Scottish Wildlife Trust

Aberdeen Members Group

Newsletter - Autumn 2009

I hope you are having a good summer and taking the opportunity to enjoy our wildlife. I’m just back from a terrific walking trip in the Aigues Tortes National Park in the Pyrenees, where my wife and I were rather taken aback by the sheer numbers of raptors, including vultures, and delighted by the incredibly wide variety of wild flowers. The landscape was very similar to Scotland and it makes me wonder why we can’t manage to persuade estate workers that birds of prey in Scotland are a huge national asset that should be protected and not poisoned. It’s great news though that more red kite have very recently been released in the North East; so along with the sea eagles released last year we ought to be seeing many more raptors in our skies.

The Member Centre committee are hard at work on a number of fronts. So far the summer outings are being well attended and clearly our members are taking the opportunity to go out with knowledgeable experts and learn something new. The most recent outing was a walk with SEPA ecologists along the River Don in Aberdeen: I understand there was much excitement over the rare find of horsehair worm! We have put just put together a great programme of winter talks ranging through the conservation of spiders, seaweeds as indicators of the environment, saving the Scottish wildcat, priorities for habitats and species in the North East and painting wildlife. I can’t wait!

Meanwhile we have just responded to the vast urbanisation proposals for the North East as indicated by Aberdeenshire Council’s zoning plan for new housing. It’s vitally important that we influence both the protection of good wildlife habitat and the design of any new urban areas so they are provide green corridors and spaces for biodiversity. We are joining forces with the local North East Biodiversity Partnership and the North East Biological Recording Centre to try and protect the best wildlife sites. I do think it is important to engage constructively rather than fight only rearguard actions so I am also trying to ensure that local authorities know there is free expertise available through us to advise on how to build with biodiversity in mind. The committee are fortunate that we have just recruited two new willing volunteers in Lorna Anness and Bob Daly who are lending their expertise and experience to some of these tasks.

Please give me and the committee feedback on the newsletter; what else you would like to see in it; perhaps contribute your own experiences and tell us about your favourite places for wildlife in the North East.

Oonagh wishes to thank most sincerely the committee and all those other members, who contributed so generously to the presentation on her retiral from the post of Membership Secretary and 'Tea Lady'. She sends her best wishes to Gavin & Maggie who have taken over and hopes they find these tasks both enjoyable and interesting.

I thought I should let the Committee and the other members know how I spent the vouchers which you so kindly gave me last October. I have booked the 09/10 series of, concerts by the Scottish Ensemble at the Music Hall. The Craigdon vouchers I put towards purchasing a new hill jacket which hopefully will keep me dry. With many thanks again

Members are welcome to attend volunteer days held on the first Saturday of each month. Please contact Mike Stevens before the Thursday of the preceding week. Limited places are available for pick up from the Aberdeen area. Actual tasks to be carried out will be dependent on priorities at the time. Mike is currently working within reserves.

Red Moss of Netherley
We are still awaiting the go-ahead for our proposed project at this site. We are still very hopeful of receiving nearly £16,000 of funding to install more dams, and cut birch, gorse and heather from the site.
Initial data from dipwell surveying would suggest that the damming work already completed by Mike Stevens and his volunteers is working as planned.
We have dug out the ditch at the side of our main access to the site, and fencing alongside the ditch, to stop our neighbours cattle from poaching the access route, has been erected

Gight Wood
Again we await the outcome of a funding proposal for this site to carry out a variety of work including new fencing, pathwork and bracken control.
Mike has continued to carry out path maintenance and removal of the small stand of larch / lodge pole pine within the reserve. Volunteers from Grampian squirrel group have been surveying the reserve and surrounding land for red squirrels.

Longhaven Cliffs
Funding applications have finally been submitted to SITA, Crown Estates, and East Scotland Coastal Partnership to fund a project to upgrade the footpath on the reserve. This may have to be carried out in several phases over a few years. The proposal is to upgrade the footpath and possibly convert one of the old buildings on site into a shelter, where some reserve interpretation could be placed. We also intend to provide visitors with a new “trail leaflet”
Once again Mike has been carrying out footpath and fencing repairs on site

Coulnacraig Meadows
Mike has carried out his annual strimming and removal of cut material from the reserve. A new management plan for this site is in my 2009 work programme, so I may be contacting a few of you for some background information shortly!

