Rewilding Scotland

[jamamafegan]

I had the joy of watching a beaver going about its business on the River Ericht last weekend. Here it is dragging some vegetation across to its den. It is brilliant to see these animals thriving in our rivers once again.

It hasn't been an easy ride for beavers in Scotland since they were granted native species status in 2016. Many were culled by our governing body for nature, NatureScot. There was uproar amongst the general public over this and last year it was found in the courts that NatureScot had unlawfully allowed for the beavers to be killed.

Recently the Cairngorms National Park Authority has committed to taking a lead role in beaver reintroduction to the Park. Hopefully we will soon see the spread of this keystone species in our rivers across Scotland. Beavers provide great benefits for a variety of wildlife and can even help people by mitigating the risk of flooding downstream where settlements lie. 

 

[Loonytoons]

I had the joy of watching a beaver going about its business on the River Ericht last weekend. Here it is dragging some vegetation across to its den. It is brilliant to see these animals thriving in our rivers once again.

It hasn't been an easy ride for beavers in Scotland since they were granted native species status in 2016. Many were culled by our governing body for nature, NatureScot. There was uproar amongst the general public over this and last year it was found in the courts that NatureScot had unlawfully allowed for the beavers to be killed.
Recently the Cairngorms National Park Authority has committed to taking a lead role in beaver reintroduction to the Park. Hopefully we will soon see the spread of this keystone species in our rivers across Scotland. Beavers provide great benefits for a variety of wildlife and can even help people by mitigating the risk of flooding downstream where settlements lie. 

 

Remarkably like Japanese knotweed that the beaver is transplanting.

[jamamafegan]

3 minutes ago, Loonytoons said:

10 minutes ago, jamamafegan said:

I had the joy of watching a beaver going about its business on the River Ericht last weekend. Here it is dragging some vegetation across to its den. It is brilliant to see these animals thriving in our rivers once again.

It hasn't been an easy ride for beavers in Scotland since they were granted native species status in 2016. Many were culled by our governing body for nature, NatureScot. There was uproar amongst the general public over this and last year it was found in the courts that NatureScot had unlawfully allowed for the beavers to be killed.
Recently the Cairngorms National Park Authority has committed to taking a lead role in beaver reintroduction to the Park. Hopefully we will soon see the spread of this keystone species in our rivers across Scotland. Beavers provide great benefits for a variety of wildlife and can even help people by mitigating the risk of flooding downstream where settlements lie. 

 

Remarkably like Japanese knotweed that the beaver is transplanting.

You would be absolutely correct. It's the first time I've seen beavers eating knotweed. Be interesting to see what effect this has on the wider landscape. I doubt it would help tackle the invasive plant but more worryingly to help spread it.

[bennett]

That diagram has salmon fry/parr in it,  interesting to see how beaver dams affect juvenile salmon migrating towards the sea. 

 

I can see how the dams could provide deeper pools for fish to lie in but that could possibly lead to streams silting up too .

 

 

 

 

[Loonytoons]

You would be absolutely correct. It's the first time I've seen beavers eating knotweed. Be interesting to see what effect this has on the wider landscape. I doubt it would help tackle the invasive plant but more worryingly to help spread it.

Aye. The Ericht is utterly rife with the stuff, patches appearing on the Tay around Caputh too.
I'm unsure if it's beavers causing this though, but if the anectodtally reported magical properties of knotweed able to regenerate from just an inch of discarded plant are true, they are surely the main suspect.

[Newbornbairn]

34 minutes ago, jamamafegan said:

I had the joy of watching a beaver going about its business on the River Ericht last weekend. Here it is dragging some vegetation across to its den. It is brilliant to see these animals thriving in our rivers once again.

It hasn't been an easy ride for beavers in Scotland since they were granted native species status in 2016. Many were culled by our governing body for nature, NatureScot. There was uproar amongst the general public over this and last year it was found in the courts that NatureScot had unlawfully allowed for the beavers to be killed.

Recently the Cairngorms National Park Authority has committed to taking a lead role in beaver reintroduction to the Park. Hopefully we will soon see the spread of this keystone species in our rivers across Scotland. Beavers provide great benefits for a variety of wildlife and can even help people by mitigating the risk of flooding downstream where settlements lie. 

 

Nice beaver 

[jamamafegan]

The charity ‘Trees For Life’ have recorded a downy birch ‘Betula pubescens’ at over 850m in Glen Affric (picture below). It’s being suggested that it could be the mountain birch sub-species ‘Betula pubescens tortuosa’ which is better suited to the higher altitude zone of our hills.



While not an unusual find, it highlights the devastating loss of woodland Scotland has experienced since the Neolithic. At one time there would have been a ‘birch belt’ across Scotlands mountains within the 600-900m zone. The loss of this habitat and species associated with it has made our natural landscapes far poorer ecologically. For the majority of Scots who gaze upon the hills of “bonnie Scotland” it can be hard to imagine what we have lost.

