Reservoir Ranger Blog: Bonfires, Birdsong and Better Weather

30 April 2026

This blog is written by Josh, our Reservoir Ranger, who shares stories and reflections from life on site as the seasons change.

Reservoir Ranger Josh pictured with female from Scottish Fire and Rescue Service on left and male Scottish Water colleague on right. They are outdoors with trees behind them.

Ranger Events

Josh pictured at a community event he organised at Gladhouse Reservoir. He is joined by Scottish Water colleagues as well as members of Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

Beltane marks the transition from spring to summer and has been observed for thousands of years. Rooted in Gaelic tradition, it celebrated the Celtic fire deity Belenus, with hilltop bonfires believed to bring purification, wellbeing and fertility for people and livestock alike.

During this time, bad sprits were believed to sabotage cows by spoiling dairy products. Flowers were decorated on cows and milk pails to avoid milk being stolen. Fires were maintained to keep bad spirits away and discarding its ashes or burnt coals was believed to curse the individual with bad luck attempting to light fires for the next year.

Hopefully, some of this bad luck is cast upon the minority of visitors by bad spirits towards though who light irresponsible fires. The Easter holidays saw an increase in firepits in wooded areas and on peat soil, as well as fires not extinguished diligently. This in an increasingly serious issue for ranger and emergency services in Scotland as wildfires are becoming a more common occurrence due to long, dry Summers as our climate changes.

We also experienced an increase in litter left behind at our sites over Easter. So, a massive thanks to the team of Scottish Water Volunteers who joined me last week at Backwater Reservoir in Angus to carry out a litter pick as part of Keep Scotland Beautiful’s National Spring Clean Campaign. We collected 21 bags of rubbish and 1 abandoned tent!

Ranger Josh taking a selfie with 5 happy volunteers in background on sunny scenic day at Backwater Reservoir.

Volunteering

Josh takes a selfie with happy volunteers following a successful litter pick at Backwater Reservoir

Over the last couple months, I have joined Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service across high schools in Midlothian to promote water safety and responsible access to the countryside and our reservoirs. I spoke to around 500 S3 pupils about the role of a ranger and main issues such as water safety, irresponsible fires, dirty camping and littering.

The funniest thing about my job as a ranger and giving water safety advice to the public is… drum roll please...

I can’t swim!

I have recently begun my quest to learn to swim and overcome my fear of water. Speaking to those who enjoy our sites for recreational usage on the water and colleagues who enjoy a wee dook has left me thinking, this is a life skill that I need to learn and will help me appreciate why others enjoy swimming and therefore improve my engagements to those using our reservoirs. I’ve already been swimming a few times with my wife and learning how not to panic when my feet no longer touch the bottom of the pool! I have a long way to go but I am becoming more confident each time. Look out Duncan Scott!

Reservoir Ranger Josh pictured on right with 2 males on left of him. Centred is a male from Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, then on left is a male from Police Scotland. All are in their uniforms with a red curtain back drop which was the school stage,

Partnership Approach to Water Safety (PAWS)

Over the past two months, the Midlothian PAWS Group has engaged with more than 500 secondary school pupils to promote water safety

Across the rest of the reservoir, nature is making its triumphant return. Hawthorn has started blooming and flowers, including foxglove and orchids are appearing. The reservoir has attracted some rarer species and on some days is flocked by birdwatchers. Ring Ouzel, Pintail, American Wigeon, Crossbills and Great Crested Grebe are all enjoying the waters and the air is filled with birdsong.

The 20th to 26th of April marked Mammal Week which celebrates Britain’s amazing mammals big and small. I discovered a new mammal species visiting Gladhouse this month – Badgers! They are one of our most charismatic mammal species and unmistakable with their black and white coat. Their large front claws are ideal for digging burrows and they enjoy a wide diet from plant bulbs all the way to small mammals. In children’s books and cartoons, badgers are always seen as friendly, polite animals. In fact, they are so polite that they are our only mammal species which digs a hole to poo in called a badger latrine - if only some of our visitors were this considerate!