A VIP on 5000years old peat at Blairbeich Bog

This week the Bog Squad managed to be in two places at once. One team of Volunteers returned to Blairbeich Bog, which showed itself from its best side - with sunny and mild weather.

First up was the moth trap, kindly set up by Paul the night before. We all gathered around the trap wondering what it may reveal...there were plenty midges, yet only one! single moth. Nevertheless this VIP of a moth , a Canary-shouldered Thorn was quite a sight and we all appreciated having seen it. The general conclusion was that it may have been too windy overnight for the trap to be anymore successful. Ah well ,there is always a next time...

Moments of anticipation...what will the moth trap under the white cloth reveal?

The only - nevertheless spectacular moth in our moth trap, a Canary-shouldered Thorn moth.

We swiftly moved onto the day's tasks. One of which was measuring & recording the peat depth of Blairbeich Bog across a systematic grid of survey points, marked with GPS. The peat went as deep as 524cm at one point, which could mean Blairbeich is around 5240years old! (A bog grows about 1mm/year).

Measuring the peat depth with a peat probe

We also continued cutting Rhododendron bushes, which are growing within the SSSI boundaries and encroaching on the bog. Richard, who has pesticide qualifications, helped us treat the cuts stumps to prevent further regrowth. Additionally another part of the team was busy removing pine trees from the open bog.

Painting the Rhododendron stumps with herbicide

Cutting and shifting Rhododendron off site

A treated stump - never to regrow again...hopefully.

Between hard work we enjoyed a sunny and relaxed lunch. Meanwhile two volunteers were busy promoting the Bog Squad at this year's RSPB Volunteer day at Stirling University. They had lots of interest in our bog restoration work and we look forward to welcoming more helping hands at future work parties.

A Big Thank You! to everyone for this Saturday's fantastic efforts - we made another big step towards improving Blairbeich Bog and we look forward to returning for more restoration work here on 18th and 25th October.