Conservation & Ecology
Harebells (Campanula rotundifolia)
also support interesting plant communities along their bank sides, including globeflower and rare sedges.
Burns and Water Courses
The golf course is flanked to the east by the Isauld Burn, to the west by Sandside Burn and is split through the central section by Reay Burn. All three support a healthy and diverse ecological interest with small populations of brown trout, sticklebacks and minnow, easily identifiable in the deeper pools of each. The largest of the burns is Isauld to the west which is known to support small populations of migratory fish, such as sea trout and salmon.
Healthy amphibian populations reside in all three burns; with frogs, palmate newt and the internationally protected great crested newt, known to reside throughout these streams. A number of bird species are common visitors such as heron, cormorant, swallow and oystercatcher, all of which benefit from the carefully considered management of these water bodies. The club aim to retain as much
appropriately managed deep vegetation as possible along the bank sides of these burns, and in localised pockets within slower moving areas of the stream itself. These provide a home to a variety of invertebrates in addition to all of the above. Rotational cutting and collecting of bank side vegetation is undertaken as advised by the club’s professional ecologists in order to prevent any one species from becoming overly aggressive and reducing the diverse nature of the vegetation.
Summer flows of the three burns can
be reduced to as much as a trickle which can lead to silt build up and algal growth requiring some localised removal in particularly dry years. Localised clearance is undertaken on a rotational basis, never removing more than 25% of the existing vegetation at any one time. This is undertaken at specific times of the year in order that breeding or hibernating species are allowed to fulfil their lifecycles without disturbance.
The habitats present
The obvious and overriding habitat throughout the course is grassland. What
84 PC FEBRUARY/MARCH 2014
Northern Marsh Orchid (Dactylorhiza purpurella)
is not so obvious at first glance, however, is the diversity and number of different types of grassland throughout the site. Areas of deep rough can broadly be classified into several different types dependent on their species, structure and composition. To the north of the course, the sea and underlying sandy soils have a strong influence on the types of grass and wildflowers which reside. Marram is known as a dune stabilisation grass and is one of the pioneer species to colonise bare sand. Its ability to spread via underground rhizomes makes this species perfect for consolidating loose sand, enabling other more opportunistic species to gain a foothold, as the bare sand begins to retain moisture and nutrients around those marram plants which initially colonised the site. Other species found amongst marram dominated grassland include sea lyme, common twayblade, frog orchid and harebell, with ferns such as moonwort and marsh horsetail represented. These marram dominated grasslands support areas of open bare sand which provide perfect habitat for basking reptiles and ground nesting birds such as skylark. Further southward and away from the sea, the underlying soils are older and become more humus as the dead and dying pioneer grasses begin to die off and decompose in situ. Often known as ‘fixed dunes’, these stable areas of land are dominated by finer leaved grasses such as red fescue and browntop bent, but also support some of the broader leaved species, including false oat-grass. A diverse and interesting floral community exists throughout such areas with plants easily found and identifiable such as lady’s bedstraw, Scottish primrose, devil’s-bit scabious, dog violet, ragged robin, red clover and globe flower all represented. Within the lower lying areas of grassland, known as ‘dune slacks’ and which often lay wet during the winter months in periods of elevated water tables, then more specific and, again, interesting floral populations can be found. Here coarser grasses, including perennial rye grass, tall fescue and purple moor-grass dominate the sward, interspersed with wildflowers such as
Wild pansy or Heartsease (Viola tricolor)
ribwort plantain, glaucous sedge, common chickweed, birdsfoot trefoil, milkwort and northern marsh orchid. This habitat is particularly important given its extensive nature and absence of other drained grasslands and dunes in the local area.
Butterflies and moths on the course
The following information is adapted from A Northern Study compiled by Mr James Gunn on behalf of the Northern Studies Centre in 1998.
Known locally as a lazy wind, in that it goes through you rather than round you, the northerly breeze which plays such an important part in the strategy of the golf course, might seem preventative for any weakly flying creatures such as butterflies or moths in setting up home in this environment. However, butterflies and moths are an adaptable bunch and, where areas are potential nesting and feeding sites, they will find a way to survive. In fact, the number of species recorded on the golf course and its immediate surrounding areas runs into the hundreds. Given the diversity of habitats on the golf course, such as bare earth, scrub/rank grasslands, sand dunes and wetlands, the list of species is also diverse. Relatively common butterflies, such as large white, red admiral and painted lady are common place through the golf course, with species less typically expected in the links environment, such as dark green fritillary, clouded yellow, meadow brown and large heath have also been recorded. The moths are a diverse and numerous
group which are represented on the course and surrounding dune lands. Night flying moths were collected in a light trap positioned in James Gunn’s garden. However, there are some species that can be seen more readily. The emperor moth, a member of the silk moth family, can be found on the moors around Reay either in caterpillar form or in the adult stage. The spun cocoons from which the stunningly marked moth emerges are attached to stems of heather. Fox moths and northern eggar moths also use this habitat. Late summer evenings are a good time to spot other species, e.g. the antler
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