LIFE 100% for Nature

Choughs traditionally nest in cave sites, but there aren’t any on these islands close to Chough feeding areas. To help Choughs survive, we’re building wooden shelters for them to nest in and we’re also working to increase the invertebrates that they feed on. 

This is one of the largest expanses of saltmarsh in southern Scotland, a key habitat for wading birds such as Curlew. Grazing helps ensure its favourability for these birds, so we’re upgrading access to the reserve and the cattle management infrastructure.

A network of important coastal habitats for wintering wading birds. The ridge of sand and shingle above the tideline should move naturally each year, and become colonised by plants like Marram grass, but woody scrub has started to dominate. Removing scrub and trees from the dunes will help many species including Small Blue and Dingy Skipper butterflies. 

Our Loch Lomond nature reserve and the surrounding area is a key wintering location for Greenland White-fronted Geese. We’ve purchased a low-ground-pressure tractor which will enable us to cut dense vegetation to optimise the foraging habitat for the geese. 

As well as being an important island for wintering wading birds, Little Terns and Ringed Plovers nest on areas of man-made gravel on former WWII runways. However, these areas are vegetating over, making them less suitable, and breeding numbers are declining. We’re shallow-ploughing them to remove vegetation and make it more suitable for nesting. 

Home to an extensive area of ancient Atlantic oak woodland, which supports an incredible amount of wildlife. We’re implementing a fencing plan which will help exclude herbivores from key areas to allow new trees to establish. We will also be monitoring the number of herbivores using state-of-the-art technology. 

These habitats are important for wintering waterbirds such as Bar-tailed Godwits, Curlews and Wigeon. However, these habitats are threatened by invasive Common Cord-grass. We’re controlling this grass to restore affected areas, making them more suitable for feeding and roosting wading birds. 

A stunning example of wetland habitat restoration: we’re removing scrub from the dunes and using virtual fence technology to introduce grazing to help stop the scrub from returning. We’re also using targeted grazing to improve the saltmarsh habitat which supports the wintering population of the Svalbard race of Barnacle Geese. 

One of the most important floodplain wetlands in Europe and home to an array of rare and special plants, insects and birds. The floodplain creates the ideal conditions for developing fen habitat, but its quality and condition is being reduced by the spread of reeds. We’ve introduced a small herd of Konik ponies to trial grazing to improve the habitat.

We’ve established a tree nursery to boost populations of rare Montane Willow populations in Abernethy. The tree nursery gives us cuttings and seedlings which we plant on the nature reserve to support existing isolated remnant populations. We’re also working with other key landowners to improve conditions for these plants in the Cairngorms.

Our Abernethy nature reserve is a key home for Capercaillie but there is a need for additional habitat management for both adult birds and chicks. We are trialling the use of a remote-controlled robotic mower to cut vegetation, as well as cattle grazing to see how we can best improve the habitat for Capercaillie and other pinewood wildlife.