One was the tantalising description of a nine inch long "snake" swimming well out in a loch. Another was the mixed pair of whooper/mute swans that had brought off three cygnets.

On the downside was the record that the nine pairs of Slavonian grebes on that classic site of Loch Ruthven apparently failed to bring off any young grebes this year.

Lochs can be rich in wildlife both in the summer and in the winter although they vary considerably in the number of species they support.

In the summer they attract iconic breeding birds such as black-throated divers. In the winter, often depending on the aquatic flora, they support large numbers of wildfowl such as ducks, geese and swans.

Despite freshwater lochs being such an integral part of the Highland landscape, in terms of both wildlife and scenery we still tend to know very little about them.

Perhaps, like me, most readers pass them by with only a secondary glance whether from a vehicle or on foot. Despite being an angler for very many years, they are still a source of mystery to me. This is partly because it is the underwater world that we cannot see that is so complex. Some writers have even called it the underwater jungle because of its complexity.

Not all lochs are so complex, as many in the Highlands are comparatively barren with few aquatic plants. A good example, perhaps, are the various species of newts to be found in the Highlands. You cannot, generally, come across newts by accident as you either have to be searching for them deliberately by looking under stones on the margins or using a torch at night. However, you can accidentally come across them if you are using a pond net for sampling other water life.

Freshwater fish have been an important part of many anglers' lives and were once an even more important food source than they are today.

And yet, unless we are anglers, how often do we pass innumerable lochs without having any idea what might be there?

I once tried to get a freshwater survey for the Highlands off the ground through the Highland Biological Recording Group. In the end I gave up as, apart from the lack of interest from recorders, I was told such surveys were about to take place. Apparently the fisheries boards had been given funds to undertake such recording.

I still have not heard of any results so if a reader can enlighten me then please let me know on rvc@tesco.net as I have some records that might be of use.

Loch Droma on the Dirrie Moor.

Some systematic recording has taken place and Scottish Natural Heritage are about to publish their report on the distribution of lampreys in Scotland as a whole. This is awaited with eager anticipation.

Perhaps like the bird and plant world that have guides for certain sites, we need a guide to the fish of freshwater lochs. However, as far as fish are concerned, to a certain extent we already have one, although I have not used it as much as I should have done in the past.

It is in fact an angling book by that redoubtable angler Bruce Sandison, who lives at Tongue in Sutherland. Bruce has written several books about the rivers and lochs of Scotland. The second edition of his Rivers and Lochs of Scotland was published in 2001 and is a masterpiece and a "Bible" for all anglers.

It must have been very much a labour of love as every loch and river in Scotland is described in some detail. It is not only comprehensive as far as information on fishing permits, boats, maps etc. but, just as important to the naturalist, the fish to be found.

This year I started taking the book out with me and, whenever I stopped by a loch, I would look up in the book to see what was to be found as far as fish were concerned.

As one might expect for a book written for the angler, there are some fish that are not mentioned. For example, there cannot be many lochs or rivers where the three spined sticklebacks and eels do not occur. Likewise the lampreys, all three species, are well distributed, especially the brook lamprey.

The last time I used Bruce's book was on a visit to lochs in the Dirrie Moor area just south of Ullapool where I was searching for the dwarf birch. The book told me that there were brown trout in the lochs, including the larger ferox trout, and, interestingly, large pike.

The source of these pike, that are much more widespread in the Highlands than records suggest, is still open to debate. One thing that is certain is, despite what some sources say, they are not native to the Highlands. The affect pike have on wildlife such as waterbirds is still not being addressed satisfactorily. Looking at the various lochs, whilst we expect the usual species, we do not expect minnows that are now in every watershed in the Highlands. Then there are arctic char, brook trout, perch, roach and so the list goes on.

The good news is that Bruce's next revision of the book is about to be published and it has been promised by Christmas, so drop some hints or keep those book vouchers.

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