Unbe-leech-ably successful breeding season at Highland Wildlife Park!
Our medicinal leech conservation programme with the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland has had a bumper breeding season, with 30 juvenile leeches hatching out from 12 cocoons this year. This follows 20 juveniles hatching out in 2024. Medicinal Leeches are currently found in only three sites in Scotland – on Islay, near Oban, and Dumfries and Galloway – and threatened to extinction. We’re hopeful that these new recruits can be released into carefully selected sites in the Argyll and Inner Hebrides area in the coming years, to allow these amazing invertebrates a chance to thrive as they once did in the Scottish landscape.
Survey season!
With 19 target species in our area, spring and summer are always a busy time filled with surveys, training and events. Hardworking staff and volunteers have been carrying out habitat management work parties, clearing Cotoneaster and Bracken which is threatening to take over important Slender Scotch Burnet sites across Mull. Online and in-field training for surveying Marsh Fritillary and Transparent Burnet has been provided to volunteers and landowners.
Our Argyll & Inner Hebrides trainee, Mhairi, has been hard at work carrying out extensive survey and monitoring of Transparent Burnet moths in Northern Argyll. This has resulted in the extension of existing sites, as well as recording Transparent Burnet moths at historic sites where no records have been made for many years. Butterfly Conservation staff have also been providing advice and carrying out surveys for the Marsh Fritillary, to help inform a range of planning applications including housing developments and forestry works. This will hopefully allow us to secure positive mitigations and offsetting measures.
Project Officer, Sally, and Buglife Development Manager, Suzie, went in search for the elusive Plantain Leaf Beetle (Chrysolina intermedia) at its Loch Etive site, and were excited to find nine beetles over two days. The species is incredibly rare and can only be found at its other UK sites in Orkney and Shetland, as well as Norway. It was fantastic to confirm the species is still thriving at its Loch Etive site, following its last record there in 2018. Find out more here: From Oban to Shetland, rare Scottish beetle is creating a buzz.
In other beetle-related news, some of the Species on the Edge team visited the remote Isle of Gunna, in search of the Short-necked Oil Beetle. Sadly, none were found despite strong populations on neighbouring islands Coll and Tiree, however the team were pleased to find another SOTE target species, Northern Colletes, flying around the sand dunes (even if this was unexpected as they emerged three weeks earlier than normal!).
Our Argyll & Inner Hebrides youth panellist, Adam, ran a successful bioblitz on the Isle of Seil in August. Despite being hampered by some brutal west coast weather, the hardy participants and species experts managed to record an amazing 231 species. This is a fantastic result considering it covered an area smaller than 1km2! These biological records will play an important part in the future conservation of this area.
Alongside numerous surveys and engagement events in Skye, Project Officer, Cathryn spent much of the year supporting our other area teams with their bat activities. Following her travels to Orkney at the beginning of the year, Cathryn and some Bat Conservation Trust colleagues visited the Outer Hebrides team in Barra to carry out some surveys following interesting results from past acoustic monitoring (did someone say mystery bat…?). The team has additionally supported Species on the Edge youth panellist, Angus, in setting up a new Outer Hebrides Bat Group this year, which we hope will lead to more knowledge about bats in this region.
Read more about our partnership work concerning bats here: The Power of Partnership
Getting creative
It’s our second year running our creative workshops focusing on nature and wellbeing, organised by Project Officers Liz and Sally. In July, a group from the Isle of Mull travelled over to Lochaline for a workshop run by West Highland Herbal, to learn more about the role herbs can play in keeping people and pollinators healthy. Unfortunately the damp conditions (there’s a theme here on the west coast!) put off a lot of the usual visiting pollinators, but participants still enjoyed a wonderful picnic lunch and learned how to make herbal remedies.
In August, artist and animator Helen Woolston ran two workshops focused on puppet making and stop motion animation in Lochaline, inspired by the world of moths and other pollinators. After looking through a couple moth traps, participants made a variety of puppets out of natural materials, and in the next session, were taught to animate them. You can watch the final product here:
A season of comings and goings
The past few months have seen some big changes within our Argyll & Inner Hebrides Team. Our wonderful Project Officers Liz and Cathryn have both recently moved on to new roles, and we would like to take this opportunity to extend a heartfelt thank you for all the amazing work they have contributed to the project over the last few years. Both Cathryn and Liz embraced and embodied Species on the Edge and we wish them success in their future endeavours.
As chapters end, new ones begin. We are delighted to say that we have gained a new Team Member!! Our new RSPB Project Officer, Nick, joined the Species on the Edge team in May and is based on Islay. Here’s a few words from Nick;
‘’Hello! I’m Nick, your new Species on the Edge Project Officer (Argyll and Inner Hebrides) with the RSPB. I am incredibly excited to contribute to such an inspirational project where the power of partnership and collaborative-working sits as its foundation.
Since starting much of my time has been spent ensuring I get to know and understand the species, habitats and communities I will be working with. From Short-Necked Oil Beetle, Northern Colletes and Medicinal Leech surveys with Buglife to Cotoneaster removal for Slender Scotch Burnet with Butterfly Conservation, I have really enjoyed learning about such fantastic species and working with such knowledgeable and passionate individuals from across the sector.
There have already been so many amazing wildlife moments. A real personal highlight happened on only my second day, and my first survey on the island, when I was treated to my first ever Corncrake. A 5 am start suddenly became a real privilege as the distinctive call echoed along the streets of Port Wemyss and Portnahaven, a special moment in a special place. I will be working closely with the community here to ensure that together we raise awareness of just how special the wildlife in these communities is.
I am really looking forward to continuing the amazing work started on our Tern species and of course the wonderful Chough, which I have been keenly observing. Right now though, the absolute privilege must be the Autumnal passage of wintering waders and Greenland white-fronted geese that I get to observe on a daily basis here on Islay. ‘’
That’s all for now!
That’s you all caught up for now, but to make sure you continue to keep up to date with our news, particularly news of upcoming events and opportunities, sign up to our Argyll & Inner Hebrides mailing list: Join our mailing list!
Until next time folks!
