Dundreggan

During the last week of April I spent a couple of days at Dundreggan, so that I could go out overnight with the volunteers who are taking part in our Project Wolf there. That’s the name for an experimental project we’re carrying out to see if we can replicate the natural disturbance effect of Scotland’s missing predators, such as the wolf (Canis lupus). By having volunteers walk through the edge of the native woodland on the estate at irregular and varied times during the night we hope to keep red deer (Cervus elaphus) from browsing on naturally-regenerating birch seedlings (Betula pendula and Betula pubescens), just as they come into leaf and are at their most vulnerable. [Read more…] about A night with the ‘wolves’

On 6th November 2009, while I was at Dundreggan, I discovered a large fungus fruiting at the base of an oak tree (Quercus petraea) that I’d never seen before. Situated right at the base of the tree, where the trunk emerges from the ground, it was very large for a fungus, and it had quite a complex shape, with a considerable number of overlapping and interconnected caps. As always when I find something new, I got quite excited and spent a while with the fungus, studying it and photographing it from different angles. [Read more…] about Seven year wait for a fungus

The first part of this blog focussed almost entirely on the many insects I saw feeding on some ragwort plants (Senecio jacobaea) at Dundreggan in the middle of September. After lunch that day I continued walking in the birchwood near the lodge, and found a lot of other subjects of interest, so that I didn’t get very far at all during the course of the afternoon. I find this increasingly to the case – I cover less and less distance when I’m out in Nature, as I see more and more details in even small areas, often that I wasn’t aware of at all in times gone by. [Read more…] about A wonder-full day at Dundreggan, part 2

September is a month of transition in the Caledonian Forest, with summer coming towards an end, and the first signs of autumn appearing as the bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) begins to change colour. However, there’s still a lot of life visible at this time of year, and so I was glad to have the opportunity of spending a Saturday at Dundreggan in the middle of the month purely for photography. I had some thoughts about going to one of the more distant parts of the estate, but as it transpired, I didn’t get further than about a 10 minute walk from the lodge, because there was so much of interest nearby! [Read more…] about A wonder-full day at Dundreggan, part 1

During early March we held a three day conference for our staff at Dundreggan, to look at our organisational strategy, and the direction that Trees for Life is going in with its work. Those of us based at our Findhorn office stayed over at Dundreggan for two nights, and on the third day I woke up early to find it was a clear and cold morning, with a thick frost covering all the trees and grass etc. Dressing quickly, I headed outside to enjoy the beauty of the morning for an hour or so before the final session of our conference. [Read more…] about Frosty morning at Dundreggan

It has been a very mild winter so far in the Highlands this year, with only a couple of relatively small snowfalls that haven’t lasted for more than day or two before the temperatures have risen again. During a recent visit to Dundreggan for a meeting, therefore, on a frosty day when there was still some snow on the ground, I took the opportunity of spending an hour and a half with my camera to document some of the beauty of the winter weather. [Read more…] about Ice formations on the Red Burn

One day in August 2007, before we had completed the purchase of Dundreggan, I was out walking on the estate with Colin Blyth, a forestry consultant whom we’ve worked with for many years, utilising his skills and experience to complement and support our work. That particular day, we had climbed to the top of Binnilidh Bheag, the small hill that overlooks the buildings on Dundreggan, to enjoy the view over the southern half of the estate. Looking from the top I was delighted to spot a small Scots pine seedling (Pinus sylvestris) amongst the flowering heather (Calluna vulgaris) on the steep slope not far below me. [Read more…] about A small miracle on Dundreggan

In 2012, during a survey he did for us of aphids on Dundreggan, Ed Baker discovered a species that had never been recorded in Britain before. This turned out to be the giant juniper aphid (Cinara smolandiae), which up until then had only been found in Sweden, Finland and north-west Russia. Restricted to juniper bushes (Juniperus communis), it is one of 10 species that have been found at Dundreggan that are not known from other sites in the UK, and which have led to our estate being described as a ‘lost world’ for biodiversity. [Read more…] about Rediscovery of a rare species at Dundreggan

In the middle of December I was out at Dundreggan with a couple of my colleagues, including Doug Gilbert, our Operations Manager at the Estate, and Colin Blyth, a consultant whom we work with on our forest restoration projects there. The reason for our visit was to scout out the possible line of a new fence for our next tree planting scheme on the estate. However, the day turned very wintry, with blizzards and white-out conditions, so we had to abandon our mission, and Colin and I decided to walk back to the lodge, down through the woodland on the east side of the Allt Ruadh, or Red Burn. [Read more…] about A new discovery at Dundreggan