More reading on mountain birch and the birch belt by expert Scots ecologist Duncan Halley of the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA).

Mountain birch information using Norway as a case study

https://www.nina.no/Portals/NINA/Bilder%20og%20dokumenter/Mountain%20birch%20%28Betula%20pubescens%20tortuosa%29.pdf

Bringing back the Birch Belt, Scotlands forgotten woodland

https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/bringing_back_the_birch_belt_-_scotlands_lost_mountain_woodland-14025

[Rizzo]

And in other news, mass release of non-native game birds is devastating to native fauna.

https://www.birdguides.com/articles/mass-pheasant-releases-linked-to-severe-declines-in-reptile-population/

Who'd have though eh?

Spoiler

Anyone with two brain cells to rub together.

 

[jamamafegan]

 

The capercaillie is one of Scotland's most magical birds. This giant grouse of the wood lives an elusive, secretive life in our pine forests - quietly foraging away until the Spring when males begin territorial displays on courting grounds known as a 'lek.' During this time the male birds are their most impressive. Tails fanned out, their large bodies donning beautifully coloured metallic blue/green plumage with a bright red wattle above the eye, they sing a remarkable popping/gurgling song as they try to woo the females.

The capercaillie is rarely seen by most people. For years I dreamt of seeing one in the wild. As I walked the woodland trails of the Cairngorms, the thought of stumbling upon one of these mystical birds filled me with excitement. In 2017 my dream finally came true when I saw a lekking male on a footpath in the pinewoods of Glen Tanar. It is a wildlife encounter I shall never forget.

Sadly, the capercaillie is at real risk of extinction - only an estimated 542 individuals are left. "Numbers of capercaillie here have been declining since the third national survey of 2003/04 when there were estimated to be about 2000 birds. The latest results represent the largest drop in numbers since 2000, and the first time they have dipped to fewer than 1000; the population is now at a critically low level."

https://www.rspb.org.uk/about-the-rspb/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/national-survey-results-reveal-capercaillie-numbers-at-critically-low-levels/

There are a number of factors which are thought to be causing this alarming decline. These include climate change, predation, habitat loss/quality and human disturbance.

The issue of predation has created a bit of a storm, with gamekeepers and others associated with the shooting industry (ie the grousers) calling for greater predator control - including the control of pine martens.

The spread of pine martens across Scotland is a success story. Pine martens were once widespread across Scotland but they were heavily persecuted by gamekeepers, which along with deforestation almost led to their extinction. However, they clung on and have managed to recolonise much of their former range thanks to special protection and conservation efforts.

I find the calls to ramp up predator control to save the capercaillie deeply troubling, mainly because those shouting the loudest for it also tend to have a background in grouse shooting. If you didn't know already, gamekeepers don't like predators. They are bad for business. Eliminating predators is in their blood, a practise which has been encouraged and taught through the generations. On grouse moors today, animals like foxes and weasels are trapped and killed completely unregulated - we have no idea how many are being killed - all in the name of grouse shooting. Rare raptors such as the hen harrier and goshawk also continue to be illegally persecuted. Now the gamekeepers wish for the pine martens protected status to be removed so they too can be 'controlled.' Are these calls being made in the best interests of capercaillie or do the grousers perhaps have a hidden agenda? I'll leave that to you to decide.

There is a glaringly obvious problem facing the capercaillie and this is lack of suitable habitat. Only 4% of Scotland is covered with native woodland, half of this is native pinewood - the preferred habitat of these birds. Our existing habitats are small and extremely fragmented (see below). This reduces the chances of capercaillie survival, prevents connectivity to other populations across the country and increases the likelihood of human disturbance. 

While I accept predation is a key issue facing our tiny population of capers, I believe the greater issue is habitats. While predator control would undoubtedly help the species, doing nothing about habitats means we are simply kicking the can down the road. Are we to control predators until the end of time to save another? This is exactly what the grousers would seemingly have us do - because many of them appear to be anti-ecological restoration (rewilding) and anti-trees. They actively campaigned earlier this year with their 'Protest In The Park" in the Cairngorms National Park, claiming tree planting as part of the parks 5 year plan would "destroy" the uplands. What they completely ignored on the plans though was that it clearly stated that the majority of increased tree cover would be achieved not by tree planting but via natural regeneration. Therefore, while the grousers call for the heads of pine martens, foxes, badgers etc they simultaneously vehemently oppose the calls from ecologists and conservationists to improve capercaillie habitat. It's quite ironic that the grousers claim plans to allow vegetation on hills to naturally regenerate will destroy the uplands while they continue to set the hills on fire for grouse shooting! Not only would improving the habitat be good for capercaillie but it would be for a whole host of our other woodland dwelling animals.

