Hello!!
Hope you are all well..It’s Iain here: the peatlands management apprentice up at Forsinard NNR.. this is my first posting here after 5 months up here! So I think it will be quite a struggle to pack in absolutely everything I have been up too without creating a huge rambling monster posting! I will therefore try and give a brief overview of Forsinard, what I have been doing through the months, and my impressions of the work and the place.
So for those of you who haven’t heard of Forsinard the reserve is located across Sutherland and Caithness, in the flow country of Scotland which contains some of (if not ‘the’) largest area of blanket bog in the world. In terms of conservation, the flows are vitally important in many ways, for the blanket bog habitat on its own, for the breeding bird species such as Hen harriers, Black and red throated Divers, Golden Plovers, Dunlin and Greenshank, Common Scoters and numerous other species. The flows is a habitat which has come under threat in recent decades from issues such as afforestation and draining and much of the work on the reserve consists of habitat restoration (such as drain blocking and felling of non-native forestry); and in monitoringthe habitats and species of the reserve in response to these threats and restoration techniques.So what have I been up to? Well I shall run through quickly month-by-month!MarchArrived here 23rd of March; and as a previous volunteer thought I would be quite used to the landscape but each time I return to Forsinard I am overawed by the beauty and the open skies. Spent my first days helping with work on the new visitor centre and trail; lots of carrying about big slabs of Caithness flagstone which was hard work. On my firstweekend went roaming in the hills on the reserve; watching the deer and getting great views of Peregrine and Golden Eagle!AprilWe started with Farmland bird counts now on the arable land of the reserve. Waders such as Golden Plover, Curlew and Lapwing have arrived on the fields ready for the breeding season and we were also involved in Predator transects along the tracks; a long running survey to give an indication of how many fox and mustelid (which are encouraged by the shelter of the forestry plantations and have a detrimental effect on wader chicks) may be about.MaySo the breeding season is upon us and we started the tough job of Moorland Bird Surveys; trekking the bog surveying breeding birds. Long long days outside make you realize how huge the flows are! We also started doing raptor watches, sitting for hours in the Heather trying to locate nests of Hen Harrier, Short Eared Owl, and Merlin. Found my first Hen Harrier nest near the end of the month and really enjoy getting to know the characters of different individual birds! Attended a lovely course on surveying montane tree species such as dwarf birch and willows.. complex but fascinating!JuneSo things are warming up and we are still cracking on with the bird surveys..life is busy and exhausting but being outside all day every day is great…walking the bog with the endless singing skylarks, swimming in lochs, camping out under the light midsummer nights and running through the hills there is a tremendous sense of being alive. We are also involved in surveys of breeding Blackthroated/redthroated divers and Scoters and get to help out on research into the requirements of breeding Scoters (lots of fun pottering around lochs in boats!).These birds are important breeding birds for Britain being Arctic on the southern edge of their range and so it is important to monitor them especially with respect to climate change. Raptor surveys are continuing and is great to see some young Hen harriers and Ravens.JulySo the MBS has been done now, the breeding waders have hatched their chicks and are less detectable. Spent two weeks in July living in Durness helping the RSPB with surveys of Corncrakes, botanical surveys of Corncrake habitats and surveys of Greater Yellow Bumblebee.Listening to corncrakes in the twilight was really special and had a great close encounter with a sea eagle while lying on a beach (must have looked like a dead seal!) and this was a great opportunity to learn about how the RSPB works in a non-reserve context. After returning we were cracking on with more Scoter work, being involved inbehavioral monitoring of young Scoter broods as well as general surveys. Continue to see great wildlife though; 6 Black throated divers dancing and calling on Loch Caol was a highlight and it is great to see young Hen harriers on the wing all about the reserve!AugustSo the last of the Scoter counts have been done, the breeding season has come and gone, and fresh from the Bioblitz I return for a week of Habitat condition monitoring on the newest part of the reserve; Loch Strathy. Stayed in the bothy there for a few nights with the rest of the team cooking on the fire by night and doing botanical and sitecondition surveys during the day on a really beautiful and remote part of the flows. Was also cracking on with practical habitat management such as invasive tree removal. The bog has become very quiet now after the breeding season has wound down and the midges are very very intense!!SeptemberSo am into September now and have started with monitoring the condition of blocked drains. These have been dammed in order to try and restore water table to the flows and so it is important to see how they are holding up. Was involved in one of the thrice yearly Deer surveys last week and spent all day walking across the bog counting Deer and got to spend some more time Eagle watching!Anyway,I guess that is a bit of what I have been up to, though I am sure I have forgotten a lot! I cannot really convey how lucky I feel to be able to work and live in a place such as Forsinard with a bunch of really great and inspiring people..but I am very grateful. Unfortunately the computers here don’t respond well to uploading photos so here is a poem I read recently by George Campbell Hay which reflects some of my feelings about the bog…and you can always visit anytime!!!On a Hill-Land SlopeOn a hill land slope with Maytime come,when birds are wakening and faintly chirping,the sun rising, my heart rising,and the dew rising from grass and tree.It would be a deep comfort to be among the hill-landsas the blaze of Dawn was climbing the sky,with the birds of wilderness making small morning musicdown on meadow and plain and on moorgrass.Incense and fragrance of bog myrtle in small hollows,and from heather on shaggy enchanted knows;a melody playing in the gentle sigh of the breeze,that wakens early on moor and summit.The cry of a plover, on morning flightabove the moor, swelling into a chorus;bead of light upon bead of lighton dew-covered grass and myrtle and branch.On a hill-land slope in Maytime bloom,when birds are wakening and brightly chirping;dew on its branch and flower and grass,rising like smoke with the sun in the East.Bye!Iain 🙂