Ecologist, mum and lover of wild places, wildlife and wine !
Braemar, Scotland
Joined June 2015
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Out today looking at next years montane willow planting sites. So uplifting to see the scale of the regeneration at Mar Lodge now and the forest coming back to life.
@ScotlandTBP
#rewilding
#ecologicalrestoration
The purple heather alongside the colours of the natural regeneration are making Mar Lodge somewhat spectacular just now. Great to see the layers of regeneration and variability in species and density across the site.
#ecologicalrestoration
#rewilding
@ScotlandTBP
#pinewood
My first visit to Coire Cath nam Fiona in upper Glen Guisachan today. No willows to be found or any particular botanical finds but the spectacular backdrop made up for that !
#mountainwoodlands
#cairngorms
1/4 Highlights of a great day
1. Pollinators awash with pollen on catkins of montane willows we planted in Coire Etchachan in 2021.
2. Pines establishing above the Hutchison hut at >800m and one at 969m in Coire Sputan Dearg.
@ScotlandTBP
#rewilding
#montanewoodlands
3. @treesurv busy planting 4500 downy willows in Coire Sputan Dearg in our efforts to restore montane willow habitat.
4. A splash of colour from a patch of marsh marigold at the Lochan Uaine outflow.
1/2 I'm always looking for heather reaching its degeneration phase at Mar Lodge. I've never really observed this anywhere as heather has usually been cropped continually short by grazers or burned. However yesterday I walked through an area where degeneration may be underway ?
Little things !
I spend my day job working on the 30,000ha Mar Lodge Estate but sometimes it is the little things that make your week. Delighted to see the yellow rattle seeds I collected locally and spread on my wildflower bank germinating successfully.
Encountered otter tracks quite high up on Beinn Bhrotain today. Interesting that they are raking around in this weather right up there !
@Mammal_Society
#otters
@N_T_S
Cairngorms at their best today and good to see our planted montane willows will be protected under snow just now.
#winter
#montanewoodlands
#landscapephotography
@ScotlandTBP
@visitabdn
Magical scenes yesterday and the hoar #frost really highlighting the young regeneration. Breathtaking winter wonderland.
@ScotlandTBP
@Rewilding
#WinterWonderland
While the landforms are stunning in the west, the habitats are degraded. A six hour walk and didn't pass one tree or shrub and very little woodland visible from the summit.
@ScotlandTBP
#munros
@walkhighlands
#ecologicalrestoration
A wander off the beaten track today. Great to see scattered but good sized regeneration high on a slope I hadn't walked across before. The trees are advancing ! Also nice that the developing regeneration is visible from a good distance these days.
@RewildingB
@ScotlandTBP
Stumbled upon another possible Issler's clubmoss site this week. Bit atypical compared to other sites at Mar Lodge and lower altitude 524m. Sample off to Dan Watson for verification !
@BSBIbotany
@BSBIScotland
#clubmoss
#plants
Glen Quoich regeneration really coming through nicely now and simply looking stunning in the autumn colours and light.
@CNPnature
@N_T_S
#rewilding
@ScotlandTBP
#ecologicalrestoration
#Autumn
It fascinates me to observe the variation in the distribution and species groupings of the natural regeneration as it develops at Mar Lodge. Something I think we will always struggle to re-create through tree planting.
@RewildingB
#ecologicalrestoration
Although tree planting is required in some situations and can produce a healthy functioning woodland, I'm convinced that where possible and for many reasons, natural regeneration is the best option.
@ScotlandTBP
