The scent of summer

We’ve been lucky to have some very good weather over the last few weeks which has meant a lot of time out of the office. I particularly enjoy walking

Swainbost Machair

on the machair at the moment as the flowers are in full bloom, not only producing a raft of colour but the smell as you walk through it is amazing. My guided walks programme started at the beginning of the month, turnout has been slow but that is expected in June as the tourist season is just building up. I have been surprised by the number of local people coming along, or expressing an interest in the walks this year, it seems that the locations are a bit more appealing to them as their not the usual tourist locations.

As well as my walks I have also done a talk on local wildflowers for the local women for mission group, set up through the free church to support projects overseas. I thoroughly enjoy doing talks like, unfortunately I don’t get to do them as much as I would like.

Painted lady butterfly - photo by Alison Brown

Wildlife wise things have been good, this year seems to be a bumper year for the painted lady butterfly, with numerous sightings being reported around the estate. The mute swans on Loch Stiapabhat are also doing well and are now the proud parents of a single cygnet. I’m also pleased to see that the Arctic Terns are back at Dun Eistean after a short absence. I paid them a visit a last week to try and assess how many nests there were but true to form the Terns bombarded me with a mass aerial assault so I wasn’t able to get close enough to count!

Lots coming up in the next few weeks with the walks programme continuing, end of terms school visits and various surveys so there will be plenty to keep me busy.

conferences, coaches and carrots!

Time for another quick update, particularly as my mum now says the only way she finds out what I’m up to is to read my blog!!!!!.

It’s been another busy month, I was in Musselburgh mid May for a community archaeology conference which was very interesting. We are looking to develop a project on the estate so it was great to hear about other people’s experiences and lend some support to my friend Anne who was giving a presentation about her involvement in the Dun Eistean project.

On Monday I was out with my first coach party of the year, we have a number of cruise liners that come to Stornoway every year and tours are put on all over the island for the day. This particular group were with the National Trust for Scotland and they were visiting North Lewis in the morning and afternoon and I was asked to accompany them. We had a great time and fantastic weather for both trips and managed to get in a bit of wildlife watching to with eider duck, dunlin and a harbour porpoise at the lighthouse. We stopped at the Comunn Eachdraidh for some tea and everyone thoroughly enjoyed visiting the new exhibition spaces created over the winter.

On Wednesday I spent the morning with the children at Airidhantuim school working on more Eco-school activities, this time we were planting wildflowers and vegetables in their new raised beds. Hopefully once the children return from their summer holidays they should have bumper crops of onions, potatoes, peas and carrots (now you can see what the title was about!). We had the added pressure of being filmed as part of the Gaelic aspect of their recent HMI inspection, it’s very distracting trying to plant potatoes with someone pointing a camera at you!!!. Both Barvas and Airidhantuim schools received very good HMI reports and both were recently awarded their silver Eco schools awards – it’s great to see all their hard work being recognised.

On the wildlife front there are a few bits and pieces to report: the mute swans on Loch Stiapabhat have a cygnet, there have also been sightings of green winged teal, ruff and little stint and an Atlantic swift was seen heading north from Brue. There have been lots of butterflies reported and many of the wildflowers are starting to emerge. I think it’s going to be a good summer this year!

It’s been a while

Yes, I’m still here!, thought I’d better write another update as I was being nagged at by certain individuals (you know who you are!). We’ve had some fantastic weather over the last few weeks so you can imagine that sitting in the office has not been my top priority.

It definitely feels like spring now as the lambs are all running around in the fields, flowers such as Coltsfoot, Primrose and Butterburr are emerging and our summer birds are back. There are lots of Wheatear around and the Corncrake are also back at Loch Stiapabhat although they have been fairly quiet so far. The White billed Divers have also been sighted around Port of Ness and Skigersta again.

Coltsfoot

We’ve had quite a lot of activity at the Loch recently with some interesting sightings such as a Pectoral Sandpiper, Shovelers, Brent Geese and a Killdeer which caused a bit of excitment as it’s only the 7th record of one on the islands. We also had some sightings of the Snowy Owl again on the Galson moor but it seems to have disappeared again for now.

I also got some great sightings of Red Grouse and a Golden Eagle when walking out on the moor last week with Mick from John Muir Trust.

Sheiling

We went out to look at some sheilings which were summer houses used by the crofters family when livestock was moved onto the moor as crop was being harversted on the machair.

As well as walking and wildlife watching I’ve also been working with the local school at Barvas. We spent a day a the castle grounds learning about trees and then a morning out planting trees at the new hall in the village. I’ve also been visiting the nursery in Borve where we made some bird cakes. As you can see I’ve very busy and there is still plenty to do with walks soon to start and coaches and cruise liners arriving on the island.