All in all work on Aberdeenshire reserves is continuing apace, but if we are successful in our funding bids there should be significant improvements to the reserves in the coming years.

E-mail is probably the easiest way to contact me, but all my details are below. I am happy to TRY to answer any question you may have.

I was born in Portsmouth, 70 years ago. I have spent the last nearly 60 years, by choice, in eastern Scotland.

I have always had an general interest in nature, and in particular birds and enjoy bird watching both here and abroad. I had always intended to make my career in biology but drifted into physics, albeit with a biological connection.

My first 5 years was in Meteorology with the Ministry of Defence and then 38 years in Oceanography with the Marine Laboratory, Aberdeen, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland, now Fishery Research Services.

On retirement I ran a bird watching package tour company SeeBirds, operating here in the North-East and in Orkney. Osteo-arthritis brought that to an end after 4 years.

I remain busy. I am Chairman of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Aberdeen Local Group and Chairman of the Angus and Dundee Bird Club. I am Treasurer for the Grampian Group of the Scottish Ornithologists Club and of a charity helping old people, Kincardine and Deeside Befriending. Not forgetting of course I am your Secretary!

Since handing over £20,000 in early 2007, doubled to £40,000 by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the Loch of Strathbeg has changed beyond all recognition. If you haven’t visited recently, October’s the time when the geese head northwards again. Spend a day exploring at Starnafin and the 3 hides – bolting on a walk to The Ron lighthouse off Rattray Head if daylight allows!

Thanks to the loyal support of many SWT members, and members of SOC, NTS, NEMT, RSGS, RSPB, Cairngorm Club, Saltire Society and many individual supporters, our funds are climbing back up again. Hopefully by the time RSPB present their next Grant Application, which will probably involve de-silting the loch, we’ll be able to repeat our previous donation. So please go out your way to chose Friends of Strathbeg when buying your bird food and nest boxes!

On the subject of Nest Boxes so many questions are asked - so here’s a few answers!
1. Always buy thick boxes – too thin and the chicks will “cook”!
2. Like bird feeders, avoid locating boxes in the open. Predators lie in wait for birds crossing open spaces – especially juicy young fledglings!
3. Unless shielded by buildings or trees, boxes should ideally face generally northwards – to avoid the relentless rays of the midday sun – dream on!
4. Parasites are a serious problem – the effects are not dissimilar to humans being scalded. Boxes ought to be cleaned thoroughly after the breeding season – preferably using boiling water.
5. The best time to erect boxes is well outwith the breeding season but boxes erected in June have been known to be occupied within 2 hours!
6. Ideally boxes need to be high enough to be out of reach of cats – reportedly responsible for 55million bird deaths each year. Netting or branches suitably positioned can be successful deterrents.
7. If Grey Squirrels are regular garden visitors, metal nest plates are essential. The Grampian Red Squirrel Conservation Officer would also like to know if greys are in your area - a stock of recording cards are always available when collecting your supplies!

Eight local members met on the banks of the River Don at Danestone on the evening of July 7th for an evening outing. The walk was lead by Nicola Seal and James Davidson, two ecologists working for SEPA. The evening was pleasantly fresh after the heat over the previous week. We started off with a demonstration of how the SEPA ecologists kick sample river sediments for invertebrates. The river was really too high for this but James waded in and brought back a couple of netfuls for us to look at. These were tipped into trays and passed round for people to poke through. There was quite a good selection of invertebrates showing how clean the water is here these days. While examining the trays one of the members spotted a long black worm. This was a horsehair worm (Nematophora), a rather obscure and uncommon creature. While the sampling was going on we heard from Nicola and James about their work and the condition of waters in NE Scotland.
We then walked downstream on the north bank as far as Grandholm Bridge. We looked for signs of otters but the high water level had obliterated any footprints. Nineteen species of bird were noted during the evening. The most notable plants were Giant Bellflower and Himalayan Balsam. There was another possible balsam not in flower yet which Nicola will try and identify, because part of water quality monitoring involves recording alien plant species along a watercourse. We returned back the way we had come.
Our thanks go to Nicola and James for their time and knowledge.

