Well, not quite a bang (as we do need to stay quiet on the tours), but with up to five Beavers, an Otter and Kingfisher sightings on most of our Riverbank tours over the past few weeks, we can say that they are off to a flying start! It’s always good to see our clients’ photos and videos of the beavers so everyone can see how close the wildlife comes to us, so I have included a few that have been sent to me recently.
The Ponds for Puddocks project, which we have managed for the past few years with Tayside Biodiversity Partnership and with funding from ScotGov’s Nature Restoration Fund via Perth and Kinross Council (quite a mouthful) has just come to an end for this year. We worked on six ponds in Blairgowrie, Murthly, Perth and Abernethy to improve them for wildlife by planting native pollinator-friendly plants (our lovely Celtica Wildflowers) and clearing overgrown vegetation from the ponds. So they are now much better habitats for a whole host of wildlife, especially amphibians. Hence the Puddocks name. And what a wonderful name it is. We also ran a Toads on Roads training session for people to safely rescue amphibians crossing roads in the evenings, along with two amphibian ladder workshops to make ladders for gullypots. This ensures wildlife trapped down the gullypots can escape, rather than drowning.
Thanks to all the brilliant volunteers to helped out with the project – we couldn’t have done it without you.
We are very much looking forward to the arrival of our amazing Swifts; they should be here in the next week I think. Our summer migrants seem to be a bit earlier than usual – we spotted our first Swallows on the 9th of April. And it’s so lovely to have them back – the chittering of the Swallows and Martins, the liquid burble of Willow warblers, and beautiful rise and fall of Blackcap song all combine to make the world a happier place.
We are working on the Blairgowrie and Angus Coastal Towns Swift Projects again this year, where we will be working with groups to map Swift populations, conserve existing nest sites and find good locations to put up nest boxes to help populations recover. Every year Swift numbers seem to keep falling across the UK but they are still doing well in Stanley, Blairgowrie and Montrose. Join us on a guided walk & survey training session to see how you can help these beautiful birds – in Blairgowrie on 19th June, meeting at the library at 8.30pm; in Monifieth on 17th of July, meeting at the War memorial at 8.30pm and in Montrose on 18th of July, meeting at Lower Hall St car park at 8.30pm. These walks are free of charge.
We look forward to seeing you for a fun and exciting beaver tour this summer – join us for a Riverbank safari on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays or a Half day Beaver safari on Thursdays or a Beaver Canoe Safari on Saturdays. Or we also run lots of private tours so contact us if you’d like your own personal guide for the evening. You’ll be in the safe and informative hands of one of our wonderful team – Jenna, Jean, Joan, Anne-Marie and Daniele.
Thanks to Phil for this photo of a grooming Beaver – it looks like its having a good time! He also took the header photo, both from down at the river in April this year.
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