November News

Bird Ringing in Glen Nevis +(Visitor Centre Contemplation Area)

BTO Bird Ringer John Owen and Trainee Ringer Kirstie Ross made good use of a short spell of settled weather and put up their mist nets on the chilly but dry morning of Saturday 27th October.
They recorded 61 new birds caught and 5 re-traps of birds that had been ringed on previous occasions. Birds caught varied from our smallest song bird, the Goldcrest, to Blackbird. 2 new species were recorded for the site on this occasion, Goldcrest and Wren (pictured left, expertly held by John Owen.) More ringing sessions to follow, keep an eye on our website or Facebook page for details.

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Sights in the Glen

The low angle sunlight picks out the autumn colours at this time of the year and can make for some stunning scenery

Its a good time of year also to look for species that are normally hidden by the leaves and vegetation.

Graphidion 'Script' Lichens on smooth Hazel stems growing near Lower Falls in the glen. 

Glue Crust fungus on a Hazel stem, near Lower Falls. This fungus amazingly keeps dead twigs for itself by gluing them to living branches, therefore preventing them falling to the ground. It is parasitized by the much rarer fungus, Hypocreopsis rhododendri, also known as Hazel Gloves. These look like nature bright orange rubber gloves and are a priority UK BAP species, its stronghold being  the Atlantic Hazlewoods of the west coast of Scotland. Keep your eyes peeled!

Footpath Work Party

Dougie and a team of volunteers build a new cross drain on the Lower Falls to Paddy's Bridge path as part of a footpath work party on 2nd November. Interestingly some of the granite blocks that were selected for treadstones showed signs of previous drilling and  quarrying, probably from a small granite outcrop above the path. It wasn't immediately obvious what this previous quarrying was for or how long ago it happened.

2018 Friends of Nevis AGM

There was a great turn out for the AGM on Friday 2nd November, with around 50 people attending. The evening started with reports from Friends of Nevis office bearers Joy and Stephen, followed by the announcement of the 'Volunteer of the Year' award recipient. I cant reveal their name at present as they weren't in attendance so they might not know yet!
Adam Pinder, Head Fundraiser for The John Muir Trust, gave a talk about the work of the Trust, some of its challenges and some of its more recent developments: for example Glen Lude in the Borders and Helvellyn in the Lake District. 
The Glen Nevis Restaurant provided a bounteous buffet and afterwards there was time for everyone to catch up and have a good blether. 

For the Diary

For full details of these events please go to the Events Page or get in touch

• Wednesday 14th November:      Footpath Awareness Workshop (MTA accredited)
• Friday 16th November:               Christmas Craft Workshop (come and help)
  
• Sunday 18th November:             Autumn Litter Pick in the Glen
  
• Wednesday 5th December:        Footpath Work party in the Glen