Strathspey nature reserve team battle wild fires
Staff at RSPB Loch Garten have been helping tackle the disastrous Cannich wildfire which has devastated the charity's Corrimony reserve – but only after dousing a wild fire of their own.
Fire crews were called to Loch Garten on the Abernethy reserve last Thursday to help the charity's own team after fire broke out on the south side of the loch.
An RSPB spokesperson said: "This was the result of a camp fire that was left to burn without being properly extinguished."
It was uncertain if the person responsible believed that they had extinguished the fire.
The spokesperson explained: "Peat can continue to burn underground long after it appears the fire has gone out."
The community was thanked by the RSPB staff for its continued vigilance, communication and support during a difficult time.
A team spokesperson told the Strathy today: "We are still experiencing some campers that are choosing to have fires and our team has been very busy lending support to the Corrimony forest fire at this time.
"The fire on our own reserve is out but we are monitoring it so that it won't ignite again in these warm weather conditions."
The wildfire on Loch Ness-side which has blazed since Saturday has caused extensive damage.
Many ground-nesting birds, including black grouse, have lost chicks or eggs in the incident near Cannich, south of Inverness.
Hundreds of native trees planted to regenerate habitats at RSPB's Corrimony reserve have also been destroyed.
Smoke from the fire was detected by NASA satellites earlier this week.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was first called to the blaze just before 1pm on Sunday.