Capercaillie Habitat Management Volunteer Event

Join us, the Balmoral Estate Rangers, for the day as we undertake a range of tasks to create more habitat for capercaillie in the Woods of Garmaddie. Learn more about capercaillie, how to manage their habitat, the threats they face and what we are trying to do to support them.
The tasks include:
– Ring barking spruce trees and creating habitat piles from their branches; to create standing dead wood so there are plenty of insects.
– Blocking ditches to restore boggy areas and increase biodiversity and important food supplies.
– Supplementary planting of mix native broadleaf trees
There are now only 532 capercaillie left in the UK. Over 85% of them live in the Cairngorms National Park. Action in the National Park is therefore critical to prevent extinction in the UK and build a long-term future for the species.
There are several fundamental issues facing capercaillie, not least available habitat, predator management and human disturbance. Your help to create more habitat for capercaillie on Balmoral Estate is part of an ongoing effort to improve and create over 10,000 hectares of habitat for capercaillie across the National Park as part of the Cairngorms Capercaillie Project.
This event is part of the Cairngorms Nature Festival which runs from 12 – 21 May 2023. It’s a ten day festival with over 80 exciting events across the Cairngorms National Park celebrating the incredible landscapes and nature found here.

To see full event details and book events please visit: https://www.cairngormsnaturefestival.co.uk/