The May trip was to the SWT Gight Wood Reserve a few miles north west of Methlick and was ably led by Mark Young who provided us with some insights into the issues surrounding the management of the site. For anyone who doesn’t know Gight Woods I’d thoroughly recommend a visit as it comes as quite an eye opener to realise that this oasis of deciduous greenery surrounding the Ythan River lies hidden in the middle of the Aberdeenshire lowlands. Parking at Badiebath Woods (NJ832399) provides the easiest access with a pleasant 1km walk in through a Forestry area. After being entertained by some long-distance horsey event taking place in this vicinity we set off and were soon provided with some magnificent views along the river valley where a lot of recent felling had taken place. Hopefully this area will be sensitively managed and not simply replaced with more plantations. Shortly before entering the reserve proper we crossed a field to reach the ruined Gight Castle and Mark informed us that this was where the old Gight Highland Games had taken place. The considerable slope must certainly have made tossing the caber somewhat easier.
Once in the reserve it became apparent what the main management issues were: removal of conifer stands from the edges of the river to get more light in, replacement of conifers with native tree species, damage limitation of Dutch Elm and whether or not to replace mature stands of non-native Beech with native trees. Work on the first of these had recently taken place and many people commented on the difference it made. Beech replacement on the other hand is rather more controversial owing its landscape value and thus far, the policy being adopted was to just let nature take its course. There were certainly many impressive specimens of Beech along the upper, northern slopes of the river. In the south-west corner of the reserve a sizable area of planted hazel has matured nicely to blend in with the surroundings, so-much-so that when I walked through it 6 months earlier I’d just assumed it had always been there.
One species being sought on this trip was a particular micro moth which lives on Rowan trees but sadly, despite Roy’s best efforts while the rest of us were having our lunch in the sun, that search drew a blank. Several other insects were found including Orange Tip and Green-Veined White butterflies and a bright red Ruby Tiger moth. Moschatel, also called Townhall Clock owing to the four faces of its flowerhead, was relocated near the upper bridge. This plant is more common in the south of the country but quite a rarity in the NE. All-in-all a good day out.

The June outing had a different aim – to update the botanical records – but was only a short distance upstream from Gight Woods. The day was split between a morning outing round the Braes of Minnonie (a bendy stretch of the Ythan just downstream and round the corner from Fyvie) and an afternoon one at Blairfowl and Fetterletter, between the morning site and the Reserve.
After being asked to keep a lookout for a stray cow by the local farmer we set off into an area where few had ventured before and several comments of ‘I never knew this place existed’ were overheard. David Welsh, the botanical recorder for Aberdeenshire North, was leading and was surprisingly good at remembering the best areas to search given it was as much as 30 years since he had last found some of the more interesting species at this site. These included Smooth-Stalked Sedge, Marsh Bedstraw, Marsh Pennywort, Water Purslane and Marsh Speedwell. The valley bottom was particularly rich in orchids with Heath-Spotted and Northern Marsh both in full flower.
After fending off a cow which was taking a keen interest in our activities – without attracting the attention of the huge bull nearby – an intrepid few ventured into a small side valley in search of Beech Fern and Oak Fern. The scene had more in common with jungle bashing though the Amazon rather than a stroll though the agricultural lowlands of NE Scotland and some decided lunch was a better idea. Good colonies of both of these very local fern species were successfully refound. These, and others, contributed to the total of 50 species found that had not been recorded in this hectad (10km square) for the current decade.
The afternoon proved equally fruitful as we explored species-rich grassland on the north-facing valley sides and some good flushes and marshes in the valley bottom near the Ythan. Additional species encountered here included Early-Marsh Orchid and it’s hybrid with Heath Spotted Orchid, Marsh Hawks-Beard and Fen Bedstraw. The bridge over the river with its lime-rich concrete provided a home for Common Agrimony. Apparently, according to David, this bridge once had a bus stop and the paths either side were traversed by buses (bus number unknown). The tranquillity of the surroundings, not to mention the well vegetated paths, belied it’s recent past.
The small cascade of a side stream on the north bank provided a suitable habitat for Masterwort. This was a new site for this scarce umbellifer though it has been recorded close by. It also caused some confusion as a few people were familiar with the Great or Pink Masterwort or Mountain Sanicle (Astrantia Major) often found in gardens and this didn’t look anything like it. A check of the books afterwards revealed there are two species, both native, which go under the common name of Masterwort and the one we had found, Peucedanum ostruthium, was used in the past as an antiseptic and diuretic and also for flavouring liquers and bitters. In appearance it was not unlike an umbrella-shaped bunch of Ground Elder, a species it is closely related to and one which was abundant in the same location. Close by Viburnum opulus (Guelder Rose) was refound with several saplings round about. It is believed to be native in this area even though it has few other occurrences in NE Scotland.
20 species were added to the current records for this, different hectad, though the day was not all a success. One target species was to refind a couple of rare pondweeds (Potamogetons), Alpinus and Perfoliatus. Whether out failure to find them indicates they have disappeared remains uncertain though it does call into question the quality of the water flowing down the Ythan. As there are no major settlements upstream one has wonder whether there is a problem with agricultural run-off.
David Welsh has informed me that since the June outing he has been made aware of a planning application to develop a quadbike course (or some such) near the Braes on Minnonie. Lets hope the stray cow manages to disrupt it. So far as I know it remains at large.

