Ranger’s Diary

March 2010

It has been a lovely winter here in Glencoe, plenty of snow and seemingly endless cold crisp winter days, we’ve almost forgotten what rain is!

The wildlife in the Glen has been having a hard time with so much snow lying and the cold weather. The deer have been sticking pretty low in search of food, and the birds around the visitor centre have been getting through a record amount of bird seed and fat balls!

Spring isn’t far away and there are some early signs out there that is will soon be upon us. Snowdrops are out, and daffodils and starting to grow. Some early shoots of later spring flowers have also been spotted such as tiny shoots of Meadowsweet which won’t flower until at least June!

Feeding the birds around the visitor centre has attracted a wide range of birds including a greater spotted woodpecker and occasionally goldfinches too. A gold crest has also been spotted at the centre. These tiny birds are quite shy to humans but instantly recognisable when seen thanks to the bright gold stripe on their head.

A tawny owl has been heard calling regularly around the woods at Achnacon, and the ranger team have recently cleared out the owl boxes on site and constructed two new boxes in the hope of attracting some new nests. We have been busy too mending, cleaning and constructing new small bird boxes for the woodland at Achnacon and also for around the visitor centre. They are being put up this week so fingers crossed they get some visitors. One of our big tasks this month will be to check all the fences on the property as the snow melts and fix any that have been damaged by heavy snow lying on top of them. This looks like it could be a big task this year but it is essential work to prevent any damage by deer in our woodland regeneration exclosures.

The hind cull was completed back in February and we are now busy preparing for the coming season of habitat monitoring and events. We also have 3 new volunteer rangers joining us later this month. They will each take on a different role in the ranger service and help us to look after Glencoe and promote the area to visitors over the summer season.

The busy spring and summer events programme is now organised and we are taking bookings for the Landrover safaris and guided walks already. If you would like to see the events we have on offer this year please check out our events diary here. Once again we are hosting an easter egg trail in association with Cadbury. The trail will be running on Good Friday, Easter Saturday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday. Suitable for the whole family and at only £1 each it’s a great chance to get out and about this Easter. A series of clues will lead you on a short woodland walk around the Glencoe Visitor Centre, solve the clues and return to claim your egg shaped prize! Face painting will also be available over the Easter weekend.

The Visitor centre remains on winter opening hours (Thurs to Sun 10am to 4pm) until March 25^th and then we will be open 7 days a week 9:30am to 5:30pm.