August Ranger Update!

August has broken this season’s ranger records, seeing 4985 people, talking to 326 folk and collecting 40 bags of litter weighing over 150kg, 90kg+ of which has come off Ben Nevis itself! The Ben has also seen her busiest day this season with our visitor counter recording over 8,000 people in one day at the end of August. 

No cross drain left undug 

From glen to summit, every cross drain on the Ben Nevis Mountain Path has now been cleared at least once this season, helping to prevent the path from eroding, maintaining its longevity. This is thanks to the combined effort of the rangers and staff at Nevis Landscape Partnership, John Muir Trust, Jahama Highland Estate rangers, and many amazing volunteers, who you may have seen taking on the trail with mattock and spade in hand come rain, wind, or sometimes even sun! 

Red Burn Repair 

Thanks to our skilled path makers Dougie and Calum and a helping hand (and supply of chocolate) from the rangers, a section of the Ben Nevis path next to the Red Burn was successfully repaired. A new cross drain was also added to help reduce the erosion from many feet and some heavy rainfall. The team worked in some wet and windy conditions but overall completed the repair quickly and successfully! 

Conservation in the Glen 

On the sunnier days we have taken the opportunity to continue our butterfly surveys. August is the flight season for Scotch Argus, which we have counted in great numbers along our butterfly transects in Glen Nevis, along with Peacock Butterflies (below) and Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries.  

We have also continued checking our Barn Owl, Tawny Owl, and Kestrel boxes in and around the Glen. Working with a licensed bird ringer who has a schedule 1 license, as barn owls are specially protected under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended), 9 Barn Owl chicks found over 3 of our boxes were ringed! We were also excited to get another sighting of the two Golden Eagles circling Steall Meadows while out on patrol - a busy month for raptors! 

Volunteer days

It has been a great month for getting people from near and far involved with NLP and Friends of Nevis alongside our Participation Officer Rory. We have helped host a two-day student engagement session for Dartington College, practicing navigation, local plant ID and the history of land management in the Glen. The students are doing a Masters degree called Arts and Place so coming to Glen Nevis for their residency allowed them to develop their projects using different art disciplines and got them closer to nature and peoples’ connection to the landscape. 

We also helped a group from the Outward Bound Trust to deliver the ‘Conserve’ section of their John Muir Award. The group put in a stirling effort battling the midges to help clear the last of the bracken from our largest tree exclosure.  

Finally, we teamed up with the John Muir Trust to help out on their Ben Nevis volunteer day. The team split in two, one working on path maintenance between Corner 2 and 3 and the other heading to the summit to collect litter. This was the busiest recorded day on the mountain path this season, so it was a great opportunity to chat to a lot of lovely folk about the combined work of the Nevis Landscape Partnership and John Muir Trust in caring for the landscape.  

Looking to September

As the days draw in and the air gets crisper, we are looking forward to a busy month of engagement events, so, why not join us for a Fungi Foray, or to celebrate NLP’s 20th birthday or out on the hill with Friends of Nevis?