Ray Collier Highland Country Diary- Buzzards

30th June - Buzzards


The Black Isle, just north of Inverness, is famous for its birds of prey for a number of reasons and the first is that you are more likely to see red kites there than anywhere else in the Highlands. The first reintroduction of the red kites was carried out on the Black Isle with young birds brought in from three European countries and this started in 1989. When the birds were finally released into the wild some found the local feeding so good they stayed and bred. The nests are in mature conifers or broadleaved trees and they sometimes take over an old crow or buzzard nest. These days if you travel over the area it is a question of when you will see a red kite not if you will. It is a tourist attraction and so much so that you can see live or recorded film of the birds in the North Kessock Tourist Office. There is also a trail leaflet suggesting the best route to see as many of the birds as you can.
The area also attracts other birds of prey and the commonest is the buzzard and a few years ago, perhaps even now, the Black Isle had the largest numbers of these large birds than any other area of similar size in Scotland. Their bulky nests can be on cliffs or in trees and a typical nest at North Kessock is 40 feet up a Scots pine. The nest is large and when added to year after year sometimes gets so bulky it is blown out by winter gales. Whilst the red kites and buzzards can be seen all the year round another spectacular bird of prey, the osprey, is a summer visitor spending its winter months in Africa. These birds can be seen fishing in the firths as their favourite food, brown trout, are uncommon on the Black Isle as there are so few areas of open freshwater. The smallest bird of prey, apart from the very rare merlin, is the kestrel and these are characterised by their hovering flight that gives them their nickname of windhover. These can still be seen in various parts of the Black Isle but their numbers have fallen in recent years.
The golden eagle and sea eagles are rare visitors but one of the latter stayed around Munlochy cliff for several months a few years ago. One of the best places to see the peregrine falcon is at Udale Bay where the waders in particular may panic, a sure sign the peregrine is around. To see a peregrine stooping in such an open area means you can often see the flight and then the kill. The falcon sometimes takes its prey onto the drier parts of the salt marsh to pluck it before eating it. The success of all these birds of prey depends on a good food supply, a suitable breeding site and lack of persecution and disturbance. All these birds have one mechanism that may seem cruel to ourselves but it is in fact the basis of their survival. Most birds such as blackbird, curlew and mallard start to incubate their eggs only when the clutch is complete. This means that they all hatch at the same time and grow roughly at the same rate. With birds of prey there is a subtle but important difference as they start incubating when the first egg is laid so that they hatch after each other. This means that the young vary in size, and strength, and if food is short the smaller ones are the first to go, even eaten by their siblings.

Ray Collier Highland Country Diary- Pheasants

Pheasants - 25th June 2007

Pheasants are large game birds with long necks, small heads and a long tail. The males are brilliantly coloured often with an iridescent copper body marked with dark scallops on the breast and flanks. The metallic green head and neck contrasts with the red face and small ear tufts. The very long tail is ginger in colour with dark bars. This may be the colour combination of many male pheasants in the Highlands but there are many variations brought about by cross-breeding of different types. One variation is for the males to have a white ring of feathers round the neck, hence the nick name of ‘ring necked’ and at one time these were the favourites. Black pheasants were also a favourite at one time and more recently white birds have been reared although this time for a purpose other than shooting. If a certain number of white pheasants are ’ put down’ with ordinary coloured birds they can be roughly counted on a regular basis. If the numbers of these white birds start declining it could be that poachers are about and the keeper sees this as a warning and can be extra vigilant. In contrast the females are rather drab looking being brownish with dark flecks on most feathers including the tail that is much shorter than the males. This is designed for camouflage especially when the bird is sat on the nest which is on the ground amongst vegetation although they are occasionally under bushes and have even been found off the ground such as on straw bales. Camouflage is not the only defence mechanism for a sitting female as it is believed that when on eggs the bird gives off no scent that would attract a predator.
The origin of these introduced birds is uncertain but most sources say they were brought into to Britain by the Normans or Romans. In the Highlands they are common around Inverness and down the Great Glen with records for Caithness and Orkney. Elsewhere the distribution is patchy with large areas in the west and north west where they are absent because it is too wet for them. Even where they are common in most years they rely on very large numbers being released for shooting and if this did not take place it is unlikely, in the long term, that any pheasants would be found anywhere in the Highlands. Pheasants are at home on the ground although at night time they prefer to roost in trees often choosing the same place night after night unless disturbed.
At this time of the year the males are particularly conspicuous as their crowing call is far reaching and often accompanied by vigorous and noisy flapping of wings. This call is often heard at dusk before they go to roost as if telling other birds where they are. However the call will often be heard at any time of the day in response to gun shots or thunder. Until the shooting season starts in October both male and female pheasants and their offspring can become quite tame but once the 1st October comes they just seem to disappear. Many predators take pheasants particularly when they are at the young stage when they are called ‘poults’. Buzzards, stoats, feral cats, pine martens, foxes and sparrow hawks readily take them and this is a bone of contention with keepers. One current controversy is whether, after the legislation over hunting with dogs, the anti-sports people will turn their attentions to game shooting or fishing.

