22 Land managers in the Loch Ness area have been working together to create habitats for some of Scotland’s rarest birds to nest and breed.
More fragile bird species such as curlew, oystercatcher, redshank and lapwing have been returning to the area each year, which has produced a significant rise in the number of nests that are successfully producing chicks, reports the Scottish Farmer.
It has been reported that in some areas there has been a 50 per cent increase in moorland and wading birds over the past ten years, in particular for curlew and lapwings.
Covering 33,000 hectares, the Loch Ness Rural Communities Group stretches 32 miles from Fort Augustus to Farr and includes the Garrogie, Aberarder, Dunmaglass, Glendoe and Corriegarth estates. The initiative has been given support by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
Jenny McCallum, the coordinator of the Loch Ness Rural Communities Moorland Group, said: “Many of the farms and estates in the Loch Ness region are managing habitat specifically for waders.
“This means excluding livestock or keeping the stocking density low in areas where nesting is preferred and creating wader scrapes to allow chicks access to shallow, wet areas to feed on insects. Land managers are trained to carry out wader surveys in the spring to assess the breeding success.”
She explained that the combination of conservation methods has significantly aided the waders in nesting successfully, and the results have pleased everyone. “We also control predators such as carrion crows and foxes, which is an activity registered with Police Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage and subject to stringent conditions,” she concluded.
Amongst the other species of birds that have benefitted from the habitat management practices in the area include golden plover, snipe, greenshank, twite, hen harrier and dotterel, and there are also 15 known black grouse ‘leks’ in the area – an area where male black grouse gather to display and fight to attract the attention of the females.
Ken Fraser, who farms land at Gorthleck Mains and Migovie.“It’s noticeable that the number of wading birds has really increased in recent years, particularly the curlew and lapwing, because of the way the land is managed. Over the past ten years their populations have certainly increased by 50 per cent in my area,” said Ken Fraser, who farms land at Gorthleck Mains and Migovie.
“At this time of year, the birds are courting and pairing up, which is an absolute joy to see and hear in the skies around you. I hear the calls of the curlews on a daily basis. We also see lots of black grouse leks every spring, an unforgettable spectacle.
“The past 10 years have shown that if we didn’t manage the land year-round, these fragile populations would be lost and may never recover,” he concluded.
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