Nature’s magic
Spring is the time when everything in the natural world – from the humble wood mouse to the magnificent oak – puts energy into reproducing itself.
Lengthening days and rising temperatures trigger this burst of activity.
The increasing energy from the sun fuels a spurt of growth that produces nourishment for hungry young. In many species, the next generation is produced just when food supplies are at a peak. For instance, growing caterpillars feast on soft, fresh leaves and they in turn are food for blue tit chicks.
Perthshire Big Tree Country has such rich wildlife that spring is particularly impressive here. Look out for these species as you explore the woods.
Mammals
Red squirrels: Pairs can be seen making mating chases around the trees in early spring then the females are busy eating enough to feed their new litter of young. Especially good places to see them are The Hermitage, the Red Squirrel Trail on Atholl Estates and Cluny House Gardens.
Roe deer: In spring, roe bucks rub their new antlers against saplings to scrape off the velvet, and the does give birth – normally to twins – around May. Roe deer are common in places such as Blackspout Woods, Pitlochry.
Red deer: The stags only begin growing a new set of antlers in spring and the hinds have their calves around May/ June. They frequent the open hills more than roe deer, for instance around Glen Lyon.
Fallow deer: They can also be seen in Big Tree Country, particularly on the Loch Ordie Trails. The bucks shed their antlers around April/ May and the young aren’t born until June/ July.
Birds
Osprey: These fish-eating birds of prey spend the winter in Africa and arrive back here to breed around the end of March. You can watch a pair and their chicks on a treetop nest at Loch of the Lowes visitor centre, near Dunkeld.
Buzzard: The mewing call of buzzards is a common sound around Big Tree Country. Pairs keep in touch and proclaim their territory through these calls. Buzzards are often seen and heard soaring over the trees on the escarpment of Moncreiffe Hill.
Golden eagle: From April 2008, visitors to Blair Atholl will be able to view golden eagles by webcam. These first live pictures directly from a golden eagle’s nest in the wild will be fed to live viewing points at Blair Castle and Atholl Estates ranger information centre in the village, enabling visitors to watch one of Scotland’s iconic birds of prey feeding their young.
White-tailed sea eagle: Our largest native bird of prey is again soaring over Perthshire’s airspace. A programme to re-establish them in the east of Scotland began in 2007 with chicks brought from Norway being released on Forestry Commission Scotland land in neighbouring Fife.
Blue tit: These colourful and acrobatic little birds are one of our most prolific breeders, rearing as many as nine young in one nest. They are numerous in deciduous woods such as Glen Lednock, where the oak trees harbour lots of insects.
Flowers and trees
Bluebell: Big Tree Country has some of the finest bluebell woods in the world. During May, take a walk on the Bluebell Woods Walk of the Blairgowrie Walks Network or the Fungarth Walk of the Dunkeld & Birnam Walks Network and you’ll be overwhelmed by the sight and scent of swathes of bluebells growing in Darroch Wood and Craig Wood.
Larch: Dunkeld is home to one of the first European larches planted in Scotland – the Parent Larch planted over 250 years ago. It is so called as it provided the seed for planting millions of larches on the surrounding hillsides. Craigvinean Forest and Drummond Hill have extensive larch woods, which are a lovely fresh green in spring.
Birch: One of Perthshire’s hardiest trees, the birch graces upland landscapes and looks enchanting as the young leaves unfurl in late April. Robert Burns included these trees in the title of his song, the Birks of Aberfeldy, about the beautiful glen around the Falls of Moness. The name stuck and is used to this day.
Oak: Several of Perthshire’s heritage trees are old oaks that are rich in history and legend. Eppie Callum's Tree in Crieff, and the Birnam Oak and Niel Gow's Oak in Birnam will be coming into leaf in May.
