A man has been charged in connection with disturbance at a capercaillie site in Strathspey.
Police have confirmed a 63-year-old has been arrested following reports of a person causing distress to the endangered species on Saturday.
Surveyors who were counting capercaillies at the lek site, as part of a national monitoring programme, raised the alarm after spotting the alleged incident at dawn.
It comes amid a national drive to protect and preserve the red-listed birds, which was launched following a “severe decline” in capercaillie numbers.
Constable Gary Dunlop, of Aviemore police station, said: “Capercaillie are extremely sensitive to disturbance which can seriously hamper their breeding success.
“All reports and information received regarding possible disturbance at lekking sites, will be taken very seriously.”
A report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.
Capercaillie population in ‘severe decline’
Disturbance by humans is considered as one of the main factors – as well as loss of habitat and predators – for the decline in capercaillie numbers.
Last year, a survey by RSPB found the species’ population has nearly halved since 2016.
The nature conservation charity estimates there are around just 700 of the birds left in the country, and about 80% of Scotland’s remaining population live in the pinewoods of the Cairngorms National Park.
The Cairngorms Capercaillie Project was then launched to raise awareness of their plight and how people can help as well as build a long-term future for the species.
Project manager Carolyn Robertson said: “If we want to save capercaillie in the UK we need to act now and work together to tackle the multiple threats to the species, including disturbance.
“We know that the birding community cares about capercaillie. It has been frustrating, therefore, to find a minority of birders actively undermining both the breeding success of the birds and the work being done locally to improve conditions for the bird.
“We are pleased that our work with partners and Police Scotland will, we hope, prevent further disturbance to the birds at this critical time of year.”
Visitors to the park are urged to be very careful where they tread to avoid disturbing the ground-nesting birds and their chicks, and help prevent their extinction in the UK.
