In September we welcomed delegates from The National Lottery Heritage Fund – who contributed over £4 million to the Species on the Edge programme – to the Solway Coast project area. Over the course of two days we visited sites such as the Crook of Baldoon and Mersehead where we explored ambitious plans to create new habitat for species such as wading birds, terns and the natterjack toad. In the evening we also hosted a public bat walk at Colvend, and were lucky enough to see Daubenton’s bats foraging just above the water as the sun set on the Barean Loch.
With the October school holidays came the Wild Goose Festival, where project officers Jack and Liam explored the fascinating world of bioacoustics at the festival hub by way of a ‘Sonic Safari’, using vintage field recordings and analogue media players to recombine iconic bird calls and other animal noises to create supernatural soundscapes. Jack also delivered a talk to a packed-out room in Castle Douglas where he recounted the epic journey of the white-fronted goose from Greenland to Galloway.
During the winter period, we are planning to host a series of volunteer work parties aimed at improving the habitat of one of Scotland’s rarest and most threatened butterflies – the northern brown argus. The first of these took place at Little Aird’s Hill on Halloween, where we selectively removed gorse scrub to encourage regrowth of common rock-rose – the food plant of the northern brown argus caterpillar. Keep your eyes peeled for more work parties due to take place over the coming months.
For more information about the Solway project area, including target species, programme activity, and how to get in touch with our Solway team, head to our Solway page.
