• Removing invasive Sitka Spruce, which spreads from nearby plantations and outcompetes native pine.
• Creating habitat piles from the felled trees to support local wildlife.
• Preserving open ground — a vital part of the pinewood’s natural structure and biodiversity.

 

03/10/2025 – Connecting Generations Through Bumblebees

We’ve been reflecting on some of the buzzing success and brilliant education activities Wild Strathfillan supported before the summer.  We were delighted to work alongside staff from the National Trust for Scotland and Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park to support Crianlarich and Killin Primary Schools to achieving their Bumblebee Friendly School Award. We ran sessions on pollination and bumblebee identification and helped plant flowers and herbs to attract more bees to the school grounds.

Participants from our Crianlarich ‘Strength & Balance’ group paid a special visit to Crianlarich Primary School and were treated to a presentation by the school’s Eco Club, who were leading the bumblebee project on what they had learnt through the summer term. Pupils in turn learnt about the importance of strength, balance and movement – they had even adapted one of their classroom games so it could be played seated around a table, ensuring everyone could join in. The two mixed-age teams raced to match bee species with the correct colour and stripe combinations — and competition was fierce! Afterwards pupils proudly took their visitors into the school grounds to show them the pollinator-friendly plants they’ve been growing.

---

02/10/2025 – Unusual scents of lichens & moss – A Wild Day on the West Highland Way!

A big thank you to Oliver Moore from Plantlife and all those who came out on a wet Saturday in September to look at the lichens and mosses along the West Highland Way near the Beinglas Campsite.

Oliver enchanted us with tales of whimsically named lichens like Tumbling Kittens and Desperate Dan and we got to experience the sights and smells of these incredible species – who knew that sticta sylvatica smelled like prawn cocktail crisps. Thanks also to Glenfalloch who provided us with hot drinks and cakes to warm us up at the end of the day. You can also find out more about the wonderful world of lichen in the Plantlife Lichen Guide available to download HERE.

If you’d like to be on the email list of any future events please drop an email to sharon[@]trustinthepark.org.

 

01/10/2025 – Specialist Plant Nursery Construction Begins

The construction of our new Specialist Plant Nursery at the RSPB’s High Wards Farm just outside Gartocharn is progressing well. With the groundwork completed by local contractor Ralph Smith early in September, a team from First Tunnels in Lancashire travelled up to put up the polytunnels.

There’s plenty more to do though – in the next few weeks we will have the welfare unit on site, the water collection tanks in place and the irrigation system installed. Then there’s the small job of turning the infrastructure into a functioning nursery!

Many thanks to the RSPB who have allowed us to keep all the equipment for the nursery on site at High Wards Farm while we waited for the bird nesting season to end before the groundwork could begin.  Watch this space for more updates!

 

1/8/2025 – Ecology Spotlight – Survey season in full swing

In ecological terms this is the height of the survey season, with many activities already completed and plenty more still underway. Here’s a snapshot of what we have been up to so far.

We started the season in April and May with black grouse surveys across two estates. During spring, we deployed AudioMoths across the project area to record bird song and calls, alongside traditional bird surveys.  As spring turned to summer, we also began moth trapping (see image: Poplar Hawk moth).

Seed collection has already started at some of our project sites and will continue as the seed pods reach maturity, before being grown in our Specialist Plant Nursery. In June and July, students working on dissertation projects contributed to the wider monitoring effort by placing AudioMoths to record bat activity.  Vegetation surveys and moth trapping are continuing through the summer, depending on the weather.  All the data collected will be analysed and compiled into reports over the winter months, a substantial task that will keep us busy well into the off-season.

 

1/8/2025 – Land manager herbivore questionnaire

As part of the Wild Strathfillan initiative, we are reaching out to land managers across the area to help build a clearer picture of how herbivore populations and their impact are currently monitored.

We’ve developed a short 5-10 minute questionnaire to gather information on the techniques used to monitor wild and domestic herbivores,  the frequency of those efforts, and any training or support needs.  The aim is to better understand current practices and identify where resources or collaboration could strengthen monitoring across the landscape.

Click here to take the survey or scan the QR code.

 

 

26/02/2025 Rangeland livestock farming – Integrating technology with conservation

 

24/02/2025 Team Spotlight – Six months as an Ecologist

Ophélie Lasne deep dives into the first six months of her time as Wild Strathfillan’s Ecology & Monitoring Officer!

From day one, I knew this role would be full of both discovery and challenges, but the past few months have exceeded all expectations. It’s been a whirlwind of new faces, fast-paced projects, and more than a few lessons learned! In this short time, I’ve achieved some exciting milestones. I’m now a trained drone pilot, which has opened up new ways to monitor and document our landscape. I’ve also established a Specialist Plant Working Group, enhanced my skills in montane flora surveys, and created a baseline record of bat populations in the area.  Supporting our dedicated students and partners has also been a fulfilling part of my work here.

One of the most rewarding aspects of my time at Wild Strathfillan has been building relationships with my partners and teammates. I’m particularly grateful for the kindness and patience they’ve shown as I navigated the steep learning curve of launching new projects in a complex landscape. Every corner of Strathfillan holds something remarkable, and exploring this landscape has been an incredible experience. It’s a true privilege to contribute to the preservation of such a vibrant and diverse natural area.

 

24/02/2025 Drones & Deer – Thermal Imaging at Auchlyne

As part of the Wild Strathfillan project, our newly trained pilots are getting to grips with flying the drone which we plan to use to aid our nature restoration work. Nicola Colquhoun from Auchlyne and Suie Estate, one of our pilots, has been leading the way by flying the drone over her landholding to test its capabilities and try out the thermal imaging camera on her farmed deer. Mastering the thermal imaging camera will enable us to help monitor herbivores and other wildlife across the landscape. We plan to use this technology to survey rare plants in remote locations such as rocky crags and capture aerial photographs as part of our fixed-point monitoring programme.

 

23/11/2024 Trees and Conservation in Education!

Engaging with people of all ages and creating a special personal connection with the landscape is one area of our work in Wild Strathfillan. With pupils ranging from as young as seven years old, Crianlarich Primary School Eco Club joined Education and Engagement Officer Sharon Cawston exploring their local community woodlands and learning more about and how to identify the native tree species that inhabit them. 

Strathfillan is a unique and biologically important landscape featuring a diverse range of habitats including Atlantic rainforest, upland birch woodlands and the National Park’s only remaining Caledonian pinewoods.

 

08/10/2024 STEM in conservation | McLaren High

Our Education and Engagement Officer Sharon and Ecology and Monitoring Officer Ophélie attended a STEM careers fair at McLaren High School in Callander showcasing a range of conservation careers and to highlight the role of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics in the world of nature restoration.

Students engaged with many aspects of the Wild Strathfillan initiative, from cattle collars and drones to plant identification and propagating locally collected seeds. Budding young ecologists tried their hand at identifying leaves, nuts and cones from native Scottish trees and we had some great conversations about what nature restoration meant to them.

 

07/10/2024 West Highland Way – A Natural Tour

The West Highland Way – A Natural Tour is a new interactive online story map introducing the biodiversity found along the West Highland Way.  Famous for its stunning scenery and wildlife, the online map gives explorers the opportunity to observe species such as the Small pearl bordered fritillary, Caledonian Pinewoods, Stonechats, and discover more about the special protections given to the landscapes as they walk through.  The leg from Inverarnan to Tyndrum showcases Wild Strathfillan as one example of a project within the National Park’s Future Nature route map.  Read More…

 

 

 

30/9/2024 – Wild Strathfillan Case Study in the race to net-Zero!