Mar Lodge Estate National Nature Reserve NTS

05/09/2026

Stick? Or snake?

Last week I had three adder encounters in two days, all of which occurred while I was driving a vehicle, and all of which initially looked like sticks, twigs or heather roots on the road. This one was basking on the tarmac at the Quoich car park, but in all three cases I slowed down when I saw the 'stick', until such time as I was sure it wasn't an adder. Or it was!

It's good to keep your speed down on the road anyway, given it's single track, but if you do see something that looks like a stick, please do err on the side of caution......just in case! 🐍

02/09/2026

Just back from an overnight trip to Garbh Choire to monitor our montane willows which were planted there in 2023. Always a long walk but stunning and enjoyable surroundings to be working in - sometimes you have to pinch yourself !
The survival of our monitoring sample of willows was excellent (over 90%) but there was some browsing from deer and mountain hares but this was quite localised. We are looking forward to seeing these planted willows develop over the next few years. They will reinforce the tiny downy willow population that currently hangs on there. It was good to see catkins on a few of our planted willows as well.
We had the opportunity to view into Garbh Choire Mor to get a record of the current status of the snow patches there as well.

30/08/2026

We have recently been repeating our set of five-yearly fixed point photos across the estate. While these have been really interesting in showing the woodland change across the years they have also been great at demonstrating the change in the river corridors over time. With the more frequent extreme weather events in recent years this change has been quite dramatic in places. The photos below are all taken of the Quoich water in Glen Quoich and demonstrate change between 2011 and 2026.

27/08/2026

Don't like the weather? Not a problem, just cross to the other side of the bridge 😉

Two views this morning, upstream and downstream from Victoria Bridge. We have that early-autumn feeling starting to make its presence felt, with fading heather, rowan berries, morning mist and dewy spider webs 🙂

26/08/2026

The summer flowers are going to seed now and this provides a great feeding opportunity for seed-eating birds. The other morning we were treated to a family of goldfinches feeding on the knapweed and we managed to capture some footage of one of the youngsters getting their fill. In the last couple of years we have been developing some areas around the lodge as wildflower meadows and already we are noticing how much they attract both the seed-eating and insectivorous birds.

22/08/2026

The natural tree regeneration across Mar Lodge Estate is understandably influenced by the species distribution of the mature trees which provide the seed for the young trees to grow. In parts of Mar Lodge Scots pine very much dominates the tree regeneration. In Glen Quoich however, we have some lovely stands of mature birch which have produced abundant birch regeneration which in parts out numbers the pine. This regeneration makes for some beautiful woodland views when it captures the sunlight.

19/08/2026

Finally......some proper rain!! 🌧️

Clearly we've not been suffering the prolonged droughts that they have down south, but it nevertheless feels an absolute age since we've had anything really heavy and prolonged. Almost an inch has fallen here since 4pm this afternoon......so hopefully the rivers will look a bit healthier tomorrow.

18/08/2026

Sharing a couple more photos from our hen harrier nest cameras this year. This time a calm picture with the female hen harrier brooding young chicks. Lovely to be able to see the female at close quarters. The female hen harrier is brown with a white band across the top of the tail which gives rise to the name 'ring-tail' which they are commonly called. Young males prior to developing the adult grey feathers look very similar to females and also have the white band on the tail. The photo quality below isn't excellent but illustrates the owl-like facial disc that hen harriers have which helps when hunting prey by hearing which harriers do regularly.

A Schedule 1 licence was obtained to permit putting a camera on the nest.

16/08/2026

The purple season has sneaked up on us quickly this year it seems. The flowering of devils-bit scabious, harebell, knapweed and of course heather indicate to us that we are coming towards the end of summer and in no time the equally beautiful autumn hues will be around us. The heather is looking spectacular at Mar Lodge if you are after that picture postcard photo.

12/08/2026

There is currently a very high fire risk in the Cairngorms National Park.

Please help us protect our special places including Mar Lodge Estate by adhering to the Seasonal fire by-law and calling the emergency services on 999 if you see a wildfire.

❌ Fires
❌BBQs
✅Gas stoves (but never leave them unattended)

Very high wildfire risk - please share ⚠️

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service have issued wildfire warnings impacting the National Park from Wednesday 12 August to Thursday 13 August.

We have seen all too recently how devastating wildfires can be. While enjoying the warm weather in the Cairngorms, remember:

🔥 Fires and barbecues are not allowed under the new fire byelaw
🗑️ Always ensure ci******es are fully extinguished and take your litter (including glass) away with you
🚒 If you see a wildfire, dial the emergency services on 999 and provide them with the location