April At Last

April is my favourite month at Seafield. The days are stretching, there is warmth in the sun and not a midge to be seen. The garden is full of possibility and devoid of weeds and I am full of energy and optimism that this will be the year that I manage to keep the wilderness at bay. The daffodils and tulips are out at last, the pond is full of frog and toad spawn and new lambs have appeared in the fields. The farmers are glad to see the grass beginning to grow while I am wondering how long I can get away with not cutting the lawn.

This year I have joined ArtMap Argyll which runs an open studio event in August. The group organised some weekend workshops run by members of the group and, inspired by the recent Mastercrafts series on tv, I thought I’d try stonecarving. Two days of chipping away at a block of stone has made me think that basketmaking is a relatively easy craft It gave me new respect for those who created the carved stones now displayed in Kilmory Chapel, at the end of the Achnamara peninsula. This is where the famous MacMillan Cross has been placed to save it from erosion by the elements.

The fishing season is well under way with good catches being reported on Barnluasgan Loch despite the cold start to the season. There is a new boat on Seafield Loch which can be hired from Lochgilphead Angling Club, as can the boats on Loch Linnhe, Loch Coille Bharr and Barnluasgan. Even if you don’t catch anything, it is a pleasant way to spend a few hours and you can do some wildlife spotting or simply enjoy the peace and quiet.

The opreys have returned to their nest. Most years, they manage to raise two chicks and can often be seen fishing over Loch Sween. Watching an osprey catch a fish in its talons is an impressive sight.

A pine marten appeared on the conservatory windowsill again tonight. If it was not for their voracious appetite for poultry, we would be happy to encourage it.

Spring is also bringing the addition of another pair of beavers to the Knapdale Beaver Project. The two beavers, remnants of the ill fated importation of beavers from Norway in November 2008, will be released onto the un-named loch known locally as the Lily Loch, close to Lochan Buic, better known as Seafield Loch. An artificial lodge has been created to provide initial shelter for the animals before they burrow or build their own lodge - when they decide where they want to be. Fences have been put up to stop them travelling south which would bring them onto Seafield Farm, but there are no obstacles to prevent them moving west and north. This brings the total number of beavers to eight; three pairs and two young. This is too small a group for a viable trial but enough to cause considerable damage to the local native woodland which has been restored and protected at considerable expense over recent years.

Loch Linnhe & The Alternative Beaver Blog

Tuesday 23 June, a stunningly beautiful evening so off to Loch Linnhe for a spot of fishing. Lochgilphead Angling Club has rowing boats for hire for fly fishing on Loch Coille Bharr, Loch Linnhe and Loch Barnluasgan - available from Seafield Farm. Loch Linnhe is about 3 miles from Seafield but you could be a million miles from anywhere. It is a beautiful loch surrounded by woodland and forest; a heavenly spot. At the moment the water lilies are just coming into bloom and on the eastern arm of the loch there are smaller yellow water lilies. The surface of the loch was occasionally disturbed by skating sedge flies, a favourite food for trout but on this evening they floated undisturbed. Loch Linnhe is another one of the lochs chosen for the beaver introduction and two of them were swimming about. They seemed fairly oblivious to the boat as we rowed past. One of them swam to the bank and proceeded to gnaw very noisily on an ash branch. There was no sign of the other two but we hear that of the eleven beavers released, one has died, one has disappeared, one was in the canal and one is in the Fairy Isles. The official beaver blog is remarkably lacking in information and the information board in Barnluasgan asserts that they are all still where they were put.

About twenty swallows flew overhead and Daubenton bats swooped over the water picking off insects.

Stable Cottage is still available for one week from 3 - 10 July and Kirkland Lodge from 12 - 18 July. Visit our lovely area and discover that we have a lot more to offer than imported Norwegian beavers. They are supposed to be good for biodiversity but it would be hard to create more biodiversity than already exists here in Knapdale forest.

Wildlife Watching on Loch Coille Bharr

We have had some beautiful evenings here recently and as long as you keep moving, it is possible to avoid the midges. On Friday 12 June we took a stroll around the loch to see if we could spot the beavers. Eleven were released, three on Loch Coille Bharr, and four each on Loch Linnhe and Creag Mhor Loch with one young beaver dying shortly after release.

The silence was broken only by the sound of trout sucking in insects from the surface of the loch and the call of the woodcock as it flew overhead. Starting from the Forest Track behind Knap Studio on the Achnamara Road, we walked anti clockwise around the loch. The main beaver signs were of the man made variety - signposts with more than a touch of anthropomorphism; a manifestation of the Disneyfication of Knapdale. Stopping at the landing stage we spotted a beaver which rapidly disappeared around the corner heading south. Later, stopping at the bench at the southern end of the loch, we watched a beaver swim across the loch from east to west. Whether we saw one beaver twice or two beavers is uncertain.

Apart from the beaver itself, we saw few signs from the path. The water lilies are just starting to flower, a known favourite of beavers. The next night we took to the water for a spot of fly fishing in addition to beaver spotting. The loch was perfectly still, the reflections so perfect it was hard to see what was reflection and what was real. Once again, the lone beaver was at the north end swimming from east to west and seemingly unconcerned by our presence. It came close enough for me to get a reasonable photograph. Beavers really aren't particularly attractive, they really do look like oversized hairy rats in the water. However, they are not as hideous as the carved beaver model which is in the log cabin at Barnluasgan. Our native otters are far more entertaining to watch. Later, paddling south along the eastern side, there were plenty of beaver signs. The cut ends of branches clearly visible in the fading light. Birch, oak and rowan seem to be the favourites with alder left untouched. A birch branch was stripped of its bark with the teeth marks clearly visible.

At this time of year, it is hardly dark at all so it was after 11 pm when we left the loch. No trout were harmed during our trip. Many broke the surface but were not tempted by the fake fly, having an abundance of the real thing floating on the surface. A mist was rising over the whole surface and there was quite a chill in the air after the heat of the day. On the way home, we stopped to see if the glow worms were in their usual spot and counted five along the road verge - tiny green lights shining intensely among the grass.

If you are passing the Crinan Canal, keep a look out as a beaver has managed to make it overland into the Canal but I haven't heard if it has been retrieved. I hear the radio tags have caused problems too. How exactly do you glue a radio tag to a Beaver?