4 November 2015

A new four-part Channel 5 TV series unearths the stories of the magnificent landscapes and wildlife in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park.  The ‘must-watch’ series is set to be broadcast over the next four weeks with the first episode scheduled to go out next Tuesday, November 10 at 8pm.

Loch Lomond: A Year in the Wild uses breath-taking cinematography to capture the changing seasons in the magnificent landscapes in Scotland’s first National Park. The documentary features some of Scotland’s finest wildlife including golden eagles, black grouse, red deer, ospreys and mountain hares. 

 

The first episode ‘Spring’ - the season of new life, offers a rare glimpse into the lives of secretive species such as black grouse which are filmed fighting for the right to mate in a spectacular dance called the ‘Lek’.

Watch as harsh weather conditions force heavily pregnant red deer down from the mountains into the shelter of the glens. Welcome back ospreys as they return from West Africa to breed in the Park.

  Speaking about the series, Simon Jones, Director of Conservation and Visitor Operations at Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park, said:

“Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park is blessed with jaw-dropping landscapes that are home to some of the country’s finest wildlife.  We worked closely with the production company, Tigress, on the series for more than a year, using our local knowledge and specialist expertise to help them capture the National Park’s native wildlife. We are thrilled that Channel 5 viewers will get a fascinating insight into a world our Rangers are fortunate enough to see on a regular basis.

“As part of our commitment to protecting and enhancing this very special National Park last year we launched Wild Park 2020, our nature conservation action plan that includes more than 90 projects dedicated to protecting landscapes and species.

“I’m delighted that the series features some of our priority species such as black grouse and red squirrels, which feature in our five Wild Challenges. We hope viewers enjoy watching these amazing creatures and feel inspired to come and visit the Park. You might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of some of the stars of the show!”

 

Work has already started to deliver some of the key projects listed in Wild Park including:

• Red squirrel conservation. Our native red squirrels are under threat from the expansion of the non-native grey squirrel. We are working to safeguard red squirrel populations by creating good habitat free from grey squirrels. 
• Black grouse. Black grouse in Scotland are threatened for a number of reasons including habitat loss, climate change and predation. We are working with farmers, gamekeepers and wildlife managers to protect this important species.   
• Mountain bog restoration. Scotland’s peat bogs store ten times the carbon of all Britain’s forests combined. Those in the National Park store 16200 million tonnes!   
• Invasive non-native plants. Invasive non-native species like Rhododendron are really good at taking over, so there's no room for our native plants to survive. We are working in partnership with landowners, volunteers, fishery trusts and government agencies to help reduce the extent and damaging impact of these plants and where possible remove them completely, allowing native plants to flourish.
• Woodland habitat . We’re looking at creating the largest native woodland in Scotland stretching along the east shores of Loch Lomond towards Strathyre. Connecting woodland is important for our wildlife, allowing it to move more freely around the National Park.

For more information on Wild Park and the wildlife you can see in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park visit http://www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/wildpark/

Source Url: http://www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/looking-after/new-tv-series-set-to-showcase-stunning-loch-lomond-the-trossachs-landscapes-and-wildlife/menu-id-483.html