RSFS Visit to Strathrory Forest — On Struie
The photograph is courtesy of the family of George Dey. George took many forestry photographs in his forestry career and many of those are now shown on this web site. Check under ‘Groups’ and George Dey Collection.
The RSFS group are meeting Forestry Commission staff from Easter Ross Forest District at Strathrory Forest and are being shown a partially constructed ‘diver island’. Improved and developed by Tony Hinde, North Conservancy Wildlife Head Forester, these polystyrene or foam rafts were shaped and covered with hessian to hold vegetation and allow water to wick up and keep everything moist. Once on the water, turf and tussock material was added to disguise the manmade structure and to create an attractive nesting location for Northern Divers and other Divers. The ‘island’ was usually moored in a sheltered bay in a suitably sized loch within the forest boundaries.
The greatest threats to nesting divers was flooding of the nests as water levels rose after heavy rain, disturbance by people and animals walking along the shore and predation of eggs by foxes and other animals. The floating island negated the first threat and reduced considerably the others. Tree planting was kept well back from the edges of lochs and on flight lines to allow the divers room to take off. There were certainly some significant success stories with these constructions in the 1990s.
Can anybody provide an update on their success rates?
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Groups: Forestry Areas, Forestry in Action, George Dey Forestry Collection, Groups of people