Squares of the Month – June: NX3355 and NR9927

This month we are highlighting two remote squares where we have no wildlife records at all on our database (as of Feb 2026).

Wigtownshire: NX3355

The first square is a remote one, located in the Wigtownshire moors. The square lies east of Fell Loch, on remote ground with no obvious access tracks — hence the lack of records. Nearby squares have records of wetland species typical of acidic moorland pools such as Emerald Damselfly and Common Hawker. The acid grassland and heath should include moths such as Common Heath and perhaps some other more interesting species. Breeding birds such as Curlew, Meadow Pipit and Skylark are all possible.

 

Arran: NR9927

This square is located in the south of the Isle of Arran. Lying south of The Ross road which crosses between Sliddery and Lamlash, it is an upland square which covers ground mostly above 400 metres, reaching 458 meters at the peak of Tighvein. The area is remote with no obvious access paths, and is dominated by blanket bog and heather moorland. The square will likely support upland bird species such as Red Grouse and Meadow Pipit and acid-tolerant flora typical of this habitat.

 

As of Feb 2026,  there were 1389 1km squares without any detailed records in the SWSEIC database — roughly 14% of the terrestrial squares that cover the area. To encourage our recorders to rectify this we have created an interactive map on our website that will allow you to view and investigate these ‘not-spots’.

Malcolm Haddow

SWSEIC Support Officer