Scottish Wildlife_Issue 107_Jul 2022

Number 107 | July 2022

NATURE NETWORKS How Scotland’s capital city is leading the way

FEATURE: Restoring landscape on a grand scale at Rahoy Hills

Welcome from the Chief Executive

FIRST WORD From Chief Executive Jo Pike

T

Involving new people in our work ... will provide opportunities for even more people to experience the joy of feeling connected to nature.

Edinburgh is home to Scotland’s first Nature Network

© Boonlong Noragitt/Adobe Stock

his issue is packed with exciting updates about action for nature.

It feels good to be embarking on a new strategy that builds on close to six decades of work for wildlife, knowing that these foundations put us in a strong position to help tackle the nature crisis in Scotland and restore the connection between people and the natural world.

The work of the Scottish Wildlife Trust has always been surprisingly diverse and bringing together these rich strands of activityunderthefivebiggoalsin Strategy203–whichyou’llfindat scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/ strategy2030 – gives us an opportunity to really step up at this important time.

One example of how we’re pioneering new solutions is the Edinburgh Nature Network, which has the potential to transform how we think about wildlife in urban areas. This is an often-neglected area of nature conservation that is hugely important in helping people understand and enjoy the species and habitats we’re working so hard to protect.

The Edinburgh Nature Network is a firstofitskindandRichRowe’spieceon page 16 explores the progress made so far. the natural world, collaborating with Meanwhile, about 240km northwest on many other organisations and groups to theMorvernpeninsula,ourRahoyHills ensure that what we do together has the reserve is a haven for a fantastic diversity greatest possible impact. Involving new ofwildlife,frombutterfliesandgolden people in our work will enable us to rise eagles to ancient woodlands, a rich to the challenge, as well as provide variety of arctic-alpine plants and much opportunities for even more people to more. You can transport yourself to experience the joy of feeling connected Rahoybyreadingthewonderfularticle to nature.

by Ida Maspero on page 22.

Elsewhere in this issue, there’s a The Scottish Wildlife Trust is working striking image of an osprey on page 5 tirelessly to address the threats faced by (with some fascinating accompanying

facts) plus a chance to learn about why freshwater habitats are so important on page 6.

I hope you enjoy this latest issue in the knowledge that our members and supporters are making a difference where it matters. We’re also keen to hear from you in our latest members’ survey, so please consider sparing a few minutes to let us know what you think. The easiest way to respond is to do so online, but if you’d prefer to post your survey, you can do that using our freepost address.

There’s still a long way to go if we’re to reverse the loss of biodiversity by 2030, but collectively we have so much potential to create positive change. Thank you to all our members and supporters for being part of the journey.

JULY 2022 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE 3

Contents

Inside this issue

WIN AT TH A STAY E SEAS FOUR O HO NS PERT TEL, HSHI RE SEE P AG E 33

06

16

06 FRESHWATER LOCHS

A glimpse beneath the surface of Scotland’s freshwater lochs.

08 NEWS

News round-up from the Trust and the world of conservation.

16 NATURAL CAPITAL

Rich Rowe explores the Edinburgh Nature Network’s pioneering approach to urban nature restoration.

20 Q&A

With Cheryl Jones, Sustainability Manager, Lloyds Banking Group.

22 THE WILD WEST

Ida Maspero gets under the skin of the Trust’s Rahoy Hills reserve – a rugged area of increasingly wild land on the remote Morvern peninsula.

26 OUR AGM

Join us online this September for our 58th Annual General Meeting.

22

31

28

PLANT PROTECTORS

Dr Matt Elliot outlines how advances in plant biosecurity will help protect Scotland’s most vulnerable species.

31 BIG PICTURE

Dr Lisa Kamphausen on time

well spent with a bobtail squid.

32 WATCH OUT FOR 34 VIEWPOINT

Things to enjoy in the coming months.

Ian Young details how engagement with the natural world has provided strength during periods of serious illness and convalescence.

Kingfisher, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh © Jamie McDermaid Scottish Wildlife magazine is published by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. © Scottish Wildlife Trust. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. All photography © Scottish Wildlife Trust unless otherwise stated. The Scottish Wildlife Trust accepts no liability for omissions or incorrect data in advertisements and letters. Views expressed in Scottish Wildlife are not necessarily those of the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

ISSN: 0143 1234.

Registered office: Harbourside House, 110 Commercial Street, Edinburgh EH6 6NF. Tel: 0131 312 7765. Fax: 0131 312 8705.

Email: enquiries@scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk. Website: scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust is a company limited by guarantee, registered in Scotland (no. SC040247). It is also a Scottish registered charity (no. SC005792).

Scottish Wildlife is published three times a year: March, July and November.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust is affiliated to The Wildlife Trusts, a UK-wide network of 46 Trusts with more than 2,000 wildlife reserves.

4 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE JULY 2022

Deadlines for news: 1 January, 1 May, 1 September. No unsolicited articles please.

Scottish Wildlife is free to members. Membership rates from 1 April (excluding discounts for paying by Direct Debit): Individual (concession) £40 (£18); Joint (concession) £47 (£24); Family £57; Watch £18; Life (joint) £900 (£1,300); World/Overseas £45.

Patron: HRH The Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay. Chair: Linda Rosborough.

Vice-Chairs: Tim Duffy, Ian Jardine, Bill Lambert.

Chief Executive: Jo Pike Managing Editor: Pete Haskell editor@scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk Contributing Editor: Rich Rowe Design: Connect connectcommunications.co.uk Advertising: Elliot Whitehead 0131 561 0021, Clare Stebbing 0131 561 0024.

Printing: InkMark – inkmarkltd.com

Spotlight: Osprey

© Peter Cairns/2020VISION

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT:

OSPREY (Pandion haliaetus)

A migratory, fish-eating species that returns to Scotland from March to September, ospreys can log more than 80,000 migration miles during their lifetime.

More like that of an owl than a hawk, an osprey’s feet are zygodactyl, with a reversible outer toe that allows them to grasp their prey with two toes in front and two behind.

As well as being equipped with sharply curved talons, the bottom of each toe has a sandpaper-like texture (or spicules) that allows the bird to grip and hold slippery fish.

Typical of many birds of prey, a clutch of osprey eggs hatches in stages (known as asynchronous), with the first chick emerging several days before the next.

When flying with prey, which sometimes weighs nearly as much as the bird itself, an osprey lines up its catch head-first to ensure less wind resistance.

JULY 2022 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE 5

Spotlight: Freshwater lochs

THE SHAPE OF WATER

A combination of high rainfall and a glaciated landscape means that Scotland is not only a land of rock and earth, but also of water – with more than 30,000 freshwater lochs of all shapes and sizes.

Many are shallow, peat-stained ‘dubh lochans’ in areas of blanket bog, while others are clear and deep, perched high in elemental corries or in kettle holes on glacial moraine.

Some are significant bodies of water that sit like miniature seas in vast, U-shaped valleys.

Together, the five largest freshwater lochs – Lomond, Ness, Awe, Morar and Shiel – contain around a third

OSPREY

PERCH

How ospreys navigate on their migratory journeys remains a mystery but it is thought that inherited genetic instinct, visual clues, stars and geomagnetic perception all play a part. What is known is that young birds always start their return migration in a south-westerly direction.

A handsome fish, perch are clearly identifiable thanks to a prominent, spiny dorsal fin, striped flanks and deep red/ orange fins. Such markings help this expert ambush predator blend in among weeds and in the dappled light created by overhanging vegetation.

WATER VOLE

WHITE WATER-LILY

One of our most threatened native mammals, Scotland’s water voles are genetically distinct from most of those found in England and Wales, with many having black rather than brown fur. They are now largely found in upland lochs and rivers where they dig burrows in soft banks.

Typically growing in still or slow-moving water, the white water-lily has large lily-pad leaves that float on the water’s surface. This distinctive species also possesses the largest flower of any UK plant, with pink-tinged white blooms growing up to 20cm in diameter.

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Spotlight: Freshwater lochs

Together these areas of fresh water provide habitat for a wide range of plants and animals – not just the fish that swim deep within but also the myriad species found along their banks.

All are influenced by unseen variables, such as sediment levels, water chemistry, underlying geology and the surrounding soils. As a result, such lochs each have a character and feel of their own, with an assemblage of life that has developed in tune with their cool waters.

RESERVES A

COMMON MAYFLY Mayfly larvae spend their lives underwater feeding on algae and plants before hatching out as delicate, lace-winged insects in summer – each with two or three threadlike tails. Life on the wing is short, however, with the insects breeding then dying sometimes in just a matter of hours.

LOCH OF THE LOWES

A celebrated site near Dunkeld, Loch of the Lowes has an acclaimed visitor centre and several hides for observing life on the reserve.

Nesting ospreys are a big draw, but the reserve is also home to red squirrels, fallow deer and an array of woodland and water birds.

B

LOCH ARDINNING

A short hop from Glasgow, Loch Ardinning offers an enticing combination of wetland, woodland, grassland and moorland. The wildlife here is equally diverse, while the wildflower meadows are a magnet for butterflies in the summer months. Look out too for the delicate water lobelia – a local speciality.

C

LOCH OF LINTRATHEN

This striking loch near Kirriemuir serves as a reservoir for Angus and Dundee. During the summer it is home to an array of breeding songbirds, while those who sit patiently may even spot ospreys fishing or the hunched gait of an otter as it patrols the shoreline for food.

D

GREAT CRESTED GREBE An elegant waterbird with ornate head plumes, great crested grebes are built for the water, diving to feed and as a means of escape when threatened. They are known for a ritualised courtship display in early spring that sees pairs ‘dance’ together in the water, often with weed held in their beaks.

LOCH LIBO

Located just south-west of Glasgow, Loch Libo is a long, shallow loch surrounded by mature aspen, ash and sycamore. It’s full of wet-groundloving plants such as cowbane, water parsnip and greater tussock-sedge, while water voles have been known to scurry along the banks.

E

BAWSINCH AND DUDDINGSTON

A city centre gem, Duddingston Loch is a natural freshwater loch in the heart of Edinburgh.

It is home to breeding and wintering wildfowl, while areas of mixed woodland, reedbeds and grassland provide vital habitat for a range of other species – including an active heronry.

