Polly Pullar heads out on the water to catch a glimpse of the animals at work.
The Return Of Our
DISMAL grey streaks spread across a bruised sky as I pack up my camera gear and grumble that photo opportunities tonight are unlikely.
Forecasts for later give showers, light or heavy rain. Not much chance of light.
The drive to Argaty Red Kites near Dunblane takes me through the Sma’ Glen, a road I travel frequently.
One of the high points is the guaranteed sighting of red kites, raptors brought back from the edge.
Reintroduced in central Scotland between 1996 and 2001, the red kite’s return is one of the ultimate conservation successes.
Many released birds congregated at Niall and Lynn Bowser’s farm.
Welcomed by the Bowsers, they soon became integral to the farm, with superb kite-viewing hides and chances to watch and photograph the glorious raptors.
The Bowsers have worked closely with nature ever since. From red squirrels to dragonflies and nuthatches to wildflowers, Argaty is a haven.
At the helm of their ongoing wildlife venture is their son, Tom.
Having decided that farming was not for him, he has found his niche.
His book, “A Sky Full Of Kites”, is the passionate story of Argaty and its kites. Often self-effacing and full of self-doubts, Tom need have no worry that he has made the right choices.
He is a wildlife champion and recently became a beaver saviour revered for his tenacity.
Argaty made history in 2021, for never had beavers been translocated from conflict areas to a new part of Scotland.
“We were thrilled to be Scotland’s first private site to legally release a beaver family into the wild that otherwise might have been lethally controlled,” he says.
Achieving that end proved an arduous journey, but Tom is determined.
Sometimes, beavers’ water-engineering activities can cause problems for land managers.
Government policy didn’t allow relocation of animals from conflict sites, but in 2021 the policy changed.
Argaty applied to relocate beavers to unfenced ponds on their land and, following the initial release, received a second family in 2022.
The Argaty Beaver Project is a collaboration with the Beaver Trust and Five Sisters Zoo, who trapped, housed, health checked and relocated the animals.
Tom, a valued friend, invited me to Argaty to witness the second release.
It was an emotional night. I shan’t forget the joy of seeing these aquatic rodents as t
