18th Dec Harrier Update

Many thanks to Stephen Murphy for this update.

Dear All, 

The recent dour weather has reduced the efficiency of the satellite tags hence the amount of data from the birds. Grainne’s transmitter has not been able to pull in enough light in recent weeks. Therefore, despite not featuring below, it is not because she suddenly disappeared off the map. I hope the next few clear crisp bright mornings will bring her back on line. 

At this time of year the young hen harriers are usually in distinct home ranges and the area of land they utilise generally contracts. They will now be adept hunters having worked out where the prey is and how to catch it. They will also have a good spatial awareness of the landscape/topography knowing how to use its physical properties to sneak up on prey and where to roost. 

I have been lucky to see hen harriers in both lowland and upland sites in the last fortnight in great company. Many of the birds are returning to the roost well fed, most birds sporting massive noticeable crops.  Does their strike rate increase in these wild windy and wet conditions?  The harriers seem to revel in the wind and it could actually help them as we have recorded successful stoops on small passerines struggling to get airborne or whilst trying to fly into the wind. 

Miranda is in County Mayo. I type this as severe westerly’s rip across the country and 70-80mph gusts, driving rain and sleet are buffeting the trees outside and howling down the chimney. It must be bad as the two televised cup football matches were temporary halted by the referee due to horizontal white out sleet and swirling gale force winds.  

Hattie is still the “homely girl” the least travelled of all satellite-tracked birds.  

Harrier update

Not much change this week, Grainne and Hattie still staying local to Langholm,

and Miranda has spent time near to Carrowmore Lake.

Miranda in Mayo

Apologies for the delay in posts, severe internet broadband problems here..

Miranda is continuing her interesting journey and is currently in Mayo on the west coast of Ireland. This map shows her estimated route over the last four months.

Miranda 5th July to 21st November 2013

Miranda 21st November

 Homely Hattie and Grainne are static in comparison with Miranda but just as interesting from an ecological perspective. What has got into Miranda that has not (yet) got into her sister Grainne and neighbour Hattie?

Hattie and Grainne 10 day home range to 20th November 2013

 Take a look at these two graphs (and especially the scale on the y axis) Hattie has barely been 8km from the nest but Miranda is now around 500km away.

Hattie and Grainne maximum distance (km) from nest over time

Miranda maximum distance (km) from nest over time

many thanks to Stephen Murphy NE for all this information.

Our fabulous friends in treland are keping a close eye on Miranda as well as their own tagged bird Heather, check out Hen Harrier Ireland http://henharrierireland.blogspot.co.uk/ for more information

we are having serious internet/broadband problems, will get HH update as soon as possible

we are having serious internet/broadband problems, will get HH update as soon as possible

D&G Rural Award Healthier Scotland Winners!!!!!!

I am so pleased to announce that the Making the Most of Moorlands project has won a D&G LEADER Rural Award 2011-2013. We were short-listed for the Healthier Scotland category back in the spring and welcomed judge Amanda Byrne to Langholm in June. Amanda met some of our fabulous project volunteers and was treated to a few snippets from the moorland musical including 'Grouse free diet'. On the evening of 15th November I attended the awards ceremony in Dumfries with project volunteer David Dickson and was delighted for the project to be named winner of its category. We are also featured in the Good Practice Guide which is distributed across Europe. Thank you so much to all our project volunteers and project partners and funders, this award is a reflection of all your enthusiasm and hard work and support.

Scotland Small?

I was asked to speak to the Langholm Archaeology group on Wednesday evening about the biodiversity found on Whita - the well known hill on the east side of Langholm town maybe best known for its monument. 

Whita hill and monument as seen from Moricambe Bay on the Solway, Cumbria.

At first  I worried that I would struggle to find enough to speak about but - being used to working with moorland and its marginal biodiversity in general, but when I sat down and began to make a list of species I had seen on Whita alone it was vast.  

I was sent this lovely poem by Hugh MacDiarmid which I think sums up Whita beautifully.

Scotland Small?

Scotland small? Our multiform, our infinite Scotland small?
Only as a patch of hillside may be a cliché corner
To a fool who cries 'Nothing but heather' where in September another
Sitting there and resting and gazing round
Sees not only the heather but blaeberries
With bright green leaves and leaves already turned scarlet
Hiding ripe blue berries; and amongst the sage-green leaves
Of the bog-myrtle the golden flowers of the tormentil shining;
And on the small bare places, where the little Blackface sheep
Found grazing, milkworts blue as summer skies;
And down in neglected peat-hags, not worked
Within living memory, sphagnum moss in pastel shades
Of yellow, green, and pink; sundew and butterwort
Waiting with wide-open sticky leaves for their tiny winged prey;
And nodding harebells vying in their colour
With the blue butterflies that poise themselves delicately upon them;
And stunted rowans with harsh dry leaves of glorious colour.
'Nothing but heather!' - How marvellously descriptive! And incomplete!

-- Hugh MacDiarmid

Green Tiger Beetle (Laurie Campbell)

Adder (Laurie Campbell)

Ladies bedstraw and Wild Thyme (Laurie Campbell)

Lousewort (Laurie Campbell)

Stonechat (Laurie Campbell)

Male Hen Harrier skydancing (John Wright)