Science / Research Subcommittee Report for July 17th 2025
Our Subcommittee Zoom meeting gave the go ahead for the activities described below -
Link to minutes -
https://sites.google.com/view/dun-coillich/home/science-reports/minutes
Reconstruction of Baseline biodiversity data
A transect on JMT East Schiehallion and two transects on Dùn Coillich have been surveyed twice for plants with a view to establishing pseudo-baseline data.
First visit May 9th 2025 : Second visit 1st July 2025
See link -
https://sites.google.com/view/dun-coillich/home/pseudo-baseline-surveys
It is initially intended to survey plants, moths and birds.
Bird Surveys -
Bird surveys have been carried on on the following paths - Red, Green, Green/White and the summit.
Link leads to Bird Surveys for 2025
https://sites.google.com/view/dun-coillich/home/birds/surveys/2025
Plant surveys -
A plant list has been created for the Summit Path (26th May 2025), the Red Path (June 1st 2025) the Green Path (10th June 2025) and the Green and White Path (21st June 2025)
An ‘All Path’ list has been created and uploaded to iRecord.
https://sites.google.com/view/dun-coillich/home/plants/all-path-list-of-plants
See plant lists for individual paths at the links below -
Red Path Plant adaptations -
https://sites.google.com/view/dun-coillich/home/plants/red-path-adaptations
Red Path Plant List -
https://sites.google.com/view/dun-coillich/home/plants/red-path-list
Green Path Plant List -
https://sites.google.com/view/dun-coillich/home/plants/green-path-list
Green and White Path Plant List -
https://sites.google.com/view/dun-coillich/home/plants/green-white-path-list
Summit Path Plant List
https://sites.google.com/view/dun-coillich/home/plants/summit-path
Guided Walk
A guided walk has taken place - The Struggle for Existence - Evolution and Adaptation. This was not well attended, there was wind, rain and midges. Only four people attended, but one was Henry McIntyre who is a pupil at Breadalbane Academy. He is interested in ants and has since accompanied RP and Ian Biggs to see ants at Carie near the Black Wood of Rannoch. He is interested in conducting a small research project suggested by Aline Finger (Conservation Geneticist at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh). She will provide him with seeds of Small Cow Wheat and he will observe the behaviour of Ants with the seeds which have attractive food stores called eliaiosomes. He may also be able to visit Camghouran when staff from the Cairngorms National Park visit to inspect nests of Formica exsecta.
On June 6th 2025 staff from RBGE visited Dun Coillich and found suitable sites for planting - Small Cow Wheat, Whorled Solomon's Seal, Alpine Blue Sowthistle and Oblong Woodsia.
Water vole survey
This was conducted (awaiting report, Albert Bonet, Aberdeen University). Two active colonies located at previously known about sites.
Bee walk
Ant Watkins conducted a 'Bee walk' - we hope to do this monthly over the summer.
Pearl Bordered Fritillary Survey
The population of Pearl Bordered Fritillaries at Dun Coillich was assessed in early spring before the Small Pearl Bordered Fritillaries were on the wing to make identification easier. It was found that these rare butterflies are still doing well at Dun Coillich.
Anthony McCluskey of Butterfly Conservation is our advisor on matters Lepidopteran.
RP attended Anthony's guided walk at the lime kiln, Tomphubil on June 29th. The main objective was to find eggs of the Northern Brown Argus and this was successful.
Drone video
A drone survey of the Beaver location has been carried out by John Cassidy and he had a meeting with Willie McGhee with a view to using the drone to help show the degree of regeneration of trees.
University of the Highlands and Islands.
Ian and Heather travelled to UHI Inverness, to finalise the report writing with Vicky and Sarah, for a) The evaluation of the rural skills training and b) an evaluation “toolkit” to be used in house in the future years. Copies to be circulated soon. Ideas for further follow-up research on community engagement has been initiated, and a draft proposal will be circulated soon (the fund opens in September).
Biodiversity Data
Link to Biodiversity data as collated by Heather and Ian - On DC Google Drive.
(permissions for the next 3 links may need setting by Heather, Ian S. or Liz before general access is possible).
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1S_MybzJCg6Dwewa34kCOcjMq0BBYYAWK?usp=drive_link
Master Sheet -
* HH Master data sheet Jan 24 HH.xlsx
Survey summaries -
Bioblitz Activities as outlined by Heather -
We recorded some FW inverts, which are hard to speciate, but we have sent some samples off.
Moth trap caught 25 species, 5 of which are new records.
9 mammal species from scat and camera traps - some questioning on whether someone saw a bank vole, which would be a new record, but is not confirmed!
7 dragon and damselflies, including confirmation that we have Azure Damselflies, which was a suspected new record in 2023, but now confirmed.
Oliver Moore did a survey in the Keltneyburn gorge, focusing on mosses and liverworts and lichens; he will send his results, but they included at least one nationally scarce species. - there should be quite a few new site records (at the last bioblitz Oli recorded 115 new species for the DC)
45 Bird species, including a nuthatch, which I think is a new record, and tree creeper, which has only been recorded once before.
Richard’s plant records from all paths have come in and are uploaded to iRecord. Adrian Davies, who did a plant list from the scrapes, will be sending in his records.
Once all records have been sent in to me, we (with Tony’s help) will put them all on iRecord and include all the data into the master sheet above.
Heather also writes -
UHI and eDNA
I have also forwarded an email from James at UHI who did some eDNA sampling of the Gouldandie burn. Links to the results from that (he was only looking for vertebrates) and to his research are attached to that email.
Follow link -
https://sites.google.com/view/dun-coillich/home/edna-survey-by-uhi
RBGE
Dr Aline Finger of the Royal Botanic Gardens visited Dùn Coillich on Thursday June 26th and was accompanied by the Apprentices Jamie and Tony as well as by Richard Paul to view the Wood Ants’ nest. This is the site where the RBGE intend to plant Small Cow Wheat whose seeds are dispersed by ants. Dr Finger identified suitable localities for the planting of -
Whorled Solomon’s Seal, Small Cow Wheat, Alpine Blue Sowthistle and Oblong Woodsia. She was very positive about these sites and also suggested a small research project concerning ants and the seeds of the Small Cow Wheat which could be undertaken by Henry McIntyre if he wishes to do it. I think that this would be a very positive and educational activity for him to undertake.
Cairngorms National Park
Hayley Wiswell of the Cairngorms National Park has identified Dùn Coillich’s wood ants as Formica lugubris (Hairy Wood Ant). Staff from the Cairngorms National Park may visit and have provided HPCLT with 5 free copies of their publication on Wood Ants.
Tim Fison has located nests of Lasius flavus ants at ‘Adder Alley’ and there is a nest of Lasius niger on the Red Path. The nests of these two species may also provide suitable areas for the planting of Small Cow Wheat.
A summary of progress in increasing Biodiversity.
https://sites.google.com/view/dun-coillich/home/biodiversity