Species on the Edge Youth Panel- BEE INVOLVED!

Is Shetland and its species special to you? Do you want the opportunity to develop your own skills, knowledge, and confidence and to inspire others to take action? Are you aged 16-25?

If so, the Species on the Edge Youth Panel may be the opportunity for you!

The Species on the Edge Youth Panel will bring young people together from across the Species on the Edge project areas to investigate and discuss issues related to their communities and the natural environment. Panellists will be empowered to make recommendations on how conservation organisations can better support communities in caring for local biodiversity. 

Panellists will meet online at least four times a year and have the opportunity to attend a funded spring residential. Through these meetings, panel members will be supported to enact change for nature at a local level. Panellists will also be supported in designing and implementing their own local species recovery projects.

Species on the Edge Project

Shetland is amongst the most spectacular and biodiverse areas in the UK, home to vibrant and resilient communities of people and many special species. In fact, Shetland is a precious refuge for some of the most threatened and unique species in the UK. That is why Shetland is one of seven project areas in which the new multi-partner conservation programme, Species on the Edge, will be active over the next four years.

Species on the Edge is a multi-partner species conservation programme dedicated to supporting vulnerable and threatened species found along Scotland’s coast and islands. Funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the partnership consists of Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, Bat Conservation Trust, Buglife, Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Butterfly Conservation, NatureScot, Plantlife, and RSPB Scotland. RSPB Scotland leads Species on the Edge activity in Shetland.

The programme will cover all travel, accommodation, and reasonable expenses associated with the Species on the Edge Youth Panel. 

Youth Panel Role

The Species on the Edge Youth Panel offers panellists the opportunity to gain knowledge and to develop their skills, confidence, and employability. Panel members will be supported to develop their own project, access opportunities from across the partnership, and contribute to the Species on the Edge programme.

This role offers:

  • the chance to meet new people and learn from experts within the conservation sector
  • the opportunity to develop your own project to support others to connect with nature
  • opportunities for training to support your personal development

Applications to the Youth Panel will open on 2nd October.

More information, including on how to apply, can be found by following this link: https://www.nature.scot/doc/species-edge-youth-panel, or feel free to get in touch with Molly, the Shetland People Engagement Officer at molly.harvey@rspb.org.uk.

To receive an email notifying you when applications open, sign up to the Species on the Edge mailing list: http://eepurl.com/isDe16

It’s Our Nature: Shetland Volunteer Showcase

On May 4th, Species on the Edge, RSPB Shetland Reserves, Biosecurity for Life, the Shetland Community Wildlife Group, and Whale and Dolphin Conservation are coming together to celebrate outstanding achievements for nature in Shetland and to launch new opportunities to get involved in conservation action across Shetland with a Volunteer Showcase event.

Nature in Shetland is very special. Not only is this something that many people who live in and visit Shetland will tell you, but it is also evident in the fact that Shetland is one of the most biodiverse places in the UK. Shetland is one of the last refuge for some of our most beautiful and unusual, but also most vulnerable species.

Since 1970, a staggering 49% of species across Scotland have experienced declines according to the 2019 State of Nature Scotland report. Of these, 91 species are considered critically endangered at a risk of disappearing altogether. We rely on these species for our way of life – for the joy and inspiration they bring and the critical functions they provide to support our existence. Places such as Shetland are therefore disproportionately important as strongholds for some of the species that are sliding towards the edge.

The exceptional importance of Shetland for nature is reflected in the passion and activities of organisations, communities and individuals across the islands who deliver dedicated and effective conservation action.

These include the Shetland Community Wildlife Group (SCWG), run by UHI Shetland, who alongside Whale and Dolphin Conservation Shorewatch, focus on monitoring and recording Shetland’s marine natural heritage.

Shetland inshore waters are an important area for harbour porpoise who aggregate in unusually large numbers in hotspots around Shetland. Yet little is known about this under-recorded species! SCWG rely on volunteers undertaking short shore-based surveys to create a clearer picture of when porpoise are using different areas and for what reason. This data will be crucial in protecting the porpoise, Shetland’s smallest cetacean. SCWG are also currently leading on mapping and surveying historical records of seagrass beds, whose role in carbon capture and biodiversity is being increasingly recognised.