Ray Collier Highland Country Diary- Red Squirrels

Red Squirrels - 18th June 2007

The summer coat of the red squirrel is chestnut red with the ear tufts sparse and pale or even almost absent. This is the summer coat of a healthy red squirrel which may be affected if the animal, for some reason, is unwell. It is also complicated by the fact that there are colour variations with dominant colours either being brown, brown - grey or black. Colour may be variable in any one locality ranging from almost black to buff. Completely black, melanistic, red squirrels occasional occur but albinos are very rare. Apart from the ear tufts the most conspicuous part is the tail and this is not only used to keep its balance but also for display. When they are annoyed there is a chattering, often repeated, call whilst the tail is constantly flicking. The tail is also important in communicating with other squirrels, whether friends or enemies or males and females. Just occasionally the tail may be injured or even lost either because of predators or accidents with vehicles and if this happened it will struggle to survive.
Red squirrels have two main types of nests, called dreys, and the ones they use at this time of the year is more or less a resting platform during hot weather or a short nights sleep. In contrast the winter drey must be sound and has to be the animals defence against the winter snow, rain and storms. It can be up to 50 cms in diameter and must not only be weatherproof but also proof against predators. The outside is a thick layer of interwoven twigs normally taken from the tree that supports the drey. The inside is a warm, comfortable layer of moss, leaves and fur and it may be shared by more than one animal depending on the weather. Whatever the type of drey they can be extremely difficult to see especially in conifers.
Despite all the problems that red squirrels have had in the last few years they have been taking advantage of the food people have been putting out for garden birds. The numbers of people putting out such food has not only increase enormously but it is also supplied all the year round. Only a few years ago this was frowned on but studies have shown that in many years it may be essential to have a continual supply. Red squirrels have now taken full advantage of this with the result that many people now put out peanuts and hazel nuts in containers especially designed for them. The photograph was taken in such a garden close to Inverness and the animal’s right front paw is resting on the lid of the container. In such situations red squirrels can get quite tame and the close up views that can be obtained are just delightful.
There is the down side to this increasing habit of feeding in gardens and that is the apparent increase in red squirrels being killed by cats, domestic or feral. Recently in a garden just south of Inverness a cat brought in two in the space of two weeks. On a wider front the Highland Red Squirrel Group has produced an action plan that is now being implemented. The priorities include raising public awareness of the conservation issues and actively involving people in surveys, monitoring and conservation Landowners can be advised on habitat management for red squirrels and road kill monitoring is also being carried out.
Corinne - Disc 8 - pic - red squirrel

