Thanks to Laurie Campbell, Paul Hamblin, Lorne Gill and Peter Cairns for the beautiful wildlife images used thoroughout this book.

Lovingly written and published by Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park & Emily Dodd.

©August 2014

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Tales from our Wild Park, an insight into the wonderful wildlife of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park that we hope will encourage you to get out in the Park to experience nature.

This is a good chance for me to enthuse about some of my own wild tales! One experience that springs to mind is when I heard a most peculiar noise, tracking it down to find an otter crunching up freshwater snails it had collected from the bottom of the river. Amazing! A more common, yet equally brilliant experience is seeing

how excited my children get whenever we see a red squirrel bouncing across a woodland path...a sight that never fails to make me smile. And seeing red deer high on the mountains always makes me stop and think how hardy they must be to live up there in all weathers.

However you choose to go about it, you too can begin to collect your own wild tales...

Nature conservation is at the very heart of what Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park stands for. We want to inspire you to help us and all of our partners to look after the extraordinary natural beauty that lies within our National Park.

Scotland’s nature is for everyone to experience and enjoy – let’s work together to protect it.

In this special edition booklet you will find weird and wonderful information about our five flagship nature conservation projects: red squirrels, invasive non-native plants, our mountain bogs, black grouse and our woodland habitat. We are calling these our ‘Wild Challenges’ and we explain why they are important and what you can do to get involved.

This is our call to you to get involved in nature conservation for the benefit of our future generations.

What will be your tales from our Wild Park?

Fiona Logan Chief Executive Officer

Fàilte oirbh gu Sgeulachdan o ar Pàirc Fhiadhaich, sùil bheag a-staigh gu ainmhidhean annasach Pàirc Nàiseanta Loch Laomainn & nan Tròisichean a tha sinn an dòchas a bhrosnaicheas sibh gus dol a-mach sa Phàirc gus faighinn a-mach mu nàdar.

‘S e seo deagh chothrom dhòmhsa mo dhealas a chur an cèill mu na sgeulachdan agam fhìn! Aon rud a thig gu cuimhne ‘s e turas a chuala mi fuaim neònach ‘s gun deach mi ga lorg agus dè bh’ ann ach dobhar-chù a’ cagnadh sheilcheagan on fhìior-uisge a thog e o ghrunnd na h-aibhne. Annasach! Rud nas cumanta, ach a tha cheart cho tarraingeach, ‘s e bhith a’ faicinn mo chlann air bhioran turas sam bith a chì sinn feòrag ruadh a’ leum thar cadha coille... sealladh a bheir fiamh-ghàire orm daonnan. Agus nuair a chì mi na fèidh ruadha gu h-àrd sna

beanntan, stadaidh mi is nì mi meòrachadh air cho cruaidh ‘s a tha iad, tha fhios, a bhith comasach air fuireach shuas ann an sìde nan seachd sian.

As bith ciamar a chuireas sibh roimhibh e a dhèanamh, faodaidh sibh cuideachd ur sgeulachdan mu ainmhidhean a chruinneachadh...

Tha glèidhteachas nàdair aig teis-meadhain gach rud a sheasas Pàirc Nàiseanta Loch Laomainn & nan Tròisichean air a shon. Tha sinn airson ur brosnachaidh, cho math ris a h-uile com-pàirteach dìleas againn, coimhead an dèidh na th’ ann de dh’àilleachd nàdarra nar Pàirc Nàiseanta.

Tha nàdar na h-Alba ann don a h-uile duine mar thlachd is fhios – obraicheamaid còmhla gus a dhìon.

Anns an leabhran shònraichte seo gheibh sibh fios neònach

is iongantach mu na còig prìomh phròiseactan againn a thaobh glèidhteachas nàdair: boglaich nam beann; ionadan-còmhnaidh nan coilltean; feòragan ruadha; ainmhidhean bagartach nach buin ris an àite; agus a’ chearc-fhraoich dhubh. Their sinn ar “Dùbhlain Fiadhaich” riutha seo agus nì sinn mìneachadh mu carson a tha iad cudromach agus dè as urrainn dhuibh dèanamh gus dol an-sàs sa chùis.

