Munsary in Caithness - Plantlife's largest and wildest nature reserve

7th March 2020

In the far north of Scotland lies Plantlife's largest and wildest nature reserve. This year, we're sending you regular updates from this extraordinary place.

The days are getting noticeably longer now, and it finally feels as if spring might be not far away! You'll be hard-pressed to find anything in flower on the reserve, but it won't be too long before we start to see splashes of yellow - marsh marigold - heralding the arrival of (hopefully) warmer weather.

We're busy working on our organic certification paperwork at the moment. It might seem surprising that a nature reserve which is essentially a vast bog needs to get involved in organic farming, but there’s a good reason why we need part of the reserve to be certified organic land.

Although most of Munsary is a blanket bog, there is a small outcrop of mineral soil around Munsary cottage. The nature of the soil in this area means that the vegetation is very different, with rough grassland replacing deep peat. This small area has been used for grazing livestock for many years, and we maintain this form of management. This is because the grazing animals have a very beneficial impact on the grassland, keeping it short and with lots of variety in the structure of the sward.

We do this primarily because these fields are important for breeding waders such as golden plover and dunlin. These birds, having spent the winter on the coasts, start to come back to Munsary in the spring, and, whilst they breed out on the bog, they need areas of short grass to feed. After a long, hard winter, these birds need feeding up before an energetic breeding season, and by managing the habitat around Munsary cottage in this way, we can give them a boost and a fighting chance to make it through the spring with good energy levels.

We work with a local organic farmer to achieve this, and each year, we need to ensure that our land is formally certified as organic to enable the cattle to be put onto the fields. It’s a great example of nature conservation working together with a farming business to provide real benefits for wildlife.

Very soon, the visual spectacle of the plants of Munsary will be complemented by the sound of birds calling and displaying over the lochans and moors. Another season is about to begin...

If you would like to experience all the wildlife that Munsary has to offer, click here for all the information you need.
https://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/nature-reserves-important-plant-areas/nature-reserves/munsary-peatlands

This article first published on 6th March 2020 at
https://www.plantlife.org.uk/scotland/blog/postcards-from-the-bog-march-munsary?mc_cid=34cb04c446&mc_eid=8d0cb44807