Wildlife Wonders
WELCOME to the first of a new column from Heart of Argyll Wildlife Organisation, a charity committed to environmental education, and to making it fun.
Come and explore with us and unearth some of nature’s secrets.
We are about to take over the lease on Barr an Daimh near Bellanoch, a former farm with a magnificent compost loo and open frame barn. The site is by a track that leads to one of the most beautiful views in Argyll. Barr an Daimh will be our base for a range of events and walks – discovering the amazing moths and bats that are active while we sleep, bio-blitzes, checking out Knapdale’s beavers and finding what lives in our lochs, ponds and seashores. You can even build and fire your own recycled rocket and discover great ways of recording what you see on your smartphone. See how renewable energy powers our centre (we are off-grid), why it’s important to record our native plants and animals, and how our amazing biodiversity affects us and the way we live.
As the year progresses, we will keep you updated on what our local wildlife is up to. At present spring is rushing ahead. The hazel catkins, crocus and willows are providing vital resources for the first pollinating insects and our trees, mighty powerhouses, are pumping nutrient-rich sap to help create thousands of leaves. A mature Atlantic oak can shift up to 70kg of sap per hour at its peak flow.
Some of the first birds to nest are ravens, which pair for life. Highly intelligent, they are surrounded by thousands of years of myth and legend. It is no surprise then that Norse god Odin’s ravens were named Thought and Memory.
Argyll is also welcoming migrants from all over the world – ospreys from Senegal, swallows from South Africa and terns who will join us after amazing 11,000-mile journey from Antarctica.