JULY 2022 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE 7

Loch of the Lowes spread © Scottish Wildlife Trust, Osprey © Peter Cairns/2020VISION, Perch © Alex Mustard/2020VISION, Common mayfly © Jon Hawkins, Surrey Hills Photography, Water vole © Jamie Hall, White water-lily © Amy Lewis, Great crested grebe © Andrew Parkinson/2020VISION

of all the water held in lochs in Scotland.

As well as a mythical beastie, Loch Ness alone contains more water (7,452 million cubic metres) than all of the lakes of England and Wales put together.

As vital to people as to wildlife, the type of fresh water found in such lochs can vary greatly: from the soft, relatively acidic waters in upland areas to hard, more alkaline waters with much higher concentrations of nutrients that are more often associated with the lowlands.

Scottish Wildlife Trust news

Latest news

News from the Trust, our projects and the wider world of conservation

KEEP UP TO DATE

All the latest Trust news is available on our website scottishwildlife trust.org.uk

Snorkel trails to try this summer At the time of writing, a national strategy for beavers in Scotland is in the final drafting stages. The 10-year plan sets out the goals and actions that will help realise the shared vision that was created in February this year following multiple meetings involving a wide range of key interest groups.

In November last year, the Trust hosted Lorna Slater, Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, at Loch of the Lowes where she announced a notable change in the government’s approach to beavers in Scotland. Instead of the animals relying solely on natural expansion from Argyll and the Forth and Tay catchments, the Scottish Government would actively explore new translocation release sites in different parts of the country.

This change in approach was welcomed by the Trust, which has played a fundamental role in returning beavers to Scotland in partnership with the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland. I believe that the work that has gone into creating the national strategy has been enhanced greatly by this freedom to consider the return of beavers throughout the country.

In this UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, we need beavers – our natural engineers. NatureScot estimates that there are around 1,000 of the animals in Scotland today, with the licence returns from 2021 showing that just over 10% of this number are being removed to prevent serious damage to agriculture.

We need to realise the ambitions of last November’s announcement. The national strategy is a great start, but the open dialogue must continue if we are to manage the challenges of a growing population of beavers, while reaping the many benefits that they can bring.

Sarah Robinson, Director of Conservation

8 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE JULY 2022

© Alex Mustard/2020VISION

A vision for beavers

THE Trust’s network of self-guided snorkel trails is about to expand further with the planned addition of three more exciting locations just waiting to be explored around Scotland this summer.

Featuring beaches, bays and rocky shores in East Lothian, North Argyll and Torridon, all three new trails are being developed in partnership with local organisations as a means of helping people to connect with Scotland’s marine environment.

Each trail highlights sites where beginner and more experienced snorkellers can explore a rich variety of habitats and enjoy close encounters with a whole range of wildlife.

“By connecting people with the natural wonders found just below the water, we hope they will feel inspired to better value and protect our precious marine environment,” said Elouise Cartner, the Trust’s LivingSeasPublicEngagementOfficer, who has worked with partner organisations in coastal communities to develop the trails.

Once launched, there will be eight snorkel trails around Scotland’s coastline. This network is part of the Trust’s Living Seas project, which is supported by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

Trails to try EAST LOTHIAN A trail that takes in five spectacular snorkel sites, including popular sandy beaches and rocky outcrops. Be sure to also drop in to the Scottish Seabird Centre to connect with marine conservation and education work happening in the area.

NORTH ARGYLL From lush seagrass meadows and kelp forests to exploring one of only two known sites globally where serpulid worms form reefs, there is no shortage of marine treasures to discover in the new sites around the Sound of Jura, Firth of Lorn and Loch Linnhe.

COMING SOON

TORRIDON Developed in partnership with Torridon Outdoors, this trail explores some wonderfully wild snorkel sites around upper Loch Torridon, the Shieldaig Peninsula and Applecross.

COMING SOON

Discover Scotland’s snorkel trails at scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/snorkeltrail

Scottish Wildlife Trust news

© Jamie Simpson

© Ken O’Keefe

The osprey pair at Loch of the Lowes

Putting down roots at Loch Ardinning

Breeding success at Loch of the Lowes

NEARLY 12,000 native trees have been planted at the Trust’s Loch Ardinning Wildlife Reserve near Strathblane. The trees, many of which were planted by volunteers (pictured), will grow to form upland oak and wet woodland, connecting existing woodland and forming an important wildlife corridor.

Native wildflowers have also been sown to create a seedbank, while wood from a felled plantation of conifers has been left to create valuable deadwood habitat.

“Planting the trees is just the start of the journey of creating new woodland,” explained Billy Gray, Reserves Manager. “There’s plenty for our local volunteers to do to help the woodland to establish over the years to come.”

The project is supported by One Tree Planted and the Scottish Government Nature Restoration Fund.

STAFF and volunteers at Loch of the their nest from disturbance and Lowes Visitor Centre and Wildlife collecting invaluable data about their Reserve have contributed to another lives. This ongoing programme is fruitful season for the reserve’s resident supported by players of People’s ospreys.

Postcode Lottery.

Male osprey LM12 and female NC0 In other osprey news, PT4, a young hatched three chicks in their third femalewhofledgedfromLochofthe season as a pair. Sadly, the youngest Lowes in 2019, paired up with male chick didn’t survive but the two older Y1 in Northumberland’s Kielder Forest. chicksareexpectedtotakeflightAlthough and this pairing came too late in migrate later this summer. the year to produce chicks, the team at “Watching the chicks successfully the Kielder Osprey Project are keeping hatch and develop is worth every long theirfingerscrossedforfutureseasons.

YOUNG children (aged three to six) night spent protecting the nest,” says Sara adds: “It’s great to see ospreys will love the educational activities Perthshire Ranger Sara Rasmussen, thathavefledgedfromLowesgoonto developed by the Trust to accompany who leads the Osprey Protection breed in other parts of the UK. This the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s Programme at Loch of the Lowes. shows how our programme supports new film Yoyo & The Little Auk. Supported by more than 60 the wider recovery of the species.”

This delightful 45-minute animation volunteers, the team at Loch of the View the Loch of the Lowes osprey tells the story of a little auk who Lowes keep a constant watch on the webcam at scottishwildlifetrust.org. becomes separated from its flock in breeding ospreys, helping to safeguard uk/ospreys a storm and lands up in the fictional town of Inverkithkin.

The Trust created a series of digital learning resources to help young children find out more about migration as well as how to help wild birds.

FUNDING has been secured for a threedetermine changes to the distribution of You can sign up to watch the film year project to discover the status of badger setts since the last such survey and download the resource pack for badgers in Scotland. in 2009. free at rsno.org.uk/project/yoyo Get Sett Scotland! is an ambitious “We’re excited to have the opportunity citizen science project, with a strong to get people from a huge range focus on inclusion, developed in of backgrounds involved in badger partnership between the Trust and the conservation,” said Lyndsay Mark, the charity Scottish Badgers.

Trust’s Get Sett Scotland! Inclusion Officer.

Thanks to funding from the National Meanwhile, another partnership Lottery Heritage Fund, volunteers from between the Trust and Scottish Badgers, all walks of life will be able to undertake Earn Your Stripes, was shortlisted as a badger sett surveys in their local area.

Pioneering Project in the 2022 Scottish The data collected will be used to Charity Awards.

Introducing Yoyo and the Little Auk

Get Sett Scotland!

© Royal Scottish National Orchestra

JULY 2022 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE 9

Scottish Wildlife Trust news

Trust project targets community action

IN BRIEF Northern exposure Caithness is now home to the most northerly Wildlife Watch Group in Scotland. The recently launched Dunnet Forest Wildlife Watch group, which is aimed at children between the ages of 8-12 years, is part of a growing network of more than 30 groups across the country.

Red squirrel funding Thanks to generous donations from more than 400 supporters the Trust has reached its target of raising £49,000 to support the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project. Thank you to everyone who donated. This vital funding will provide a boost for communities around Scotland who are working to protect threatened red squirrels in their local area.

Rare moth sighting Local moth recorder Paul Brooks made the firstever sighting of a puss moth (pictured) found at Montrose Basin Wildlife Reserve in May. Named for its cat-like appearance, the moth feeds on aspen, poplar and willow. The species is common in the south of Britain but sightings are rare farther north.

Jubilee woodland The ancient oak woodland at Falls of Clyde Wildlife Reserve is one of 70 woodlands to be dedicated to the Queen in celebration of the Platinum Jubilee alongside 70 ancient trees.

Prince Charles, Patron of both the Trust and The Queen’s Canopy initiative, said: “Trees and woodlands have a profound significance for us all – their steadfast and reassuring presence is a reminder of our long serving Sovereign and her enduring dedication.”

FROM breathing new life into grey city streets to encouraging wildlife in school playgrounds, communities across Scotland will soon be given the skills, tools and opportunity to take action for nature.

Through the new Nextdoor Nature project, the Trust is building additional partnerships with organisations that engage with diverse communities to develop a programme that helps people gain the knowledge and skills needed to lead action for nature within their community. The project also aims to create an online showcase of best practice examples of community-led action to inspire others to do the same.

“Nature is both essential to our daily lives and in a state of crisis, so it’s vital

that everyone can play their part in tackling its decline,” commented Pete Haskell, the Trust’s Head of Communications & Engagement. “We know that many people want to help wildlife in their local area but it’s often hard to know where to start.

“Through Nextdoor Nature, our aim is to create a diverse network of community leaders who are equipped with the skills and knowledge to inspire action in their community, wherever they live in Scotland.”

Nextdoor Nature is supported by the Heritage Fund as part of The National Lottery’s aim to improve the lives of people from some of the UK’s most disadvantaged areas and to leave a lasting natural legacy in honour of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Hedges help wildlife Trust volunteers at Oldhall Ponds Wildlife Reserve have seen first-hand just how important hedges can be for wildlife. This spring, eight songbird nests were found within a short section of hedgerow which was recently rejuvenated through laying, greatly increasing its value as a habitat.

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North-East Scotland Members’ Survey The Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire Group would like to hear from members in the northeast about their interests in wildlife and conservation activities. Let them know how they can improve delivery of local events and volunteering by completing a short online survey by 31 July: scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/aberdeenshire-survey

© Katrina Martin/2020VISION

© Vaughn Matthews

Nextdoor Nature will equip communities to take action for the natural world

Scottish Wildlife Trust news

© Jamie McDermaid

Scotland’s first Nature Network EDINBURGH Living Landscape has published a detailed map of habitats and ecosystem services that will help the city to create a well-connected and resilient urban landscape for the capital.

