©Lorne Gill, NatureScot
Scotland's uplands are a magical environment and, as spring approaches, lots of folks will be thinking about getting out into the hills. For many, these adventures are tied to the allure of wide open spaces, exhilarating scenery, invigorating exercise, or the chance to spot some iconic wildlife. One elusive species that shares the love of this habitat with local and visiting hillwalkers is the Mountain Hare.
This native Scottish mammal, the only native lagomorph in the UK, is thought to be in decline. Potential threats include loss of habitat due to change in land use, control programmes, and competition from other species. The impact from these drivers, however, is still very unclear. The Mountain Hare is currently listed as Near Threatened on the Red List for Britain's Mammals, but more data is needed to build a clearer picture.
This is where Citizen Science can play a vital role and help fill some of the gaps in knowledge about the species and its population trends. A partnership of four organisations (NatureScot, the Mammal Society, the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust) has worked together to design a survey that can be used by those visiting the uplands to capture Mountain Hare records. The survey is now in its third year. Feedback from the previous years has been used to make it a simple process to take part. Records can be submitted through the user-friendly Mammal Mapper App or Mountain Hare spotters can download and print recording forms, if they prefer.
©Lorne Gill, NatureScot
To make this year's recording effort the most successful yet, the partnership is asking hillwalkers, visitors, local residents and workers to adopt a square. For more information on how to take part, see mammal.org.uk/mountainhareproject In addition, the North East Scotland Mammal Network will be running a free webinar with the BTO, in April, highlighting the survey and including discussion on how you can take part.
If you would like to be kept up to date on the webinar and how you can join, contact nesmamnet@gmail.com.
Further information can be obtained from the Naturescot and the BTO websites by following the links below. nature.scot/scotlands-biodiversity/biodiversity-what-can-you-do/ bto.org/our-science/projects/volunteer-mountain-hare-project
A copy of the online survey form is available on the BTO website, and other means of recording results listed on both sites.
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