Tales from the Hill, Summer 2023

14 June 2023

After what appeared to be a record-breaking wet autumn in 2022, we have been blessed with dry and sunny early summer weather for many weeks now. Where I hope we get some rain soon for the benefit of the vegetation and many a fattening lamb or new born deer calf around the estate; there are others who are benefitting from this exceptionally dry spell…

Following on from our Spring newsletter where I discussed our very photogenic red deer, I wanted to cast an eye this time towards some of our lesser spotted and more endangered species which can be found here on Kingairloch. The estate is home to an isolated population of Adder which, despite Morvern wide decline, continue to cling onto existence in Kingairloch. 

 

Above image courtesy of Iain Thornber.

The species of small venomous snake (not to be confused with slow worms, of which we have many!) are elusive creatures and often disappear prior to human interaction, through their sensing of approaching danger from advancing tremors in the ground. Their secretive nature though makes them difficult to survey and as such at Kingairloch we have contracted a local expert to monitor and report on the status of their habitat and survival of the species. The more we can understand of their existence and why these rare species are declining, the more we can invest in their preservation. Often found basking in the sun on a riverbank rock, I’m sure our remaining population will have made the very best of conditions of late.