The Edinburgh Nature Network, developed following detailed consultation with experts and city where action can be taken in the city to address biodiversity loss and climate change, as well as increase people’s connection to nature.

“With the unprecedented nature and climate emergencies, we need to act fast to ensure that we are securing the future for both people and wildlife in the city,” said Dr Cathleen Thomas, the Trust’s Living

A kestrel on an Edinburgh housing estate

Landscapes Programme Manager.

“There are already lots of fantastic people and organisations doing great things for nature in Edinburgh. The Nature Network allows us to coordinate and work at a city-wide scale to have a bigger collective impact.”

Led by the Trust, the Edinburgh Nature Network was developed in partnership with University of Edinburgh and City of Edinburgh Council as part of the Thriving Green Government’s commitment to creating Nature Networks in every 2026.

For much more on this pioneering work, see our lead feature on page .61

© Genevieve Tompkins

Cumbernauld goes big on Spring Clean CUMBERNAULD Living Landscape volunteers collected and removed more than a tonne of rubbish from the town’s green spaces as part of this year’s National Spring Clean campaign.

As well as filling 155 bags with litter, the volunteers unearthed shopping trolleys, sofas, plant pots, sheets of metal, old tyres and much more.

© Rozelle McMillan

Just some of the rubbish collected by volunteers

Bee aware VISITORS to Keltneyburn Wildlife Reserve in Perthshire are encouraged to keep an eye out for the rare small scabious mining bee (pictured) – a priority action species in the Cairngorms Nature Action Plan. While the bee’s known southern limit is slightly to the north, the reserve is considered to have a perfect combination of features for hosting the species, including the presence

of devil’s-bit scabious – a key food source from which the bee’s name is derived.

Typically on the wing from the middle of July until late September, the male bees are black or dark brown with a white face.

Female colouration, however, can vary: some are black or dark brown, similar to males; others have orange and black bands; while some are predominantly orange.

Report sightings to Genevieve Tompkins at: genevieve.tompkins@rspb.org.uk JULY 2022 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE 11

Scottish Wildlife Trust news

© Anne Marie Firth-Bernard

Stories reveal complex history THE turbulent history of Coigach and Seoras Burnett, who compiled the Assynt can now be explored on a new information for the Trail, spoke to local Heritage Trail which runs from the people to gather authentic and original township of Culnacraig at the base of Ben accounts, and delved deep into academic Mor Coigach to Kylesku in Sutherland. papers.

The area is alive with stories from the “The trail will allow people to stop past, from rebellions during the Highland andreflectonarichandcomplexhistory Clearances and Second World War which runs through this amazing submarine missions, to seismic geological landscape from the end of the last Ice discoveries and hazardous walks to Age to the present day,” he said. school along mountain paths.

The new trail has been developed These stories are all told on striking

by Coigach Community Development interpretation monoliths made of steel, Company and Historic Assynt as part of which is naturally weathered by coastal, the Coigach & Assynt Living Landscape salt-laden air to create a patina that Partnership Scheme. fitsseamlesslyintothelandscape. For more, visit candatrail.com

One of the interpretation posts at Kylesku

Riverwoods unveils story map Woodland along the River Devon, near Dollar

44,000 km of riverside habitats found that 56 per cent were of ‘poor’ quality, with little to no tree cover

© Shutterstock

THE Trust-led Riverwoods and encouraging crop initiative has outlined the pollination. River woodlands potentialbenefitsofcreating also host a and support a wide network of thriving riverbank range of wildlife such as woodlands across Scotland ospreys, otters, trout and in a new story map. salmon, bats and freshwater Riverwoods: Our Story pearl mussels. details the positive effects of Sadly, much of Scotland’s a healthy network of river river woodlands face threats woodlands for both people including overgrazing and the and wildlife. introduction of invasive These include reducing soil non-native species. erosionandfloodrisk, A recent survey carried out improving people’s health and by the Scottish Environment wellbeing, sheltering livestock Protection Agency across

or complex vegetation.

The story map also showcases past, present and planned projects working to restore river woodlands.

Many organisations are taking action to improve rivers across Scotland, including through planting native trees, protecting the riparian zone from grazing or adding fallen wood to the watercourse.

For more information, visit riverwoods.org.uk

Farming for Scotland’s future and crofters to manage their land in ways that benefit Scotland’s natural environment and helps to tackle the nature and climate emergencies.

“Nature and agriculture are closely interwoven,” said Carey Coombs, a Trust Council member who runs an organic livestock farm in Lanarkshire.

12 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE JULY 2022

“Farmers can have an immensely positive relationship with wildlife when they operate in a way that works with rather than against nature.

“Effective support that helps land managers become true guardians of nature are vital to unlock this potential.

We want the Scottish Government to deliver

for nature, the climate and all of Scotland’s people through the new system of payments.”

The Trust has joined other conservation charities and farmers’ groups in supporting the Farm for Scotland’s Future campaign.

Support the campaign by signing up at farmforscotlands future.scot

© Shutterstock

AS the Scottish Government considers how to replace the decades-old system of agricultural support following Brexit, the Trust is calling for support to help the industry farm in a nature-friendly way.

The rethink around agricultural policy and funding is considered a golden opportunity to support more farmers

On Wednesday, Jean helped protect osprey chicks.

On Thursday, she helped plant trees for red squirrels.

On Friday, she helped change the law to safeguard our land and seas.

On Saturday, it was five years since Jean passed away.

Make your wishes live on by writing us into your Will.

Jean’s gift to the Scottish Wildlife Trust in her Will was a simple yet powerful way to keep her wishes alive.

You can do the same.

Once you’ve taken care of your loved ones, please consider including a gift to the Scottish Wildlife Trust in your Will. No matter how big or small, you can be sure it will make a difference to Scotland’s wildlife.

To find out more, call Vanessa on 0131 312 4700 or visit scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/legacy Scottish registered charity (no. SC005792). Image © Joe Cornish/2020VISION

Wider news

© SCOTLAND: The Big Picture

Alarming loss of flying insects THE latest results from the Bugs Matter survey, led by Kent Wildlife Trust and Buglife, show the abundance of flying insects in the UK has plummeted by nearly 60 per cent in less than 20 years.

Scotland saw the smallest decline of any UK nation, with 28 per cent fewer insects in 2021 when compared with 2004 figures. While the reasons for this require further investigation, many of the factors that are harming insect populations, such as arable pesticides, loss of wildflower meadows and light pollution are acting most strongly in Southeast England.

Bugs Matter is inspired by the ‘windscreen effect’ – a general observation that people are seeing fewer insects squashed on the windscreens of their cars today compared with several decades ago. The project is keen to receive more records from members of THE firstcomprehensivestudyto gamekeepers, foresters, conservationists, the public in Scotland. accurately evaluate the social feasibility landowners, tourism operators and rural The concept is simple. Before making of returning the Eurasian lynx to communities. an essential journey in a vehicle, drivers Scotland has been published by The study revealed that views about are asked to clean their number plates SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, Trees for lynx reintroduction are far more complex and, after each journey, count the insects Life and Vincent Wildlife Trust. than a simple ‘for’ or ‘against’. Different squashed on the number plate using It follows a year of consultation with perspectiveswereidentified,withsome a ‘splatometer’ grid. Findings can be national stakeholders and local supporting reintroduction because of the communities in the Cairngorms National environmentalandeconomicbenefits,submitted online. This year’s survey runs until Wednesday 31 August. To take part, Park and Argyll. some against and others who do not simply download the Bugs Matter app Lynx are solitary woodland hunters think lynx should be reintroduced now that typically shy away from humans. but are open to discussing the future (free in IOS and Android).

Reintroductions in other European potential. countries have increased the species’ Among the wide-ranging views, there range and population, leading to was consensus for a participatory importantecologicalbenefits. cross-stakeholder approach to further Previous research looking into the explorethebenefitsofandbarriersto ecological case for the animal’s return lynx reintroduction. suggests the Scottish Highlands could The study recommends setting up a potentially support a population of Lynx Action Group to build trust around 400 wild lynx. between stakeholders and address areas But the charities behind the study say of disagreement over science and local a successful reintroduction is more knowledge, as well as the real and dependent on people’s attitudes than the reasonable concerns of some science. stakeholders.

The study saw extensive discussions which generated contributions from a Read the Lynx to Scotland report at range of groups including farmers, scotlandbigpicture.com/lynx-to-scotland

Studying appetite for return of lynx

Buzzing bus stops © Clear Channel UK

A NEW, five-year partnership between The Wildlife Trusts and leading media and infrastructure company Clear Channel is set to bring green-roofed bus stops buzzing with life to even more locations across the UK. Around 40 living bus stops are already in place between Glasgow and Brighton. Clear Channel aims to increase this to 150 by the end of 2022.

14 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE JULY 2022

SANDY Gilmour’s portrait of a mallard duckling paddling to catch a mayfly in a Glasgow park was the winner of the Scottish Wildlife Behaviour Category in the 2021 Scottish Nature Photography Awards.

© Sandy Gilmour

Thrill of the chase

Urban nature

Natural CAPITAL With the development of Scotland’s first Nature Network, the Edinburgh Living Landscape is pioneering a strategic approach to urban nature restoration, writes Rich Rowe

B

y any measure, Edinburgh is closer to nature than most cities – so much so that Scotland’s capital appears almost like an extension of the landscape in which it sits. Perched upon a series of rocky outcrops, this ancient city has a spine of hills at its western edge, a river that journeys through its core, an upland park near its centre – complete with extinct volcano – and a front row seat overlooking the Firth of Forth.

But such riches, and sheer immersion in nature, do not make it immune from a challenge common to many urban areas: how to develop in a way that ensures resilience to a future increasingly shaped by a changing climate and declining biodiversity.

The answer is to adopt a joined-up approach that balances the needs of people and wildlife. And it is exactly this kind of connectivity that has been the chief focus of the Edinburgh Living Landscape (ELL), a landscape-scale 16 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE JULY 2022

partnership led by the Trust. The initiative is improving ecosystem health in Edinburgh to make it one of the most sustainable cities in Europe by 2050.

At its heart is an understanding of the power of integrating nature into neighbourhoods throughout the city: an acknowledgement that the needs of nature are consistent with the needs of people. It is a vision that is supported by key partners: the City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust, University of Edinburgh and a host of other conservation organisations. All seek to demonstrate that investment in the natural environment not only boosts biodiversity and creates healthier urban ecosystems but also makes sound economic sense.

