An Update from Glenshero
Catch up on what the team have been up to in and around Glenshero Estate.
Holiday Lets The start of the year marked some exciting changes for JAHAMA Holiday lets. Sherrabeg Cottage and Sherramore Lodge, both located on Glenshero estate, are now advertised online with Discover Scotland. Discover Scotland pride themselves on providing ‘a handpicked collection of Scotland’s best self-catering Holiday Cottages. This is the first time, in a long time, that Sherramore Lodge has been widely marketed and rather than the lodge sitting empty most of the time throughout April to July, the team have welcomed a fantastic number of new visitors keen to see what the area has to offer. If you are a local supplier, activity provider, restaurant or retail outlet and would like JAHAMA to promote your business on our ‘visitors guide’ please get in touch! We understand the importance of working collaboratively and would love to be able to give our guests all the information they need when visiting the area. highland@jahamaestates.com
Beaver Project We recently hosted Jonathan Willets, Beaver re-introduction project manager from Naturescot. He visited in May at Glenshero where our team had recently discovered evidence of beaver activity. It was a very good and informative meeting, hosted by Keith from the Hydro team, and we learnt a lot more about the re-introductions and what we can expect from beaver activity in the future. The evidence we found was a nibble on a larch branch, which according to Jonathan is not their favourite meal, hence his interest in the subject.
Cairngorm farmers and Crofters Group This spring we hosted Spey valley residents and farmers John Macpherson and Ewen Grant, representing our local farmers and crofters’ group. This too was an informative meeting. Discussions varied widely and included updates on our farming, woodland, peatland restoration and other environmental project updates, as well as a site visit to the Spey Dam so that we could explain how the dam operates and engage in constructive dialogue with our neighbours as to future flood mitigation.
British Dragon Fly society (BDS) Three members of the team (including Kirstin from Glenshero) recently attended a three-day training event with the BDS. The event was part of our ongoing programme of watershed improvements and targeted the skills of dragonfly, darter, and damselfly identification so that we can improve our understanding of the condition of the habitats crucial to the survival of these species. Our peatland restoration programme remains underway at Glenshero with approximately 450 hectares completed to date, and with plans in place for additional restoration work to be continued later this year. Our thanks to Peatland Action for their support with this programme.
Golden Eagle Counts Early indications are that the Golden eagle sites have not produced chicks this year, which is very sad. However, on a more positive note two of the chicks from Glenshero that were previously translocated as part of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle project are reported to be doing very well and are a major part of the contribution to the re-introduction of this iconic and important bird of prey back into the borders and into Northern England.
Smolt Monitoring The end of May saw the culmination of this seasons smolt monitoring project, in collaboration with the Spey Fisheries Board. Early signs are that the smolt run was again successful, but we are keen to learn more about the impact that the very dry spell, through late April and early May, has had on the numbers passing through the system. Also, our work to improve the sluices in the salmon pass within the dam has been completed, as we work toward the 2027 river basin management plan deadline, set by the environmental regulator SEPA.