Wildlife at Culzean

by Deirdre McKinnon

In the years before the current Culzean Castle was built the original 16th century tower house stood in a very different land to the one that exists nowadays. It was a very barren land; heathland and grassland, heather and gorse, and it was generally unimproved land. It was divided into tenant farms but was largely used as grazing land with small areas laid out for tatties and kale. The wildlife in those days was very different, with Short Eared Owl nesting in the heathland, Kestrels and Short Tailed Field Voles. There would also have been Black Cocks (Black Grouse) roaming through the scrub.

Robert Adam not only designed the changes to the castle also but also helped in the design of the landscaping as well. Many trees were planted, 5 million in fact, to give shelter, amenity, timber and game cover for hunting and shooting. He created ponds from two natural streams and farmland was cultivated and the land was improved. This attracted Stokes and Weasels and Moles. The 5 km of coastline and seashore remain largely unchanged, with Grey Seals, Gannets and Eider Duck and even a rear Basking Shark to be seen along this coast. The area is of special scientific interest (SSI) with unique vegetation and flora on the cliffs. It is the only patch of significant woodland on the Ayrshire coast. The cliffs are mainly made up of two types of rock; hard volcanic Basalt and softer red sandstone.

The cliffs and the caves underneath the castle provide a habitat for many insects including the Herald moth which hibernates in the caves. The caves are too damp for bats. On the cliffs there is a substantial colony of Fulmar, and in 1969 there were 64 breeding pairs. It takes seven years for a Fulmar to reach breeding stage. Barn Owls have nested successfully in holes in the sandstone cliffs. The rock pools on the shoreline are full of life with a rich variety of creatures including Squat Lobsters. Many Heron feed on fish in the sea pools and then rest in the fields. Rabbits and Pheasants can be found in the fields, all though myxomatosis still keeps the rabbit numbers down. The Pheasants feed in the fields during the day then nest and sleep in the woodland at night. They lay up to 12 or more eggs at a time. The very varied woodland harbours many flowers including Summer Wood Anemone, Red Campion, and Garlic.

The summer insects attract large numbers of summer migrant birds as well as our resident birds. Global warming is causing some concern as some insects appear earlier in the year than they used to, and before the young baby birds have developed sufficiently eat them. Fungi, one of Deirdre's main interests, are mainly to be seen in the autumn when they develop their fruiting bodies. Fungi act as natures dustbin, recycling waste material from the woodland. Red squirrels live in the woodland but struggle for space against the more successful and versatile grey squirrels. The grey squirrels take a wider range of food and will eat nuts before they are ripe. They are not aggressive towards the red squirrels, just more versatile. Four or five family groups of deer live in the forest and the best time to see them is in the morning or late in the evening when there are less people about.

In the ponds the Swans have bred successfully in the reed beds and new artificial reed beds have also been used. There are otters resident in the country Park and many frogs and toads live in the ponds and streams.

The buildings on the Culzean estate also provide a host of habitats for wildlife. Starlings, Jackdaws, Swallows and House Martins make their nests in or on the buildings. The House Martins have returned to Culzean during the last two years after a 30 year absence. Special boxes have been mounted on the castle to attract Peregrine Falcons, but as yet have not been used. However there are peregrines on the cliffs. Where cracks in the building walls have been repaired new nest boxes have been erected for the swifts that used to nest in the cracks. There are five species of bat living in colonies at Culzean including both types of Pipistrel bat.

Much conservation work is undertaken in the country Park. For example 20 feet of dunes were lost in a recent storm leaving the soft sand cliff exposed. Pine tree trunks and branches were packed across the area of the missing dunes to hold the existing sand and encourage new sand to gather between the trunks and branches to form new dunes. "Boulder fields" (areas of large boulders packed together) placed along the base of the dunes also provide protection from heavy seas. On the Swan pond, the lilies have threatened to choke the pond. A new aquatic lawn mower is being used to disturb the root systems and this seems to be very successful. Too many lilies can damage the quality of water due to lack of light since algae and insects and therefore fish are unable to thrive. New environments have been created including a dipping pond for children and small ponds for dragonflies. The woodland is managed for timber, and the rhododendrons that have run wild are being cut back and restocked with plants  from the original planting list. Different ages of woodland are maintained to increase the variety of habitats and encourage birds such as the Wood Warbler and the Pied Flycatcher.

The many visitors to the park are also managed with the property being subtly zoned to allow for the many different kinds of visitors that come to enjoy themselves at Culzean. A huge award-winning education program has been developed.

Lots of activities for children have been developed including a children's play area next to the Swan pond which is themed for wildlife with different silhouettes and shapes, a bat castle, and lots of animal games. The young naturalists club meets regularly as does the EW's group for older teenagers.

Culzean country Park provides an important historic landscape and records of the wildlife in the park are monitored and added to the national records for birds, wildfowl, moths, etc.

We would all like to give our thanks to Deirdre McKinnon for this excellent talk about the wildlife, habitats and environmental developments at this beautiful country Park.

 John Rattenbury.