“Edinburgh Living Landscape is essentially about creating an environment where people and wildlife thrive together in a network of connected habitats,” explains Dr Cathleen Thomas, the Trust’s

Living Landscapes Programme Manager.

Today, almost half of Edinburgh is counted as green space. But while that represents a good starting point, quantity does not necessarily mean quality.

“Edinburgh has a lot of green space, but we need to ensure that it is managed in a way that encourages nature, with open spaces that are bigger, better managed and more joined up so that people and wildlife can move between them more freely,” notes Cathleen.

As such, ELL partners have focused on connecting and improving the biodiversity of green infrastructure throughout the city on multiple scales. Efforts have targeted some of Edinburgh’s largest public parks – where mowing regimes have been relaxedtoallowfloralmeadowstoflouris – but also micro-schemes involving window boxes, mini roof gardens and street trees.

Edinburgh has a lot of green space, but we need to ensure that it is managed in a way that encourages nature.

Urban nature

© Figumiy Sergey/ Adobe Stock

of the city with 200 suggested actions, ELL partners have an incredibly powerful tool at their disposal.

“The Nature Network allows us to be much more strategic in our thinking,” explains Cathleen. “There has never been anything done at this scale in the city. It’s a real step change in how we assess both need and impact.”

Adopting such an ecologically coherent approach has been vital in trying to understand how potential environmental improvements impact all the different users of particular areas, whether in affluentneighbourhoodsthatenjoyhigh quality outdoor spaces or deprived areas thatmostdefinitelydonot.

“We traditionally fall into a trap of seeing humans as somehow outside the environment in which we live but, actually, all of our activities impact our surroundings, so we are very much part of the ecosystem,” says Cathleen.

Mapping the city in such detail revealed much about the sheer diversity of green space within its boundaries. While there are allotments, cemeteries and many golf courses, Edinburgh’s boundaries also Holyrood Park offers a contain farmland, peatland, wetland, touch of the Highlands in woodland, coastal and intertidal areas. the centre of Edinburgh Holyrood Park includes areas of lowland dry heath that are home to rare northernbrownargusbutterflies,while MAPPING A CITY Working alongside experts and local the Water of Leith – a richly wooded Such actions are now set to be reinforced residents, ELL partners mapped the city’s waterwaythatflowsthroughthecity– and expanded thanks to a city-wide entireecologicalnetworkandidentified seesdippers,ottersandkingfishersshar ecological plan that reimagines the priority environmental enhancements space with cyclists, runners and Edinburgh like never before. The Trust that are needed. The exercise involved commuters. has led on the development of the every square metre of green space being Elsewhere, there are wading birds on Edinburgh Nature Network, which assessed for its capacity to provide a range the shoreline at Portobello, whales and highlights opportunities to use natural of ecosystem services, from water dolphins in the Firth of Forth, harbour solutions to address the threats of purificationtonoise,temperatureand seals that loll on sandbanks at low tide, biodiversity loss and climate change. floodregulation,insectpollination and and a range of urban wildlife – such as ThefirstofitskindinScotland,ithealthandwellbeingbenefits. badgers and foxes, kestrels and marks an initial step in the Scottish This ecosystem health check also sparrowhawks – that people live Government’s commitment, made in the identifiedshortfallsinsupply, alongside, often without realising.

2021 Programme for Government, for highlighting those parts of the city most in every Local Authority to have a Nature need of, for instance, additional trees to BALANCING ACT Network by 2026. improve air quality or wetland to hold The exercise also made clear some The Edinburgh Nature Network is a waterandreduceflooding. of the challenges posed by the staggeringly detailed piece of work.

Now armed with a fully integrated map city’s celebrated built heritage.

All photographs © Jamie McDermaid

City wildlife (from left): kestrel; small copper butterfly; otter

JULY 2022 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE 17

Urban nature

© Christian Mueller/Adobe Stock

While the quality and contrast in architecture between the medieval Old Town and the Georgian New Town has seen both recognised with UNESCO World Heritage status, such designation provides little leeway for efforts to green streets and reduce the amount of water that pours into the city’s sewage systems during periods of heavy rainfall.

“Here, it’s about achieving a balance between conserving history and traditions andfuture-proofingthem,”notes Cathleen.

With a tried and tested approach for the Nature Network in place, ELL partners now have a slightly different role – they will act as guides and facilitators, working with the community to deliver actions on the ground.

Many projects target key drivers of biodiversity loss such as habitat fragmentation, improving what is already in place as well as creating anew. Some pieces of the puzzle are already there; Edinburgh’s extensive network of cycle paths is a prize asset, although many of therouteswouldbenefitfromfurther enhancement, such as the removal of invasive species that choke native plants and reduce biodiversity.

Spokes that lead to key green space hubs, many of the cycle paths connect with the city’s major parks, although again there is work to be done. With some areas of parkland little more than bare, Rich riverbank habitat along the Water of Leith in openfieldssurroundedbyroads–withall Edinburgh’s Dean Village the associated air and noise pollution – they contribute only a fraction of their ecosystem service potential.

For Linda Anglin, Green Spaces Senior But the Nature Network now offers an Elsewhere, businesses and local groups Project Manager at the City of Edinburgh opportunity to accelerate that change. are moving forward at pace, with some Council, the ambition is for such ‘green “We were able to examine data to see perhaps unexpected participants. Lloyds deserts’ to become a thing of the past in where the greatest needs are for health Banking Group (see Q&A on page 20) is the capital. “Green spaces in and around improvements or where pollution levels restoring habitats across its sites, housing have often been featureless with are particularly high,” says Linda. “We includingatitsmainEdinburghofficeon few trees and the grass kept short,” she can now really target our efforts based on The Mound – a prominent site in the heart explains. “Happily, this approach is now need.” of the capital. changing.”

InfluencedbyNatureNetwork It’s a small but important site. As Through the previous efforts of the recommendations, three of the city’s Nature Network mapping highlighted, Council and as part of the ELL initiative, major parks are now the subject of The Mound is a stepping-stone habitat for Edinburgh’s green spaces are already concept masterplans that include pollinators, bats, badgers and other being managed very differently, with an extensive use of natural features. And it’s species as they move across the city centre increaseinwildflowermeadowsand not just parks; city-wide, the Nature from nearby Princes Street Gardens, species-rich grassland greatly improving Network is also now embedded in the Calton Hill and Holyrood Park. levels of biodiversity. council’s local development planning and The Nature Network approach was will inform decisions over the next decade also used to help identify sites for the as part of its new City Plan 2030. planting of Wee Forests – a Scottish take This includes work on the City of ontheTinyForestsconceptfirstdevelope Edinburgh Council’s Green Blue in Japan in the 1970s. Tennis court-sized Network, which involved the creation of urban woodlands, Wee Forests are anecologicalplanthatnowfeedsflooding created through dense planting of information, work on ecosystem services, fast-growing native trees. Doing so green spaces and active travel routes into provides biodiversity impact but also local planning policies. creates accessible green spaces that can “By working together in this way, operate as outdoor classrooms and ecological connectivity is built into the provide opportunities for community next stage of all new projects,” notes engagement and citizen science projects.

Linda.

Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace

We’re already seeing people working together across the city with a common purpose and direction.

18 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE JULY 2022

Urban nature

coherent and strategic approach to supporting people and wildlife allows us to have a big impact over a short time, helping tackle the climate and ecological emergencies.”

Being a pioneer comes with some bumps in the road but Cathleen is proud of what has been achieved – and excited about what’s to come. “It won’t happen overnight, but we’re already seeing people working together across the city with a common purpose and direction.

“The appetite and will are there. It’s important to achieve coherence and demonstrate how it improves life for everyone.”

The development of the Edinburgh Nature Network was part of the City of Edinburgh Council’s Thriving Green Spaces Project, made possible by the Future Parks Accelerator Programme (funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Trust). edinburghlivinglandscape.org.uk Rich Rowe is contributing editor of Scottish Wildlife. © ELGT

TrustELGT) ( plantedthefirstWeeForest together with local primary schools at West Pilton Park in October last year and have since planted up additional sites elsewhere in the city including Wester Hailes and Colinton Mains.

“Many of the Wee Forests have been planted in areas where people have become disengaged with their green spaces but we’ve found that, through working with local schools, we can really get that engagement back again,” explains Richard Darke, ELGT’s Fundraising and Communications Manager.

TIME TO ACT

Given the Scottish Government’s stated commitment for all local authorities to have a Nature Network in place by 2026, the race is on for others to follow Edinburgh’s lead – with the work done by ELL partners providing a tried and tested approach for delivering networks across Scotland.

“We want to work with others to share our methodology and the lessons learned – all cities are different but the approach can be similar,” says Cathleen.

And time is of the essence. “Having a

Pupils from Longstone Primary School help plant out a Wee Forest

JULY 2022 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE 19

Q&A

Q&A

Sustainability Manager, Future Workplace, Lloyds Banking Group

© Cheryl Jones

How important has championing wildlife and biodiversity become across your sites?

It has become hugely important, both for wildlife and people. We’re in the process of transforming our approach to landscaping across our estate, mitigating the impact of our own buildings and improving the health of the green spaces we occupy. While most of our outdoor spaces are relatively small, we want to use our parcels of land to help contribute toward the regeneration of nature and restore the connectivity between our sites and surrounding ecosystems.

Cheryl Jones

What have you learned – and actioned – through your involvement in the Edinburgh Nature Network?

We learned how crucially important connectivity is to wildlife, particularly in urbanareas.TheMound,ourheadoffice in Edinburgh’s city centre, occupies a very important location for creating stepping stone habitats enabling various species to travel around the city.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust helped us developasite-specifichabitatcreation and management plan to enhance biodiversity at the Mound. Our new west powerful role to play, particularly in environment and have joined a number terracebutterflygardenhasameadow raising awareness and supporting people of collaborative initiatives that bring key with a mix of plants to create habitat and to make more sustainable choices. stakeholders together to address the provide food for a range of locally rare Businessescanalsoinfluencetheir biodiversity crisis. invertebrates. In addition, we are actively supply chains and because they operate managing our ground-level lighting to in a policy environment, there’s also an Where does nature fit within your own avoid interfering with moths and opportunity to work with governments vision for the workplace of the future? butterfliesfeedinginthegardenover to create positive change.