Seo ar gairm dhuibhse a dhol an-sàs ann an glèidhteachas nàdair air sgàth nan ginealachdan a tha ri thighinn.

Dè na sgeulachdan a bhios agaibhse o ar Pàirc Fhiadhaich?

Fiona Logan Àrd-oifigear

Welcome to

Fàilte

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Our vision…

Our beautiful National Park is one of the most important places in Scotland for nature conservation, and yet is only an hour’s drive away for half of Scotland’s population.

We hope you will share our vision, it keeps us focused on the important work we carry out today, for the benefit of tomorrow.

Our mountains are home to more golden eagles. Sheep and deer are managed to support a wild array of highland habitats.

Our peat bogs continue to lock up thousands of tonnes of carbon, contributing to the global fight against climate change.

Our lochs and rivers have superb water quality and continue to supply most of Glasgow’s drinking water as well as helping to generate hydro-electricity for our homes.

They’re also home to an impressively diverse range of native fish, from the celebrated salmon to the archaic jawless lamprey.

Our rich and diverse woodland network will be thriving, from the hardy scrub high on mountainsides at the upper edges of the natural treeline, to Scotland’s rainforests, our Atlantic oak woods, along our loch and sea shores.

Our red squirrel and our black grouse populations are healthy and these charismatic creatures can commonly be seen once again around the National Park.

Our partnership approach has proved effective in reducing the threat to our native wildlife from invasive non-native species.

We invite you to join us on a journey. Over the next few pages we’ll introduce you to the long term vision we’ve created for nature in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. Up to the year 2020, we’ve chosen to focus on five wild challenges:

n Red squirrelsn Invasive non-native plantsn Our mountain bogsn Black grousen Our woodland habitat

These things really matter to us and we hope they’ll matter to you too.

As you journey with us through this book, we’ll introduce you to some of our most beautiful and valuable species along with the unique habitats they live in. We hope you’ll be surprised and inspired and that you’ll smile frequently along the way!

In 2020…

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With tufty ears, white tummies and cheeky personalities, it’s easy to see why our red squirrels are one of the best-loved species in Scotland.

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loss of habitat our wild challengethe spread of the american grey squirrels and squirrelpox

the front lineFollowing a long history of land use change, the small, isolated fragments left over from Scotland’s once huge native woodland could not support our red squirrels. Modern-day woodland planting is helping to turn this around.

Where red squirrels are hanging on in there, we’re working to safeguard these populations. By creating good habitat free of grey squirrels, we’re also encouraging red squirrels back into areas where they haven’t been seen in a while.

So we know what’s going on out there in the woods, we’re closely monitoring both red and grey squirrel populations through our survey work.

The American cousins of our native red squirrels have spread out in our woodlands and ended up neighbours to our red squirrels. Unfortunately they can spread a disease called squirrelpox which is often fatal to our native red squirrels. Grey squirrels are carriers of the disease but they are resistant to it themselves.

We are on the front line of squirrel conservation in Scotland!

The Highland Boundary Fault runs diagonally across Scotland and right through the National Park. South of this line there is a mixture of both red and grey squirrels. Very few grey squirrels have made it further north though, so the Highlands have become a stronghold for our red squirrels that we want to defend.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE ACHIEVED BY 2020?

“By 2020, I believe it will be possible to see red squirrels return to areas that have been without them for many years, the National

Park to be free from non-native grey squirrels and visitors to the National Park will have a

high chance of spotting one of these engaging creatures in their natural setting.”

MEGAN WEBSTER Project Officer, Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels

pine martens and red squirrels

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

see a red squirrel

We’ve noticed that where pine marten numbers increase, red squirrels increase too. Grey squirrels are bigger and slower and spend more time on the ground than red squirrels so they’re easier to catch and a more filling meal if you’re a pine marten. So this native predator of squirrels is actually playing a key role in red squirrel conservation.

