The wildlife interest on Atholl Estates is very high, with many special habitats and species found within the estate. As well as the designated sites, much of the woodland, farmland and moorland provide important habitats for wildlife. Conservation is an important consideration in the management of the estate farms, woodlands and moorland.

Some examples of specific initiatives are given below:

Red Squirrels
We have been involved in producing a species action plan for red squirrels and manage our woodland with red squirrels in mind, e.g. maintaining particular trees that produce good cone crops. Red squirrels numbers in the policy woods at Blair Castle are very high, we have squirrel feeders in these woods to make it easier to see red squirrels and encourage people to take an interest in them.

Black Grouse & Capercaillie
These woodland grouse are both in serious decline in Britain. Atholl Estate has good numbers of black grouse and a few capercaillie. More than 6000m of deer fence have been removed in the last 5 years and another 2000m have been marked so that the birds have a better chance of seeing the fence. Predators of black grouse and capercaillie chicks – mainly crows and foxes – are controlled in the woods in the Spring.

Pearl Bordered Fritillaries
These rare butterflies are doing well in some of the woodland rides on Atholl Estates. These areas are now actively managed for the butterflies by controlling tree regeneration along the rides to keep them open, and operating a continuous cover forestry system in the nearby woodland.

Our butterfly transects have also shown the northerly movement of the Ringlet butterfly, its distribution recorded at Baluain and Glen Tilt for the first time in 2003.