There was quite a delay between the writing and publishing of my article about wildlife on the Science Park in the Spring newsletter. Since the first article was written my bird list total has risen to 55 species. Sightings of Buzzards, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs in particular have increased over the past two years. Also several pairs of Stock Doves seem to be resident in the area. I have also had to rescue a Wren, Chaffinch and Magpie which had found their way into the building but not back out. I am now known as the person to fetch in such situations, or when some odd looking insect is spotted. We still have Magpies looking in the window from time to time, and have also had a Grey Squirrel and a mouse looking in.
Further explorations of the site have found very little new regarding plants. The one exception is finding a specimen of Stinking Hellebore Helleborus foetidus on a steep slope above the Don. It must be a naturalised escape from cultivation but looks identical to those found on the North Downs in Kent.
Yet again contractors cut down or trimmed trees and bushes in the spring just as birds are nesting. Several rabbit proof enclosures have been built in the woods and planted with hundreds of broad-leaved tree saplings. As some of these enclosures are in stands of mature beech trees how much light the saplings are receiving is open to question as they are in deep shade at midday. Hopefully sufficient of these trees will thrive to add to the wildlife value of my work place in years to come.

As we work the smell of the sea is powerful, an onshore airflow releases rich salty seaweedy wafts mingled with whiffs of guano, evoking memories of childhood coastal walks - smells indelibly ingrained in our olfactory libraries. A small boat engine – “lug lug lug” makes me look up to seek the source, our cliff inlet below is acting like a giant ear capturing and funnelling the marine sounds up to us with remarkable clarity… a local fisherman skilfully navigating a narrow channel to reach a yellow float port-side… his boat bobbing up and down, the man seemingly oblivious to this motion whilst hauling, landing, bending and emptying his lobster pot. Much further out a sail boat tacks north. One craft at work, the other at play.