The best areas for red squirrels in our National Park are the forests in the west, such as Glenbranter Forest in the Argyll Forest Park. But you can also spot them in the Trossachs and in places like Callander and Balmaha.

The Lodge at Aberfoyle is another good place to see our red squirrels. There’s a visitor centre, red squirrel feeders and a hide.

VolunteerVolunteer to take

part in our squirrel surveys.

AdoptAdopt a red squirrel

with the Scottish Wildlife Trust.

ReportReport the location of

sightings of grey squirrels in the National Park.

To find out more visit www.scottishsquirrels.org.uk

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When you planted those

glorious flowers at the

bottom of your garden,

you didn’t expect them

to invade, command

and conquer beyond the

garden fence.

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here are the park’s four

WORST OFFENDERS

rhododendron ponticum

japanese knotweed

They’re sneaky, those non-native invasive plants. They act all innocent and beautiful when enlisting help from us, the humans.

The problem with non-native invasive plants (apart from their title being a bit of a mouthful) is that they’re really good at taking over. They literally invade, spread and settle and there’s no room left for other plants.

The native plants that live in our Park are used to co-existing with each other. They live in harmony in an ecosystem that’s all about sharing space. That is until a fast spreading alien plant turns up and edges others out.

himalayan balsam

american skunk cabbage

We blame the Victorians for the rhododendrons – they started it!

Rhododendron ponticum soon escaped from beautiful, managed rhododendron gardens to become monstrous, wild rhododendron jungles, taking over whole sections of our native woodlands and forests. It blocks out light to the forest floor so no other plants stand a chance. We’re still working today to tackle the rhododendron that has escaped wild into the Park.

Invasive plant Why people planted it

Native alternatives for your garden

Rhododendron ponticum Purple flowers and evergreen leaves

Native shrubs like holly, crab apple, wild cherry, hazel, hawthorn and juniper

Japanese knotweed Tall and ornamental, like bamboo (also invasive!)

Native shrubs like guelder rose, dog rose, crab apple, wild cherry and hawthorn

Himalayan balsam Purple flowers Purple loosestrife

American skunk cabbage Yellow flowers and grows well in wet areas

Marsh marigold and yellow flag iris

Volunteer

Volunteer to help clear

areas of non-native invasive

plants. Many of the sites

targeted will need to be

treated several times over

the next three to five years

before complete eradication

will be achieved so we really

do need your help.

Consider the alternatives

We’ve put together a handy

table opposite to help you

to choose a beautiful native

plant for your garden that

won’t escape and take over.

Tell your friends

Discourage them from

keeping or planting known

invasive species in situations

where there is a risk of

them escaping, spreading

or seeding into the wild.

Why not suggest our

alternatives?

Visit the volunteer pages on our website to

find out more www.lochlomond-trossachs.org

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How can you help?

CONSIDER THE ALTERNATIVES

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WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO GET INVOLVED?

“Don’t be afraid to try something new! Volunteering in the National Park is great fun, you meet lots of lovely like-minded people and knowing you’re making a difference is a great feeling. I would encourage you to get involved,

you’ll be surprised by how much enjoyment it gives you.”

WILLIAM ANGUS National Park Volunteer

We’re working in partnership with landowners, fishery trusts, government agencies and volunteers to reduce the extent and damaging impact of these species. Wherever possible, we’re seeking to remove invasive non-native plants completely.

This collaborative effort includes:

rapid response to plant diseases and new outbreaks of invasive non-native plants

training volunteers to get involved in projects to control these plants

actively controlling the spread of invasive non-native plants on our riverbanks and lochsides

raising awareness of how to avoid spreading plants or plant diseases.

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High in our hills where

the eagle soars, the

wind blows and the rain

pours. It’s wet, it’s wild,

it’s incredibly beautiful

and if you visit you’ll

know you’re alive.

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Bogs are Brilliant!

Making Mountain Bogs

Trees are great at helping us manage climate change by taking in carbon dioxide but did you know our peat bogs help us too? Scotland’s peat bogs store ten times the carbon of all Britain’s forests combined - that’s phenomenal! Our bogs are the best carbon store we have, so it’s vitally important we look after them.

