More wildlife spotted on Invercauld Estate

GAMEKEEPERS at Invercauld Estate on Royal Deeside have spotted more nesting birds from a wider range of species during their latest wildlife surveys.

In total, 1,117 breeding pairs of endangered birds were identified during the three-month study, up 16% on last year’s results.

Thirty-seven species were recorded nesting on the estate, including curlew, dotterel, and ring ouzel .

Thirty-three pairs of rapots from six species were included in the totals.

Estate manager Angus McNicol said: “It’s vital in conservation to know what you are looking after.

“Whilst the nature of this survey means it almost certainly under-recorded numbers, assessing the pairs of red and amber bird species we have nesting at Invercauld helps identify the extent to which pro-active moorland management helps conserve these.

“It also identifies where different species do best and in what numbers to inform ongoing management.

“Moorland is generally not studied as extensively as some other habitats so this survey is critical to our understanding of how active management helps the most threatened birds in Scotland.”

Read more nature stories on Scottish Field’s wildlife pages.