A flickering movement to my left catches my eye - a kestrel - definite male with his russet red wings and blue-grey head. We’ve seen him on many occasions - simply hanging stationary in the wind above our work slope, undeterred by our presence, head pointing earthwards, perhaps peering at one of the mouse holes we’ve noticed near the path. What a joy to watch the aerial skill of these birds; even in a buffeting wind tail, wing and body movements keep his head perfectly still as though held in a gimbal - 3D dynamic positioning avian style! Other birds of prey we’ve seen have been an occasional sparrowhawk and more frequently a buzzard, announcing his presence via his classic vocal calling card. Only once have we seen the master of the skies, the peregrine; jetting past and disappearing below the cliff-line into an inlet; we stood awhile expecting to see a flurry of panicking seabirds billowing upwards, but no. From our view point simply nothing changed to the steady interweaving pattern of gliding gulls – the peregrine had either landed or disappeared along the cliffs without our noticing, the local birds knowing he was not out hunting for a kill. We’ve come across a killing area further along on one high spot, announced by the gruesome sight of several birds’ heads lying on the ground; the brownish feathers and beaks suggested they’d been immature gulls. I recall looking around nervously for culprits whilst wondering just what had beheaded these birds. In view of the fact they were scattered near the top of a rocky promontory we assumed the dismembering to be that of a large bird of prey, notably the peregrine. Although there have been reported sightings of that flying barn door, the sea eagle, we’ve not seen one, yet! Foxes are common, noted by their scats – including one day a fresh deposit on our steps from old slyboots. We did not know if Mr Reynard was responsible for this carnage, but viewed it unlikely, owing to the presence of all three heads near one high spot, more common of birds of prey.

Lunchtime, and our mute robin makes his usual appearance, though maybe we simply don’t notice him stealthing around whilst we work. A similar silent territory at the base of the steps belongs to a pair of dunnocks, invariably hunting insects in the relative shelter of the gulley. Seated in our grassy amphitheatre we nosh away whilst catching the show: the cliffs are awash with birds and the sky is like a frenzied snowstorm, all to the accompaniment of a mixed orchestral cacophony of bird and sea sounds. We’ve noted some of the pelagics come to breed on the cliffs. If caught early enough, one can watch kittiwakes flying one way with beakfuls of mud, whilst the empty beak contraflow flies back to a favoured muddy bank or stream outlet to reload with nest building material. Looking afar we note what will be their colonies – sheer cliff faces with yellowy white splodges encircled by lots of active flying. On easier chequered cliff ledges are either guillemots or razorbills, difficult to tell without binoculars as are the cormorants or shags nesting nearer the waterline, well camouflaged on their dark rock ledges. Fulmars, easily recognised with their stiff winged flight, cannelloni topped beaks and dark beady eyes, nest singly in steep grassy or rocky alcoves. We’ve seen a few of those beautiful little clowns, the puffin – what a wonderful idiosyncratic little gem of a bird. Sadly, I’ve seen one puffin death whereby either a lesser or greater black backed gull chased and caught him by the neck. Nature in the raw. The noisy herring gulls, usually the first to cry the alarm to disturbance are on the safer flatter nest sites where more vegetation grows, but still with inaccessibility to predators in mind.

Other notable and easier to identify seabirds have been the jetsam and flotsam eiders, particularly the piebald males, seemingly spending most of their lives either stationary on tidal rocks, or floating near a shoreline, always watching with a wary eye and swimming away if you appear too interested. The occasional gannet streams by like an airborne torpedo, strong steady straight flight paths, sometimes broken by a sudden steep banking turn, retracting wings into a stuka dive and splashing into the sea. Maybe from Troup Head.

Finishing lunch, we’re attacked from both sides. Stage left: a pair of rock doves shoot by - notably different to their feral town counterparts for me by their more iridescent rufous and green neck feathers, speedier in flight, but also that they just look and behave differently. Stage right: distinctive delightful “chikk chakk” calls draw our eyes to a playful mix of those amazing social happy chappies – jackdaws; flitting, swooping, chasing and calling to each other. Close to their eyes are quite steely in colour, their staring brightness almost having an unnerving look about them.

After ferrying all the old wood to the side of the pit we begin filling it like a giant jigsaw, with pieces of wood neatly placed together with minimum of air gaps. As luck would have it, all the old wood fits into the pit, now some 3 metres square, leaving a perfect depth for returfing. Last turf now planted we spade up the earthy deposits and fill in any gaps between sods. Finished at last, we admire our handiwork, just as our ancestral quarrymen had done generations before. Over time the wood will rot to leave a hollowed square structure. Smiling to myself, I imagined future workers or archaeologists reflecting over our relic structure! The pit and the pendulum continue to swing…