By soaking up water and releasing it slowly and steadily, bogs in good condition can also help reduce the impact of both floods and droughts. This is just what we need for these freak weather incidents which are sadly becoming more common due to climate change.

You might not fancy living in a bog, but lots of wildlife love it! Bogs are good for frogs and dragonflies and birds like greenshank and golden plover. There are even some bog plants that eat insects! Sundew and butterwort have sticky leaves that trap wee beasties then suck out their juices. But when you visit our mountain bogs, remember to look up as well as down. The mountains are the best place to see our golden eagles. It needs to be wet!

As the rains fall, a special kind of moss called sphagnum grows – it grows and grows, piling up and piling up, forming deeper and deeper layers. The layers gradually smoothe out the features of the land like a blanket on a bed – we call it a blanket bog.

The newest layer on top of the bog is made up of lots of different sphagnum mosses of lots of different colours – greens, reds, oranges and yellows. With clumps of purpley heather and patches of white tufty cotton grass, it looks like a patchwork quilt!

Beneath the colourful quilt, the layers of moss get slowly squashed, turning brown then black as they turn into peat. The deeper you go, the older the peat – like travelling back in time all the way back to the last ice age over 12,000 years ago.

Our wet, wild mountains are the perfect place to form a unique habitat - our mountain bogs.

WHY DO MOUNTAIN BOGS MATTER?

“There aren’t many mountain bogs, or blanket bogs, in the world so Scotland really has to look after what we’ve got! They’re a real asset to our country, not just for the iconic landscapes they create and the wildlife they support, but

also for the services they provide to society in storing valuable resources like carbon and water. ”

EMMA YENDELL Land Management Adviser

Look out for Mountain Bogs

OUR WILD CHALLENGE

How can you help?

When climbing any of our Munros, be sure to look out for blanket bogs.

Ben Lomond is a great place to see our mountain bogs. Take the path from the car park at Rowardennan and follow it along the Southern Ridge.

We’re working with land managers to look after our lovely mountain bogs. To help hold on to water and encourage the growth of sphagnum moss, we’ll block up old drainage ditches while making sure there’s not too much pressure from sheep and deer. When designing our forests, we’ll work round deep peat areas that are better suited to staying as bog.

Crofters have been cutting and burning peat in small quantities for years but if you don’t have your own source of peat to cut then please

avoid peat products. Go for peat free compost and burn wood from a sustainable forest.

Why not tell someone about THE NEED FOR PEAT?

Share the boggy love!

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Gurgling away, with red

eyebrows raised, glossy

black chest puffed out

and white tail feathers

fanned, black grouse are

well loved by tourists,

locals and landowners

alike.

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In spring, before we’re even out of bed, the black grouse is up at dawn to dance and sing. The black-grouse-bop is all about attracting a mate. The name given to this mating ritual and the area in which the birds display is the lek.

The lek takes place in spring when males use their groovy dance moves to try and attract a mate. The strange thing is, we also see birds dancing in the autumn. The females avoid the leks in the autumn so why do the males do it? They seem to enjoy dancing and scrapping for no apparent reason. Boys will be boys . . .

We can understand why you’d now want to experience the spectacular sights and sounds of a black grouse lek. Remember the birds are shy of humans and easily disturbed so please don’t get so close that you scare them away.

Take binoculars and scan the moorland fringes. Check up in the trees too – especially birches and larch. Every now and then you might spot a head popping up.

The Great Trossachs Forest is a great place to go and see our grouse.

Habitat loss Grazing by lots of sheep and deer over a long period can reduce the diversity of plants that black grouse need to see them through the year.

Upland forestry can mean the loss of moorland habitat. Once mature, the forests can be too dense for black grouse to live in.

Climate change The survival rate of black grouse chicks is down due to wetter springs and summers in recent years.

Predation Fewer people working on the land means less time available to control the predators of black grouse, like foxes and crows.