Ray Collier Highland Country Diary- Broom

Broom - 11th June 2007

The shrub broom has been described as a spineless gorse but there are other major differences that are very noticeable if you can find them, as is often the case, growing side by side. Broom has markedly angled stems and has variable leaves that can be short or long stalked and they often drop off early in the year. The flowers, smelling strongly of vanilla, are large and bright golden yellow and the enlarged upper petal and two lower petals unite into a boat-shaped keel. When a heavy bodied bee lands on the keel the spring loaded anthers inside the flower are released and shoot forward, dusting the bee’s body with pollen. Later in the year the fruit pads twists as it dries, setting up tension within its walls. When this tension becomes too great the pod splits, the wall untwist sharply and coupled with a sharp noise the seeds are catapulted some distance.
Broom is found throughout large areas of the mainland of the Highlands although there are large gaps in Sutherland. It has been introduced to some parts of the Western and Northern Isles. It can be found in a wide range of places such as sandy acidic soils on heaths to open woodland and stony river sides to roadside banks. The shrub can suffer severe die back in very cold winters. In many parts of the Highlands deer will graze it quite hard, down to a low neatly trimmed bush that looks more like garden topiary than a wild shrub. The caterpillars of one butterfly eats the leaves of broom and this is the localised green hairstreak that occurs in Easter Ross. The butterfly is unusual in that it flies at higher altitudes on moorland than many other butterflies. Traditionally broom shrub was used to feed domestic stock and it had the advantage of being readily palatable and, unlike gorse, did not have to be crushed before it could be used
In Old English the word ‘Brom’ was simply a coarse shrub many of which such as gorse, heather and holly were at some time used for sweeping. Broom itself with its long whippy thornless stems was one of the best and most efficient to use and was always a great favourite. Equally practical uses included the twigs used for basket making and for thatching. The flowers have been used in salads either raw or pickled and the green tips of the flowering branches have a long tradition in herbal medicine. Before the introduction of hops the tender green tops were used to flavour beer and make it more intoxicating and it affected sheep in this way if they ate the pods. The flower buds, just before they begin to show yellow, used to be pickled in imitation of capers and a tea was made with the flowers. Broom coffee can be made from the ripe pods and wine from the flowers. The number of clans that have used broom as a plant badge is unusual as it was traditionally used by clans Dunbar, Forbes, Gordon, Home and Matheson. With the series of mild winters the Highlands are experiencing the future for this very attractive shrub seems assured. There are various places around Inverness where the shrub, in all its glory, can be seen at this time of the year and one of the most outstanding is the mixture of broom and gorse on the Drummossie Moor just south of Inverness. One of the outstanding areas where broom is the dominant of the two is in Strathglass, west of Inverness.

Ray Collier Highland Country Diary- Sea Shells

Sea Shells - 4th June 2007

Some sea shells are large and easy to find such as mussels, common whelks, cockles and razor shells whilst others are very attractive such as tellins, carpets, oyster drills and tower shells. Some shore lines have extensive coverings of all the different types of shells and some of these may be quite deep having built up over long periods of time. Some people collect sea shells seriously whilst others just pick a few for interest but there is one type of shell that attracts most people more than any other. Whether the attraction is in the small size, the simple yet very attractive shape, they look like porcelain or the fact that they can be very difficult to find is not easy to say. They are the cowrie shells and they are easy to identify as they are unlike any other shells found round the coast of the Highlands as the body whorl grows over earlier whorls and the aperture forms a longitudinal slip along the under surface. There are two types in the Highlands and they are easy to tell apart.
The European cowrie grows up to 14mm long and 8mm high and has two or three dark spots on the upper surface. The northern cowrie lacks the spots and is even smaller growing to 11mm and 7mm high. The tiny grooves on the shells that really do look like pink porcelain are sometimes worn off by wave action and then the shells can look startling white. The European cowrie is the commonest of the two but they are both widely distributed around the coast of the Highlands and Islands. There are a few really outstanding sites for these shells and one of them is John o’Groats where the shells in the photograph were collected in about half an hour. Other good sites include bays on the Ardnamurchan peninsular and Balnakeil Bay in north west Sutherland. It is difficult to generalise on where to look for them on a coastline as sometimes they are mixed in with other shells and sometimes on their own on an otherwise sandy beach. They can also be found in rock pools. The best time to look is at low water and in the spring after winter storms will have washed them up on the tide line. Around Inverness they can be found at Rosemarkie in rock pools, along the shore at Chanonry Point at Fortrose and on Nairn beach but in all these places they are difficult to find as they are quite scarce.
There are a number of local names for cowries which is an indication of their importance, how well they have been known and also the fact they have been linked with folklore and mythology. In the Highlands they are still known as "maidens" whilst in the Clyde area they are called "nuns" or "groats" whilst in parts of the lowlands "buckie" is used and around John o’Groats they are called "groatie buckies". In places such as Ardnamurchan they have been used as "pieces" to exchange in games such as cards and the cowrie beaches of that area are traditional and well known. Necklaces and bracelets are often made from cowries and it is a favourite covering for wooden boxes which can be very effective if the pinker shells are used. In the Highlands they were once regarded as fertility tokens - hence the original use of necklaces and bracelets which was supposed to guard against sterility and encourage childbirth. The resemblance to the human eye was also to give protection against evil and witchcraft.