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| Nathair Dubh - pastel on paper 3/9/23 |
Whence we came;
The back-end seasons of the glen drift from grouse shooting to stag stalking, from crackly heat to sugary snow, and the exodus of summer avians silences the glen for winter's chill prospect. Snow has already brushed the high hills, and our star sinks to a blinding horizon never forgetting that this planet, like us, is fugitive. On these remote Scottish hills a true sense of our worth is born for here that spirit, holy or not, pervades the soul and all is cradled between ancient rock and wild nature untamed.
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| Sketching today 3/9/23 |
Deliverance;
Here in time, the soul can feel vulnerability and can share in the nerves of nature. And when that happens, nature casts an eye towards you, absorbs you into this cradle of ancient co-existence ..... only then will you feel at one with yourself and the natural world. Karma, maybe a word for this awareness of self to nature but respect and understanding for the natural world is surely a stepping stone towards realising why our 'fingerprints' on nature can be so devastating.
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| Adder fem 3/9/23 |
Green communion;
Those fingerprint ripples on the natural, moorland world are evident in many ways; the boot that destroys a plant, the hunter who leaves a spent cartridge, the tourist walker that litters, the dog that chases, the picnic fire that destroys wilderness, the march of wind turbine on landscape, the carbon off-set plantation forest, the intrusion of bird satellite tagging and ringing, raptor persecution, predator control, introduced game-bird release .... the list is endless. How we influence our communing relationship or impact on the natural world is worth re-evaluating at every step but many, through ignorant arrogance or tradition, choose to bury heads in sand quoting conservation or research or saving the planet or land management as their guiding excuse.
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| Bog-cotton 3/9/23 |
Moorland anonimity;
In my home county of Angus nearly half the land area is upland or high moorland and regarding its ultimate importance in carbon capture, wildlife and rural economies is neglected to a great degree by political bigotry. The rural voting population within the glens arena is of limited importance to local or national politics, tick box visits by sympathetic politicians do happen but their voices are rarely heeded. The passing majority see a frontage of hills from the lowland motorways but fail to realise that those hills penetrate far inland to make up a huge area that in all respects should have protected status. He who shouts loudest does not seem to apply to estate owners when it comes to assuring the future of their grouse moors for they have adopted a 'sing dumb', back seat approach to promoting the benefits of their moors to politicians, conservationist organisations or, indeed, the public.
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| Devil's-bit Scabious 3/9/23 |
Moorland traditions;
On my local moorland 'patch' there is a mixture of all sorts of wildlife that is relatively free from the dangers of development and that is down to sporting estate occupation; a fact that I do actually appreciate. One of my local estates had a reasonable season for Red Grouse despite having a couple of Golden Eagles foraging over the moor at times ..... there are also Raven, Peregrine, Kestrel, Red Kite, Common Buzzard and Merlin, with the occasional over-wintering Ringtail Hen Harrier and White-tailed Eagle passing through. So the balance is in favour of raptors which I must admit throws the 'idealised' futurama imagined by conservationists akilter when it comes to ground nester's breeding success, (Lapwing, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Snipe, Redshank and Golden Plover) but, nevertheless, due to predator management these birds are successful in this area warranting the Angus glens as maybe one of the last strongholds for wader breeding.
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| Heather beetle damage 3/9/23 |
Moorland concern;
More of the Angus Glens area is being consumed by Forestry and Land Scotland. Glen Doll, Isla and Clova forest areas were part of the old Forestry Commission and the latest acquisition is in Glen Prosen where a sporting estate has sold out to government plans for a 'greener' future. The slow erosion of the viability of some grouse moors seems to be spreading unless a remarkable recovery in Red Grouse status starts soon. I have also witnessed the inexplicable decimation of the Mountain Hare population in my area ever since it became a protected species and possibly that was the worst thing that has happened to this iconic species of the moor; undenied reports of an extermination carried out by estates before protected status started do exist but, with an increase in the eagle population, maybe there is only so much a local hare population can sustain before failing.
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| Kestrel 3/9/23 |
Peat passion;
Peat is the life blood of the moors that captures the 'carbon' past (and future), locking it away below the layers of shrubby heath, and in that respect the Angus uplands are a planet saving asset. Fifteen thousand years of processing has resulted in this irreplaceable carbon store that nourishes the moor and its wildlife. Surface heathers, sphagnum moss, grasses and various flora feed the peat layer and within those dense, top layers insect life thrives which in turn feeds a range of moorland dwellers from the tiny Wren or Meadow Pipit to the Golden Plover or Red Grouse chick; plus within this micro climate 'forest' between peat and herbage small mammals like shrews and voles venture forth which in turn feed foraging raptors like the Kestrel, Common Buzzard or Red Kite.
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| Eagle pellet 3/9/23 |
Discovery;
Every square metre of moor contains some sort of natural miracle, many are still waiting to be discovered or researched or even walked over; a bit like Amazonian rain forest. This year I found a male parasitic wasp called the,
Velvet Ant, of all things clinging to a high, rock bound patch of moss which is quite rare only being rediscovered in Aberdeenshire 2017 after an observational absence of 32 years. Many raptor nesting sites are unrecorded as well with, for example, an underestimation of Merlin sites on the Angus moors by at least 50% (compared with TRSG stats c.2017) and 'maybe' some Hen Harrier / Golden Eagle sites are never known; that being the best option!
