Scottish Natural History - Illustrated articles by Alan Edwards and Laurie Campbell

The following fully illustrated articles about Scottish natural history
are available for publication. To read a synopsis click on a title.
To return to the list click on an image.

Heather Moorland
The Caledonian Forest
St Abbs Head & Bass Rock
The Island of St Kilda
The Island of Ulva
The Hebridean Machair
The Caithness Flow Country
The Cairngorm Mountains
Red Deer in the Highlands
The Cairngorm Reindeer

The Golden Eagle
Highland Cattle
The Red Squirrel
The Grey Heron
Seals
Bottlenose Dolphins
The Badger
Mute Swans at Berwick
Tweed Salmon Netting
Information

Heather Moorland
Scotland's heather moors are the most extensive in Europe, and places of great natural beauty and interest. However, over the last fifty years they have been vanishing from the map. For example, about 95% of the lowland moors have been lost since the 1940's. This article examines the historical background to heather moorland, the native species that depend on it, and the reasons for its decline. In particular it considers the importance of the native red grouse in safeguarding the remaining moorland.
Text: 1500 words. Photography: Laurie Campbell

The Ancient Caledonian Forest
The true value of Scotland's native pine forests has long been known to naturalists and conservationists, but it is only recently that these ancient woodlands have come to the attention of a wider public. The scattered remnants of the great Scots pine and birch woods which once covered most of the Highlands are living reminders of what Caledon, 'the wooded heights' of the Romans, was actually like. Now less than 1% of the original forest remains to provide a refuge for rare species such as capercaillie, crested tit, Scottish crossbill and wildcat. This article describes the reasons for the forest's decline, its unique flora and fauna, and recent measures aimed at restoring it to its former glory.
Text: 1500 words. Photography: Laurie Campbell

St Abb's Head and The Bass Rock
The steep headland of St Abbs on Scotland's south east coast is a seabird station and nature reserve of international importance. Huge breeding colonies of kittiwake, guillemot and other species crowd the cliff ledges in summer, with many other migrants and winter visitors arriving later in the year. The flora is very varied, with over 250 flowering plants including the rare Scots lovage, while the headland itself is of considerable geological interest. A neighbouring seabird colony, the Bass Rock, lies to the north at the entrance to the Firth of Forth. This tiny volcanic island is famous for its large colony of gannets, as the species' scientific name, Sula bassana, suggests.
Text: 2000 words. Photography: Laurie Campbell

St Kilda
The remote St Kilda archipelago lies 60 miles west of the Outer Hebrides in the north Atlantic. The highest cliffs and rock stacks in the British Isles support massive breeding colonies of seabirds, including the world's largest gannetry. Primitive sheep, distinct sub-species of wren and fieldmouse, and over 130 flowering plants are also found. Until the 1930's St Kilda was inhabited, and the history of this isolated community is described in the article. St Kilda is owned by the National Trust for Scotland, who are now restoring parts of the village on the main island of Hirta. The islands are managed by Scottish Natural Heritage and their considerable cultural and natural importance is emphasised by their designation as a World Heritage Site.
Text: 2000 words. Photography: Laurie Campbell

The Island of Ulva
Mull, one of the most accessible of Scotland's Western Isles, is really an 'island group'. Among its satellite isles are Staffa, Iona and Ulva. Many people know of Iona and Staffa, but few have heard of Ulva, the largest of Mull's offshore isles. Ulva is an unspoilt place with a long history dating back to pre-Celtic times. Despite the absence of proper roads on the island some 5000 visitors make the short ferry trip from Mull each year. Ulva's natural history is outstanding; otters, seals, deer and mountain hares can all be seen, as well as rare moths and dragonflies. The mixed flora consists of maritime, woodland and moorland plants, including rare orchids and sundews. There are also unusual geological features, such as basalt columns similar to those on nearby Staffa.
Text: 1500 words. Photography: Alan. Edwards and Laurie Campbell

