University of Glasgow student Molly Davidson is currently on a work placement with our ecology team. Here she tells us about her first visit to our Baron’s Haugh nature reserve and the fascinating things she uncovered whilst surveying the trees there.
The parkland of Baron’s Haugh is one of the most loved areas of the reserve. The large open area is used by many people, including nature lovers, dog walkers and is a prime picnic spot! The development of the parkland spans more than 250 years, with early maps showing formal grids of trees and avenues. The parkland has gone through many changes of style from formalism to the romantic period and some of its trees have survived two world wars. Throughout the years the structure of the parkland has changed into something more relaxed, but still as just beautiful as the view all those years ago. It’s been assessed as being of national significance as a designed landscape, so it’s really important from a Scottish perspective. To inform reserve management, the RSPB’s archaeologist suggested that more information was needed.
In early November of last year, I carried out a tree survey of the parkland, the nearby Dalzell Burn and Clyde Walkway avenues to determine if any of the old trees from the mid-1700’s remained. The day of the survey was the first time I had visited Baron’s Haugh and I didn’t realize how big the reserve was! Special thanks have to go to a pair of regular walkers who pointed me in the right direction- otherwise I’d still be staring at a map even now.
Molly getting ready to head out for the survey work
My survey of the parkland was over two days, which were thankfully sunny! I tried to walk in lines across the chosen half to make sure I didn’t miss anything out, avoiding the occasional cow pat. I quickly discovered that November wasn’t the best time for a tree survey, with most of the characteristic leaves lying shriveled in the grass. Tree species were identified using their leaf buds and bark - the British Tree Identification app by the Woodland Trust is very useful for this. I then estimated the trees age using the width of their trunks and took a GPS point.
All this information was then put into a map to assess how much the parkland had changed and if any of the original trees were still there. And quite a few were! Some of the original lines from the oldest map can still be seen even now. The most common and oldest trees within the avenues and parkland were Oak, Horse Chestnut, Lime and Sycamore. Some other species were a struggle to ID and I have to thank a few colleagues from the RSPB and a friend from University that helped to decipher the tricky nature of leaf buds and their associated trees. My personal favourites of the survey were the old Horse Chestnuts along the Dalzell burn, which have been there since the start of the estate. Most still had a few browning leaves, easily identifiable by their long finger-like appearance and I managed to scrounge up a few conkers.
Rot hole in Beech tree just above the parkland.
I also discovered the best picnic spot in the parkland, underneath an elderly oak in the west side of the parkland, that gives a great view of the Clyde and the old curling pond. Watching the herd of cows that grazes the parkland, creating tussocks that are great for insects and small mammals, was also a great way to spend my lunch break. I hope to come back to the parkland once Covid-19 restrictions have lifted to record rot-holes in some of the more elderly trees. These wet rot-holes in Horse Chestnut and Beech can be home to Mallota cimbiciformis hoverfly, which has been recorded at Baron’s Haugh and is very rare in Scotland.
The parkland of Baron’s Haugh is a striking feature of the reserve, which with maintenance and monitoring will survive for many more generations to enjoy.