|
|
Article: The Scottish Big Five.
- Article from:
- The Evening Standard (London, England)
- Article date:
- November 9, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Solo Syndication Limited. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Byline: REBECCA FORD
AH!" exclaimed Duncan Macdonald, bending to examine a sticky swirl of animal droppings. "Pine marten scat." He squished off a piece and sniffed it thoughtfully. "It's meant to smell of parma violets. Here ..." He held some out on his finger.
"What do you think?"
Thankfully, I couldn't smell much: maybe you need special training - or maybe my nose was just too cold to function.
I was in the Cairngorms National Park with Duncan, a guide with Speyside Wildlife, and we'd been walking for hours in an icy drizzle, through one of the last remnants of the ancient Caledonian pine forest. It was part of my bid to track ...