Seabirds easily capture the imagination, especially in a place such as Shetland where they move so seamlessly between the land and sea that govern their existence and fortunes, as well as those of the people who call these islands home. Unfortunately, it is well known that seabirds are facing growing challenges at sea including climate change, being entangled in fishing gear (bycatch), and plastic pollution of the oceans.

On land, the major threat to seabirds is from invasive non-native mammalian predators including rats, mice, stoats, hedgehogs, mink and feral cats. As these predators are not native to the islands where seabirds breed, adult birds, chicks and eggs are very vulnerable to predation from them. The Biosecurity for Life project has been working in Shetland for the last three years implementing biosecurity measures to help protect the seabirds that nest throughout Shetland by raising awareness, setting up surveillance, and preparing for future incursions.

Fulmar. (c) Rob Fray

Stoat. (c) Jim Nicholson
Red-necked phalarope. (c) Rob Fray

Also protecting birds in Shetland are RSPB Scotland, who look after 14 reserves across the islands, from RSPB Sumburgh Head in the South Mainland to sites for red-necked phalarope in Fetlar and Unst. The reserves team follow a programme of monitoring and survey work, to keep track of how important species are faring. This goes hand in hand with habitat management work to keep sites in the best condition possible to give breeding birds in Shetland the best chance of success, while ensuring that visitors can enjoy the breathtaking wildlife spectacle. Much of this work is supported by the hard work, time, and talents of volunteers.

On May 4th, these organisations are coming together for a Volunteer Showcase event to celebrate some of the amazing work that has been performed to safeguard the special nature of Shetland, and to launch exciting opportunities to get involved in further conservation action across Shetland.

This event will also mark the launch of Species on the Edge in Shetland, a new partnership programme of eight nature conservation organisations, dedicated to reversing the decline of 37 priority species across Scotland’s coasts and islands. Throughout the 4.5 year programme, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Species on the Edge will be working with local communities across Scotland’s coasts and islands to help them protect their local biodiversity. RSPB Scotland will be taking the lead on a programme of activity in Shetland to support red-necked phalarope, curlew, lapwing, twite, Shetland bumblebee, oysterplant, endemic hawkweeds, and the plantain leaf beetle.

We warmly welcome anyone to join us for this event, running from 3:30-7pm in Room 12 at Isleburgh Community Centre, featuring the following activities:

3:30pm: Doors open – come and peruse stands and talk to RSPB Scotland, Shetland Community Wildlife Group and Whale and Dolphin Conservation staff to learn more about existing and upcoming projects and opportunities to get involved.

4pm: Enjoy birding and a Shorewatch demonstration at the Sletts just a few minutes’ from Isleburgh.

6pm: Listen to some talks highlighting some of the amazing past, present and planned conservation work in Shetland and how you can get involved.

6:30pm: Meet and connect with like-minded people through some volunteer networking activities.

We welcome people to join for the whole afternoon or to come along for the parts that are of interest to them. Refreshments will be provided and please note that this is an accessible venue.

Ocean Literacy in Shetland- Survey now LIVE!

Do you live in Shetland? Please take part in a new survey which is looking to understand how we connect with and value our local marine and coastal environment in and around Shetland.

The survey is led by Dr Emma McKinley at Cardiff University, working in partnership with UHI Shetland along with other partner organisations, to explore how different communities around the UK value their own local coasts and seas.

Follow the link to take part now:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/OLinShetland_2023

Shetland Porpoises in the Spotlight: volunteers and drone footage give new insight into porpoise behaviour

Our brilliant volunteers have now been completing surveys for Harbour Porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) since September 2021 at dedicated survey sites in Quendale Bay, Mousa Sound and South Nesting Bay as well as reporting sightings from all areas of Shetland. The Shetland Porpoise survey is led by UHI Shetland through the Shetland Community Wildlife Group in collaboration with WDC Shorewatch and NatureScot.

Site Focus- South Nesting Bay

  • Volunteers have undertaken over 50 watches
  • Out of those watches porpoises were seen on 41 occasions
  • They were seen every month from October to March
  • with groups of over 50 individuals being recorded on occasions.