Bog Slog

I spent the weekend on the mainland doing some training on peatland restoration which is something I hope we can do here on the estate in the future. I attended a work party organised by the John Muir Trust where we were working in an area of peatland owned by the Assynt Foundation – another community land trust. The work involved using sections of corrugated plastic to make dams along stretches of old drainage ditches, I can imagine this is much to the horror of many a farmer or crofter but the land hadn’t been grazed for many years and the work has many environmental benefits. The blocking of the ditches causes flooding which raises the water table which leads to the restoration of  peatland vegetation such as Sphagnum moss and prevents areas of exposed peat from drying out. As well as restoring the area of blanket bog the work also helps to slow the release of Carbon Dioxide and Methane which is stored in the bog.

Luckily we had some very good weather and with a fantastic group of people the time seemed to fly by and the work that was supposed to take two days was in fact finished in one. The day was made even more interesting by the appearance of a couple of helicopters continually flying overhead – apparently it was Deer Commission Scotland doing a deer count in the same area.

On day two we went out to do some pathwork or Quinag which is one of the properties own by the John Muir Trust. Unfortunately the weather wasn’t so kind and we ended up clearing drains along the path in the pouring rain, at one point the drains were filling with water as fast as we were clearing them!. We then went back to check on the dams from the day before and thanks to the torrential rain we were able to see them working to full effect. Despite the weather (and the rough ferry crossing home!) I thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt a lot and I was lucky enough to be working with some great people who I hope will come and visit one of the work parties here one day.

Walking the walk

I’ve been doing a lot of walking over the week or so as I’ve just got a new GPS unit which has meant I can go out and survey the paths on the estate. Today I walked from Habost to Cross, I’d intended to walk further but the batteries in my camera died!, never mind – at least it means if we get more weather like today I can go out and do some more tomorrow. Unfortunately when I did the upper parts of the walk last week the weather was not so kind as I got got in a downpour – an occupational hazard when you do a job like mine.

The lighthouse is one of the main attractions on the coastal path.

The coastal path runs from North Dell to Port of Ness and includes some fantastic coastal scenery as well as archaeological sites such as the lighthouse and Dun Eistean. There is also the opportunity to see some great wildlife including Grey seals, basking sharks and a variety of seabirds and waders.

I’ve seen some great bird life whilst I’ve been out and about over the last few weeks including goldfinches, snow buntings, ringed plover, divers, red grouse and the skylarks are beginning to sing which means Spring is definitely in the air.

Busy, Busy, Busy

Well its been a busy few weeks, so much so that I’m afraid I’ve been neglecting the blog a bit. I’ve been up to all sorts over the last few weeks and it’s great to have a job that allows me to get involved in a wide variety of projects.

I’m doing more work with the schools and this term we are looking to get a mural painted on both schools with a biodiversity theme so we’ve been working with some local artists producing sketches of the kind of things the children want on the mural. Both schools are also working on whole school projects – Airidhantuim are focusing on the local area so I’ve been in talking to the younger children about the peatlands. Barvas are now working on trees so hopefully I’ll be helping out with that too – although trees are a little scarce on the estate.

I’ve also been helping out with the monitoring of an archaeological site at South Galsonand earlier in the month I went out with a local archaeologist to sketch the site and discuss options for protecting the site. Hopefully this will develop further in the coming months.

I also got involved in a bit of wildlife rescue last week – not a seal this time but a buzzard which had been hit by a car. Thankfully I was able to adapt my seal catching skills to uplift the buzzard and avoid a very sharp beak and talons. I made a dash to the vet in Stornoway but sadly the buzzards injuries were too severe and the kindest thing to do was put it to sleep. It was sad that it couldn’t be saved but I’m glad I was able to get it to someone who could assess it properly and I’m pleased people call me in situations like this rather than leave the bird to suffer.

These are just a small selection of the things I’ve been doing but there is plenty more I haven’t mentioned as this blog would go on for ever!, hopefully it means there will be lots of exciting projects taking place in the coming months which will keep me even busier!!

Watch the Birdie!!!

This weekend I will be taking part in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, an annual bird count that has been taking place for the last 30 years. All you have to do is spend an hour this weekend counting how many of each bird you see in your garden at any one time. The top three birds counted in Western Isles gardens last year were the Starling, House Sparrow and Blackbird which was quite similar to the UK top three which placed sparrows in number 1 spot. Over the last thirty years the bird watch has highlighted major changes in garden bird numbers, nationally the average number of birds seen in each garden has declined by 20% since 2004. Since the survey started there have been major declines nationally of Song Thrush, Sparrows and Starling, since 1979 sparrows have decreased by 65% and Starlings by 75%. However there have been increases in the number of Collared Doves and Wood Pigeons being seen as well as some more unusual birds.

Red Deer have also been in the news this week as a group of researchers from Edinburgh University have been looking at the rate of cross breeding with Sika deer. It has been known about for some time but it is now thought that around 40% of deer on the mainland are cross bred. We are lucky on the islands that legislation has been put in place to protect deer populations, if the current mainland trend continues it may soon be the case that the islands will be the only place people will be able to see genetically pure red deer. Hopefully this research will allow new measures to be put in place in order to better protect one of Scotland’s most symbolic creatures.

