Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels

To celebrate Red Squirrel Week, a national week dedicated to everything red and squirrelly which runs from Saturday 2nd to Sunday 10th of October 2010, Glen Tanar charitable Trust Ranger Service will be hosting a Red Squirrel fun day on Sunday 10th October, in partnership with the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) project team.

Come along to chat with the SSRS project team and learn about squirrels and how this project is working hard to try and protect them.

There will be an information stall at the Braeloine Visitor Centre and red squirrels woodland walks throughout the day starting at 10.30am, as well as fun activities and the chance for the kids to meet Mr Squirrel, a giant red squirrel who likes nothing more than a big cuddle.

Red Squirrel at Glen Tanar

Bookmark It

Tanar Tigers & Bear

“While Glen Tanar is a lovely place to relax and enjoy the countryside its also a working estate and one of the things we are always keen to do is to educate people on how the estate’s ecology and economy work together.  To do this end we recently held an event for children from Aboyne Primary School which was all about deer management.  This event was designed to show why deer are managed, what value they bring and what impacts they can have as well as enjoying deer for the fabulous animals they are.  Kids played games to simulate stalking and to find out about the resources deer need to thrive.  In the spirit of Jamie Oliver we looked at deer as food, what they look like inside and how we butcher a carcase.  Most children are very open to this once you have got past a few understandable “ughs!”  One wee lad came up to me later and confided gleefully “I just touched some lungs!”  “Good on ya” I said.

However when you dress up 72 children as Environmental  Health Inspectors and get them to examine carcases you can hardly expect to sell the same carcases afterwards.  It’s a shame to throw away good food so we decided to be more creative.  The Polar Bear, Mercedes at the Highland Wildlife Park in Kincraig is the only one in the UK and she is one of Scotland’s treasures.  She also has a liking for venison.  I had visions of a blog entry featuring a photo of Mercedes eating Glen Tanar venison under the headline “I know I have had a hard winter but this is ridiculous”.  However when the meat arrived she left her huge open enclosure and retired behind bars to enjoy her meal.  It didn’t make for a good photo at all but as you can see the Amur Tigers were much more obliging.”

Colin McClean, Wildlife Manager

Bookmark It

Baitcam set up at Glen Tanar

At Glen Tanar we are keen to find new ways of showing people our wonderful wildlife.  One idea we are exploring is setting up a photography hide for Golden Eagles which would come to feed on the carcases of poor quality Deer shot by our stalkers.  Golden Eagle chicks grow much better when fed live prey rather than carrion, so carcases would only be supplied during the non breeding season.

During this winter our Wildlife Manager, Colin McClean has provided baits at a variety of sites, kept them free of snow and monitored what animals have been using them with a motion sensored camera.  Early results are quite exciting although we need to learn more about how our Eagles use these sites before opening a public facility.

Below is a photo of a Golden Eagle eating a Deer carcase on Glen Tanar Estate.

Bookmark It

Wildcats

After attending a biodiversity seminar here in the Ballroom at Glen Tanar on Monday and hearing various speakers talking about the Wildlife that can be found on the Estate and how they are researching them I was amazed when on Wednesday I was looking out of the window in the Office and saw what I am 99% sure was a Wildcat!

After hearing Dr David Hetherington who is charge of the Cairngorms Wildcat Project speaking on Monday about Wildcats I instantly was looking for the markings of a Wildcat.  It was much bigger than a normal cat and had a shorter stumpy tail with black rings around it so I am convinced it was definitely a Wildcat.

Wildcat in the snow

Bookmark It

International Students Take A Walk On The Wild Side

Truls & Martin

Two Norwegian students, 21 year olds Martin Ofstaas and Truls Leidland, of Hedmark, Norway are undertaking a three and a half month work placement here at Glen Tanar Estate.  They will be undertaking a range of wildlife management tasks such as controlling foxes, crows and rabbits.  Also feeding the fish in the trout loch and carrying out maintenance on the riverbanks to give salmon fishers better access to the river, preparing trophies for stalking guests, and helping to manage deer marauding on farmland.

Both students are experienced in Norwegian wildlife management issues and wanted to learn about wildlife in another country.  Martin’s father is one of Norway’s very few professional hunting guides and Martin has worked with him since a boy.  Truls has just completed a year at Hedmark University studying wildlife management which invloves developing a concept of how man manages wildlife populations in different situations around the world and understanding wildlife habitats and their importance to managing wildlife.  He visited Scotalnd in January as part of the course.

Colin McClean, the Estates Wildlife Manager, says, “The students have learned that there are differences between Norway and Scotalnd in terms of wildlife management issues and wildlife such as Norway having a stronger hunting culture than Scotland with a much higher proportion of people involved in hunting.  Hunting is a recreational activity which people do for fun but there are very few jobs associated with hunting in Norway and Scotland has lots of river ghillies and game keepers which you don’t find in Norway.  Norway also manages a wider range of species than we have, including many that we have lost such as wolves, bears, lynx and beaver.”

Claire Bruce, owner of Glen Tanar Estate, says, Martin and Truls have been invaluable to us, both in terms of manpower and sharing the skills that they have.  Our focus at the Estate is very much on the ongoing conservation of the 25,000 acre estate’s natural heritage and additional help and fresh ideas are always very welcomed.  The students have also been involved in the activities which we offer on the estate such as Salmon and Trout Fishing and Deer Stalking and they have been monitoring and feeding the fish so that we can maintain sustainable levels.”

Claire continues, “Colin McClean, has been mentoring the two students during their time with us.  Colin maintains and seeks to enhance the high standards of land management already practiced at Glen Tanar and uses his extensive wildlife knowledge to educate visitors who want to learn more about the species that inhabit the estate.”

Martin says, “This is my first visit to Scotalnd and I am very impressed.  The first thing that struck me about the Estate was its beauty.  The scenery within the Cairngorms National Park is truly spectacular.  We are extremely lucky to be experiencing such good weather conditions because I heard the climate here was a little unpredictable.”

Martin continues, “Colin McClean, the Estate’s Wildlife Manager, has been our mentor and we have gained invaluable advice and skills during our time here.  We have learned about deer culling, preparing venison for sale, driving machinery like the Argo and ATVs, predator control techniques and all round experience in how a Highland Estate works.  We leave at the end of July and will be very sad to go.”

Truls comments, “When I first came to Scotland as part of my course in January I was so impressed I knew I wanted to come back.  Glen Tanar has been extremely hospitable and we have received a particularly warm welcome.  I look forward to returning very soon.”

Bookmark It