An amazing effort considering the weather and short daylight hours we have over the winter here in Shetland.

During the surveys we have seen and managed to capture on film, some really interesting behaviour which has not been documented in Shetland before, and very rarely elsewhere in the world!

From the shore we had often been seeing individuals ‘rushing’ at other porpoises creating a fair bit of motion and splashing. Thanks to Richard Shucksmith and Nick McCaffrey, who managed to capture drone footage of porpoise groups, we have been able to see this behaviour more clearly and can see that the porpoises are performing behaviours linked to mating – males rush towards females in mating attempts and flash their undersides to the females as a form of display.

Rachel Shucksmith from UHI Shetland says;

“porpoises around Shetland can often be overlooked, but at locations like South Nesting Bay, Mousa Sound and Quendale Bay we are seeing large aggregations. The effort-based shore observations and drone footage can provide important insights into porpoise behaviour. Observations from outside of our watch sites are also important and we encourage reporting of sightings across Shetland. We are also really keen to get further drone footage, particularly at South Nesting Bay and at our site overlooking Mousa Sound, so if you are a drone pilot and have experience filming wildlife we would love to hear from you!”

The work being undertaken by our volunteers at our porpoise survey sites will help us gain a better understanding of porpoises around Shetland and how they use different areas during different times of the year.

It will be used as a preliminary dataset for PhD student Sophie Smith, who will be starting in October 2022. Sophie will be based at UHI Shetland, supervised by Rachel Shucksmith, Prof Ben Wilson (SAMS UHI), Dr Lauren McWhinnie (Heriot Watt University), as well as benefiting from the expertise of the UHI team behind the Shetland Community Wildlife Group, Emma Steel and the team at Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), Marine Scotland Science, and from Shetland based marine mammal expert at NatureScot, Karen Hall. The studentship is funded via the SUPER Doctoral Training Programme.

The Shetland Community Wildlife Group along with Whale and Dolphin Conservation will be supporting the project by continuing to undertake surveys, reporting one-off sightings and helping to capture drone footage and images of porpoise behaviour.

The studentship will then explore the use of these data collection techniques to further investigate porpoise behaviour, and spatial and temporal use relevant to their conservation and management.

If you are interested in getting involved in undertaking porpoise surveys or have one-off sightings records to submit please get in touch via email at Shetlandcommunitywildlife@outlook.com or take a look at our Porpoise Survey page for more details

A Plaice for Skate at the Ness

By Rhiannon Jehu

A friend and I went to the Discover Shetland’s Sharks and Skates event at the Ness Boating Club a few weeks ago. We both enjoy nature, but I don’t know that much about individual marine species lifestyles, so this felt like a great opportunity to learn more.

Before I went I decided to swat up on flatfish since they are superficially so similar to skate but are really very different. They are a great example of convergent evolution – being flat and living close to the seabed is a good niche and has been selected as a strategy by many species through deep time. So, here is some of what I learned before and during the event.

Bony fish (Osteichthyes) & Bony flatties:

The bony fish ‘standard’ model has bilateral symmetry and use their whole bodies as one big muscle to drive through the water in a streamlined way – fast, efficient and sort of rocket shaped. They move up and down in the water column through the use of a swim bladder which is essentially a built in buoyancy aid.

Plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) are a good example of a bony flatfish. They start life with the standard symmetrical body shape, but then gradually their left eye migrates round their head, and the fish lies on its side and flattens out so it has 2 eye’s on the top (right side) of its body. This means that when a flattie beats their tail they are beating up and down, rather than the more usual side to side. Plaice have white undersides that are hidden from the world, but the topside becomes the colour of the seabed. This camouflage varies a lot in colour, usually a grey/brown base with a range of stars and spots – white, yellow, orange.

Atlantic Cod- Richie rocket CC-ND 2.0
Plaice- Gentiane CC-BY-2.0

So what are skate?

