CONSERVATION & BIODIVERSITY

WILDLIFE GARDEN

The Wildlife Garden was officially opened on Midsummer's Day, Monday 21st June 1999 by Walter Gilmour of BBC Televisions " The Beechgrove Garden" and so celebrates its 11th anniversary in 2010.

That ceremony was attended by our sponsor, Bell Blair Athol Distillery and SNH together with the Provost of Perth & Kinross Council and members of the Scottish Wildlife Trust who are our partners in the project.

Work to develop the garden has continued over the past eleven years.  The pond has undergone development and our efforts have been rewarded by the visit of a large Red Damsel Fly.

Many Buddliea bushes, rescued from a derelict site have been planted in the Butterfly border, along with lupins. These will attract various butterflies and insects.

The provision of winter feed has greatly increased birdlife within the garden, Blackbirds, Robins, Song Thrushes . Great Tits and now Siskins have been present along with a pair of Mallards who regularly visit to devour our pond weed.

We continue under very difficult conditions to develop the meadow and have been pleased to see a great deal of self seeding in the raised border.  The border provides a very colourful spring show.  The Wildlife garden now provides a very colour and interest throughout the year from the first flowering of the snowdrops and wild daffodils until well after the early frosts of October and November.

The compost heap, fed wholly from the prunings and mowings within the garden is now providing compost for use in the more formal plantings within the PIB scheme.

In 2007 with the help of the SWT and Willie Grieves groundworks, we designed and built a minature "Ben LAwers" in memory of Meg Dunn who was the inspiration behind the Wildlife garden.  A Bug Hunt took place during " Insect Week" in 2010.  New interpretation boards went in last year.

BLACK SPOUT WOODS, BOBBIN MILL WOODS, RIVER TUMMEL AND THE CUILC

The Black Spout Woods and Bobbin Mill Woods are home to Roe deer and Red Squirrels.  These ancient woods with Scots Pine are used by walkers and picnickers.

The River Tummel is famous for Atlantic salmon and Otters and the Tummel Shingle Islands Reserve is one of the rarest habitats to be found in Great Britain.  The reserve is home to 380 plants, including meadow-rue, globeflower, meadow saxifrage, cowslip and buttercup.  Ringed plover and common tern breed here, other birds include the common sandpiper, common gull, redshank, oystercatcher and the lapwing.  Scotch Angus and common blue butterflies are present along with craneflies and a rare 5 spot ladybird, not normally found on a river habitat.

Winter 2008, due to local concerns about the amount of contractors litter left on the building sites in the Bobbin Mill Woods, the community decided to set up a Litter Support team for the Bloom and we now have folk out monthly and are adopting roads and streets to litter pick.  One of the Committee members co-ordinates the work of this group which involves local churches, CC, residents, children and Bloomers.

We have an annual bulb-planting and tree planting programme, sponsored by the town residents, businesses and community groups.  Last winter we planted two oak trees in Bobbin Mill Woods grown by members of the CLAN DONNACHIE from acorns of the historic ROBERTSON OAK.   We also planted tulips, narcissi, crocuses, fritillaries, alliums and our usual daffodils in the new hospital grounds.

   Four years ago we saw the welcome return of nesting swans to the "Cuilc", we have not had swans in Pitlochry for over   50 years.

Amidst growing concern for our iconic Red Squirrel, local residents have formed an action group to try and eradicate the Greys from getting a foothold in Highland Perthire.  Under the direction of Perth and Kinross Red Squirrel group, we are now trapping greys who enter the town.  The delightful reds are now being fed by businesses and residents all over the town and information on where to view them in on our town map. 

We have a large population of Red squirrels, Otters and Roe deer in the town.  Pitlochry has a wealth of sites which are habitat for our native flora.