Latest From The Lintzgarth WardenArchive
Lintzgarth is higher than Thornhope, 554 metres at its highest point. It therefore usually gets more snow making site visits difficult which has happened this year. It’s very easy to get stuck!
Galloways are still on the site, hardy enough to survive and they can be moved down if necessary. The grey partridge are eating their way through the grain, ably assisted by the odd pheasant. We fill the feeders regularly as part of our project with the GWCT.
Rushes cut first week of March, same parcels as previous year, as part of the GWCT rush maintenance project. We’ve had a fair amount of weather damage so repairs will be needed when weather improves and before nesting season. Good numbers of black grouse and a pair of grey partridge by the hut. Three voles and lots of vole holes seen in the cleugh which will be good for the owls.
The wind has blown a lot of our young trees over which will need staking. Have seen the first lapwing and heard the first curlew.
2021-03-30
We’ve had all sorts of weather, a lot of wind resulting in young trees needing staking. Also completed several fence replacements and repairs. The bothy has been having some work carried out which is now completed.
Wall repairs in boundary wall by the plantation and on south boundary competed. GWCT have been on site monitoring rushes for the joint project. We were pleased to find heather shoots in flower growing from the heather plugs we planted as part of the regeneration project. This is in addition to the shoots growing from seed. Very encouraging.
We watched a barn owl sitting outside the owl box in the cleugh and here is still a barn owl in the sheep shed. This autumn we put an owl box in the tree in the lower plantation as we have seen a barn owl working that area. There is a good number of black and red grouse and several grey partridge in the bothy field which is encouraging. Can see and hear the snipe drumming.
2020-12-31
Beautiful display of cotton grass this year. After nesting season we completed several fence repairs and put markers on the new fencing to stop birds flying into top wire. The volunteer bird ringer from the BTO came over to ring the five young barn owls. All five had nearly adult faces and were in good health.
Maintenance work started on the bothy which hopefully will be finished in the autumn. Several new scrapes were dug to provide birds with water when the ground dries out. We monitored the reseeding site and found a good spread of reseeded heather growing, plenty with buds, together with bent grass, sphagnum moss and cotton grass, both narrow and broad leaved.
We found evidence of heather being eaten by either black or red grouse which is very encouraging. Lovely to hear and see curlew and lapwing with young, snipe, black grouse and grey partridge with young and plenty of oyster catcher. The skylark at Lintzgarth are very special.
2020-08-28