SUSTAINABILITY

FEATURES
A hen harrier chick, Holly, gets its satellite tag fitted © John Simpson
In natural history, the picture is always
changing. Pine marten Martes martes,
a once rare and seldom observed
mammal is becoming increasing
common. Stories abound of their
impertinent raids on depot dustbins
and escapes across the car parks
making off with their ill gotten gains
to nearby woodlands. Otters Lutra lutra
have also been seen more of ten as
they move through the establishment
waterways and Loch Long shoreline.
The large explosives handling jetty
juts out into the deep mirky depths of
the loch and through July, August and
September when the feeding is at its
richest, it would not be uncommon to
see minke Balaenoptera acutorostrata
and occasionally humpback whale
Megaptera novaeangliae, bottle nosed
dolphin Tursiops truncatus, harbour
porpoise Phocoena phocoena and
basking shark Cetorhinus maximus.
By far the largest of the establishments
is the Garelochhead Army Training
Centre and has the most extensive
range of habitats within the Clyde
group. One factor stands out and
underpins the success of the area for
wildlife, stability. Ver y little has changed
over the years and this has benefitted
several species of conservation concern.
Taking just one small part of the training
complex as an example, this small area
plays host to breeding hen harrier
Circus cyaneus, regionally important
populations of skylark Alauda arvensis,
black grouse Lyrurus tetrix, short eared
owl Asio flammeus, common cuckoo
Cuculus canorus and Eurasian curlew
Numenius arquata.
Long term monitoring of the area has
shown that most of these amber or red
listed species are holding their own or
even bucking the downward trend they
are facing in other parts of the UK.
An iconic mammal that is under real
threat is the Scottish wildcat Felis
sylvestris grampia. With the help of the
Scottish Wildcat Association camera
traps have been placed in a number of
promising locations to try and capture
images of this most elusive of species.
There have been a number of reliable
sightings and this is a project that will
surely bear fruit in the years to come.
Under the chairmanship of Ricky
Mackenzie thew head of establishment
and supported by his colleagues
at Landmarc, a more focused and
proactive conservation group has
been established.
DM Glen Douglas nestles within the
hills and glens of west Loch Lomond. A
Nato munitions depot, it too has some
wonderful wildlife. This establishment
has undergone the greatest change
and has seen some remarkable species
take up residence. An icon of our
A young fledging short eared owl © John Simpson
mountain and upland environment,
golden eagle Aquila chrysaetos would
have been a rare visitor in years past.
Known to have bred close to the
depot in 1963, the birds returned in
2011 and have bred successfully since.
They are watched over by the MOD
Police and local raptor study workers
with each chick fitted with a satellite
tracker to monitor its progress. The
wanderings of these young eagles
have been fascinating for all and
what is emerging is that the defence
landholding is becoming increasingly
important for young eagles from all
over western Scotland. With no adult
territories in the lower Lomond hills,
the area is something of a ‘nursery’ for
younger birds.
A little creative thinking helps a great
deal, with deer carcasses picked up
after road collisions and placed out on
the hill, nothing is wasted and sees the
eagles through the hard winter months.
With the use of trail cameras, the leg
rings for individual eagles attending
the baiting sites can be obtained. The
data so far shows the movements,
behaviours and interactions with other
predators and the resulting dataset
feeds directly into local and national
conservation plans.
The depot is a wonderful example of
woodland regeneration. The spartan
sheep walk that surrounds Glen
Douglas is in stark contrast to the birch
and alder scrub that proliferates. A true
mosaic of native woodland and plants
now carpet the depot. Here too pine
martens are making an appearance
and have been joined by red squirrels
Sciurus vulgaris. The population is small
but growing and combined with
otter, red, roe and fallow deer, DM
Glen Douglas is the local hotspot for
mammal watching.
Overall, it is a wonderful area with too
many people to mention playing their
part in conserving, monitoring and
protecting a remarkable landscape.
John Simpson
Garelochhead Conservation Group
Sanctuary 44 • 2015
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