USING wildlife as emblems has been around for a very long time, centuries if not more.
Wildflowers have often been used in this way, including in 2002 when a society called Plantlife had an idea to highlight the problems facing many of our wildflowers. The aim was to find a wildflower to act as an emblem for all the counties in the UK and it was successful.
For example, the plant emblem for Caithness is the Scots primrose, no surprise there, whilst the emblem for Ross-shire is bog asphodel. Inverness-shire is the twinflower and Sutherland is the grass of Parnassus.
The idea was that such plant emblems would be used by local authorities and shops, as well as on car number plates. It was a good idea but unfortunately many of the old boundaries for counties were used and I never have seen one of the emblems used on any sign anywhere.
In contrast, the plant badges of the clans that go back centuries and are still extant were used as identification, supposedly in or after battles to identify friend or foe.
One only has to think of some of the national conservation organisations to see how they use birds.
For example, the trademark emblem of the RSPB is the avocet with its evocative and unusual shaped beak which has a dramatic curve.
Then there is the BTO that for a long time was the time-honoured gannet that everyone knew. Then a couple of years ago they changed it to a black guillemot and there was, and is, some controversy over that change.
Mammals have also played their part as emblems and for many centuries they have figured on the "Arms" of the Scottish Clans.
The wildcat was used, as was, more frequently, the red deer stag. Wolves, wild horses, boar, hounds, lions and even seals were also used.
Perhaps the most famous mammal that was used as an emblem or trademark for a wide variety of goods was the famous painting of Monarch Of The Glen by Edwin Landseer which he painted in 1851.
In more recent years three of the game birds in the UK have become symbols in a variety of ways and these are associated with the whisky industry. The first was the famous red grouse produced by Matthew Gloag in 1897. The Famous Red Grouse, as it is called, has been used for sponsorship, including for Scotland's national rugby team from 1990 to 2007, making this the longest running sports sponsorship in the UK.
Then a few years ago there was the Black Grouse whisky that came onto the market and this had an interesting innovation. Some money from each bottle sold went to the RSPB to promote the conservation of the rare black grouse and to date the firm has allocated £450,000 to the restoration project of this iconic bird. Some of the money has gone towards the project at Corrimony to the west of Inverness.
Black grouse and that other iconic game bird the capercaillie are among the most endangered breeding birds in the UK and any way in which its future can be assured is to be welcomed.
The last of the three grouse to feature, now forming a trio of bottles, is the Snow Grouse, named after an essentially Scottish bird found mainly in the Highlands, the ptarmigan. I first saw this for sale in a supermarket in Inverness a few weeks ago.
The ptarmigan is one of the most specialised birds in the UK as it can survive living all the year round on the upper slopes of the hills such as in the Cairngorms and other high ranges of hills in the Highlands.
Squirrel release scheme is a success
The highlight of the week for me was to see the summary of the results of the Dundonnell Red Squirrel Project.
This was started with a feasibility study in 2006 instigated by the Dundonnell estate and implemented by Roy Dennis of the Highland Foundation for Wildlife.
It involved capturing red squirrels from elsewhere, under a strict licence from Scottish Natural Heritage, and releasing them onto the estate.
The original population was of 44 squirrels caught in Moray and Strathspey under the licence. Breeding occurred in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and the present population is estimated at between 240 and 360 squirrels.
The summary from Roy Dennis ends with the idea that "translocation techniques have been thoroughly tested and we recommend a rolling programme of further releases in the north and west Highlands".
I must say that when I first heard of this project I had my reservations, as did others I might add, but this summary seems to indicate that it was very successful.
Presumably it is now up to the experts to interpret the details from the full report to see whether any further licences would be granted for such projects.
One aspect I am not clear about is just what such a project costs in time. But if I was a landowner in the north, I would like to think I could fund such a project.
If you are interested in red squirrels in the Highlands in general, want to join the Highland Red Squirrel Group or receive their mailings, contact Juliet Robinson, Forestry Commission Scotland, Woodlands, Fodderty Way, Dingwall IV15 9XB or email juliet.robinson@forestry.gsi.gov.uk.