Skate are cartilaginous fish (chondrichthyans) and are related to rays and sharks. Cartilage is resilient, rigid, flexible, and light weight. Chondrichthyans don’t have swim bladders but their pectoral fins are rigid enough and large enough to allow the fish to move around the water column as easily as bony fish do. Bony fish have an active pump system for pushing water through their gills however most (pelagic) chondrichthyans need to keep swimming to keep breathing. Bottom living (demersal) species (generally) have a small hole found behind each eye (a spiracle) where they take in water before pushing it out through their gills. This better suits their lifestyles, and, their mouths are on their undersides, unlike flatties whose mouth is at the front.

Skate are flat like plaice but instead of their body providing the power to swim, they flap their large, pectoral fins (wings). They then use their long thin tails for direction and balance (bony fish use their fins to steer). Essentially skate have strong arm muscles and use their tail as a rudder while plaice have strong tail muscles and use their arms to steer.

Bony flattieSkate
Mouthat front, sideways openingunderside
Propulsiontail musclespectoral fins (rigid)
Guidance systempectoral fins (flexible and fan like)tail (flexible with fins on top)
Breathing stylein from the front, out from the top and undersidein from the top out from the underside

Types of skates

We have a range of batoides (skate and ray) in Scottish waters. Including the common skate which is one of the largest species in the world – it has a wingspan that can reach almost 3m. In recent years this species has been divided into 2 separate ones – flapper and blue, with the flappers being more common in our northern waters.

Flapper Skate caught and released as part of the Skatespotter project
Flapper skate eggcase (c) Sally Huband

These giants of the marine world produce egg cases ‘mermaid’s purses’ up 28cm in length that are tethered to the seafloor. The young take around 18 months to hatch and then take a long time to reach sexual maturity – on average, females mature at 21 years of age, while males mature at around age 14. Marine Scotland Critically endangered flapper skate study – Marine Scotland (blogs.gov.scot) These factors and the skate body shape make them very vulnerable to disturbance and over fishing.  Ultimately, this has resulted in the once common skate being one of our rarest sea creatures.

Though flapper skate were overfished throughout the 19th and 20th centuries they are now protected and there are ways that fishermen can avoid accidentally capturing them, for example, some fishing vessels use nets fitted with skate panels which allow juvenile flappers to escape without the fisherfolk having to release their entire catch Home – Orkney Skate Trust

In 2021 our neighbours in the Western Isles got a site within the Inner Sound of Skye temporarily listed as a ‘Marine Protected Area’ (Red Rocks and Longay MPA). The aim was to protect the largest flapper nursery found in Scottish waters by prohibiting some marine activities (fishing, diving and construction). This temporary designation was under review earlier this year – do people want the site to become a permanently protected? RIFG

The event

The skate event was great fun. There was a 5-6 foot paper skate for people to leave their mark on – ‘skate art’. It’s only when I think about it now, that I realise that the model skate was a realistic size. To imagine something so big gliding through the water – it’s spectacular.

There were interesting and fun videos showing some of the chondrichthyans that visit or live in our waters and also showing how skate embryos develop in the safety of mermaids purses. We then saw a range of egg cases that we tried to identify from shape, size and features – including a flapper ‘purse’ that was bigger than my hand.

The event had 2 microscopes that we could play with; a small digital one and a traditional laboratory type.  We spent quite some time chasing and identifying different micro beasties in a few drops of sea water.

I had one question – What is the difference between a skate and a ray? They are all lumped together as chondrichthyans. Sharks look very different to skate and ray, but these last 2 have very similar body shapes. It turns out that skate lay eggs while ray’s lay live young. But that is for another time.

Conclusion

We know very little about our local marine species and their lifestyles. It’s only in recent years that we have come to identify 2 separate (un)’common skate’. And learning about their slow development suggests to me that we need to take special care to protect them as a species. By protecting the flappers, other species are given respite too. Experimenting with new fishing technology to allow fisherfolks to harvest the seas, whilst at the same time reducing bycatch seems so important for us to find ways of living with nature, supporting it as it supports us.

Links

Surveying for flapper skate eggs | Scotland’s Nature (scotlandsnature.blog)

Become a Skatespotter

Eggcase hunting in Shetland

Calling all swimmers, divers and snorkellers!