You can read more this story on the  BBC website

Happy New Year

Wow, I can’t believe 2009 is here already, the new year seemed to come around very quickly and its now a case of getting ready for another busy season. I spent christmas at home on the mainland but I saw in the new year back on the estate, enjoying the various events that were taking place at the social club.

Unlike most of the rest of the country we have been very fortunate with the weather, the sun has been shining and the temperature hasn’t been too bad and this has meant there has been a fair bit of activity around the estate. The play park  has been quite busy with families making the most of the holiday time and there have been quite a lot of walkers out and about too.

Our rabbit shooters have also been making the most of the finer weather and they have been out regularly over the festive period along with some of those who are using ferrets. I have to say they have been doing a grand job as there is definitely a significant reduction of numbers on the machairs at Fivepenny and Eoropie which is no doubt helped by the natural mortality at this time of year, I am under no illusion that we still have a lot of work to do but we are making a positive start.

On the wildlife front there are plenty of birds about, there are still hundreds of golden plover and plenty of lapwings, redwings and turnstones to name but a few, whilst Loch Stiapabhat  is busy with Wigeon, Swans and Geese.

Things have been much quieter on the mammal front (apart from rabbits!), both deer and otter sightings have been few and even reports of seals have been less than I expected with only one report of a potentially abandoned pup back in November which turned out to be a false alarm.

I’m keeping my fingers crossed that 2009 will be another good year for wildlife sightings!

A Ranger Rendezvous

What is a ranger rendezvous I hear you ask?, well it was the largest gathering of rangers in Scotland which took place near Aberfoyle earlier in the month and I was able to go along. The event took place over three days and was an opportunity to network with other rangers as well as discuss the various issues affecting rangers and the work they do. It was very interesting to see the wide variety of work that rangers do throughout Scotland and it was also encouraging to hear from Environment minister, Mike Russell, that rangers have an important role in delivering key government strategies. I also came away from it with a huge sense of achievement in terms of how far the Galson Estate ranger service has come in such a short space of time, which was great.

After a much needed holiday I am now back and catching up with the goings on in my absence and it seems the rabbits have been as active as ever whilst I was away and whilst we have a network of people now shooting them it will take some time to see significant results. In terms of the other wildlife it has been quite busy, there are now plenty geese around and the machair is covered in Lapwings, Golden Plover and turnstones, I’ve also seen a few ringed plover on the beaches and I’ve heard a few curlew too. Lots of snow buntings and redwings around, definitely beginning to feel more like winter now!

The big project ongoing at the moment is Mink trapping which is being carried out by those involved in the Hebridean Mink Project. I’m not personally involved in the trapping but I am in regular contact with those overseeing the project and I am also a member of the forum group which meets to discuss the project and provide feedback from the community. Although the project is set to run for a number of years yet it is anticipated that around 80% of the islands Mink population will be eradicated in the first couple of years.

Also received an interesting e-mail on my return form holiday regarding the little goldcrest I mentioned in my last blog. Curiously it would seem that it was almost 4 years to the day since the last report of a Goldcrest in almost exactly the same situation. Seems that every few years Swainbost shop is a popular destination for goldcrests passing through, maybe on the lookout for a bargain or two!!!

Close encounters of the feathered kind!

Today has been one of those that reminds me why the estate is such a fantastic place to live and work – as your never really sure what the day will bring.

It started with the arrival of one of the directors at the office with a box which contained a ’surprise’, not quite sure what to expect I approached causiously and peered over the side of the box and was pleasantly surprised to find a small feathered creature  cowered in the corner. The creature in question was a Goldcrest – the UK smallest bird, it was easily identifiable from the yellow crest on its head and its ‘cute’ expression which makes it look almost sad. These are fantastic little birds associated mostly with coniferous woodlands although there have been a number of sightings of them on the estate over the summer in gardens with a lot of bushes. The poor wee thing had somehow found its way into Swainbost shop and after a couple of hours of being chased by customers it was eventually caught and brought down to my office. I was able to ID for the curious customers and then gave it a quick check over for injuries before setting it free in a group of bushes behind the office.

Only an hour later I was travelling back from Ballantrushal when I saw a large bird flying over the moor behind the church at North Dell, its size was a clear giveaway and there was absolutely no mistaking that it was a White -tailed Sea Eagle, I’ve seen them here many times before but you can’t help but be in awe of them when you see them up close. This bird had a red tag on each wing so I made a quick call to the local RSPB officer as it helps them to identify where the bird has come from and learn more about its movements and habits throughout the year.

It’s an interesting time for birdwatching at the moment as we are at the cross over for the migrating birds. Already I’ve seen winter visitors such Snow Bunting, Turnstones, Whooper Swans and large numbers of Geese but some of our summer visitors such as Wheatear are also still around, there have also been reports of Corncrakes being seen on the island in the last couple of weeks.

There can’t be many days where you get to see the smallest and largest birds in the country in the space of a couple of hours – fantastic!