The numbers of rare birds in the north is on the rise by as much as 50% in some species.
Upland estates and landowners have joined forces to help some of Scotland’s rarest birds to nest and breed.
In the Loch Ness area there are now 22 land managers working together to create habitats for rare species such as Curlew, Oystercatcher, Redshank and Lapwing.
The project has been successful so far with a significant rise in the number of nests producing chicks successfully, as more birds return to the region each year.
Curlew and Lapwing have been the main beneficiary over the past 10 years in areas that have seen a 50% increase in moorland and wading birds.
Jenny McCallum, coordinator of the Loch Ness Rural Communities Moorland Group, said: “Many of the farms and estates in the Loch Ness region are managing habitat specifically for waders.
“This means excluding livestock or keeping the stocking density low in areas where nesting is preferred and creating wader scrapes to allow chicks access to shallow, wet areas to feed on insects.
“Land managers are trained to carry out wader surveys in the spring to assess the breeding success.”
The Loch Ness Rural Communities Moorland Group covers 33,000 hectares of moorland, spanning 32 miles.
Ken Fraser, who farms land at Gorthleck Mains and Migovie added: “At this time of year the birds are courting and pairing up, which is an absolute joy to see and hear in the skies around you.
“I hear the calls of the curlews on a daily basis. We also see lots of black grouse leks every spring, an unforgettable spectacle.
“The past 10 years have shown that if we didn’t manage the land year-round, these fragile populations would be lost and may never recover.”
