Black Throated Diver Advice for Paddlers
Paddlers on upland lochs in springtime need to be aware of, and avoid disturbance to black throated divers.
Here are a few key pieces of information to enable you to paddle on these lochs without causing a problem to the birds.
Black throated divers breed on a number of lochs in the Highlands of Scotland and their breeding success can be affected if they are subjected to too much disturbance.
The critical months for divers are April, May and June. This is their breeding season.
These spring months are popular with paddlers and after the dark months of winter it is a great time of year to get out onto the lochs; but before doing that it is wise to gain an understanding about the needs and behaviour of black throated divers.
Divers prefer to nest on a grassy slope that shelves gently into the water. They do not like to be on sandy or heathery ground. Their preferred nesting sites are often on islands (Loch Maree islands for instance) but on other lochs they will nest on the mainland shores.
Paddlers need to be careful when choosing a place to launch or haul out. If you see a gentle grassy slope then look out for signs of divers and do not use the area if you suspect that there is a diver nesting there.
Fluctuating water levels can harm their breeding success with sudden rises in water levels creating the danger of their nests becoming flooded. In a number of key breeding sites conservation bodies have installed floating rafts, or artificial islands, for the divers to build their nests on. These have the advantage of rising and falling with the water level of the loch and thereby protecting the nest.
When paddling on upland lochs in springtime you should look out for gentle grassy slopes and floating rafts and give them a wide berth.
Like many birds divers have particular behaviour routines if they feel that their nest site is under threat. It is useful if paddlers know about this behaviour and are able to spot it and act accordingly.
The two contrasting forms of behaviour to look out for are a bird “going bananas” or lying flat on the water. These two contrasting behaviours are a sign that they think you are too close to their nest, so the best advice is to move away as quickly as possible.
The bird that lies flat on the water pretending to be dead is acting as a decoy to draw you away from the nest.
The greatest danger is of scaring a bird off its nest and preventing it from returning within the time necessary to prevent harm to the egg or young bird.
A bird that is briefly disturbed may go bananas and fly from the nest, but if the cause of the disturbance moves away quickly the bird will return. That is why it is important, if you think you have disturbed a bird, to move on as quickly as possible.
A bird that is put off its nest for 20 to 25 minutes or more would be in danger of losing its egg. The greatest danger is on a windy day when the wind has the effect of cooling the egg more quickly. In such conditions it is vital that the bird returns to the egg as soon as possible, whatever it is that has caused the disturbance.
It is worth bearing in mind that reckless disturbance of a schedule 1 bird species is a criminal offence. Reckless disturbance is where the disturbance wasn’t deliberate, but a sensible person would have recognised the distress they were causing to the animal and moved away.
The southern extent of the black throated divers range in Scotland is around Highland Perthshire, so you won’t come across them any further south.
The presence of birds such as divers on our upland lochs raises the concept of what type of paddling experience do you want on these lochs. On Loch Maree, for example, if you want to paddle on the loch and hear the unique sound of breeding divers then springtime is a good time to go, but you should accept that it would not be responsible to land on the islands. However, if the experience you want on Loch Maree is to land on the islands, then the responsible approach would be to plan your trip there later in the summer or autumn.
Freshwater Pearl Mussels
One aspect of wildlife crime that paddlers may see on a river is the stealing of Freshwater Pearl Mussels. This note by the National Wildlife Crime Unit explains the facts you need to know about this aspect of wildlife crime. Tayside police have a page on their website giving some more background about wildlife crime. SNH also have a factsheet devoted to Freshwater Pearl Mussels on their website. We published an article in Scottish Paddler in July 2009 about Freshwater Pearl Mussels and you can download it.
SCA Guidelines for Paddlers Encountering Otters
Otters are found in both inland water and on the sea so there is potential for all paddlers to come across them whilst outdoors, or when camping as part of a paddling trip.
This advice is aimed at helping paddlers to act more responsibly when encountering these animals.
You can download the guidance in full here
Fish Spawning
River paddlers should be aware of fish spawning; in particular what it is, where and when it happens and how we can avoid interfering with it.
Female fish lay their eggs and male fish fertilise those eggs in the gravel beds of rivers throughout Scotland. Fish seek out gravel river beds for spawning, so this is not an issue in muddy rivers. The reason for this is that the eggs rest in the gaps between the pieces of gravel and stay there until the young fish hatch. The movement of water over the gravel provides them with the necessary flow of oxygen to help them through the early stages of their life cycle.
Salmon and sea trout generally spawn between the months of October to early January in both the main river and in the tributaries of almost all Scottish rivers, although earlier and later instances are sometimes reported. Disturbance of spawning beds and young salmon in their various stages of freshwater life is an offence under Section 23 (2) of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Consolidation) (Scotland) Act 2003. During this time contact with gravel river beds where spawning may be taking place should be avoided.
When paddling in the autumn and early winter you should be particularly on the look out for gravel river beds, especially when you are getting in or out of your boat.
You can avoid causing any problems in the spawning season by:
- Not standing in the water when there is a gravel river bed;
- Being aware of the increased risk of making contact with the gravel river bed in times of low water;
- Avoiding contact between your paddle and the gravel river bed, especially when getting in and out of your boat;
- Avoiding contact with your boat and the gravel river bed, especially by not dipping the stern or cartwheeling when there is insufficient depth of water;
- The use of a pole to propel an open canoe should be done with caution at this time of year; reverting to a paddle on sections of river with a gravel bed;
- Following any local guidance in terms of preferred places to launch or climb out;
- Remembering the sensitive time of year for fish spawning.
Site based information for spawning
As the SCA builds up a list of sensitive sites that paddlers should be aware of we will post any relevant site based information on this page.
River Leny
The access point beside the lay-by on the River Leny is an important spawning site. Paddlers getting on to the river at this point should launch from the wide bay level with the south end of the lay-by. In times of low water in autumn please remember to follow the advice given above.