Forsinard Forests

The update on the water situation here is still that we haven't got much....we've got plenty bottles to use for cooking and washing but the 4 of us have had to visit a bunkhouse about 15 mins drive away to get a nice hot shower. After walking the whole day on the bog carrying about 20kilos of kit its such a luxurious relief to be clean at the end of the day!

Anyway enough moaning, I'll tell you what I got up to yesterday and today.

From forest...

To bog! (almost)

As I mentioned previously,the RSPB is undertaking a 'Forest to Bog' project, and as a result a variety of surveys need to be carried out. Yesterday I was out with Paul Stagg in Dyke forest checking dipwells. This is to check moisture levels in dammed and undammed areas of forestry to see if conditions are right for sphagnum and other mosses to colonise the area and transform it to bog once the trees have been felled. It involves following a map of 20 marked dipwell locations throughout the forest, with a tray to sit on, a meter stick with a tube attached, moisture meter, thermometers and various forms to fill in. Once you get there you need to measure the depth of any water in the well by blowing through the tube as you lower it and stopping when you hear bubbles, fight off the midges, stick the moisture meter and thermometer in the ground and take readings. Not too difficult but being left in a massive forestry area on your own in the gloom is quite exciting.

Measuring intently

Hey, check this thermometer!

There was a lot of crazy fungi action...

...and a couple of froggy friends to keep me company!

Today I was back on the Loch with Mark Hancock who was taking sediment grab samples while I collected invertebrate colonisation traps. There are 10 quadrats around the loch, which consist of two bricks on a length of rope stretched out into the loch. The bricks have two small rolled up pieces of astroturf cabletied to it which provides a nice cosy environment for invertebrates such as caddisflies to move into.

The turf and any moving things are tweezed off the brick and washed out the net and then bagged and tagged ready for me to sort out tomorrow!

A colonised brick

Caddisfly, out of its case

Lovely example of a Caddisfly case on a piece of vegetation

One of the best things about today was the variety of wildlife we spotted. On our way out in the morning I saw a water vole scurrying away up the bank! It was like a massive dark moley rat. We also saw a Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel, two broods of Common Scoters and a couple of Black-Throated Divers.

 

Merlin in flight

 

CLEG!

Today was light on the midge front, but I was served some bitey realness by the horseflies, or clegs as they are commonly known. They have the most horribly well adapted mouthparts which part fur and hair and slice your skin up enabling them to have a good sook at your lifejuices while you flail ineffectually.

Hopefully tomorrow it will just be the midges I'll need to deal with as I'll be in the shed all day sorting through samples and drinking tea.