23 April 2020

Climate Week North East 2020

We were asked by Cults, Bieldside and Milltimber Community Council to provide talks for the Community Council's 'Walk Cults: Heritage, the River Dee and Climate Change' event for the Climate Week North East 2020 programme.  Unfortunately that event was then cancelled due to COVID-19.

As a substitute we have provided the Community Council with factsheets about some of the wildlife which would have been covered on the planned route. 


These can be viewed along with a route on the Community Council's pages and downloaded to a smart phone for local users in the Cults area to enjoy during their COVID-19 exercise allowance.


3 March 2020

The value of reference photographs of field signs

It is not everyday that the Gozdarski inštitut Slovenije (the Slovenian Forestry Institute) writes to ask for permission to use your photos of water vole field signs in a monograph!


We have undertaken lots of digging around on old drives to find the high resolution originals of requested field signs from past People's Trust for Endangered Species National Water Vole Monitoring Programme field surveys.

29 June 2019

UKHab event for CIEEM Scottish Section

CIEEM members travelled from across Scotland to learn about the UK Habitat Classification (UKHab). Alistair Watson introduced the components of the UKHab and their relationships to other classifications before leading a group exercise field session (on possibly the hottest day of the year!) trying out the UKHab Classification Field Key and Secondary Codes. Lina-Elvira Bäck discussed how UKHab informs the Defra Biodiversity Metric 2.0 and associated Eco-metric. Many thanks to Glenn Roberts of NESBReC for providing insights into the Integrated Habitat System, which the newer UKHab shares many attributes with.


This fully booked Scottish Section event (with reserve list) demonstrates an appetite for more UKHab events in Scotland. 

31 October 2018

A Focus on Nature

Alistair is now listed with the Mentoring Scheme for A Focus On Nature. This Scheme offers guidance, support and advice to aspiring conservationists aged 18-30 as they develop their CV and apply for work supporting wildlife conservation.

Mentoring is managed through www.afocusonnature.org/mentors but feel free to post ad hoc questions if you think any of my summarised experience could help you with preparing for a job application or interview or finding the right volunteering for the skills required for the jobs you are looking for.

27 July 2018

Azure damselfly at local SuDS pond

Azure damselfly (Coenagrion puella) is known at only a handful of sites in North East Scotland, but we found it in Robert Gordon University SuDS pond. 



We have observed frogs, toads and palmate newts here (all three of our local amphibian species in a single SuDS). 


A living example of the biodiversity that a well thought out SuDS pond can support!

15 April 2018

Badger field signs and surveys

We had a fantastic day with the National Trust for Scotland North East Ranger Service delivering our 'Badger Awareness for Surveyors' and 'Badger Fieldsigns and Surveys' presentations and field visit.



9 November 2017

Kaimhill ecology presentations

Latin proverb "Docendo discimus" (widely translated to "by teaching, we learn") is thought to have been derived from the writing of Roman philosopher Seneca the Younger.

  


We have been developing some introductory presentations to help teach others the knowledge and field skills they need to start looking for certain wildlife.  This is a slide from one of two presentations on badgers launched last night to the Aberdeen University Conservation Society.  It has also been a lesson for ourselves as we have carefully checked through the content of our presentations, checking for the sources of what we ourselves had been taught. Do you have knowledge to share with the next generation of surveyors, researchers and citizen scientists?

14 June 2017

We have Nathusius pipistrelle!

We retrieved some of the records off the Anabat Express and we have the elusive Nathusius pipistrelle! :)

3 June 2017

Biosecurity - doing your bit!

As keen naturalists, how many of us think that by roaming the countryside we might be doing more harm than good? With high profile diseases such as Chalara dieback of ash, and if you are old enough to remember, the foot-and- mouth crisis of 2001 many people are more aware of the concept of biosecurity.

In Scotland we have great outdoor access laws and you can pretty much roam as you wish as long as you do so responsibly. This is where an awareness of biosecurity comes in.

It is everyone’s responsibility to take proportionate measures to minimise the risk of transmitting pests/diseases onto or off any sites that they visit!

Professional ecologists will be well aware of biosecurity and carry specialist equipment. But for citizen scientists and amateur naturalists there doesn't seem to be a lot of information floating around on this increasingly important area. For many volunteer surveys you will be issued with a specific set of instructions for health and safety; ALWAYS read these!

I will not dwell on the intricacies of biosecurity here, that's what the links in the sections are for. I will instead want to ensure you are aware of the concept of biosecurity, how what you do relates to it and give you some simple instructions on how you can avoid spreading things around!

Among what can be spread are;

  • seeds and regenerating vegetative parts, especially from Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) such as Himalayan Balsam and Japanese Knotweed
  • spores responsible for disease in plants such as Phytophthora
  • microbes responsible for animal disease (viruses, bacteria, fungi)
Most citizen science and volunteer surveying will require only to be aware of Level 1 and 2 Biosecurity Control. This basically means wearing footwear that can be easily cleaned with a brush and soapy water. Wellingtons are excellent to clean, but can be awkward to walk in longer distances. I always recommend a pair of synthetic waterproof walking boots; these will not suffer from washing if done right.

