Plan A Visit
Educational Visits
Group Visits
The Scottish Borders
Bowhill House & Gardens
The Buccleuch Collection
History
Bowhill House Gardens
House Tours
Love & Respect Victorian Age Exhibition
The Adventure Playground
The Victorian Kitchen
Walking and Hiking
Wildlife & Biodiversity
Fishing
Ranger Service
Stay
Contact
Buccleuch has a long history of land stewardship, through sustainable land management, and as Bowhill’s Countryside Ranger my role is to contribute to biological recording, ideally through community engagement. We kickstart with the Bat Survey.
The National Bat Monitoring Program
The National Bat Monitoring Program (NBMP) Waterway survey is an easy survey suitable for beginners. Our first survey on the Yarrow Water, last surveyed 10 years ago, showed a definite presence of Daubenton bats (Myotis daubentonii). Despite the wet weather we recorded 12 definite passes, with the Daubenton’s distinct flight pattern clearly visible and on the first ever estate survey of the Ettrick Water we recorded a staggering 92 passes!
These surveys are perfect for anyone wanting to get experience of biological recording and there are still another few sessions if you would like to get involved. If you would like more information, you can watch this video or email Andy at bowhillranger@buccleuch.com.
Pine Marten Footage
In other news we are working with local CIC Go Wild Scotland, who are helping us monitor native species on the estate. In our hunt to determine Red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) numbers at Bowhill, we’ve caught some rather wonderful footage of the elusive Pine Marten (Martes martes)!
Individual Pine Marten are easily distinguishable with their unique white bibs, each with variations that set them apart from each other. It will be interesting to see just how many we have on the estate over time!
Individual Pine Marten are easily distinguishable with their unique white bibs, each with variations that set them apart from each other. It will be interesting to see just how many we have on the estate over time!
We will also be continuing our monitoring of Red squirrel numbers, which appear to be on the rise, so keep an eye out for our Autumn survey which we would love for you to attend.
If you are interested in getting involved in any of the biological recording at Bowhill you can email Andy at bowhillranger@buccleuch.com or pop in and say hello.