We are looking for records of rare and important marine life. In Shetland we are very fortunate to have a long and varied coastline, home to a wide variety of marine life. Compared to other parts of the UK, the Shetland coastline is relatively well studied thanks to survey work undertaken to support the building of Sullom Voe, work UHI Shetland to map important marine habitats and continued government agency survey work. But there are still large amounts of coastline yet to be surveyed.

All the species in the guide have been included as they are either rare, provide a vital habitat for other marine species or provide an important function such as storing carbon, stabilising sediments or maintaining water quality.

To be able to monitor and record these species we need to have accurate and up-to-date information on their distribution around Shetland. This information is used by the marine spatial planning team at UHI Shetland to create maps which are then used by developers, policy makers and local decision makers.

That’s where we need your help, we are asking wild swimmers, divers and snorkellers to report sightings of these key species. If you think you may have spotted one of the species in this guide please send us thew following information:

  • WHAT species you found
  • HOW many or how large
  • WHEN you found it
  • WHERE you found it (including coordinates if you have them) and at what depth.
  • Any PHOTOGRAPHS you may have

To download your copy CLICK HERE

We would also welcome records of any unusual species or invasive species (Shetland’s Marine Non-native Species), or shark and skate eggcases you might spot when diving (Shetland Shark and Skate Eggcase Hunt).

Summer Events Programme 2022

We are very excited to launch our programme of events for 2022 in collaboration with loads of great local organisations so come along for a nature adventure around Shetland!

Click the poster to download of copy of our complete summer programme or scroll down for more details of each event…

European Maritime Day Celebration

Sunday 5th June 10am-4pm

Sumburgh Head Lighthouse and Visitor Centre

Come and celebrate Shetland’s historic and natural maritime heritage.

Guided walks- Cultural Heritage Tours-Whale and Dolphin Watches- Family Activities and Crafts- Seabird Discovery Stations- Displays and more!

Click HERE to go to the event webpage to find details of all the activities and book onto a guided walk

Wildflower Walk

Sunday 3rd July 11am-3pm

Meet at the Sumburgh Hotel car park at 11am

The natural heritage team at Shetland Amenity Trust will be taking us on a guided walk up the west coast to Sumburgh Head and back over Compass Head to Grutness finishing back at the Sumburgh Hotel at 3pm.

Although we will be majoring on wild flowers we will also keep an eye out for birds, mammals and insects.

This is a FREE event but booking essential, all under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

BOOK here..

Moderate fitness required as it is a 5km round walk with some steep stretches.

There will be a lunch break at the Lighthouse, you can choose to take a packed lunch with you and relax outdoors or dine in at the popular Unken Kaffee (please note the cost of lunch is not covered).

Peerie Pollinators

Thursday 21st July. Drop in between 12-3pm

Lerwick Flower Park

Join Shetland Amenity Trust and ourselves for family fun in the Lerwick Flower Park, exploring the wonderful world of pollinators, from moths & butterflies to bees & hoverflies, and picking up tips on how you can look after them.

To find out more about Bumblebees and Butterfly species found in Shetland, download our handy ID guides HERE

(c) Painted Lady
(c) Rory Tallack

Discover Shetland’s Sharks and Skates

Sunday 31st July 10.30am-1.30pm

Ness Boating Club

Come along to the Ness Boating Club to learn all about the sharks and skate that live in the seas off Shetland. We will have an eggcase workshop to help you identify and report your eggcase finds, interactive displays, crafts and games.

Then try your eggcase spotting skills out at beach below the Boating Club!

Magical Moths

Monday 8th Aug 10am-1pm

Meet at the Crofthouse Museum, Boddam

We will take a short walk to a garden to examine the contents of moth traps that have been set the previous night. Local experts, Paul Harvey and Rob Fray will help you identify a broad range of moth species and see how a moth trap works.

This is a FREE event but booking essential, all under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

BOOK here…

Wonderful Woodlands

Friday 12th August 10am-2pm

Brae Community Woodland and Brae Hall

The woodlands team at Shetland Amenity Trust will be taking us for a guided walk through the Brae Community Woodland. They will explain the benefit of woodland ecosystems, help us spot some Shetland native tree species and hopefully some of the birds and wildlife that make our woodlands their home.

