NATURE NOTES

Monthly highlights to look for by TOM BAILEY – Trail’s four-season photographer

HEN HARRIER

Buzzard-sized, but with thinner wings and a longer tail, hen harriers can be seen flying low over open moorland throughout spring and summer and into autumn. Their prey is anything on the ground, this leads to their heavy illegal persecution, particularly on English grouse moors. They are relatively easy to see on the islands off the west coast of Scotland and the moors of north Wales though. The male has white, grey and black plumage, making them one of our most elegant raptors.

PINE MARTEN

A member of the mustelid family (otters, badgers, stoats etc) the pine marten is a secretive mammal. A lover of pine forests, Scotland is now a stronghold for a creature that was once numerous in the rest of Britain. Semi-retractable claws make them excellent tree climbers, which is benefiting the red squirrel in that pine martens are halting the spread of the heavier, less nimble greys into Scotland. While preyed upon by eagles and foxes, we humans are the pine marten’s main problem – same old story!

BLACK GROUSE

The black grouse is something of an overlooked bird. Bigger than the more commonly seen red grouse, the blacks have a liking for forest edge and moorland. This habitat has shrunk through the 20th century, leading to a 95% decrease in the British population. They are out there though, especially in the Caledonian pine forest south of the Cairngorms. The male, or cock, bird has white flashes on the wings and tail streamers.