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10th Aug 2022

July Ranger Update

July has come to an end and what a busy month it has been for the ranger team in the Glen! We have encountered almost 3000 people, chatted to 300 friendly folks, and picked up 26 bags of litter. It’s been great to see the new car park at Lower Falls really coming into use and people getting out and about despite our up and down weather. Read on to find out what we’ve been up to this month…

Ben Nevis Summit Clean Up

The beginning of the month saw us spend the day up the Ben, chatting to fellow hikers as we went and sharing in the en masse feeling of knee ache. At the summit we spent an hour litter picking; the observatory and shelter were looking a little worse for wear but with the help of a few Ben Nevis Heroes, we ferried all of the litter back to the bins at the Visitor Centre.

Butterfly Surveys

With the weather improving, it has been a great opportunity to get out and do some butterfly surveys. Nearer the beginning of the month, we headed out to walk our butterfly transect - and found a lot of day flying moths! A week later we ventured up to Coire Ghiubhasan with the John Muir Trust team to carry out two Mountain Ringlet surveys. The hottest day of the year made the trek out no mean feat, but it was great conditions for the butterflies who seemed to be out in bus loads! We even managed a swim in Allt Coire Ghiubhasan to cool off at the end!

Glen & Ben Maintenance

As well as the litter, we have been staying on top of other maintenance in the Glen and on the Ben, trying to keep things as shiny as possible for all of the visitors. We were joined by Jahama Highland Estate’s new ranger Michaela at the Allt a Mhuilinn where we cleared all of the cross drains in the path up to the CIC hut. More recently we’ve been sprucing up the new Lower Falls car park by planting birch and rowan trees which sit among new wheelchair accessible picnic benches.

Owl and Bat Monitoring

Continuing on from last month, we’ve been back out and about checking on the barn owl boxes in and around the Glen, and further afield in Glencoe with the National Trust for Scotland team. Several fluffy little barn owl chicks have also been ringed so we can monitor their progress over time. We also carried out a bat survey up at Steall with the John Muir Trust, and despite being eaten alive by the swarms of midges in the dark, we were very excited to record the first ever instance of Daubenton's bats in the area!

Friends of Nevis Volunteer Events

We had a very successful bird ringing session at the end of the month with Friends of Nevis! Our bird of the day (or maybe year!) was a Nuthatch - 10 years ago this bird would not have been seen in this part of the Highlands. It has hatched this year which would suggest the nest is fairly local. Overall, 82 birds were ringed, including some summer migrants: a Garden Warbler and a number of Blackcaps! Hopefully bird ringing will be back on the 20th of August at the Visitor Centre, Avian Flu permitting.

We also spent a day out one weekend with Friends of Nevis volunteers doing what some might call ‘bracken bashing’ – a more accurate description would be closer to ‘jungle traversing’. Heading up and down the slopes in one of the tree exclosures in the Glen, we used hand scythes to clear away the foliage from the shorter pine trees to give them a better chance of finding the already scarce sunlight. It’s very satisfying to see the clear in the seas of bracken and know that you’re making a difference!

Foraging Fun

One of our highlights of the month was a herbal walk and workshop with the fantastic Clare Holohan from West Highland Herbal. Fifteen of us including rangers, locals, and enthusiasts from further afield set off along the river where we encountered dozens of different plants, all with varying purposes. Clare explained how to ID them, when to harvest them, and what they were all best used for.

The afternoon session was all about making vinegars, tinctures, infusions, and ointments with the plants that we foraged in the morning. After what felt like some serious wizardry, we all left with several jars of mysterious concoctions which will be ready to use at the end of August.

Clare is a brilliant teacher and kept everyone engaged and learning despite our really varied levels of experience. Her passion for it is infectious and we’re very excited that we are now able to ID plants and their uses while out on patrol that before we may have simply walked past and ignored!

Have a look at our upcoming Fungi Foray event!

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