While you are exploring the woodlands, you’ll have a chance to collect materials for leaf printing with local artist and printmaker Linda Richardson back at the Brae Hall.

There will also be lots of information, displays and children’s activities in the Brae Hall so come along and find out more about Shetland’s Wonderful Woodlands.

Woodland tours will start on the hour at 10am, 11am and 12pm. You can then make your way to the Brae Hall with your chosen leaves.

This if a FREE event and suitable for all ages and abilities. Brae Woodland is fully accessible for wheelchair users. All under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

BOOK here for a woodland walk…

Or drop in to the Brae Hall anytime between 10am and 2pm

Wildlife Drop-ins

Sunday 21st August 1pm-4pm

Various locations in the South Mainland

An afternoon of discovery where you can meet nature experts and learn more about Shetland’s diverse and marine and terrestrial wildlife.

This event is being run in partnership with Shetland Amenity Trust

  • Waders autumn migration at the Pool of Virkie
  • Cetacean spotting at Scord Beach (opposite Old Scatness)
  • Birdwatching from the new Loch of Spiggie hide
  • Look for cetaceans & seabirds at Sumburgh Head
  • Investigate the intertidal rock pools at Leebitton

This is a free, drop-in event. More info to follow.

European Maritime Day Celebration

Sunday 5th June 10am-4pm

Sumburgh Head Lighthouse and Visitor Centre

Programme of Activities

Guided Walk

Join Shetland Amenity Trust’s expert ranger on a circular walk up Sumburgh’s west coast to Sumburgh Head, returning back via Compass Head and Grutness. The walk will focus on all aspects of natural heritage, including birds, wildflowers and, if we’re lucky, sea mammals.

There will be a lunch break at the Lighthouse, you can choose to take a packed lunch with you and relax outdoors or dine in at the popular Unken Kaffee (please note the cost of lunch is not covered).

This is a FREE event but booking essential, all under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

Click the following links to book your place:

BOOK here

Time: 11am – 3pm
Meeting point: Sumburgh Hotel Carpark
Ability: Moderate fitness required as it is a 5km walk with some steep stretches. 

Lighthouse Tower Tours

The team at Sumburgh Head Lighthouse will be giving tours of the visitor centre and explaining the rich history of Sumburgh Head.

There will also be the opportunity to go on a Light Tower Tours with Retained Lightkeeper, Brian Johnson.

A rare opportunity to step inside Shetland’s oldest Stevenson Lighthouse and see the Fresnel lens, clockwork mechanism and a spectacular view from Shetland Mainland’s most southerly point.

Tour times and booking arrangements to be confirmed on Friday.

Treaure Hunt

The Sumburgh Head Lighthouse team have created a fun, pirate themed treasure hunt to help young explorers navigate their way around the visitor centre and nature reserve. Follow the clues as they take you around Sumburgh Head and find out more about the animals that make it their home.

The treasure hunt is running throughout the day.

Collect the first clue from us at the decked area at the top of Sumburgh Head and make sure to come back and see us once you’ve completed the hunt!

Whale and Dolphin Watches

Whale and Dolphin Conservation’s Shorewatch team will be looking out for whales, dolphins and porpoises from two vantage points around the lighthouse. Join them to find out how you can spot whales and dolphins and hear about how you can get involved in Shorewatch.

Binoculars will be provided and the team will have some whaley great games for you to get involved in!

Discover Seabirds

RSPB Shetland Wardens and Members of the Shetland Bird Club will be positioned at various platforms around the Sumburgh RSPB reserve to explain about the amazing lives of the seabirds that visit the cliffs of Sumburgh Head.

Coastal Wildlife

Shetland Oil Terminal Environmental Advisory Group (SOTEAG) will be bringing along some activities designed to help increase your knowledge of coastal habitats and wildlife, and to encourage you to become a coastal explorer.

Come along to the SOTEAG stand to find out more about their work, pick up some fun activities and learn about the ‘Your Coast’ summer photo competition. 

Activity Table & Mask Making

Our craft table will be set up in the Engine Room with FREE nature themed activities all day, just drop in.

Mask Making

Artist Linda Richardson will join us for a creative mask making activity in the Engine Room from 2pm-4pm. No booking required. Cost £1 to cover materials payable on the day.

