Christmas trees and a big shrike

The recent weather has meant that we had to have a close look at the pine seedling cutting work parties that we had planned to see if they could be carried out. The snow is so deep that it was proving to get the equipment required for the weekend work party out of our workshop so reluctantly and for the first time we have cancelled the public work party. We also had planned a work party for SNH Stirling office collegues and we decided that they were tough enough to have a go. So yesterday we piled into landrover and headed down a snow filled track laiden with bowsaws and loppers to attack the invading pine seedlings. After a bit of a struggle to turn round the vehicles we marched down to the bonfire spot through deep snow. A few wellies came off but we got there relatively intact. The temperature must have been around freezing which seemed tropical after the brutal freeze a day ago. The team set to work, most people headed off to cut pines while 2 expert firestarters got going with the fire. The best pines were cut and put to one side for Christmas trees and then we set to work clearing in the end an area of nearly 1 ha of pine seedlings. All the Christmas trees had to be dragged off site through deep snow which meant that hypothermia was never an option. After lunch (which took seconds to devour)the team set to clearing and buring up a lot of willow and gorse left over from a previous work party. At the end of that it just left the slog back dragging trees to the landrovers as the sun dropped below the horizon with again one or two wellies stuck. A good days work done and a bit of money raised for Oxfam as the trees taken back to the office were sold to colleagues not brave enough to venture.
And the shrike - well the most exciting thing of all was on the way back up the track we spotted a strange looking grey, black and white bird sitting on top of a tree. Slammed brakes and a grab for the camera and it proved to be a great grey shrike. These birds breed in far north Europe and generally only pass through the UK in low numbers in spring or autumn. But a few few (on average only 7 a year) decide to spend the winter here in Scotland and this was evidently one of those. A very special bird - apologies for the very poor photo at the top of the posting.

Big weather

For those a bit further away it has been snowing here. Last week we got 62 at Flanders and at the beginning of this week we got another 6+inches and then incredibly cold temperatures ( a couple of nights going as low as -16 C). As you can guess this makes doing anything a bit of a struggle and so I haven't been getting out as much as usual. But earlier this week I made it down to Flanders to see how much snow was there and whether the work parties that we had planned were going to be possible. The first hurdle was 1 ft of snow in the car park. The farmer hadn't even been down in his tractor so it made the landrover grunt a bit and I had to do a bit of digging to get it turned round. Once out of the vehicle the cold took your breath away. I got the strange feeling when your nostril hairs freeze and photography was limited as you could only take you gloves for a few seconds at a time. Wading up the path to the viewing tower was hard work but worth it as the view from the tower was magic. Banks of freezing fog were rolling through leaving parts bathed in sunlight and parts disappeared in grey wool. I can't help but wonder how the wildlife manages to survive in the brutal conditions. As with last year it will only become apparent in the spring.
A bit of a thaw has started today so the snow will start to disappear but it will be a while before it is easy for a car to make it down to the car park but in the meantime enjoy the pictures from the warmth of your home. We will keep you posted.

Mercy Mission

We went out on a mercy mission yesterday. Thornhill Primary were due to come out to the Moss and cut themselves a Christmas tree but extremely cold temperatures and deep snow made it a bit dodgy for them so myself and Nick headed out to the West Moss-side part of Flanders to cut the school a tree. The trees a self-seeding Scots pine that we don't really want to have growing out on the Moss as if they become established they will dry out the bog habitat. So we cut down lots of these seedlings every year but where possible find a home for them. You can't get a much more environmentally friendly tree that a Flanders Moss Christmas tree as they are being cut to benefit a valuable habitat. However most pine seedlings are way out on the Moss and it is a huge problem getting them off the moss once cut. But we had identified a small group of accessible trees that might have soemthing suitable and headed out on an incredibly cold morning. Kate Sankey from West Moss-side farm joined us and told us gleefully that it had been -15 C the night before. Well it still felt something like that but the spectacle of the snow-covered, ice-encrusted moss with the back drop of majestic mountains took the edge off the frost bite as we marched out towards the bog, passing Kate's Shetland cattle that graze the Moss edge and were steaming away looking comfortable under their shaggy black coats. Trees were identified, cut and then hauled back, the exercise disproving my theory that I had lost 2 toes to the cause. All the trees off Flanders are trees of character, that is that they are not always the conventional Christmas tree shape. The one we cut for the school had had a bit of bark stripping by a hungry deer, probably Rudolf I told the teachers. They always look a bit worried when the tree turns up at the school as sometimes the children have chosen a tree that might have 2 crowns (value for money) of patchy branches but this time dispite the bare bits they were pleasantly surprised by the tree we brought them. So mercy mission accomplished, despite the drastic weather the children of Thornhill Primary will still have their Flanders Moss tree for Christmas.

What comes from above is all we have

I know it is a bit of an obsession but it is that time of month where it is time to read the rain gauge. A raised bog is raised, that is it is a dome of peat that lies at a higher level that the surrounding land so as water doesn't flow up hill the only source of water for the moss is from above. So if you are charged to keep a bog wet or get it even wetter then you want to know how much help you are getting from above. But reading the rain gauge this time is a bit more of a challenge. For a start the landrover has to be left way back down the track due to the 6" of snow lying everywhere. The hike out though hard work is fabulous, I can look up and see a backdrop of stunning snow clad mountains gleaming on the highland edge. Deer and hare footprints flit across the fields and a small flock of yellowhammers are scrabbling around on a line of round bales looking for seeds. Once out on the moss the whole surface was smooth lumps and white. Underneath wasn't completely frozen so every so often a foot breaks into peaty water. And then the next challenge, spot the rain gauge. The foot high cylinder had totally disappeared and it was only because i knew roughly where it lay that I was able to spot the hole in the top, level with the top of the snow. I dug it out and the insulating effect of the sphagnum meant that the water wasn't frozen. A months rainfall was quickly measured before it froze and it showed just how wet the month of November had been, - 167.8 mm made for quite a wet month and it would have gone a fair way to replenish the peat sponge that is the bog. Another wet month and the yearly average won't be far of average.

Snow

As you might have guessed we have been having a bit of snow here. It has taken me a few days to get out of the village where I live where we have had over 2ft of snow over the last few days. Word on the street was that there was a bit less at Flanders so equipped with a landrover, shovel and flask of coffee I headed off to see what state things were in. The track leading to the car park had a good layer of snow and only the local farmer had been down on a tractor. A good 6 inches of snow covered the car park and the path round and made the usual circuit a much harder walk. Up the viewing tower the sub zero temperature made it self felt, it was so cold I could only keep gloves off to take photos for short periods of time. There was enough snow to blanket everything leaving all the heather and sphagnum hummocks looking like a lumpy white duvet. A brave person or two had walked round a few days before leaving smoothed footprints but otherwise there was no sign of visitors at all, hardly surprising. As for wildlife everything was hunkering down hiding from the bitter wind. There were signs that deer had been scratching around at the heather as this is about the only thing with some nutrients left at this time of year. Over the previous week the geese have been heading south in numbers fleeing the advancing bad weather but a few straggling pink feet 'wink, winked' overhead. Apart from the wind there was silence and no colour. Back in the car park the sun broke through, splashing colour, adding warmth and brightness the landscape. Heading back out the sheep looked expectantly as did the rooks and pheasants but unfortunately I had nothing for them. So if you are feeling like heading down to Flanders the track is really only passable to 4WDs and the path is hard going so take care.