You ranger team have been busy on our other Perthshire reserves as usual this week, taking advantage of the good weather this summer to get a huge amount of habitat management fieldwork done. We’ve been taking out invasive Himalayan Balsam on the Tummel Shingle Islands ( with help yesterday from a very enthusiastic group of corporate volunteers from SSE) to help protect riverside and wetland areas. We’ve been battling Bracken at both Keltneyburn meadow( to protect orchids) and at Balnaguard Glen ( to protect Juniper trees). And we’ve been doing lots of bird and botanical surveying of course.

Last weekend though, we had a change of pace as we undertook a practical course in dry stone walling at Balnaguard Glen, where we are trying to reinstate a stock proof barrier on the reserve perimeter and provide wildlife habitat using the traditional methods and materials.

The two day course was kindly hosted by the Dry Stone Walling Association   and taught by Billy McCallum and his volunteer members. They bravely took on teaching ten of our SWT staff and volunteers the basics and together we rebuilt a large section of wall. A big thank you to Billy and his team for their patience with all our questions and our amateur efforts. Here’s the process in action:

 

 

 

 

If you are looking to have walling done, want to attend a walling course, or even join  please give the association a call.