Nature Bingo

Join us for a scavanger hunt with a difference- Explore Sumburgh Head and see if you can spot all birds and flowers on bingo card.

Pick up your card from us at the decked area at the top of Sumburgh Head and remember to pop back and see us when you are finished!

Doing Less for Nature

By Rhiannon Jehu

I think that this year I’m going to commit myself to doing less for nature. No Mow May is a campaign started by Plantlife and is linked to their wild verges campaign that I mentioned in a blog last year and also to their Citizen Science project called #everyflowercounts Every Flower Counts | Plantlife.

The thinking goes like this:

  • People depend on plants and their products. Many of the plants we depend on, depend on insects to pollinate them.
  • We need to care for our insects so we can care for our plants, so we can care for ourselves and those we love.

However, as the UK population has increased, and agriculture has industrialised to try to feed us all, the number of meadows has reduced and the use of pesticides has increased. This means that people’s gardens are becoming more and more important as refuges for wildlife.

(c) Rhiannon Jehu

In the past it was popular to have a flat, green, single species, manicured lawn. There was stigma against not mowing, but councils and individuals are beginning to understand the benefits of an unmown lawn. If you spend 1 hour a week cutting your lawn your CO2 footprint will be around 293kg per year. Indeed, less mowing and allowing species to arise naturally gives your lawn the opportunity to sequester carbon – to become a better carbon store. Also, a manicured lawn takes a lot of effort to maintain – mowing, raking, weeding (or using weedkillers).

Gardens are often multi-purpose and vary in size. Some people grow vegetables, others flowers, some use them as children’s play areas, and all these different functions need to be taken into account. Plantlife and the RSPB both offer advice on managing your garden to make the most of it and share it with nature at the same time.

Cuckoo Flower
(c) Kate Allan
Heath spotted orchid
(c) Kate Allan

Plantlife suggest giving gardens a ‘Mowhican’ style cut – as with the hair style, cut some grass short and leave other areas long. Allowing two lengths of grass to grow maximises the diversity and quantity of flowers that will arise and this will increase the quantity of nectar your lawn produces and the length of time it is productive. ‘Short-grass’ plants like daisies and clover start flowering again soon after being cut, while areas of longer, unmown grass welcome a different range of flowers, in Shetland this could include yellow rattle, dead nettles (don’t worry, they don’t sting!), selfheal, cuckoo flower and even heath-spotted or northern marsh orchid!

The ideal is to cut the short grass once every month or so to a height of 1 or 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) then strim all the grass in August or September and remove the clippings. Mow it a couple more times if needed and then let your lawn rest over winter.

Other ideas include rotating patches of long and short grass within your garden so there are always some areas in flower. Or leaving areas long and then cutting strips to areas like the washing line that you want to keep clear for easy and ‘dry footed’ access.

The RSPB describe more detailed ways of creating wildlife habitats in your garden Stop mowing your lawn for nature (rspb.org.uk) and have a range of gardening ideas for all the family Wildlife garden ideas (rspb.org.uk)

(c) Rhiannon Jehu

Dr Trevor Dines a Botanical Specialist at Plantlife said:

“Put simply, the less you mow the more bees and butterflies there will be in your garden.” And that works for me.

Related Articles

Gardening for Bumblebees and Butterflies
Verging on Beautiful

A Celebration of Birds and Bogs

By Rhiannon Jehu

I find birds amazing, they can seem so small, so light weight, so vulnerable looking, and yet they survive in what to us feels like harsh extremes. The RSPB suggest that birds are probably the most researched and recorded wildlife on the planet. At the opposite end of the spectrum, wetlands have often been viewed by people as wastelands. However, they are essential not just for the survival of many of our much loved bird species, but also for our survival as a species. This month I thought that I’d write about 2 different events that have happened almost together this year –RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch that has been running since 1979 and World Wetlands Day which has been celebrated since 1997 and has just become an official UN event.

