Here Be Dragons

Today I took advantage of the last of the unseasonably good weather for a while to head up in to the hills to survey some of my tetrads for the BTO Bird Atlas. The tetrads that I have been allocated are in some of the most remote, wild and lonely parts of the island. In theory I was given these as I have a natural inclination to explore remote places, but I am starting to wonder if our local bird recorder is keen to lose me in the bog.

These four tetrads are located on  one of those blank bits on the map where if you were to ask a local what was there they would look at you vaguely and say "hill". If it was an old fashoned kind of map, there would be a caption reading "Here be Dragons". Nobody goes there, except for the odd long legged estate worker.  There are no famous mountains, or challenging rock climbs, just mile after mile of heather, forestry enclosures and tussocky Molinia grass. It is pretty rough going underfoot up there, but I was rewarded with a vast landscape, complete solitude, big blue skies and wildlife.

Once I had left the thick forestry woodlands I was out on the open hill in the sunshine being serenaded by skylarks. Other birds included wheatears, newly arrived from Africa, and noisy meadow pipits.  I also saw plenty of red deer, who looked much more alarmed to see me than deer I have met in more popular parts of the island. The spot of the day however was a pair of hen harriers (male and female) driving off another male intruder. High drama on the hill.

Flowering bog myrtle covered all my gear in puffs of green pollen wherever I walked.

Beinn Bharrain, seen from the south east.

 Looking downstream, Glen Scaftigil.

 

Empty cocoon of the Northern Eggar Moth Larva 

The low hump of Sail Chalmadale

So after three visits and one more to come, here is one blank spot on the map that I feel I know well.  I didn't find any dragons, but I did see a common lizard, and it was certainly a monster day.

Happy Hogmanay!

2008 ended very quietly with cold frosty weather and clear skies for several days. Amid the festivities I was able to get out and enjoy a bit of quiet time in the hills. This was a good opportunity to squeeze in a (late) early winter visit to my BTO Bird Atlas tetrads. The plan is to survey these little chunks of Arran four times a year, recording the birds that I see in each region of four square kilmetres. Many others are doing the same across the island, and the data will be collated into a nationwide atlas of bird records gathered over a 4 year period by the British Trust for Ornithology.
Although the weather was fabulous, and the bog for once so well frozen it was (relatively) easy going across the tussocky moorland, I saw very little in the way of wildlife. This is the quiet time of year for upland creatures, with many dispersing to other more fruitful areas to return in the spring, or simply descending to the valleys and coastal farmland. I was surprised at how little I saw, but have never claimed to be a great birder, so perhaps it was my surveying technique, or even sods law, that whatever you are surveying disappears from view as soon as you begin your measurements. There were a few small birds to be seen however, including a couple of very seasonal robins, who looked out of place amongst the heather and a smart little male stonechat. I was also treated to a magnificent close up view of a red deer hind that I startled in the cover of deep red dry bracken. If you would like more information about the BTO and Bird Atlas, please visit their website: www.bto.org. If you are generally interested in Arran birds, the following website will be very informative as it is maintained by the local bird recorder: www.arranbirding.co.uk.
As for my Hogmanay, it was a little more wild.... with plenty of laughing and dancing. I enjoyed the local dance at Lamlash Village Hall on the 27th, and something quite a bit more expensive at the Auchrannie Hotel on the 31st. Happy New Year and may 2009 bring you happiness and lots of great days out on the hills!