Diversions and "About page" update

I'm sorry for the brief halt in activities but I've just had a major issue with my computer; which resulted in a complete OS re-installation and because of its age I had to hunt for drivers et.c to get the system all working again.

No prizes for guessing who the idiot was that accidentally deleted the recovery partition.

Although I'm perfectly capable of backing up every thing in a situation like this, I also managed to lose all my emails and address book. My dear old Dad had an expression for this type of situation which was "More haste and less speed". It took me years to understand what he meant and I still don't always seem to be able to put it into practice.

Happy to say that all is again working with the advantage of a completely clean slate so no clutter to distract.

I've just done some tidying up of the web site which includes an about page update to make it more relevant and combination with the contact details to allow space for other pages. Please note the new email address and apologies to those of you who used to have an email update from me; because Google managed to clear all the settings with their ongoing updates.

I've now added a follow by email app' in the right hand column so please use this if you prefer to be notified of new entries by email.

I still have some updating and improvements to undertake with the fixed pages which I hope will be completed this next week. I can't believe it's Friday already!

Guisachan south

View from just below the forest on the other side of the river from the old Guisachan House ruin.
This is looking SSW across the Plodda Lodge and Plodda Falls area towards Garve bridge.

Most of the forest you can see has a good population of Red Squirrels wherever there is food available.

Guisachan east Red Squirrel survey area summary.

This panorama shows part of the forest to the east of Guisachan farm which I have been surveying for Red Squirrels this last year. Beyond the top of the image is mostly open hill.

If you click on the image it will open in a new browser window and you can pan through the detail.

The mature timber stands consist of Norway Spruce, Sitka Spruce, Larch, Scots Pine and some Douglas Fir.

Young stands are Sitka Spruce and Larch. Around the margins and on water courses and wet areas there are deciduous shrubs and trees such as Willows, Birch, Aspen, Hazel, Beech, Lime, Oak and some granny Pines. The under storey is a mix of grass, bracken and herbs with heath higher up.

Squirrels feed mostly in the Norway Spruce and Larch. Most feeding is in the canopy with some ground feeding in undisturbed areas and ground activity is generally limited to areas with thicker ground cover.

I would consider this area to have a robust population of Red Squirrels up to an elevation of around 200 meters. Beyond that they are less in evidence.  

Roe Deer buck (Capreolus capreolus) on trail cam

Roe deer buck up close and personal with a trail camera

New framed prints

I mentioned a while ago that I was considering making framed prints available and have decided to introduce them next month.

The example on the left is how they will be presented in a standard hard wood frame. I may be able to make a selection of frames available.

More information soon.

Badger (Meles meles) trails, tracks in mud and latrine

An early morning look along the river showed where a pair of badgers (not sure if they were travelling together or separately) had been foraging earlier in the night.

The right hand trail is the main trail and the left hand is where one of the animals travelled parallel with it, which might suggest they were moving together.

Badgers, being rather low slung, leave a furrow through virgin grass and the image (left) shows moisture collected on the laid down grass, suggesting the animal had passed early in the night.

Below, in the first pair of images are left and right hand respectively, partially registered prints in mud. These pairs of footprints were about 33cm apart in a slightly staggered line, suggesting maybe it was a cub moving at a walk.

Although badgers have five toes the inner toe very often doesn't show; but if you look at the images you can make out the inner toe of the forefoot in the first two frames.

Also, they normally walk on the front of their feet and the heel doesn't show; but the right hand image of the second pair below, does show the heel pad.

Normally you'll see claws, toe pads and the large central pad. The claws on the front feet are extremely long and show almost in a line. The rear foot shows slightly behind and offset to the front foot.

In the second pair of images below, the prints are more or less registered, indicating a walking animal. When badgers trot or gallop the hind feet are set down in front of the fore print.

Badgers don't normally dump just anywhere but dig a shallow pit at a latrine site. Latrines are

found strategically placed around a family's home range and act as message posts and territorial markers.

Left is an image of a latrine pit and faeces deposited by the badgers mentioned and is located at a confluence of regularly used trails on the edge of their particular territory.

Brown Rats and other stuff

I've been away for a while visiting family and returned to find that I've been visited in my absence.

A pair of Brown or Common Rats have taken up residence under the floor and eaten their way out into the utility room where they've been dining on dog food.

I like living close to nature but I'm afraid that these rats and their accompanying health implications are a bit close for comfort. It goes against everything I believe to take life without good reason but in a case like this it looks as if I've no other option than to give them the medicine.

Red Deer Stags (Cervus elaphus) with antlers in velvet

The weather has turned bright, sunny and hot in the last couple of days.

Yesterday morning I got some shots of these Red Deer stags enjoying the fresh grass and trying to stay cool.

Flies were making them very restless.

Their antlers are forming well under a luxurious coat of velvet and should be fully grown in a couple of months.

While the stags are lounging about hinds will be in the forest and on the hills giving birth to their calves.

Light in the sky

Last Sunday evening, high above Guisachan forest, this rainbow summed up the weather for May. While the rest of the UK was suffering a lack of rainfall, the highlands had higher than average delivered by storms interspersed with sunny moments like this one.

FISH FIGHT LAUNCHES IN EUROPE!

"Today is a massive day for the Fish Fight campaign, and for the mission to end the insanely wasteful practise of discarding thousands of tonnes of fine edible fish at sea. This scandalous activity, which fishermen, conservationists and the fish-eating public all abhor, is the final insult of a Common Fisheries Policy that is universally agreed to be broken, and no longer fit for purpose.


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