The Big Garden Birdwatch

The Big Garden Birdwatch is a very popular citizen science project – in 2021 over one million people took part across the UK with 78,000 people counting a total of 1.5 million birds in Scotland. The BGB data was combined with information gathered by 70 other organisations and used in the ‘State of Nature 2019 report’ which in turn is being used to advise and campaign for improvements in nature care. The BGB count is especially important because it has been taking place for so long that it allows trends and changes to be identified. Sadly, this means that we know that over the last 50 years, 40 million birds have vanished from the UK’s skies.

For me, doing the birdwatch is a social experience since we compare notes with neighbours and friends as to what we’ve seen and not seen. This year we saw sparrows, starlings and pigeons. The RSPB ask us to record the maximum number of each species we see with their ‘feet on the ground’ at any one time. This means no counting the flock of geese flying over-head, which can be very frustrating – a case of the ones that got away.

Sparrow looking handsome on a hawthorn. (C) Rhiannon Jehu
Starlings are amazing generalists – I see them at the table, on the beach and amongst the bogs and heather. (C) Rhiannon Jehu

The stats from 2021 show that house sparrows were our most common garden visitor across the UK. In Scotland this was followed by starlings but in England, blue tits came number two. Nationally, sparrow populations have dropped by 58% and starling numbers by 83%, since 1979.

Wetlands

So, where do wetlands come into the equation? The name wetland describes a wide range of habitats, saltwater or fresh, inland or coastal, natural or human-made. In Shetland, this includes our peatlands, blanket bogs, marshes, lochs and lagoons.

Blanket bogs (a type of peatland), form where soils are water-logged and acidic. Conditions are too harsh for many non-specialised species but mosses, especially sphagnums thrive. They can hold up to 20 times their dry weight in water meaning they reduce runoff (and therefore flooding) and hold water during dry periods, reducing the risk of droughts.

Sphagnums and other bog plants break down very slowly and thus build up (at a speed of about 1mm a year) to form layers of peat which can be over 8m deep (Blanket bog | NatureScot). However, though healthy peats store carbon, when they are degraded they release it back into the atmosphere. This means that caring for our bogs is massively important if we are to limit climate change.

(C) Rhiannon Jehu

There are over 30 species of sphagnum moss in the UK, but they are very difficult to tell apart.

(C) Rhiannon Jehu

The Shetland Amenity Trust, with funding from the Peatland ACTION project have so far helped to restore about 400 ha. of Shetlands degraded peatlands as part of a wider national target to restore 250,000 ha. of degraded peatlands by 2030. In Shetland, they are hoping to reach the point where we are restoring 1000 ha. a year. The RSPB in Shetland are also working hard to protect peatlands, employing a dedicated Peatland Officer who works to restore and protect peatland habitats for the benefit of Shetland’s bird species.  

Scotland’s location at the edge of the Atlantic means that it catches a lot of rain which the hard rocks stop from draining away quickly. This combined with agricultural practices has allowed bogs and thus peat to cover almost a quarter of Scotland’s landscape (1.8 million hectares). This is a significant amount of our planet’s blanket bogs which in turn support some of our rarest wildlife. So, whilst some people may view wetlands as not being very productive because we can’t grow many crops in them, globally, they are home to 40% of the world’s known plant and animal species and 30% of known fish species, with, for example, many birds using wetlands as rest & refueling stops during migrations.

In Shetland, the vast extent of peatlands is an important breeding area for wetland birds such as dunlin, golden plover and curlew, giving islanders plenty of opportunity to spot these birds while out and about.

Curlews breed on a range of habitats including moorland and bogs. For me, their song suggests the start of spring (almost)

(C) Rhiannon Jehu

I love watching for the birds that visit our islands and our gardens – even when they hide. Monitoring the wellbeing of individual species, as happens with the Big Garden Birdwatch, helps us to see and understand the long-term situation and can inspire action. However, individual birds trying to survive and reproduce need a wide range of resources and wetlands are incredibly valuable. Caring for them here and around the world is important if we want to give other species and ourselves the opportunity to survive and live well.

If anyone is interested in learning more about carrying out peatland restoration on their hill or apportionment then Sue White from Shetland Amenity Trust would love to hear from you. There are also some ‘how to’ You-tube guides to peat restoration by NatureScot: Peatland Restoration Techniques.