The Hebridean Machair
The Gaelic word 'machair' means 'a low-lying plain' and describes the fertile coastal grasslands of Scotland's Western Isles. In high summer these rich island pastures are carpeted in a profusion of wild flowers of every shade and colour. The machair was created when the first settlers began using the grasslands as grazing for their livestock, and the continuation of traditional crofting methods has allowed it to remain virtually unchanged for centuries. This article also describes the life-cycle of the corncrake, an increasingly rare bird which depends almost entirely on the machair for survival.
Text: 1400 words. Photography: Laurie Campbell

Caithness
Caithness in northern Scotland is known as 'the lowland beyond the Highlands'. To some it is a flat, featureless triangle of moor and peat-bog marooned at the north-eastern extremity of the British mainland, buffeted by the North Sea and isolated by the mountainous wilds of Sutherland to the west. But Caithness can also be seen as a richly individual region of wide skies and luminous light, at the heart of which lies one of Europe's last great wildernesses - the northern 'flow country'. This article covers both the history and natural history of Caithness, with special reference to the world-famous flow country.
Text: 1500 words. Photography: Alan Edwards and Laurie Campbell

The Cairngorms
The Cairngorm mountain range, a wild and dramatic tableland straddling the Spey and Dee valleys, is recognised as one of Britain's greatest natural treasures. The arctic-alpine terrain of the high plateau, with its specialised flora and fauna, is very similar to the landscape of northern Europe towards the end of the last Ice Age. The region has, however, become an increasingly popular centre for climbing, hill-walking and skiing, threatening the unique and fragile ecology. This article examines the arguments for and against greater public access to Britain's largest National Nature Reserve, exploring the natural history of the mountains, as well as the lochs, moors and ancient pinewoods which nestle in their shadow.
Text: 1400 words. Photography: Laurie Campbell

Red Deer in the Highlands
To many people the image of the red deer stag with his antlered head raised to scent the wind evokes a Scotland of wild heather moor and snow-capped mountain. Yet such vast open spaces were not the original haunt of Britain's largest land mammal. Centuries ago, before the forests were felled for timber, the red deer was an animal of the woodland fringes. At present there are excessive numbers of deer on Scotland's hills, and concern about their impact on the environment is growing. This article looks at the background to 'the red deer problem', and asks whether the owners of Scotland's sporting estates can be persuaded to reduce their herds to a level which the land can reasonably sustain.
Text: 1500 words. Photography: Laurie Campbell

The Cairngorm Reindeer
It is now known that there were reindeer in northern Britain at least 8000 years ago, and certain areas of Scotland remain very similar to the frozen plains of the tundra where this northernmost species of deer lives. In 1947 Mikel Utsi, a Swedish reindeer herdsman visiting Speyside, was reminded of the deer pastures of his native Lapland as he looked out over the Cairngorm mountains. A few years later he successfully reintroduced reindeer to Scotland. This article tells the extraordinary story of the Cairngorm reindeer, from the arrival of Mikel Utsi's first experimental herd to the present day.
Text: 1200 words. Photography: Laurie Campbell

The Golden Eagle
The golden eagle was once the bird of kings and emperors, but persecution in the 18th and 19th centuries brought this royal bird to the brink of extinction in Britain. Today Scotland's mountains and glens are the eagle's last British stronghold, with 20% of the total European population located in these remote regions. Laurie Campbell spent four years photographing and studying eagles for his most recent book, and this article describes his experiences. It also covers the golden eagle's life-cycle, and the reasons for its previous persecution.
Text: 2500 words. Photography: Laurie Campbell

Highland Cattle
No-one is certain whether Scotland's long-horned, shaggy-coated Highland cattle are direct descendants of the European wild ox, or an off-shoot of a previously domesticated strain. This article examines the evidence and traces the breed's history from the days when the herds of 'black cattle', as they were originally known, were driven on foot from the Highlands and Islands to the lowland markets. Nowadays Highland cattle are occasionally dismissed as being no more than an ornamental breed, but these hardy animals have been put to practical use in environmentally sensitive regions as far afield as the Austrian Alps and the South American Andes. A book - 'Highlanders' - featuring Laurie Campbell's photographs and with an introduction by Alan Edwards was published in 2000 by Castor & Polux.
Text: 2000 words. Photography: Laurie Campbell

