Aspen on the Edge

You might recall my previous post regarding the presence of Juniper on Glengorm. Following the visit by Matt Parratt last week, we are delighted to report that bushes [both male and female] were found, and that sufficient numbers of juniper cones were collected to make his trip worthwhile.

Mr Parratt enjoyed superlative weather, which was fortunate because his designated collection area was none other than the summit and slopes of ‘S Airde Beinn!

Somewhat surprisingly, Mr Parratt also discovered a small group of Eurasian Aspen trees on the craggy western flank of this volcanic feature.

Aspen is a rather beautiful member of the poplar family. It often grows in association with birch species, and is thought to have been one of the first trees to colonise our landscape at the end of the last ice age.

This tree is great at spreading, and though it doesn’t flower and set seed very often, it does have an unusual ace up its silvicultural sleeve.

When you discover a dense stand of aspens, it is quite likely that all of these trunks are part of just one plant. The tree has effectively cloned itself  by allowing some of its root suckers to develop into fully fledged replicas. This can lead to something like immortality for the founder individual.

Though aspens are pretty good at sowing their wild oats, the species has the unfortunate handicap of being very tasty. Seedlings and new ramets [clones] are eagerly devoured by almost anything of a vegetarian persuasion.

Once common throughout the UK, our aspen population is now extremely fragmented; being restricted to sites where the trees have avoided the attention of grazers and people.

Linking up isolated populations is key to restoring the full compliment of aspen to our countryside. Though you could probably find aspen in almost any 10Km square of mainland Scotland, tree numbers will be small and groves are likely to be quite isolated from each other.

The paucity of aspen is especially sad because of its importance for our biodiversity. Five UK-BAP species are known to depend on this tree alone. Those five are the aspen bracket fungus, aspen bristle-moss, aspen hoverfly and dark-bordered beauty moth.

Interestingly, aspen is also the preferred food plant for Eurasian Beavers. The population of beavers on Loch ‘S Airde Beinn is currently zero… but never say never!

Though Glengorm has already identified ‘S Airde Beinn as a priority area for conservation [it is a Geological SSSI too] we hope that the presence of juniper and aspen will strengthen our case to fully protect and conserve this site.

Stephanie Cope

Glengorm Wildlife Steward

The view from the Cairn on ‘S Airde Beinn, home to Eurasian Aspen and Common Juniper'S Airde Beinn

Thumb Image: Alan Watson Featherstone – www.treesforlife.org.uk

 

 

 

Buzzin’

I’m the first one to admit it: my knowledge of bees is woefully deficient.

Clutching my FSC fold out guide I have made brief and tentative forays into the mysterious world of bee identification. Like most people, I just haven’t quite “got there” yet.

So imagine my delight when Katy Malone of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust asked for permission to hold a wildflower seed collecting workshop on Glengorm, as part of a Burnets and Bees mini-festival.

This September, Butterfly Conservation Scotland and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust have joined forces to deliver a series of free events, highlighting conservation for rare burnet moths and bumblebees on Mull.

Burnets and bees have both declined in the last decades, but the West Coast of Scotland [and the islands in particular] boasts some of the best areas in the country to spot rarities.

These invertebrates are reliant upon sites where wildflowers are abundant. Happily, Glengorm has some species-rich grasslands of outstanding quality that are actively managed to benefit our bugs.

Elsewhere on Mull, the invasive non-native Cotoneaster plant has destroyed grassland habitat that would otherwise have been suitable for burnets and bees. As part of the mini-festival, a group of volunteers collected seed from Glengorm’s species-rich grasslands to give these damaged sites a head start, following clearance of the Cotoneaster.

We learned how to collect, manage and store seeds for conservation… in addition to consuming a large number of scones (!)

Hopefully this is the start of a great relationship between the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Glengorm and our good friends at Butterfly Conservation Scotland.

Find out more about these great organisations here:

www.bumblebeeconservation.org

www.butterfly-conservation.org

Stephanie Cope

Glengorm Wildlife Steward

Hitting the Bottle

There have been times this summer when, braced against horizontal rain and bellowing into the faces of distressed transatlantic tourists, I have had cause to re-evaluate my career choice. Sometimes being a wildlife guide just isn’t that easy.

