Culter Burn
CULTER BURN - A Public Amenity to Be Treasured (By "A Resident")
CULTER is blessed with a unique amenity to which its residents have had free access during living memory, originally through the good offices of the Paper Mill, then through various owners to present times. Local loons and lassies (and many of us who never lost the magic of nature and wild places as we "grew up") learned to fish in the dam and streams amidst a profusion of wildlife which continues relatively unmolested today.
Many residents will know of the regular bounties of good wild brown trout, ducks, wild berries and nuts to be enjoyed in season and these are but a small part of the diverse eco-system which is the burn and environs. Since the closure of the Mills powered by these waters, pockets of surrounding environments have become wilder providing a refuge and "wild life/ bio-diversity corridor" monitored and protected against harmful "runoff" from agriculture and industry. The "Rob Roy" gorge, dam area and feeder streams are home to an amazing host of mature trees, wild shrubs and plants including many flowers, grasses and aquatic plants upon which a varied host of insects can be found. With the seeds and fruits of the plants these insects, their eggs, larva and pupae form the broad base of the food chain in this rich complex system.
Those of us who regularly enter this haven are delighted by the diversity living right here in our community.
Long lists of flora and fauna would serve little purpose in stimulating interest and curiosity but examples of flora and fauna in the area deserving our special attention and preservation include:
Trees:
Caledonian pine, three varieties of oak, blackthorn and hawthorn, beech, hazel, willow, lime, plane, holly, wild cherry and yew.
Shrubs and bushes:
Blackberry, raspberry, wild rose, several varieties of honeysuckle and ivy, wild currant and various wetland/ aquatic species that would require specialist classification.
Plants and flowers:
There are at least three species of wild Scottish orchid, water lilies, aquatic rushes/reeds (including the bulrush) and a wide variety of wild seeding grasses that deserve our attention.
Aquatic life and fishes:
Although salmon and sea trout can no longer pass the weir at Culter dam, they did so in earlier times and would do so again if a fish pass was installed. These species do inhabit the section of stream below the dam, and sea trout spawn regularly on the gravel "redds" from the dam to the burn mouth on the Dee. The native Scottish brown trout is sometimes prolific (depending on seasonal variance and food supply) throughout the system, providing ready sport for nimble fishers. A good stock of common eel, pike, minnow, frogs, toads and the like can be readily found in the dam area and at selected spots along the streams course.
Below the dam on the sandy areas the common flounder competes with the salmon and sea trout smolts. The variety of aquatic insects is often legion providing a ready larder for those higher in the food chain. The freshwater mussel (a rare gem testifying to water quality) can still be found in both lower and upper reaches of the bum system but must be rigorously protected from the predations of "pearl hunters".
Birds and mammals:
At the top of the mammal "food chain" are the roe deer, otter, fox, stoat, weasel and mink which are to be found here. There are long established otter holts near the mouth of the burn with the Dee, at the dam and in the feeder streams, but these are not occupied every season, being used "in rotation" as conditions favour.
The most delightful mammal in residence is undoubtedly the red squirrel for which the Caledonian pine, and other cone and nut bearing trees, are so important. This year at least two successful red squirrel families were raised despite the increasingly fierce competition from the greys.
A host of other "small furry critters" including mice, rats, moles, voles and shrews complete this branch of our local natural family along with the ever-present rabbit and a variety of feral cats.
At the top of the bird hierarchy are the raptors of which we have a variety including the Buzzard, Sparrow Hawk, Kestrel and Merlin, together with Tawny, Short Eared and Little Owl - this latter being at the northern most limit of range and the subject of special studies. Complementing these we have aquatic hunters including the Grey Heron, Kingfisher and Goosander and are especially fortunate to have at least two annually returning pairs of Kingfishers with well established nesting holes in the sides of the burn.
Complementing these very active hunters, we have a wide variety of resident and seasonal visiting birds and waterfowl ranging from Water Hen, Coot, Mallard, Teal, Oyster Catcher, Swan, Cormorant, Dipper, Swallow, Martin, Swift, Redwing, Field Fare, Jay, Gold Finch and Gold Crested Wren together with the more common varieties and the occasional exotic visitor.
So the next time you pass Rob Roy and look into the dam and burn areas be aware of the precious and varied environment and its wild life over which we have custody and a duty of care to preserve for generations to come.