Collisions with deer fencesBlack grouse aren’t used to fences and can fly straight into them. A collision with a fence is often fatal for a grouse.

Why Black Grouse Need Our Help

Black grouse are threatened in Scotland for several reasons

WHY ARE BLACK GROUSE SO IMPORTANT?

“Black grouse are one of Scotland’s most iconic species. Their exotic plumage and elaborate mating display really captures

people’s interest and in some areas they’ve become a draw for tourists.

The National Park is already a pretty good place to see black grouse, but we’d like to

increase their numbers so more people have a chance to experience this fabulous bird.”

YVONNE BOLES Conservation Officer, RSPB

“The trees did not in any place

grow so thick as an ordinary wood;

yet I think there was never a bare

space of twenty yards; it was more

like a natural forest, where the

trees grow in groups or singly.“

Dorothy Wordsworth

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Because it’s such a beautiful and enigmatic bird and a great indicator of healthy habitats good for other wildlife too, black grouse is a priority species for the Park. To make sure it’s always around to grace our uplands, we’re working in partnership with farmers, gamekeepers and wildlife managers to look after it by getting grazing levels right and controlling predators.

When planting or re-planting woodlands, foresters design in measures that help black grouse, such as low density forest edges, open ground, native tree and shrub species and fences that are marked to stop birds from flying into them.

How Can you Help?

Volunteer to get down and dirty one day monitoring lek sites (think dance floors for black grouse), this helps us keep a close eye on how our population is faring.

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One beautiful old oak tree can

support 600 different species of life.

Can you imagine the life sustained

by the millions of trees that make up

the woodland habitats that cover a

quarter of our National Park?

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Our oak woods are part of a habitat known as temperate rainforest – it’s one of the few rainforests in the world that isn’t close to the equator.

Travel north through the Park and the mossy green carpet of the temperate rainforest is replaced by the soft, brown pine needles that lie beneath our ancient Caledonian pine trees.

Woodlands within the Park really are some of our most valuable habitats. Some are recognised as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Areas of Conservation.

That means our woodlands and the species they support are so valuable they have international significance.

BROADLEAVED WOODLAND Around a third of our woodlands are mostly native broadleaves, like oak, birch, alder, ash, hazel and rowan.

CONIFER FORESTS Around two thirds of our woodlands are conifer forests with species such as Scots pine, Sitka spruce, Norway spruce and larch.

EXCEPTIONAL

BIODIVERSITY WOW! WE HAVE

RAINFORESTS

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The good news is that by looking after our woodlands we can create the largest native woodland in Scotland.

Connecting woodlands together is also important as this helps wildlife move around the Park. This might help some species to adapt if climate change begins to affect their habitat.

We’re working with land managers to manage or create woodlands, especially where these could improve links in our habitat network.

Most often this means controlling grazing pressure from sheep and deer to allow young trees to grow.

One challenge for us in the Park is balancing the variety of land uses. We look for opportunities

that not only deliver for conservation but also support farming, forestry and tourism which are important to our local economy.

By taking what’s called an ecosystem approach, we think about how one thing affects another to make sure that as we make changes we maintain a good balance within the Park.

“BETWEEN EVERY TWO PINES

IS A DOORWAY TO A NEW WORLD.“

JOHN MUIR

GO FOR A WALK IN THE WOODSMEETING THE

CHALLENGE for our woodlands

Visit Scotland’s rainforest - our Atlantic oakwoods include mosses, ferns, lichens and lots of other wonderful wildlife. A great place to see our Atlantic oakwoods is on the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond! Five of the islands in the loch also support these mature oakwoods.

Visit our ancient Caledonian pinewoods at Glen Falloch and Tyndrum. Look out for red squirrels and black grouse!

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WHAT IS YOUR ROLE IN OUR WILD CHALLENGE?

“I’m a land manager fortunate enough to have significant examples of really special woodland habitat on my land. Improving

habitats fits in with our overall estate goal of managing our resources responsibly.”

