Archive of: June, 2017

All loaded up and ready to go – Chris Cathrine, Director, and Carolyn Gillen, Ecologist form the advance Caledonian Conservation team heading for the 29th GWCT Scottish Game Fair at Scone Palace in Perthshire.

Loaded up with all the components for our trade stand, Chris and Carolyn are in charge of setting everything up ready for the Fair opening on Friday June 30th. If last year is anything to go by, the Fair will play host to over 33,000 visitors for a three day celebration of all that rural Scotland has to offer.

Members of the team will be on hand over the three days to meet friends and clients, old and new and to offer expert ecology advice – or even just a chair for weary legs.

So if you’re coming along, don’t forget to visit the Caledonian Conservation team on Stand 22a Stag Row.

For more information on the Scottish Game Fair, visit:  www.scottishfair.com

Senior ecologist and company bryologist Julie Smith reports from amongst the fallen trees of the Black Wood of Rannoch.

In January 2017 Caledonian Conservation Ltd undertook a surveillance survey across the Tay Forest District for a rare bryophyte listed under Annex II of the EU Habitats Directive which occurs on deadwood, green shield moss (Buxbaumia viridis).  The aim was to survey suitable habitat to improve understanding of the distribution of the species in Scotland.

During a recent Native Woodland Discussion Group (NWDG) meeting a member had noted that there appeared to be a lack of deadwood across the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) element of Black Wood of Rannoch, one of the largest extents of ancient Caledonian Pine wood in Scotland. While our winter survey there had indeed found limited quantities there was locally frequent deadwood of good size and stage of decay along the Dall Burn and its tributaries to the east. Buxbaumia viridis was not recorded within the SSSI, but it was on neighbouring Forest Enterprise (FE) land, by the Kilvrecht campsite, again to the east.

In spite of the long term use of the Black Wood for timber extraction up until the wartime felling of the 20th century, the ancient pinewood has persisted and is now managed by Forest Enterprise (FE) under non-intervention. It is expected there will be an increase in deadwood across the SSSI in future years, which means more suitable habitat for Buxbaumia viridis.  FE staff and other visitors to the woodland should be encouraged to familiarise themselves with this distinctive little moss and its preferred microhabitat, as it may very well turn up there soon!

At the end of the NWDG meeting Julie revisited the mature fallen Kilvrecht birch tree where the moss was found and became reacquainted with the impressive capsules, albeit at a different growth stage!

The photo below shows a Buxbaumia viridis capsule on mature fallen birch tree in early June 2017 (capsules have reached maturity and are golden brown in colour).

Working in remote locations throughout the UK means the Caledonian Conservation team often encounter rough and challenging terrain – particularly in Scotland!  It’s therefore essential that our drivers have the equipment and the skill necessary to tackle this.  The driving team are BORDA (British Off Road Driving Association) qualified, and we all recently renewed and updated our 4x4 driving skills and qualifications at the Scottish Off Road Driving Centre in Fife.

Though perhaps not quite as muddy under-tyre as in previous visits due to the recent unusually dry spell the extensive hilly (and watery) course at Glentarkie still put us through our paces as we practised our controlled ascents and descents, stall and loss of traction recoveries, braking and bow wave creation over, in and through the ditches, ridges, ruts, lakes, woods and sideslopes.  There was also an opportunity for some inadvertent in-car livestock herding warming up the engine in the sheep field beforehand.

Walter and his team of instructors as ever provided an excellent programme, expertly guiding us through the obstacles of the day and also offering a lot of useful advice on a range of issues from safety checks to be carried out before every excursion through to proper usage of the handbrake when parking.

This also gave us an opportunity to really test the Ford Ranger’s capabilities – learning the limitations and unexpected strengths compared to Land Rover Defenders.  Rangers are remarkably capable off road vehicles – we were particularly surprised at how well they out-performed Defenders when cross axled!  We’d certainly recommend the Ford Ranger Off Road Pack!

We all emerged unscathed and fully prepared once again for whatever terrain our various projects might take us to next in the wilds of Scotland and beyond.

No Ford Rangers were harmed during the earning of our new BORDA certificates.

To find out more about the British Off Road Driving Association (BORDA) visit:  www.borda.org.uk/

To find out more about the Scottish Off Road Driving Centre visit:  www.scotoffroad.co.uk/

To find out more about Ford Rangers visit:  www.ford.co.uk

The Caledonian Conservation team will be out in force at the 29th annual Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) Scottish Game Fair from 30 June to 2 July.

We will be hosting a stand at this prestigious country show, billed as ‘Scotland’s most popular outdoor event’, which is held within the parklands of the historic and scenic Scone Palace in Perthshire.

Our stand will be manned over the three days by Chris Cathrine, Director; Liz Coiffait and Julie Smith, Senior Ecologists; Carolyn Gillen and Steven Johnston, Ecologists and Joanne O’Hara, Administrator who look forward to meeting past, present and future clients.

By attending the fair we look forward to establishing new relationships with those that are responsible for the management of estates and other land in Scotland, who may need professional ecology advice, as well as developers, surveyors, wildlife societies and others that have countryside affiliations. With members of the team specialising in everything from wildlife and habitat surveys to Ecological Impact Assessments and Habitat Management Plans there will be plenty of expert advice on hand for visitors to our stand.

If you’re at the fair be sure to come and see us at stand S22a on Stag Row. See you there!

For more information on the Scottish Game Fair, visit:  www.scottishfair.com

For more information about GWCT, visit:  www.gwct.org.uk