Recent blogs

Working Week

Glen Affric and Skye

In mid July our field teams have finished deer population and habitat impact assessments over a range of mountainous and wooded ground in the south east of Skye and in Glen Affric.  The hard graft of surveying on steep and often boggy ground was rewarded by brilliant views (Eigg, Rum and Canna from Skye, the Affric hills and North to the Strathfarrar munros from Fasnakyle). Except for the day when…
August 2, 2012
Facts & Figures

Rock Slope Failures on Beinn Alligin

There are believed to be around 600 rock slides across the Scottish Highlands.  The most spectacular occurs on Beinn Alligin, where we were working in July 2012.  A great cleft (Eag Dubh or Black Cleft) cuts into the ridge south of the summit of Sgurr Mhor. This cleft represents the scar left by the collapse of the rock face, the material of which runs out into the corrie of Toll…
July 20, 2012
Facts & Figures

Globeflower

We came across a lonely looking specimen of Globeflower (Trollius europeaus) when out in Glenshee recently, and another when on Buachaille Etive Mor in Glencoe.  It’s such a beautiful and characteristic plant when in flower, and yet you don’t see it very often – the specimens seen were all on ‘out of reach’ ledges where the sheep and deer had not been...  Another interesting species occurring alongside was Roseroot (Sedum…
July 4, 2012
Working Week

Upper Glen Affric

We were working in Upper Glen Affric recently, setting up long term monitoring sites high on the upper slopes. A helicopter had dropped off a load of fencing equipment last month, and “all that remained for us to do” was cut it up and form it into the experimental enclosures we were building for a study we are doing for the Forestry Commission.  Much brutally hard work ensued, predominantly in…
July 4, 2012