The Red Squirrel
The red squirrel, which crossed into Britain from what is now mainland Europe towards the end of the last Ice Age, is our only native squirrel. Although it is also found in deciduous woods it is really a creature of the northern pine forests where its russet coat blends perfectly with the reddish bark of its preferred tree the Scots Pine. This article outlines the life-cycle of the red squirrel and examines specific threats - such as that posed by the grey squirrel - to its survival.
Text: 1700 words. Photography: Laurie Campbell

The Grey Heron
Laurie Campbell has photographed the grey heron for many years, assembling a wide-ranging portfolio of images of this familiar bird on our rivers, lochs and coastline. This article describes some of the insights he has gained into the behaviour of herons, the elaborate methods he has occasionally adopted to capture them on film, and a detailed account of the life-cycle of the bird itself.
Text: 1500 words. Photography: Laurie Campbell

Grey and Common Seals
There are two species of resident seal in British waters, the common and the grey. This article describes the differences between them in both appearance and breeding habits. The grey seal, Britain's largest wild mammal, was hunted to the verge of extinction before becoming the first wild British mammal to be protected by law. Scotland now has one of the most important grey seal populations in the world. The article also examines the vexed question of culling seals in order to protect fish stocks.
Text: 1500 words. Photography: Laurie Campbell

Bottlenose Dolphins in the Moray Firth
The bottlenose dolphin, once common around British coasts, is now extremely rare. The Moray Firth in north east Scotland currently has a resident population of over 100 dolphins, which may well be the only group left in the North Sea. Until recently virtually nothing was known of the size or health of the Moray Firth population but research is now being carried out by a team from Aberdeen University. Their findings should eventually provide a basis for implementing laws to protect cetaceans in European waters. The article covers the life-cycle of dolphins, environmental threats to inshore species such as the bottlenose, and gives details of how and where to see the Moray Firth dolphins.
Text: 1500 words. Photography: Laurie Campbell

The Badger
Laurie Campbell has been fascinated by badgers since he first started photographing animals in the wild. He has visited one particular sett in the Scottish Borders for nearly twenty-five years, painstakingly recording the nocturnal activities of these mysterious creatures. The article reveals the habits and life-cycle of one of our most common, if rarely seen, mammals.
Text: 1700 words. Photography: Laurie Campbell

Mute Swans at Berwick-Upon-Tweed
The mute swan often adopts a semi-domesticated existence on our lakes and waterways, but few people realise that at the end of each breeding season most birds fly off to moult and overwinter in large flocks many miles from their nesting sites. One of Britain's two main moulting colonies gathers at the mouth of the River Tweed. Numbering over 800 birds at peak times, the importance of this colony is only now being fully recognised. This article outlines the life-cycle of the mute swan, the history of the Berwick colony, and describes efforts of the Berwick Swan and Wildlife Trust to establish a local swan treatment centre.
Text: 1200 words. Photography: Laurie Campbell

Salmon Netting on The Tweed
'Net and coble' fishing for salmon has been practised on the River Tweed for 800 years, and the town of Berwick has long prospered from the prolific runs of Atlantic salmon returning to the river. Old records show that in a good year up to 300,000 fish might be taken in the boats or 'cobles'. Declining salmon stocks throughout Scotland mean that today a handful of netsmen and around 4,500 anglers take a fraction of this number. This article gives the background to Tweed netting, focusing on the work of the Whitesands fishery, one of the few remaining netting stations where the traditional craft is still practised.
Text: 1250 words. Photography: Laurie Campbell

Notes on the Articles
The above articles have all been commissioned by UK magazines and newspapers, with copyright of text and pictures retained by the authors. Articles are fully updated, and can be expanded, shortened or customised for publication abroad. Editors wishing to receive sample text or further information should Alan Edwards. Other articles are also available. Please enquire.

Alan Edwards lives and works in Edinburgh as a writer, photographer and web designer. He has been writing about Scottish natural history since the 1980's, often in conjunction with Laurie Campbell. Books include 'The Wildlife Photographs of Laurie Campbell' and 'Scotland, The Nature of the Land', and his articles have been widely published in magazines and newspapers including The Scotsman and The Observer.