Recording ‘new’ species at Mar Lodge Estate NNR

While some of these species are responding to our work, many of the new species to make the list may well have been previously overlooked. This is probably the case with Anthracoidea bigelowii, a ‘smut fungus’ which can only be found living on a species of upland sedge. Dan Watson, the Trust’s upland specialist, was pleased to find this tiny organism this year high up on Cairn Toul, the UK’s fourth highest mountain. The fungus has been very infrequently recorded in Britain, but it’s hard to tell whether this is because it’s genuinely rare or because people simply aren’t looking for it. As Dan warns, ‘I have no doubt that things like this are under-recorded, but sometimes it is hard to know how under-recorded they actually are!’

All of these records tell us about long-term population trends for our wildlife, and how species are responding to changes in the environment. ‘Refinding’ old records to see how populations are faring is a great way of understanding how the climate crisis is affecting our uplands. This year, a group of intrepid botanists went on a three-day expedition into the mountains, searching for extremely rare arctic-alpine plants including Highland saxifrage, Issler’s clubmoss and curved wood-rush. These records, and subsequent monitoring, will show us how change is affecting an ecosystem that is perhaps more imperilled by the climate crisis than any other in Scotland.

Sadly, the climate crisis looks set to have a big impact on our uplands. But climate change is also bringing new species to Mar Lodge Estate. It is likely that a heating climate is part of the reason why two new species of butterfly – the speckled wood and comma – have been added to the list since 2018. In 2020, ranger Paul Bolton and his family were happy to spot a nuthatch on their bird feeder. This charming woodland bird has been spreading north over the last few decades, but remains very rare in Aberdeenshire. Other birds like blackcap and chiffchaff, which were previously rare at Mar Lodge Estate, are now much more common. While this may sound positive, most of the species being ‘pushed north’ are expected to suffer overall population declines. This makes our habitat restoration work all the more important.

The natural world is constantly changing, sometimes for better but unfortunately often for worse. People have been recording the species found at Mar Lodge Estate for well over a hundred years. All this effort gives us a really great way of understanding how the landscape is changing, and what we can do to make this special place even better for nature. Next time you visit Mar Lodge Estate, why not make a list of all the species you see?