Firstly I know this is meant to be based in the Cairngorms, just occasionally I may venture a bit further out of the Park to bring you something of interest, as I have done here. This is a story based on the River Tummel Shingle Islands about 6 miles outside the Park. The Islands are jointly run by Atholl Estates (who’s H.Q. is at Blair Castle so well within the Park) & Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT)
Now like Marmite you either love Beavers or hate them, the chair of our local branch of the SWT loves them & organises these walks ( or should I say commando courses) deep into the vegetation of the islands to show off the dams & lodges of the Beavers. Yesterday was such a day, so as I had not been I tagged along with 4 others to see what we could find. Of course we knew we wouldn’t see the actual Beavers, as it was 2pm & 25C & no sensible Beaver would be out & about then, but we did see a lot of evidence of their activities.
First lets set the scene, The Tummel is a spate river & every year it changes course finding a easier route on it’s way to join the Tay. The islands are formed from the old river bad 20 -30 years ago & though they do flood in the winter are now just a trickle of their old roaring, raging river. This of course is an ideal flow for the Beaver & all through the island dams have been built to make the water deeper in order to make their sleeping/ living lodges. So it was these that we came to see.
As I said before not everyone likes Beavers, but now in Scotland it is illegal to kill them without a licence, a month or so before the legislation came in, around this area of the Tummel, two Beavers were found shot.
So of course my blog would not be complete without some photos & this was a particularly difficult shoot because the sun was so bright & lots of dapple shade, so I know they are not my best.
Just a few shots from what was an enjoyable two hour hike through the jungle of the Tummel Island