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| Eagle prey plucking 3/9/23 |
Bad Press;
Historically a few Angus glen estates, (Tulchan, Ogil, Hunthill, Millden, Invermark) have certainly had some bad press and subsequent public unease has developed regarding raptor persecution. Cumulatively, persecution events whether proven or alleged have changed political and public opinion in Scotland leading to law changes that will affect estate management and future grouse moor viability. On the other hand, the profusion of prey usually found on managed estates does encourage predator visits including a higher than normal density of raptors, so consequently estate owners / game-keepers are having to adapt to lower expectations from their yearly grouse bag.
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| Red Grouse 3/9/23 |
Attitudes are changing to raptor presence on Angus estates, but on a UK scale not all game-keepers want to bury raptor persecution. Flying in the face of a campaign against grouse moor estates and as a result of healthy breeding numbers on these very estates many pre-fledged Golden Eagles have been nest-jacked to provide input for reintroduction projects in other areas (young eagles need parental input for a few months after fledging, so premature nest-jacking by 'conservation / protection' organisations then cruelly satellite tagging them, should not meet anyone's approval).
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| Red Squirrel 3/9/23 |
Game bird release;
Another touchy subject that has cropped up is the translocation and release or rearing of Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges for shooting. Years ago this was not widely practised in the glens but, because of the demand for the continuance of shooting income and the extreme variability in Red Grouse numbers, game bird release is now common. Anyone driving up the glen roads at the moment will notice game birds on the road with a good few road-kill carcasses, and along with that comes opportunistic predators and avian scavengers like kites and buzzards. Brown Rats are often seen around game bird release feeder sites and I have found rat carcasses on the lower slopes of the grouse moor, so I presume that they may also take eggs or chicks.
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| Black Grouse 1/10/23 |
I have also found discarded rodenticide cannisters on grouse moors but cannot comment on whether dozing affects the local raptor pick-ups (nationwide, many raptors have low levels of rodenticide in their livers). At the end of the day these game birds may form diversionary feeding for raptors and I have found Red-legged Partridge remains at eagle perches, but considering the fact that game bird release extends the benefits to the local business community and estate work, acceptance of this seems politic (not sure if imported game birds can transfer avian diseases to Red Grouse, certainly Avia Flu has been confirmed in grouse this year).
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| Velvet Ant male (rare parasitic wasp) 3/10/23 |
Anyway;
It seems that the Angus hills and glens are coping with the demands from farming, game shooting, deer stalking, tourism, fishing, wildlife and walkers, and they supply water to many areas including some micro hydro electric schemes installed by estates. The richness of the area puts it in an envious situation meriting some sort of protected status and better representation from local council and national government. You never know what you've got until its gone ..... let's hope the Angus moorlands survive for the next generations to appreciate and love.
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| Hen Harrier 1/10/23 |
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| Short-horned Grasshopper 1/10/23 |
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| Peregrine Falcon juv 1/10/23 |
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| Peregrine juv 1/10/23 |
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| Red Grouse covey 1/10/23 |
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| Peregrine juv with prey 1/10/23 |
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| Golden Eagles 15/10/23 |
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| Golden Eagle imm 15/10/23 |
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| Golden Eagles 15/10/23 |
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| Golden Plovers 15/10/23 |
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| Peregrine over Comm Buzzard 15/10/23 |
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Red Kite 15/10/23
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| White-tailed Eagle #1imm 15/10/23 |
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| White-tailed Eagle #2 imm 15/10/23 |
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| Common Buzzard 15/10/23 |
All text, photographs and sketch done on 3/9/23, 1/10/23 and 15/10/23 (unless dated otherwise) and subject to copyright - no reproduction.
If you are inspired to go out into the hills and glens of Scotland please leave it as you find it, respect the environment, do not litter or discard so called 'biodegradable' fruit and especially if you are a dog walker keep your beast on a lead and do not bag up its waste then chuck it by the wayside. I recently came across one black poo bag neatly hung on a tree branch for someone else to take home and also a bright blue one thrown in the moorland verge .... why?
Moorland birds like Lapwing, Curlew, Golden Plover, Dunlin, Dotterel, Snipe, Red and Black Grouse, Ptarmigan and many raptors nest on the ground, it is advisable to keep dogs on leads at all times especially when walking on the high plateaux of the Cairngorms during summer months.
Please be aware that it is illegal to disturb nesting eagles or other raptors and you may do so inadvertently in your journeys into the highlands. Observe protected species at a respectful distance usually from about 1000 metres and for short periods of time only.
No wildlife was unduly or knowingly disturbed by my presence or for the purposes of this web page other than what would be expected on a normal hill walk. Many geographic names and location recognizable photos have been omitted to prevent persecution or inquisitive disturbance to named species.
Canon camera 200D with optical zoom lens EFS 55-250mm used; please note that the zoom range ZR distance if given is calculated by OS map from subject location to camera.