Level 1 and 2 biosecurity measures
  • Respect any notices or instructions!
  • Ensure footwear is clean prior to the visit (visually free from loose soil and plant debris)
  • Ensure that vehicles are cleaned regularly to remove any accumulated mud, especially from wheels and wheel arches
  • Keep vehicular access to a minimum and keep to established hard tracks
  • Don't forget to wipe down / wash dogs! 
Cleaning footwear
If you are visiting several sites in one day it might be easier to pack several pairs of footwear so that you can just clean them all when you come back home instead of carrying equipment in your car. Or you can make up a Virkon S solution in a garden sprayer. You can find Virkon S tablets in farm shops or on Amazon but please make sure you read the instructions! Virkon S is not effective against Phytophthora, Forestry Commission Scotland recommends Cleankill Sanitising Spray, which may be available from a farm shop. Neither of these are suitable for aquatic use! Please use Virkon Aquatic for this.

What you need:
  • Water
  • Plastic cat litter tray (to catch dirt for disposal and to soak boots)
  • Hoof pick and stiff dish washing brush
Tools of the trade!
1) Remove visible dirt: If your boots are wet, allow them to dry a bit. Brush any visible debris into the cat litter tray and put it into the household bin (not your bin for garden/food waste!). I use a hoof pick (for horse grooming) and an old dish washing brush - the hoof pick makes light work of getting soil out of deep ridged soles! A dish washing brush is usually very stiff and gets into all the nooks and crannies of your boots.

2) Washing: For this step I use a litter tray for cats as they are big enough for the majority of shoe sizes! Rinse out the tub if you used it to catch dirt. Make up a solution of 1 part household bleach to 9 parts water and let the soles of your footwear rest in this for 15 minutes. Don't let the solution onto the fabric of the boots, you only need it on the rubber soles. Carefully rinse to remove the bleach solution or the materials of your footwear could suffer! Always pour washing solution down the sink, NEVER into street drains or onto the ground. You can use a solution of Virkon S or Cleankill instead of bleach in this step, please follow the instructions if you do!

Vehicle disinfection
Consider where you drive and park your vehicle; park on hard standing away from plant materials and ideally park off-site if you can. This is especially important if you are driving through farmland or forestry woodland. You should clean the wheel arches and tyres of your car by using a hose or high pressure washer but don't do this at home! The drains in your street are only meant to carry surface water runoff (ie rain) and should not be contaminated with foreign soil or chemicals. The best place to clean your car is at a petrol station car wash or other commercial car wash as their drains by law have to be connected to so-called 'foul water drains/sewers' which means the water will be decontaminated.

SPECIFIC INSTANCES

Amphibian surveys/pond dipping
There is detailed guidance from ARG-UK, Froglife and SNH how to prevent the spread of amphibian disease, mainly chytrid fungus and Ranavirus. For our NARRS survey, even though we only visit the same pond, we disinfect the equipment carefully. This is best done in a bathtub due to the size of the equipment cleaned.

  • Buckets and net: wash carefully to remove all visible debris.
  • Measure out 1 part household bleach to 9 parts water and soak for 15 minutes. Rinse very carefully to remove the bleach solution as it may otherwise enter the watercourse/affect the creatures you are trying to survey.
  • Wash your clothes in 40C machine wash!
  • Wash footwear as previously
Tree biosecurity
Always, always heed signs and instructions where there are restrictions to access due to infected trees! Phytophthora are a large group of pathogens that cause diseases in plants including many species of tree. The name is derived from Greek and literally means 'plant destroyer' from phyto (plant) and phthora (destroyer). There is only one disinfectant that has been proven to be effective against Phytophthora ramorum spores and it's called Cleankill Sanitising Spray. It is classed as a substance harmful to health and should ideally not be used unless you are trained in Control of Substances Harmful to Health (COSHH). Therefore if the area you are going into is likely to have Phytophora ramorum present you may wish to reconsider going there. You will not be able to kill Phytophthora with a bleach solution. There is more detailed information here.

FAQ

Why do I need to scrub all visible dirt off if I can just soak my boots?
Seeds, spores and microbes are easily picked up in dirt on your shoes and clothing. For example, seeds of Himalayan Balsam are small and will easily transport themselves on your shoes to a more sensitive habitat where they will then spread like wildfire! Fungal spores may attach to your clothing, and so spread between sites as you brush against vegetation. Microbes are invisible to the human eye and are everywhere - hence why dirt must come off AND bleach solution must be applied.

Why do I need to chemically treat my shoes and equipment as well?
Just because your shoes have no dirt on them doesn't mean they won't carry microbes or spores. The only way to kill these effectively is by high temperature washing or chemical treatment.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Forestry Commission Scotland Keep it Clean Campaign

9 August 2015

Bumblebee queen hibernation hole

In August or so, the new bumblebee queens go off to find a hibernation site. They usually dig a tunnel about 10 cm long, ending in a small chamber. They will then hibernate from end of August to March/April. The new queens are the only bumblebees that hibernate - the rest of the colony, the males and the old queen all die off at the end of summer!

By chance whilst out surveying a badger sett, I saw this large Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) queen flying about above the grass and when she landed I thought I would take a few photos but realised she had entered a small hole with a bit of earth dug out. So I watched and waited... And sure enough a minute or so later her back-end emerged, digging earth out of the hole! I realised she must be digging a hibernation tunnel.

I've seen bumblebee nests in the past, but I can't recall ever seeing this before!