page_title: Ben Wyvis
section_title: Nature and conservation
hierarchical_section_title: Ben Wyvis / Nature and conservation
caption_attribution_description: English: An Cabar. View of An Cabar
context_page_description: Ben Wyvis is a mountain located in Easter Ross, north-west of Dingwall in northern Scotland. It lies in the council area of Highland, and the county of Ross and Cromarty. The mountain is prominent in views of the area, presenting a whale-back shape above the farmland of Strathconon. Geologically, the ridge is composed of Moine pelitic gneiss.
  It forms an undulating ridge running roughly north-south for about 5 km, the highest summit of which is Glas Leathad Mòr. To the south lies the Corbett of Little Wyvis, which is separated from Ben Wyvis by the Bealach Mòr. The A835 road between Dingwall and Ullapool runs to the west and south of these mountains, whilst the Kyle of Lochalsh railway line passes to the south, following a route between Dingwall and Kyle of Lochalsh. Loch Glass lies to the northeast, whilst the land to the northwest is mountainous and largely uninhabited, and crossed by no roads until the A837, some 30 km to the north.
  Ben Wyvis is an important habitat for several species of plants and birds, and is designated as a National Nature Reserve, a Special Protection Area, a Special Area of Conservation, and a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
context_section_description: Ben Wyvis is home to over 170 plant species, including the nationally scarce dwarf birch, as well as other rare species, such as alpine foxtail. The summit ridge of Ben Wyvis is carpeted moss-heath, forming one of the longest single tracts of this habitat anywhere in Britain. The summit plateau is dominated by the woolly hair-moss Racomitrium lanuginosum, whilst little shaggy moss Rhytidiadelphus loreus is found in areas that experience regular snow cover due to drifting.  The lower slopes of the mountain support dwarf shrub heath and boglands, which is home to a variety of plants including dwarf birch, cloudberry, dwarf cornel and alpine bearberry.
  Several species of butterfly are found at Ben Wyvis, including the pearl-bordered fritillary and the large heath butterfly. The area is also home to several species of dragonfly including the large red damselfly and the golden-ringed dragonfly. The mountain is an important breeding ground for the dotterel, which use the moss-heath of the plateau to breed: Ben Wyvis represents at least 2.4% of the breeding population for dotterel in Great Britain. Ptarmigan also breed on upland areas of the reserve, nesting in higher areas among the boulders and scree. Other birds at Ben Wyvis include golden plover, red grouse and ravens, as well as birds of prey such as peregrine falcon and golden eagle.
  Deer are common at Ben Wyvis, with red deer in particular being frequently seen. Sika deer can be occasionally spotted at the edges of the woodland that fringe the area, with roe deer also preferring the cover of the forest.  Other mammals at Ben Wyvis include mountain hare on the open slopes, and pine marten in the woodland. Deer numbers are managed via an annual cull in order to reduce grazing pressures on vegetation.  Culling at Ben Wyvis undertaken by a leaseholder, who rents the deer stalking rights from SNH.
caption: View of An Cabar from the entrance to the NNR
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