31/03/2024
Happy Easter folks! This is an important post, please take a moment to read.
🐣 It's a beautiful Easter Sunday on Arran and the island is busy at last! This is great news for island businesses after a long winter, but not always brilliant news for wildlife. 🐰
🪺 Our nesting birds and other wildlife need your help and understanding. Over the next few weeks we will be sharing posts about how to enjoy our nature responsibly.
🦅 Today we are going to talk about "Schedule 1" nesting birds.
We are lucky on Arran that we have a few very special and highly protected species that breed here, including the iconic Golden Eagle, and the graceful Hen Harrier. If you are lucky you may see these birds, as well as Peregrine Falcons, and even Short Eared Owls. Peregrines and Golden Eagles are crag nesters, while Hen harriers and Short Eared Owls are ground nesters.
⚖️ It's a criminal offence to interfere with any nesting wild birds, and our Schedule 1 birds are both rare and very vulnerable to disturbance. For this reason they are protected by some especially hefty legislation, particularly when nesting. It is an offence to disturb these birds when they are building a nest or preparing to breed, as well as when they are actually on eggs or have young. The law covers reckless disturbance, as well as deliberate, meaning that it is our responsibility to make sure that we are not disturbing the birds, even if accidentally. Not only that, but Golden Eagle nests are actually protected year round, even when they are not on the nest.
So what does this mean for people enjoying Arran's great outdoors? Well mostly, we just need to keep an eye out when we are out and about and be sensitive to the needs of wildlife. However, rock climbers and drone pilots need to take particular care:
🧗♀️ Rock climbers: ⚠️ THERE ARE NO "TRAD" ROADSIDE CRAGS IN THE GUIDEBOOKS THAT ARE NOT AFFECTED BY SCHEDULE ONE BIRDS! It doesn't say so in the guidebooks, but this is the case on the ground. Please exercise extreme caution at this time of year when choosing routes to climb. Mountaineering Scotland have updates on their website about possible restrictions, but note this is not fully exhaustive or up to date: https://www.mountaineering.scot/access/birds-and-nesting
💔 Sadly due to a history of persecution and egg collecting, the birding community is understandably sometimes reluctant to share exact details of nesting birds, which is a difficult and frustrating Catch 22 situation for climbers. Please for this reason pay attention and exercise extreme caution. Nobody wants to cause a beautiful wild bird's breeding season to fail just for that tick in their log book, and the law is clear that the onus is on us to act responsibly and with care for the environment we love. 💚
✅️ The popular routes on the south side of Cir Mhor are all fine so go right on and enjoy these classic routes.
👩✈️Drone pilots: Legally, you need the land owners permission to fly your drone. Even if you have it, you may be breaking the law and disturbing Schedule 1 birds. Many of Arran's most scenic spots are also home to these birds. Developing some good field craft will not only enhance your footage, but help you understand which places to avoid overflying and when.
Advice from Mountaineering Scotland on gaining access to climbing crags during the bird nesting season. Find out which crags are out of bounds and more about the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
