Improvement work has begun on an area of ancient bog in East Ayrshire, to try to restore this precious habitat to some of its former glory.
Airds Moss, near Cumnock, is an RSPB Scotland nature reserve that supports a range of protected bird species including short-eared owls, hen harriers and golden plover.
The blanket bog, which is one of the last remaining areas of this lowland habitat in South West Scotland, has been showing signs of drying out due to extensive drainage ditches that had been historically cut throughout the site.
These ditches are now being blocked with peat plugs in an attempt to save the bog and preserve it for future generations to enjoy.
Nick Chambers, RSPB Scotland Reserves Manager for Airds Moss, said: “This work, which has been funded by SEPA’s Restoration Fund and Barr Environmental Ltd through the Landfill Communities Fund, is absolutely vital for the survival of the bog and all the creatures that depend on it. Blanket bogs, like this, have been nibbled away at for years by the actions of agriculture and forestry until they’re almost all gone. It’s fantastic to think that Airds Moss, which is of course also important for its historic links to the Covenantors, now has a chance of recovering and thriving into the future.”
Airds Moss lies within the Muirkirk Uplands Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which is nationally important for hen harriers, short-eared owls and a range of other moorland birds, such as curlew and dunlin. The bog habitat itself is internationally important.
Airds Moss itself has a darker history reaching back to the 17th century. A monument on the site commemorates the Battle of Airds Moss, when a group of Covenantors at prayer were killed by Dragoons. At least nine people were known to have died.
Story from RSPB