Worse still, there are occasions when the wildlife is there with bells on… but your clients, dressed in pristine tennis shoes and casting wistful glances back towards the Castle and its Whisky Library, seem immune to its manifold charms.

It was at the end of just such a session when, deflated and frustrated, I returned alone to the rocks to search for Basking sharks. I only get to see these animals maybe once or twice a year; despite my every attempt to persuade the guests in question that they were well worth taking a closer look at, they had absolutely no desire to detour from our main route to see them.

I continued the walk in a state of puzzlement – evidently, I was expected to produce something even more spectacular.

Two cavorting Otters, a leaping pod of Bottlenose Dolphins and a White-tailed Eagle fly-past all failed to arouse so much as a flicker of interest. I was horrified.

When I arrived at the shore some time later, the sharks had long since disappeared. I hunkered down on a cushion of grass, plunking small shells into the water and brooding darkly on my misfortune.

It seemed unjust that these natural history ingrates had been blessed with a silver platter of island wildlife, when other [far more deserving] guests were delighted by the wooden spoon of foul weather and clouds of bloodsucking midges. Mother Nature can be capricious.

I waited hours. My backside transcended “numb” and reached some higher level of discomfort. The Sound was a shark-free zone.

Reluctantly, I slung my binoculars over my shoulder and turned towards home. I had already moved some distance before I turned to see a bright star flash in the water. Several others winked after it in rapid succession.  A couple of Shags scuttered over the surface, apparently moving out of the way. The dolphins were back.

Galvanised into action, I all but threw myself over the cliff and down onto the salt splashed rocks. My binoculars and camera swung wildly as I lurched from foothold to foothold. Breathless and more than a little sweaty, I watched.

There has been a lot of research into dolphin cognition. And really, I shudder to contemplate what they must have thought – casually swimming past this quiet stretch of the Mull coast, only to discover a crazed human being, literally bouncing with enthusiasm and grinning like an unhinged lottery-winner. No wonder they came so close; it must have been quite a sight. Two dusky silver calves popped up alongside the adults, and for a moment, I thought I might actually explode with happiness.

It’s days like that when I fall in love with this island all over again.

Stephanie Cope

Glengorm Wildlife Steward

Family Photo: the two adult females and the two calves! 

BND2

What Heat Wave?

There are two fundamental forces that govern my working life:  the wildlife and the weather. This year, Mother Nature has quite literally flipped me the bird. Star-Species sightings have never been so good – but the weather has never been so bad.

For our smaller residents, things are looking pretty bleak. I have only seen one Beautiful demoiselle this season; even on sunny days, the display sites that I regularly walk past have been devoid of life.

But, just when I’m scuffing my boots and zipping up my rain jacket, Mull sends a scene to lift even the dampest spirit.

This season, two White-tailed eagles are spending time in the vicinity of our hide. It has provided an opportunity to enjoy some of their more intimate and engaging behaviours.

The birds fly low over our vantage point on a regular basis. Though they previously enjoyed sitting on our small offshore skerries, they have now taken to loitering further up the loch – offering superlative views.

Their interest is largely focussed on the flotillas of young Greylag geese that cruise about the weedy margins with their parents. Following a landing with a Surf ‘n’ Turf group a couple of weeks ago, we witnessed one of the birds making passes at geese less than 20m away from us on shallow water. It seemed completely unperturbed by our presence, having arrived just as we were clambering across the rocks from the boat.

Last Tuesday, I watched the adult male fishing in the loch for only the second time ever. It seems possible that recent rainfall has raised the level of the burn – perhaps attracting a small run of Sea trout up to spawn.

Better still, there have been times when both birds have arrived together. My guests Tony and Barbara were treated to the spectacle of the female bird vocalising; drawing her mate down from the sky and engaging in a noisy but tender greeting display. Sitting together on the opposite shore, they were magnificent. We even witnessed a brief spell of mutual preening.

Otter sightings have been excellent too – very encouraging news after last year’s quiet spell. The resident dog otter has been loafing about at almost every decent tide, and a female with two older cubs is frequently seen working the shoreline.

I might not have had opportunity to wear my shorts yet (!) but there is still plenty to look out for here on Glengorm.

Stephanie Cope

Glengorm Wildlife Steward

Eagle Eyes: one of our White-Tailed Eagles flies low for a closer look… 

White-Tailed Eagle