DAVID LOWES Land manager

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Ben Lomond is one of the last remaining places you can see juniper growing naturally in the National Park. Juniper is part of the same family as the giant sequoia, the world’s most gigantic tree that’s at home in three of our sister National Parks in North America.

The weird thing about juniper berries is that they’re not really berries! They may look like berries but hiding inside their blueberry-like exterior, they’re actually a cone. Think pine-cone but with the scales fused together.

Juniper berries are small but mighty! They can be crushed and used as a spice to flavour food and drink – did you know juniper is what gives gin its distinctive taste?

At Ben Lomond, National Park Rangers and volunteers are working with the National Trust for Scotland and Plantlife Scotland to help protect and grow this very fragile species.

Find out more about this exciting project at www.plantlife.org.uk/scotland

44 45

Shy, stripy cat with black tipped tail seeks identical, to settle down in good home range and have wild kittens!

Have you seen this lonely cat? Some people have told us they think they’ve spotted wildcats recently in the National Park, from Glen Kinglas in the west, through the Trossachs to Strathyre in the east. We’d love to think they’re real wildcats but can’t be sure they’re not hybrids crossbred with domestic moggies.

To get a better idea, we’ve teamed up with land managers, Forestry Commission Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage to try out a new way of surveying. In likely spots for wildcats, we’ll set up special cameras that take a photo when anything moves in front of them – just like you see on wildlife programmes on the telly.

We hope these photos will confirm that we really do have wildcats in our National Park. This information will help the Scottish Wildcat Conservation Plan and influence our advice to land managers, and maybe cat owners, in the Park.

You can find out more about this exciting project at www.snh.gov.uk

46 47

So this brings us nearly to the end of our tales from our Wild Park. But what about your tales from your Wild Park? How can you get involved in enjoying and looking after nature?

As you’ve wandered through this book, we hope you’ve noticed our suggestions for how you can help with each of our five Wild Challenges. We’re working on lots of other wild and wonderful projects as part of Wild Park 2020 – our strategy for nature conservation in the National Park. You can find out more about Wild Park 2020 on our website www.lochlomond-trossachs.org. Have a look to see if there are any other projects that get you fired up.

Doing your bit is easier than you think…

Experience the wild side! Get out and explore our Wild Park! Within an hour’s travel for half of Scotland’s population, it’s super easy to get here. Whether you’re an adrenaline junkie or literally dipping your toe in the water, every minute spent out in the Park will give you an experience of nature, sometimes subtle and sometimes spectacular!

You could always take part in the John Muir Award, a fun way to connect with, enjoy and care for wild places, from your garden, school grounds or local park to the high and wild mountain-tops – check out our website for more information. There are tonnes of amazing things to discover.

Make our Wild Park, yours.

Make nature yours Look out and let us know! Knowing what wildlife we have and where is really important to us. Look out for wildlife when you are in the National Park and keep an eye on the Wild Park pages of our website for news of surveys you can get involved in. We’ll keep you posted about the species we’re especially interested in – like red squirrels and black grouse – and how to report your sightings.

Lend a hand! Volunteering is one great way to get involved in conservation, either with us or with one of our partners. To be a National Park volunteer you just need to be motivated by the joy of getting out there and making a difference. Visit the volunteering pages of our website to find out more.

Being wild at home! Day to day choices we make really do affect our environment. Our individual actions add up to make a big difference. So choose the green way of living, recycle your rubbish, take your litter home and use peat-free compost. Think like a Wild Park Warrior and you’ll help ensure Scotland’s nature is here for future generations to enjoy.

Our Wild Park is a terrific treasure-trove of nature’s thrills and challenges ready to explode into your life! Before you put down this book, it’s worth a wee think – how are you going to make nature happen for you?

YOUR Wild Park is waiting…

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Stay in touch with us:

www.lochlomond-trossachs.org

twitter.com/lomondtrossachs #OURwildpark

facebook.com/lomondtrossachs

info@lochlomond-trossachs.org

We would like to thank everyone involved in all of our Wild Park projects. Together we can achieve our vision for Wild Park 2020 .

Thank you