we know it is a 1st winter as the eye is very dark with no visible iris and lack of adult feathering on the scapulars. This was certainly one of the highlights of the day; everyday is a good day when an Iceland Gull shows up. It just goes to show, the best kind of birding can be when you wake up with the taste of jager in your mouth and limited memories of the night before! Although, I recommend birding sober and hangover free…

About My Blog

Hello,

I am a keen naturalist/wildlife conservationist from North-East Scotland. I thought I would start a blog post to share my interests. I am interested in Birds, Plants, Mammals, Insects, Bird Ringing and all things nature and wildlife. I am committed to spend time outdoors and enjoy plenty of adventures along the way. This blog is mainly my ramblings of wildlife, the outdoors and potentially Gulls….

Hope you enjoy!