Species on the Edge Solway Project Officers: Jack Barton (RSPB Scotland) and Liam Templeton (Amphibian and Reptile Conservation)
Here on the Solway Coast, from Powfoot to Stranraer, we have kicked off our programme of species survey and monitoring. This has included searching for the tiny eggs of the northern brown argus butterfly – a painstaking but rewarding task! With the help of volunteers, we were pleased to discover eggs in new locations which we will monitor over the course of the project.
With assistance from the local Dumfries & Galloway Bat Group, we hosted two Bat Walks in the coastal communities of Kippford and Kirkcudbright. These events proved extremely popular and we were treated to spectacular views of pipistrelle and noctule bats as they performed stunning aerial acrobatics in pursuit of their insect prey.
Although summer is now long gone, that doesn’t mean fieldwork has come to an end. Greenland white-fronted geese return to Scotland in October, so we will begin winter monitoring of the population at West Freugh. We are also planning to coordinate volunteer work parties over the winter period to help improve habitat for species such as the northern brown argus and natterjack toad.
Following a recent unconfirmed record of medicinal leech from a pond in Dumfries and Galloway, surveys for leeches were undertaken at a number of ponds and medicinal leeches were confirmed from three new locations. This is great news and further surveys are planned for other ponds in the area.