The idea of ‘workplace’ has changed for springandsummer.Butterfly so many of us. With more people Conservation Scotland and Historic Where is Lloyds Banking Group on working from home or adopting hybrid Environment Scotland also provided its own sustainability journey? ways of working, the focus of the advice on the optimal mix of native plants We’re working with our customers, workplacehasshiftedandofficetimeis for the site, including selecting mosses governments and the market to help plannedaroundspecificpurposesthat and sedges that thrive in wet conditions reducetheemissionswefinancebymore work better face-to-face. As a result, for an area of the garden prone to than 50% by 2030 and be net zero by 2050 expectationsoftheofficeenvironment flooding. or sooner. We’ve also set ambitious have changed. In creating outdoor spaces targets to achieve net zero carbon that are nature-positive, they become To what extent is sustainability now a key operations by 2030, including reducing more interesting and inspiring places to consideration in the decisions made by our direct carbon emissions (known as be. I personally do some of my best large businesses?

Scope 1 and 2 emissions) by at least 75% thinking while outside. We wanted to Sustainabilityhasdefinitelyleapt compared uptheto 2018/19 levels. provide wilder, more engaging outdoor corporate agenda – and has been an We recognise the important role that spaces for colleagues, whether for important part of our strategy at Lloyds financialservicesinparticularcan meetings playinor just a quiet moment to Banking Group for some time. Many helping to minimise nature-related risks socialise or have a break. In that sense, more corporates are now embedding and channel capital towards protection these wilder outdoor spaces can become a sustainability within decision making and restoration of natural capital stocks. valuable extension of our indoor space. and taking action to address the climate We have external measures in place to and biodiversity crises, which is hugely safeguard against certain activities that For a long version of this interview, visit encouraging. Business, generally, has a are known to accelerate degradation of the edinburghlivinglandscape.org.uk/latest-news 20 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE JULY 2022

Can you help us find new members?

Are you a born people-person? Do you have a passion for Scotland’s wildlife? We are looking for a warm and friendly individual to join our small team of Membership Recruiters.

You will attend local venues and events throughout the year and encourage people to become members of the Scottish Wildlife Trust and support our vital work through a monthly Direct Debit.

If this sounds like the right opportunity for you, visit scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/recruiter for more information or call Kate Smith on 0131 312 4761 for an informal chat.

Rahoy Hills

WEST

THE WILD

A rugged reserve on the remote Morvern peninsula, the special geology of Rahoy Hills ensures a rich variety of habitat for many species, while the vision of staff and neighbours have also made it an exemplar of landscape restoration, discovers Ida Maspero

Big country: Rahoy ranger Steve Hardy surveys the landscape; a stand of Atlantic oakwood (above right) 22 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE JULY 2022

lA l photography © tS eve Hardy

H

igh summer in the hills.

Reserve ranger Steve Hardy is scrambling to reach the upper crags of Beinn na h-Uamha, where delicate arctic-alpine plant species are in bloom. In particular, he is looking for the dainty whiteflowersofarcticsandwort, stands of the stout, purple-pink hairy stonecrop and showy mats of moss campion – some of the dozen or so rare arctic-alpinesthatflourishhere.

Monitoring these plants is just one of Steve’s regular duties as ranger. “The terrain on these hills is rough, with cliffs and steep scree, so I have to be careful,” he says. “The most unlikely, barren places on the mountains are wherewefindthesepreciouslittle the land. Those who follow the lochside now recovering to form a dense, plants. They’re easily overlooked, but path – or another up the Black Glen temperate ‘rainforest’ that is rich in life. wheninflowerthey’reverystriking.gorge ” – enter a cathedral of gnarled old In2017,ArdtornishEstateagreedto And it is this array of high-altitude oaks and twisted birches dripping with remove sheep from the reserve – great plants that is the reason the reserve lichens, while a lush understory of ferns, news for both the woodland and wasfirstcreatedinthemid-1970s. mosses and liverworts coat the rocks. upland habitats.

“What makes Rahoy so special is its Although these Atlantic oakwoods “I’m really encouraged by how distinctive geology and mix of different are a stark contrast to the exposed basalt healthy the hills are starting to look and rock types,” explains Steve. “In crags that originally earned Rahoy its how quickly the vegetation is particular, the basalt at the tops of its protected status, they are equally recovering,” Steve notes. “We still have two prominent hills – Beinn Iadain and precious. This part of the reserve, called some way to go, but things are on the Beinn na h-Uamha – is crumbly and the John Raven extension, was added in right track. Now the time is right to nutrient-rich, creating a unique the :8 91 landisownedbyneighbouring think about removing the decaying montane habitat.”

Ardtornish Estate but jointly managed fences and let nature do her thing.”

Later this week, if the warm and with the Trust. sunny weather holds, Steve will get In spring, the woodland reverberates PLAYING PREDATOR on to other regular summer tasks down with birdsong – from the unmistakeable “We would like to move away from the hill: walking set routes through call of the cuckoo to delicate trills of relying on fencing at Rahoy, as it also the oak woodlands and grasslands to redstarts and wood warblers. In June, restricts the natural formation of a monitornumerousbirdandbutterfly the oaks are festooned with caterpillars mosaic of habitats,” echoes Michelle species. By the loch, he’ll continue hanging from silk threads – food for the Henley, the Trust’s Reserves Manager to keep an eye on breeding water birds young of many woodland birds. Rare (North). “With the sheep gone, what’s and waders such as black-throated pearl-borderedfritillarybutterflies holdingdart back efforts to further restore diver and greenshank, plus look for about in the woodland clearings, while all habitat types on the reserve – signs of otters. the presence of pine martens is revealed moorland, grassland and woodland – Rahoy Hills is one of the few Trust by their scat. is high red deer density. reserves to have a dedicated ranger.

As Steve explains, the process of “In fact, it’s an underlying theme at Steve lives just a few miles away and restoring these remnant oakwoods has most of our large upland reserves and has been in the role for more than taken30yearsandisstillongoing. much of our management planning 20years,soheknowsthesehills,lochs, “This was a hollow, dying wood in the hinges around increasing deer control.” woodlands, grasslands and moors like early190s,”hereveals.“Sheephad But as Steve adds, the ambition is the back of his hand. He has seen – and been grazing in it for decades, so there not to remove deer from Rahoy played a major part in – the healing of were mature oak trees but no younger altogether, as they are an essential part the land here and the resurgence of ones, and no understorey vegetation. of the ecosystem. “With their natural natural ecosystems.

We erected fences around the existing predator, the wolf, absent from woodland to keep the sheep and deer Scotland, we have to be the wolves by ATLANTIC OAKWOODS out, and later enclosed adjacent blocks undertaking an annual cull.”

Where the hillsides sweep down to the to allow expansion through natural Lower deer numbers will also mean shores of peaty Loch Arienas, emeraldregeneration.” healthier animals. “Deer numbers far green woodland cloaks the contours of Gradually, the dying oakwoods are exceed the carrying capacity of the land,” explains Steve. “They are naturally woodland animals and in harsh winters many die of starvation out on the open hill due to a lack of food and shelter. Lower densities and fewer fences around woodland would allow them access to the food and shelter that they need.”

Gradually, the dying oakwoods are now recovering to form a dense, temperate ‘rainforest’ that is rich in life.

JULY 2022 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE 23

Rahoy Hills

Pearl-bordered fritillary, one of many species of butterfly found at Rahoy

A juvenile wheatear

The purple-pink flowers of hairy stonecrop

Restoring vast areas of Scotland’s uplands to selfwilled land is the best way to achieve a rich and healthy biodiversity...

WHAT TO SPOT • Golden eagle – often seen on the reserve circling high above the cliffs.

• Waders and waterbirds – in summer, the shores of Loch Arienas are home to greenshank and common sandpiper, while merganser, goosander and various other ducks can be seen on the water.

• Grand old oaks – the buttresses of Rahoy’s temperate woodland cathedral.

• Bryophytes and lichens – these tiny, primitive members of the plant kingdom bring an otherworldliness to the woods.

• Butterflies and dragonflies – areas of grassland and woodland host a variety of butterflies, while 16 species of dragonfly have been recorded on the reserve.

BUTTERFLY HAVEN

Stretching above the shelter of the oakwoods are windswept uplands – a patchwork of heath and mire where golden plover nest among peatland plants and mosses, and red-throated divers breed around the lochans. In 24 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE JULY 2022

pockets of species-rich grassland, animals and plants, it will be bad news another key habitat on the reserve, for others,” Steve remarks. floweringherbssuchasbird’s-foot “Restoring vast areas of Scotland’s trefoil, heath bedstraw and wild thyme uplands to self-willed land is the best providenectarsourcesforbutterflies way to and achieve a rich and healthy other insects. biodiversity that’s more resilient to a Monitoringbutterfliesisaparticular changing climate… and also helps to passion for Steve. The job involves mitigate climate change,” he urges. walking a set transect once a week, “We need landscape-scale provided the weather is relatively settled. restoration, not just pockets here “The route covers a range of habitats – and there. We believe Rahoy can from woodland to grassland – and is a be an example of good practice and fairly arduous walk along a steep hillside, collaboration between landowners, but I love it. We have been collecting data conservation charities and local for20-oddspeciesofbutterflysincethe players. Here, we have the opportunity mid-80s,sothisdataisanimportant to show people what needs to be indication of Rahoy’s overall health.” done – and what can be achieved.”

In recent years, Steve is delighted to haverecordedtwonewbutterfliesPLAN onthe A VISIT reserveforthefirsttime:thepurple Rahoy Hills is situated on the Morvern hairstreak, a southern species that lives Peninsula, with a car park located just off the in the canopies of the oaks, and the A884 north of Lochaline. This is a rugged area chequered skipper. “I’ve always thought given over to nature, so access is limited to a chequered skipper ought to be here shoreside ‘there and back’ path beside Loch because the habitat is ideal for it. The Arienas, plus a path up Black Glen gorge. speciesfirstarrivedin2013andlastyear Both begin from the car park. Ranger Steve we saw their numbers shoot up. It’s just Hardy is happy to guide visitors on the reserve fantastic.” by prior arrangement. Contact shardy@ But as much as the arrival of southern scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk butterflyspeciesisaboon,thereisa darker side. “Their presence is an indication that our climate is changing.