I believe that if we are to save this iconic Scottish bird we will need combine various methods. Predator control is a short term solution. This should involve the relocation of pine martens and help them spread further across the country. Lethal control of animals such as foxes should only be carried out as a last resort around capercaillie strongholds. We could section off capercaillie strongholds with well-marked fences, however this may be considered controversial by some and against our rights to roam. Other recommendations I've seen include diversionary feeding of predators away from capercaillie areas. In the long-term however it is an absolute no brainer, in the face of a biodiversity and climate crisis, to commit to woodland restoration on a massive scale.

Capercaillie factsheet: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/natura2000/management/docs/Tetrao urugallus factsheet - SWIFI.pdf

Disclaimer: images not mine, found on google images.

Edited October 3, 2022 by jamamafegan

[jamamafegan]

Scottish Government have opened up public consultation on wildlife management on grouse moors - including matters such as grouse moor licensing, muirburn licensing, trapping licensing and banning of glue traps. I urge anyone who wants stricter regulations imposed on grouse shooting to send a response. I have already submitted mine. It’s basically a yes/no questionnaire with opportunities to share any opinions you have. For muirburn, I said yes to licensing but also expressed my desire to see muirburn banned outright instead of being a licensed activity on the moors.

https://consult.gov.scot/environment-forestry/wildlife-management-in-scotland/

[101]

Looks like an interesting and ambitious project.

[jamamafegan]

Late last year I entered the world of YouTube and created a channel to discuss rewilding topics. I've uploaded 3 videos so far, the first one is below and serves as an introductory video briefly explaining the dire state of affairs ecologically in Scotland. Feedback on the vids has been great so far and I'm planning to release more in future covering various issues. If the good people of P&B would like to keep up to date with my uploads and help the channel grow then please consider subscribing and sharing the vids with your fellow rewilding curious friends and family. 

 

[afca32]

I saw a couple of beavers for the first time ever while on holiday in the Vosges in Eastern France last week which was quite the thrill. Hopefully they continue to spread throughout Scotland and this will become a more common occurrence.

[Venti]

Xenomorphs into Paisley would be good.

[mathematics]

9 hours ago, afca32 said:

I saw a couple of beavers for the first time ever while on holiday in the Vosges in Eastern France last week which was quite the thrill. Hopefully they continue to spread throughout Scotland and this will become a more common occurrence.

[101]

On 16/05/2023 at 11:14, jamamafegan said:

Late last year I entered the world of YouTube and created a channel to discuss rewilding topics. I've uploaded 3 videos so far, the first one is below and serves as an introductory video briefly explaining the dire state of affairs ecologically in Scotland. Feedback on the vids has been great so far and I'm planning to release more in future covering various issues. If the good people of P&B would like to keep up to date with my uploads and help the channel grow then please consider subscribing and sharing the vids with your fellow rewilding curious friends and family. 

 

Bit late to this but great videos, nearly as good as your head of hair!

[jamamafegan]

New video is up! This time it’s a brief discussion about the value and potential of ecotourism in Scotland. I believe rewilding offers opportunities not just for wildlife but for people too, and one of these benefits is through ecotourism. It can lead to new jobs, a new source of income and new opportunities for communities, all the while providing an environment which is richer with wildlife that everybody can enjoy. Hope you all enjoy the video. Not to be missed by my fellow rewilding fans of P&B (or indeed a fan of my hair if you are @101). 

 

[Zen Archer (Raconteur)]

On 09/08/2023 at 22:23, afca32 said:

I saw a couple of beavers for the first time ever while on holiday in the Vosges in Eastern France last week which was quite the thrill. Hopefully they continue to spread throughout Scotland and this will become a more common occurrence.

[101]

11 minutes ago, jamamafegan said:

New video is up! This time it’s a brief discussion about the value and potential of ecotourism in Scotland. I believe rewilding offers opportunities not just for wildlife but for people too, and one of these benefits is through ecotourism. It can lead to new jobs, a new source of income and new opportunities for communities, all the while providing an environment which is richer with wildlife that everybody can enjoy. Hope you all enjoy the video. Not to be missed by my fellow rewilding fans of P&B (or indeed a fan of my hair if you are @101). 

 

Another good video! 

I would be definitely be off looking for Lynx if they come back, I need to get out and see if I can spot Wildcats now they have released some back into the wild.

As you say the industry set up to spot eagles and beavers are enormous and it stands to reason similar interest would be given to other wild animals.

Watching Race Across the World they are captivated to see bears roam freely it would be great to have such a draw, that said I'm not sure I would be keen on Wolves coming back until the native forestry has significantly grown to give them proper habitat to hide away in.

[Newbornbairn]

https://9gag.com/gag/a3Zp24v#comment