Opportunity Details | Creating Capercaillie Habitat - Balmoral Estate

Creating Capercaillie Habitat - Balmoral Estate

What is the plan for the day?

 

You’ll be volunteering with the Balmoral Ranger Team to complete a range of tasks to create more habitat for capercaillie in the Woods of Garmaddie. Tasks will include:

• Planting broadleave trees and juniper to expand habitat for capercaillie on the Estate.
• Blocking man-made ditches to restore bogs; a habitat that capercaillie depend on in spring for food and water.
• Building habitat piles and creating standing deadwood by removing bark from trees (‘ring barking’) to ensure capercaillie chicks have lots of insects to eat.
• Removing non-native trees by ring barking and cutting to help expand Scots pine woodland for capercaillie.

There are now only 532 capercaillie left in the UK. Over 85% of them live in the Cairngorms National Park. Action in the National Park is therefore critical to prevent extinction in the UK and build a long-term future for the species.

 

There are several fundamental issues facing capercaillie, not least available habitat, predator management and human disturbance. Your help to create more habitat for capercaillie on Balmoral Estate is part of an ongoing effort to improve and create over 10,000 hectares of habitat for capercaillie across the National Park as part of the Cairngorms Capercaillie Project.

 

What to expect from the session:

• You’ll be outdoors all day so please come dressed for the weather
• Warm clothing, waterproof trousers, sturdy footwear and a raincoat are all highly recommended
• Please bring a pair of thick work gloves to wear and your own lunch and refreshments for the day
• The sessions will take place off the beaten track so please come prepared to spend a penny behind a bush
• If it’s not safe to run the session due to bad weather, we’ll postpone it and let you know at least 24 hours in advance

Category:

Volunteer Cairngorms / Cairngorms Caprcaillie Project