April 2009

MARCH can be a strange month: warm enough to see lizards basking in the sunshine and bats venturing out in the evenings to sample the naïve crop of insects, only to plunge back into winter with bitter winds, snow and ice.

However, it has started to dry out now thanks to the warmer sun and brisk winds; all we need is two good, dry days and the heather is fit to burn. In mid-March we were able to take advantage of a dry week when, with the aid of some extra help, a fogging unit, plus a tractor and cutter, we managed 96 fires in four long afternoons.

March was a busy month for all of us, not least because the scientists returned to resume their monitoring. Looking at voles is the first task on their list; assessing their numbers by trapping the same areas year after year.

Grouse counts also have to be completed by the end of March, early April. Both blocks and transects are walked, with our head scientist, Damian Bubb’s pointer (Sidney), and all the birds are counted. These are the spring counts and the process will be repeated in the autumn.

Looking out for hen harriers is a time consuming job for two of our Project scientists, Aly McCluskie and Paula Keane; but, much to their delight, the first male hen harrier has arrived and is displaying to a single female. And, as sure as eggs is eggs, the arrival of a number of bird watching harrier fans has swiftly followed that of the male.
All this work has to be carried out over the whole Project area of 25,000 acres, most of which is very hard to get to; limited access and getting vehicles stuck can be quite a problem.

The curlew and oystercatcher are back, too. The curlew’s (or whaup as the Scots call them) call is quite haunting. All waders sound an alarm call at any sign of danger, which can prove very helpful to gamekeepers, as many a fox has been bought to book with their help.

The scene is now set for the most interesting time of the year: the breeding season. Larks and pipits are flying high in the air and parachuting down, creatures are finding mates and the moor is being carved up into territories. The cock grouse are guarding their patches; I have seen and heard a few squabbles as another male crosses the imaginary line.

The first buds of cotton grass are beginning to appear, which the hen grouse eat with relish. These buds must be a treat after a diet of heather and contain a lot of goodness to help get them into peak laying condition.

Foxes don’t cub until much later up here in Scotland and we are seeing far fewer about at night, as they are shortening their ranges and becoming more territorial. However, we must not get complacent; just one pair of foxes feeding cubs can wreak havoc with all ground nesting birds, from meadow pipits to hen harriers, and everything else in between