Ida Maspero is an Edinburgh-based writer And while that might be good for some and editor focusing on nature and heritage.

www.scotiaseeds.co.uk 0 1 3 5 6 6 2 6 4 2 5 Mavisbank, Farnell, Brechin, DD9 6TR

scotia seeds

Wilddlowers of Scotland seed packets & meadow mixes

Annual General Meeting

Make peace with nature Join us online for this year’s AGM to learn more about the Trust’s activities over the past 12 months plus a special panel discussion on how we can all make peace with nature

N

it o ec is given t a h te h t 8u 5n A la General eM etig n f o eh t Trust iw ll eb eh ld ln o ine t a 0 1 m a n o Sau t rdy a 0 1 Sepet eb m r.

If u oy u o w ld like o t et a , d n lp ease iv sit scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/ agmbooking sA ew ll sa eh t ro f la m G A , M eh t evet n inlc udes n a inet rait c ev en a p l id scussion enit lt ed ik a M g n eP ec a iw h t Nau t re, so h et d y b Trustee u J lian la C ed t o c iw h t speic la guests.uYo l’ l la so eh ra rp esenit a sn o rf m o u o r ia h C r d n a ih C ef ex E u c it ev , lp us ev a h aec n a h c o t sa k u q estisn o u o b a t la l sa ep st c f o eh t Trusts’ ro w k.

10:00 eW lcome and top wildlife highlights from 2022 10:10 Formal agenda 11:10 Comfort break 11:15 rP esentations and questions 11:45 Trustees’ Awards for volunteering 11:50 Making eP ace with Nature panel discussion 12:45 n E ds

26 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE JULY 2022

Mian image: © Fergus Gill/2020VISION

scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/ agmbooking

Annual General Meeting

© Katrina Martin/2020VISION

© Mark Hamblin/2020VISION

© Mark Hamblin/2020VISION

AGM FORMAL AGENDA 1. Apologies 2. To approve the minutes from the 57th AGM held online on Saturday 11 September 2021.

3. To receive the Council’s report and accounts for the year ended 31 March 2022. The Annual Report and Financial Statements can be downloaded from the Trust’s website. Copies are available on

request from the Company Secretary.

4. To re-appoint auditors of the Trust.

5. To elect members to Council.

6. Any other relevant business. All other business must be notified to the Company Secretary by 31 August 2022.

Susan McKenzie (Company Secretary) Registered Office: Scottish Wildlife Trust,

Harbourside House, 110 Commercial Street, Edinburgh, EH6 6NF. A member entitled to attend and vote at the above meeting is entitled to appoint another person as a proxy to attend and, on a poll, to vote in their place. A proxy form is available online for members who are unable to attend the meeting.

NOMINATIONS FOR ELECTION TO COUNCIL Council, which has responsibility for the governance of the Trust, is made up of Trustees elected from the membership. To be an effective Trustee requires time and effort, and members of Council are elected on the basis of what they can contribute by wayofknowledge,contacts,expertiseandskill(including nservation, finance,co science,administrationandland management). A Trustee must act in the best interests of the charity as a whole. This year, as the number of candidates is equal to the number of vacancies on Council, no postal vote is necessary. Details of nominations to Council are shown below and vacancieswillbefilledinaccordancewiththeArticles n. ofAssociatio

STANDING FOR ELECTION HAYLEY WHYTE Proposer: Chris Arnold Seconder: Anthony Robson

JENNIFER BAXTER Proposer: Gillian Duncan Seconder: Fiona and Jim Hewlett

Hayley has worked in many marketing roles, from Jen inherited her love of nature from her parents and spends VisitScotland to Accenture, a global professional services hours in her garden and surrounding greenspaces. company. Last year she started a new role in which she has She regularly encourages others to reconnect with the been tasked with communicating the company’s natural environment to support their wellbeing when sustainability commitments and actions in the UK. teaching meditation. She does this alongside her role as a She is currently focused on engaging staff, changing programme manager in the banking sector, having worked mindsets and behaviours to embed sustainability in in the change environment for over 20 years, managing everything the company does. Hayley also leads on an projects and leading governance and assurance work. innovative educational platform that leverages augmented As a Trustee, Jen will strive to encourage changes that realitytovisuallycommunicatethebenefitsofrewilding build a deeper on connection between people and wildlife to biodiversity in the UK. better support nature’s recovery, help us thrive in harmony and to protect nature for future generations to enjoy.

JULY 2022 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE 27

News Plant protectors

PLANT PROTECTORS Dr Matt Elliot from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh outlines the work being done to reduce the threats that non-native pests and disease pose to the health of our native plants

©Shutterstock

W

ith today’s global trade in plant increasingly recognised by governments thewidespreaddeclineandlossof material–fromthecutflowers as essential to all aspects of life: millions of ash trees. This direct effect is in supermarkets and shops to safeguardingfoodsecurity,natural shockingenough,butashisahostto the food on our tables – there is a high resourcessuchastrees,andthegreen manyspeciesoflichen,mossandinsects potential for importing invasive species spaces that support our health and whichareimpactedindirectly. which,havingnonaturalpredatorswellbeing. in Thelossofashisquicklychangingthe Scotland,cantooeasilyestablish TheUKPlantHealthRiskRegister,compositionofnativewoodlands,with themselves in our environment. hosted by the Department for yetunknownimplicationsforwoodland Likeothercountries,wearenow Environment,FoodandRuralAffairs species,particularlygroundflorawhich witnessinganincreasedfrequencyof(Defra),collectsinformationonplant may have to adapt to changing light plant disease and pest outbreaks. And the healthrisksandcontains1,235species levels. of And there is a direct economic hit impact can be devastating. Climate change concern.Atleast130areclassifiedashigh too: managing ash dieback is forecast to makes Scotland more conducive to species risk–capableofcausingsignificantharm cost the UK more than £7 billion over the fromwarmerregionsand,onceanewpest if they arrived in the UK. next decade. ordiseaseenterstheenvironment,it One issuchdiseaseisashdieback,a Apathogenofconcernwhichhasnot often impossible to remove. pathogenwhichinfectsandkills yet reached the UK is the bacterial Theeffectscanbebothdirect,when European a ash trees (Fraxinus excelsior). disease Xylella fastidiosa,whichhashada pestattacksaparticularhostspecies, Thefungus or responsible, Hymenoscyphus significantimpactonancientolivetre indirect,whenthereductionofanative fraxineus,wasintroducedintoEurope insouthernItaly.Affecting60different speciescanimpactthewiderecosystem. fromAsiainthe190sandhassince species of plants – including garden Aswellasbeingcrucialtotheplanet’ spread s acrossthecontinent.Itwas favourites rosemary and lavender biodiversity,planthealthisnow detectedintheUKin201andhascaused – Xylella has the potential to infect a large 28 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE JULY 2022

Social media Plant link/Web protectors link

proportion of species in the UK. includes at its heart the construction of safelyandwhetherpeat-freemediaposes Insect pests are also of concern. a Plant Health Hub to help combat these securityrisks,helpingtoinformindustr The past decade has featured the issues.Thenewcentre,tobebuiltinthe guidelines. extraordinary impact of the emerald ash RBGENursery,willreplaceexisting, However,responsibilityforbiosecurit borer (Agrilus planipennis) and bronze ageingstructureswithstate-of-thedoes artnotjustsitwithindustrystanda birch borer (Agrilus anxius) beetles in facilities.Theseincludeabio-secure andgovernmentregulation–weallhavea NorthAmerica,wherewholelandscapes propagation environment for plants role to play in protecting the environment. of ash and birch have been lost. The UK whichareunderthreatfromdiseaseFor orexample,wecanreduceourreliance Risk Register includes a further 11 species extinction,aswellasanewlaboratory onriskyimportsbybuyinglocallygrown of Agrilusbeetle,posingasignificant whereimportedplantscanbesafely plantsand,whenvisitingthecountrysid dangertoouroak,poplarandwillow. quarantined.Thisnewfacilitywill ensuringwecleanourbootstoavoid However,whilethethreatsarereal enhance andand accelerate research into plant spreading plant pests or pathogens. serious,governmentagenciesareworking pestsandpathogens,helpingour The spread of plant pests and diseases to provide solutions. The UK Plant Health scientistsfindsolutionstothese throughout difficultScotland is undoubtedly authorities have introduced measures environmental challenges. athreattoourflora,withpotentially whichincludethecarefulregulationof Butit’snotjustaboutfacilities, devastatingeffectsonoureconomy,our importedtimber,withtheaimof partnershipsarealsokey.Inoneproject, prizedgreenspacesand,ultimately, preventing the introduction of Agrilus. funded by the Scottish Plant Health thefoodthatweeat.

At the Royal Botanic Garden Centre,RBGEisengagingwithland However,throughtheintroduction EdinburghRBGE) ( we , havealong-term managers and businesses to understand ofmeasurestoregulateglobalimports, commitment to research plant health and whatproceduresarealreadyinplace adherence and to regulations that keep us safe biosecurity and lead several pioneering whichmeasurespartnerswouldlikeand, to mostofall,continuedinvestmentin projects. We aim to improve seeintroduced.Byexamininghowother research,weeachcanplayourpartin understandingofhowtopreventnew countries and andsectorsmanagerisk,the preserving our fragile planet for future damaging species from entering the projectwilldetermineifthereare generations. any countryinthefirstplaceandlookfor ground-breakingapproachesthatcould waystoreducethespreadandimpactbe ofadopted in the UK. invasive species.

Wearealsoworkingwithindustryto Dr Matt Elliot is a Plant Health and Biosecurity TheGarden’sseven-yearEdinburgh improveaspectsofbiosecurity,suchas Analyst at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.

Biomesinitiative,launchedin,120 howplantwastematerialcanbehandled rbge.org.uk JULY 2022 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE 29

Features the lifecycle and ecology of this fascinating bird

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The big picture

Lisa Kamphausen

© Lisa Kamphausen

THE BIG PICTURE

BEING a marine ecologist with own camera and joining dive trips with straight down, but it was a squid,” NatureScot is not without its perks. For Seasearch – a UK-wide initiative that she recalls.

Dr Lisa Kamphausen, who works in the involves volunteer divers and snorkellers Lisa watched the animal for a few agency’s Marine Ecosystems – Survey & working together for marine minutes,marvellingatitscamouflage, Monitoring team, they come in the form conservation. Doing so has enabled her to before the squid dropped suddenly to the of time spent documenting the diversity explore Scotland’s coast in her own time, seabed and started to bury itself in the of life that exists around the Scottish together with fellow marine enthusiasts. sand. “It closed its eyes but stole glances coastline.

