Hedgehogs!! Of course!

I have been out doing lots of fieldwork out and about in the hills and woods these past few weeks (hence the lack of blogging). Its been going well - I seem to have a thriving marten population busily making scats for me to find, sniff and collect (and subsequently store in my freezer *ahem*).



Me - enjoying my scatology.

Anyway... hedgehogs.

So I have been recurringly stumped by a particular type of poo on my site visits. I couldn't tell what it was from, no matter how many times I smelt it. Its one that I keep coming across again and again. Its been really bugging me not knowing what it is, especially because I still insist on picking up and sniffing each time I find one (as if I will suddenly be able to place it). Worst of all its a particularly noxious smelling little bugger. Worse still actually, is the fact that I have a habit of miscalculating the distance to my nose and usually end up with the foul smelling stuff smeared across my face for the rest of the day. (Note: this isn't a fetish of mine by the way, but rather one of my duties as an investigative field zoologist *ahem*).



Warning: Do not accept chocolate drops from this person.

After subjecting my poor old nose countless times now, I finally clicked (ok, maybe I didn't really "click", but rather was told by Rob) ...its only a bloody hedgehog's. Of course. Why didn't I think of that. Damn Hedgehogs! *shakes fist and grrs alot at hedgehogs everywhere*


big stinky hedgey poo

Anyway, on my latest trip out to the woods, I had the pleasure of my dad's company for the day. There was a fair exchange of natural history know-how; my poos for his plants and lichens (..and sandwiches!). It was a great day out for us both. I realised that its when I show people around my study site that I remember how lucky I am that I get to go to work in a place like this. It really is a fantastic area - The woods look out to Schiehallion, a spectacular looking mountain whos name is translated as The Fairy Hill of the Caledonians. Schiehallion's claim to fame is that it was the location of the first ever measurement of the mass of the earth by the then Astronomer-Royal, Nevil Maskelyne, in 1744 (based on the deflection of a pendulum caused by the mass of Schiehallion itself).

The there's the village of Fortingall, nestled in the mouth of Glen Lion (Scotland's longest glen). Fortingall is the location of Europe's oldest living organism; a yew tree that is believed to be between 3000 and 9000 years old. This yew therefore pre-dates Chrisianity, despite the fact that it appears to be growing in the grounds of a church!

And, not only that, legend has it that Fortingall, this sleepy little Perthshire village, was the birth place of Pontias Pilot! His father may have been an ambassador in North Britain during the occupation. His mother may have been either a Menzies or a MacLaren from Balquhidder. (Now, why on earth would someone have made this up if it weren't "true"??)

Who'd have thought it, that the calculation of the Earth's mass, Europe's oldest living organism, and the Roman authority made famous for his hand washing, could be linked together with hedgehog poo in the same blog post. Genius.