As Lisa has discovered, every dive can at me every so often as if to check “I learned underwater photography throw up a surprise or two – including a whether I could still see it,” recalls Lisa. for work, which has allowed me to chance encounter with a bobtail squid in “Ikeptfloodingmymaskbecauseitmade travel to so many amazing places,” waters off Kinlochbervie. “We only made me laugh so much. explains Lisa. the dive because the weather had stopped “After a while it started to push more Atfirst,themainpurposewasto us going somewhere else, but it turned sand over its body, leaving nothing but the determine population numbers of into one of the most fun underwater eyes exposed. I could have watched it particularspeciesortoidentifyspecific encounters I have ever had,” she forever but decided to move on and give it habitats, but over time it became much explains. some peace – but not before capturing this more than that. “I realised just how While diving along clean sand at the finalpicture.” powerful the pictures were at base of some coastal cliffs, Lisa spotted communicating and that we also needed something floating close to a pieceCamera: of Olympus E-PL6; Lens: Olympus M.14images which told stories, so that people seaweed that was being washed back 42mm F3.5-5.6 II R; Shutter speed: 1/200; could better connect with the marine and forth with the surge. “It looked Aperture: f/5.6, focal length: 42.0 mm; ISO: 200; environment,” she says. remarkably like a piece of kelp, hanging Flash (on, fired). For more of Lisa’s work, visit This realisation led to Lisa buying her motionless with the arms all pointing flickr.com/photos/lisaka_photography JULY 2022 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE 31

Watch out for

Watch out for...

Some things to enjoy over the coming months Festival

Book © Chris Watt

Scottish Wild Food Festival, 17-18 September FORAGERS and food lovers have an event all of their own to enjoy in September when the Scottish Wild Food Festival returns to the spectacular surroundings of Tir na nÓg – a holistic centre on the edge of the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park.

A weekend-long celebration of wild food

and foraging, the festival encourages all ages to explore the woodland trails and learn more about the wild food found on their doorstep.

With a series of events radiating from a main hub, this year’s festival includes dining experiences, foraging walks, bushcraft sessions for kids, wild cocktail

making, cooking demonstrations, talks and live music.

There is even a wild food market that showcases some of Scotland’s leading food and drink producers that use foraged and wild ingredients.

For more, visit scottish wildfoodfestival.co.uk

Tickets for the Ark Rebecca Nesbit Published by Profile Books ISBN 978-1788167079 Hardback RRP £16.99 AS WE witness what many are referring to as the sixth mass extinction, few would argue that conserving wildlife is a worthwhile endeavour.

But when faced with limited resources and the interconnected complexity of nature, how do we choose which species to focus on and what do we want the ‘natural world’ to look like?

These are big questions and ones that science alone cannot answer. In this wonderfully thoughtprovoking book, ecologist and author Rebecca Nesbit confronts a series of conservation dilemmas, examining case studies through both an ecological and philosophical lens.

Why are bees the poster species for pollinators while wasps are vilified?

How do we decide when it’s ok to kill one animal to save another? And when there is no objective ‘correct’ answer to what the natural world should look like, what is conservation trying to achieve?

This fascinating book will very likely challenge your view of nature, test your moral compass and leave you with a raft of questions to debate with others.

Book

The Otter Book Jo Byrne Published by Graffeg Ltd ISBN: 9781802580822 Hardback RRP £9.99 THE latest in a series of compact, accessible guides to some of the 32 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE JULY 2022

UK’s most cherished wildlife, The Otter Book takes a close look at our relationship with one of our most charismatic mammals.

As might be expected, the book provides plenty of detailed species information, covering

habitat, life cycle and physiology, but also takes

a deep dive into the otter’s place in myth and legend.

It’s beautifully illustrated too, not just with excellent photography but also with a range of imaginative artwork that helps provide a true sense of the animal.

Much like the rest of the series, it’s an informative delight for all ages.

Watch out for

Podcast

Book

Life On The Hedge

The Beaches of Scotland

ENVIRONMENTAL charity The Tree Council recently released a new series of podcasts exploring the magic of hedgerows and the wealth of green job opportunities available to young people in the UK. In each episode of Life On The Hedge, listeners can hear from a young person cultivate native species, lay hedges, work takingtheirfirststepsinanature-with based farmers and volunteers and discover career – and get an inside look at how to the wildlife that depends upon our get started in a sector where the UK hedgerows. government has pledged to quadruple the “These podcasts give an insight into the number of jobs by 2030. incredible world of nature-based careers,” There is plenty of wisdom and commented Sara Lom, Chief Executive of experience here too. Although each The Tree Council. “Hedgerows are episode is led by a young person at the carbon-guzzling, pollution-absorbing, start of their green career, they are joined wildlife-sheltering wonders. Life On The in conversation by a more experienced Hedge allows all of us to get to know our personintheirfield.Together,they hedgerows and how vital they are in explore a range of topics, including growing a greener future.” tackling climate change, biodiversity loss and hedgerow preservation.

The podcast series is available on all major The series also heads outside to platforms. Visit treecouncil.org.uk/ demonstrate what it’s like to plant trees, lifeonthehedge

Stacey McGowan Holloway Published by Vertebrate Publishing ISBN 9781839810787 Hardback RRP £16.99

THIS might just be the ultimate summer companion book!

Journeying from the mainland to the Western Isles and north to Orkney and Shetland, this colourful and informative guide to more than150ofScotland’sfinestbeachesis sure to inspire and delight.

Many of the beaches are easy on the eye, of course, but they have also been chosen for their potential for adventure and activities–includingtopspotsforsurfing kayaking, wildlife watching, camping and snorkelling. There are surprises here too, bothclosetourbancentresandinfar-flung, seldom-visited locations.

Competition

Win a stay at the Four Seasons

I

T IS renowned for being nestled among some of Scotland’s most spectacular scenery – and for hosting the Fab Four during The Beatles’ tour of Scotland in 1964.

Now we’re giving a lucky reader the chance to win an overnight stay with dinner and breakfast at the picturesque Four Seasons Hotel in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park.

The Four Seasons, on the banks of Loch Earn, is the perfect place to spot wildlife including red kites, ospreys, red squirrels and deer.

The landmark hotel, in the conservation village of Saint Fillans, has eight westerly-facing Earn View bedrooms, each with feature windows, to help bring the beauty of the outside space indoors for guests.

Nature-inspired pastel shades of green, blue and grey also feature throughout the hotel, while guest relaxation and wellness are a priority.

The Four Seasons is a member of Scotland’s Hotels of Distinction.

For more information, visit hotels-of-distinction.com

READER OFFER: Book an Earn View Room and you will be upgraded to a Highland Four Poster (subject to availability), with a bottle of house wine included.

Bookings should be made directly by emailing info@thefourseasonshotel. co.uk, quoting ‘Scottish Wildlife’. The offer is valid for stays up to 30 November 2022.

COMPETITION

For your chance to win, simply complete our 2022 Members’ Survey by 31 August 2022 Entries can be submitted online at scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/2022survey or by completing the paper form included with this magazine and sending to: Freepost RSTC-UEBT-AZKR, Members’ Survey, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Harbourside House, 110 Commercial Street, Edinburgh EH6 6NF. T&Cs: Prize redemption is valid for 12 months and excludes bank holidays and other seasonal dates.

Prize is offered subject to availability. Entry data will be used solely for the purposes of managing this competition.

JULY 2022 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE 33

Viewpoint

© Ian Young

Viewpoint In our latest personal story exploring nature’s capacity to surprise, inspire and heal, Trust volunteer Ian Young details how engagement with the natural world has strengthened him during periods of serious illness and convalescence

I have always valued nature and the prospect of returning to it kept me going during the dreary days and discomfort.

34 SCOTTISH WILDLIFE JULY 2022

was the length of the drive, the second a foray into the park for a few hundred metres. The first hour on the hill came a month or so later. After six months, I could manage half a day and volunteer for the Scottish Wildlife Trust local group that covers my region.

Whether my engagement with the natural world was for minutes, hours or days, I was strengthened by it; not just by the clichéd beauty of sunsets or flowers, but by the detail of a leaf or an insect, the irritation of a nettle sting or the battle to regain strength and stamina while wrestling with a redundant fence.

Our natural aesthetic must embrace pleasure and pain, current ideas of beauty and ugliness, of spiders, snakes and viruses as well as cuddly mammals, if it is not to descend into sentimentality.

Five years on, the disease has butted in again. The treatment regime is more benign but is limiting and I need to find life where I can. As I write, I watch a goldfinch at the feeder in my garden and the apple tree from which it hangs is breaking into leaf.

Yesterday, we found a dead bird of prey, a species not previously seen in this neighbourhood; we were happy it was there but sad it was dead. We were planting trees, a few hundred added to thousands at a local reserve where we are helping nature recolonise and repair land damaged by human intervention.

Life returns.

© James Appleton

DISCOVERING that you have a lifewhen a goldfinch appeared unexpectedly threatening illness comes as a shock, even at the window. I commented on it to the when you thought you were prepared to nurse, who looked a bit blank and went hearbadnews.Thefirstdetailwasactually off to confer with a colleague. I suppose I reassuring: “It’s a chronic condition, which could have been hallucinating but, even if most patients die with rather than of.” Two I was, it was life-affirming. cheers then. A more thorough investigation The treatment held the disease at bay revealed that “it is an aggressive form, but for a couple of years, long enough to eminently treatable”. One cheer? complete my outstanding Munros. But The proposed treatment regime was the disease recurred and I faced uninviting: monthly chemotherapy, hospitalisation for a bone marrow stem which would lay me low for two weeks cell transplant and the protracted out of four and separate me from people, recuperation that follows. activities and places that I rediscovered I I was lucky enough to be given an loved when faced with isolation. isolation room with a view that included This separation made some of the woodland. During recovery, I watched more obvious physical discomforts of the rooks and jackdaws come and go from illness more difficult to bear in that there their roosts; they provided reassurance were no distractions available. It also that life continued, despite my temporary incentivised recovery. I thought: “When I absence. am well, I can breathe fresh air again.”

Recuperation was a series of small While much of my working life has victories punctuated by setbacks such as been spent in factories and offices, I have opportunistic infections. The first walk always valued nature and the prospect of returning to it kept me going during the dreary days and discomfort.

But what I hadn’t expected was to find nature alive and kicking while being treated. The first hint was the discovery that an oystercatcher nested in the pebbles outside the outpatients’ department. Those in the know would look out for her and her brood, rooting for them as we walked the corridors.

Chemotherapy was delivered in a third-floor ward and I was delighted

Ian enjoying the hills (main) and volunteering with the Trust

Our wonderful Wildlife Guardians go above and beyond in their support.

By giving so generously, they are helping us to safeguard and restore the most important and most threatened habitats and species in Scotland. They are helping us work towards a healthy natural environment to benefit both people and wildlife, campaigning for better wildlife protection and inspiring the next generation to become stewards of the natural world.

We would like to say a huge THANK YOU to each and every one:

GOLD Wildlife Guardians (giving >£50 per month) • •

And 1 other Gold Wildlife Guardian who wishes to remain anonymous

John McMillan & Belinda Marr Carol Pudsey

SILVER Wildlife Guardians (giving >£30 per month) • • • •

Ivan W. Reid Ian & Tracy Gardiner Dawn & Andrew Knight David P Riley

•

Tim Moulds

•

•

Colin McCormack & Alison Gough

Ronald & Marlies MacLean

•

Caroline Casey

Mr & Mrs Ian Hall

•

Ian Brander

•

•

Mrs S & Mrs H Duncanson And 1 other Silver Wildlife Guardian who wishes to remain anonymous

BRONZE Wildlife Guardians (giving >£15 per month) • • • • • • • • • •

Mr G Hedley & Mrs I Thomson Mrs Isobela Mellors Mr A Voas Lawrence Robertson Mrs Nancy Colman Nick & Ann Burton Nicholas & Wendy Gray Michael Dickson Ms Frances Affleck & Mr Mark Jackson Andrew & Vicky Kilpatrick

• • • • • • • • • • •

Tom Clarke Mr Graeme K Craig Mr George Wood Mrs Shona Wildi Elspeth Third Pyott Family Dr Jean Helling Mr & Mrs Sturt Mr & Mrs McKechnie Mr B Ritchie & Ms M Ritchie Mr Ronald Kinnear

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Ms E Munro Ron Carthy Mr John Strachan Barry Jarvie B J Muirhead Miss B & HsN C Murray Stan & Katie Calder Robert Kerr David Cowan Mr & Mrs J Hopkins Angela Collins

•

Ian Mirfin

•

Mrs S Evans

•

Mr & Mrs Allan

•

Mr E & Mrs A Spearman

•

David Jarvie

•

Anne Wright

•

M Lancaster

•

Cox Family

And 20 Bronze Wildlife Guardians who wish to remain anonymous

Wildlife Guardians (giving >£7.50 per month) To see a full list of all our 259 valued Wildlife Guardians and to sign up, visit: scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife-guardians

Already give £7.50 or more per month?

You can join them!

© Elliott Neep

Sign up on our website or complete the enclosed flyer and send to us at: Freepost RSTC-UEBT-AZKR, Wildlife Guardians, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Harbourside House, 110 Commercial Street, Edinburgh EH6 6NF.

new book on SCoTland’S buTTerflieS SPECIAL PRE-PUBLICATION OFFER discovering Scotland’s Butterflies

by Paul Kirkland To be published October 2022 Order your copy nOw & save £9.95 on published price! Offer ends 31 October 2022 Hardback, 240 × 170mm, 272pp ISBN 978-1-874357-99-5

Scotland is an exciting place for butterfly-watching.

The rapidly changing distribution of many species creates an enthralling environment for recorders and nature-lovers, while remote glens and islands undoubtedly hold undiscovered rarities.

Save £9.95 oN This book is for everyone who gets a buzz from seeing a tHe puBlISHed prIce butterfly, providing details of life cycles, habitats, ecology £29.95 + £4 p&p and distribution of the thirty plus species. Numerous pre-puBlIcatIoN prIce anecdotes illustrate the pleasure of watching common + £4 p&p butterflies or the thrill of discovering scarce ones. The book also covers butterfly gardening, climate change, studying and conserving butterflies, and places to see them.

£20

Mountains, moorlands and blanket bog

Scotland’s uplands support large areas of moorland and blanket bog, but the cool, wet and windy Atlantic climate allows such habitats to occur at or close to sea level, especially in the north and west. The common features of these habitats are the low temperatures, high rainfall and strong winds – not the sort of weather normally associated with butterflies.

But despite this, several species inhabit these landscapes, we assume by being able to locate sufficiently warm microclimates within the varied topography.

Blanket bog, typical of the high rainfall parts of the west, especially on flatter ground, is a particularly extreme habitat, with the Large Heath being the characteristic species.

Drier, more easterly areas, or land with better drainage, supports moorland or heath that supports a much greater plant diversity, with a greater range of butterflies, including Green Hairstreak, Common Blue and Small Heath.

order online at naturebureau.co.uk/bookshop or by post to address below enclosing a cheque made payable to: Pisces Publications Pisces Publications, 2C Votec Centre, Hambridge lane, newbury rG14 5Tn Tel: 01635 550380 Email: pisces@naturebureau.co.uk naturebureau.co.uk

Green Hairstreak, a characteristic species of moorland.

[Abbie Marland]

The spectacular Angus coastline supports many species, including Small Blue and Grayling.

Coasts and islands

Scotland has an immense coastline, almost 10,000km, and hundreds of islands. Dunes, cliff tops and coastal heath tend to be free-draining, warm habitats, and often provide very suitable microclimates for butterflies such as areas of unshaded short turf, bare ground or rock.

Coastal habitats are often more natural, with less pressure from modern agriculture, and, for many butterflies the coast has become a refuge

for species whose inland grassland habitats no longer exist.

Roger Dennis and others have carried out detailed analyses of the occurrence of butterflies on the British and Irish islands. Taking into account latitude, they confirmed that larger, less isolated islands tend, as predicted, to support more species (Dennis & Hardy, 2018; Dennis & Shreeve, 1996). They also showed that estimates of migration and colonising ability for

Scotch Argus [Jessie Wormell]

Islands and ‘Metapopulations’

Butterflies can be present in good numbers, even in Scotland’s montane landscapes.

Paul Kirkland

Islands have long held a special place in the minds of butterfly ecologists and conservationists.

Innovative and intensive research was carried out on butterflies on a number of Finnish Islands in the 1990s by the late Ilkka Hanski and his team which has had a far-reaching impact on nature conservation practice (Hanski & Gilpin, 1997).

This work built on the pioneering studies of Edward Wilson and Robert MacArthur termed ‘island biogeography’ which revealed the continual turnover of species occupying islands, as some species colonised and others became extinct, each island reaching some sort of dynamic equilibrium. In general there were more species present on the larger islands, provided they were close to sources of new species available to colonise (MacArthur & Wilson, 1967) Hanski’s work tested theories of networks of populations or ‘metapopulations’ for which dispersal and colonising abilities are crucial, and showed how sub-populations of butterflies operate in a fragmented landscape where the breeding habitats were small ‘islands’ within unsuitable habitat.

So long as the sub-populations are connected by occasional arrivals from other sub-populations, the network can persist. But new barriers to dispersal, or a reduction in size or quality of the breeding ‘islands’, can plunge the whole network into rapid decline.

Some metapopulations consist of ‘core’ (or ‘source’) populations that support a number of smaller (less viable) sub-populations. Loss of the core populations will inevitably and eventually lead to the loss of smaller (or ‘sink’) sub-populations.

14 Discovering Scotland’s butterflies

Discovering Scotland’s butterflies 15

Chequered Skipper, Argyll.

[Iain H. Leach]

Hesperiidae

Chequered Skipper Carterocephalus palaemon although abundance appear stable, ed StatuS Distribution and . Extinct but re-introduc very few sites are monitored in England Argyll to Lochaber and north HotSpotS Restricted sunny sheltered, and rides, and Habitat Woodland edges hillsides to late June FligHt Early/mid-May Caterpillar overwintering Stage Foodplant Purple Moor-grass wingSpan 30 mm

the butterfly are some of the best areas for ‘wayleaves’ running along electricity powerline cleared of trees through woodland—corridors of management that every few years, a form of all colonies emulates coppicing. A survey were on one-third that found in the 1990s 1995). wayleaves (Ravenscroft, the adults spend When they emerge in May from Bugle and much time taking nectar season Marsh Thistle Bluebell, but later in the fly off females the is a favourite. After mating their eggs, usually on to damper habitats to lay occasionally on Wood Purple-moor Grass, but pers. comm.). Eggs False-brome (Peter Wormell, difficult to find. are laid singly and are rather green that stay The females select plants the caterpillars can well into September so that Distribution recorded in Scotland year. These plants are keep feeding late in the It seems to have been first along the woodland Shian, Lochailort, often in unshaded areas, in mid July 1907 at Glen particularly records seeing “a edge or with scattered shrubs, Gale’). The where Mr James Joycey ‘Sweet the Chequered Skipper of Bog Myrtle (also called Skipper” (Joycey,1907), been ever to develop, living has time that long caterpillars take a being the only Skipper 1980). fashioned by using silk within a protective tube recorded in the area (Thomson, of a leaf blade. They is restricted to The Chequered Skipper to bring together the edges an occupying Argyll, northern Lochaber and sq. km (around 20 sq. area of approximately 55 William. Its northern miles), centred on Fort to be at Lochs and southern limits appear . Westwards it does Garry and Etive respectively of Ardnamurchan, not quite reach the Point as Loch Laggan. and it is found as far east

Description

has its home in some of The Chequered Skipper darting swiftly though Scotland’s finest scenery, for nectar in the sunlit flowery glades searching out its breeding seeking Atlantic ‘rainforest’, or bogs and damp fields. habitat on the edges of as a backdrop the Many of its colonies have range. mountain Nevis could be mistaken There are no butterflies that gold skipper although for this little chocolate and butterfly are occasionally reports of the out of the known range. submitted that are well to be the similarly Invariably these turn out Latticed Heath. sized day-flying moth, the

Ecology and behaviou

r

sunny, sheltered The butterfly needs warm, upon which the males sites with scattered scrub to pass by. While perch, waiting for a female grazed open woodland, many sites are in lightly

Chequered Skipper, Argyll.

[Iain H. Leach]

Scotland’s Discovering Scotland’s 38 Discovering

Chequered Skipper caterpillar.

[Peter Eeles]

Discovering Scotland’s butterflies

39

butterflies butterflies

order oNlINe: naturebureau.co.uk/bookshop