A Highland gamekeeper is celebrating after he was presented with a prestigious national award.
Duncan Seaton, from Dores, near Inverness, was given the Scottish Gamekeepers Association’s (SGA) Young Gamekeeper of the Year accolade yesterday.
Winners of the award are chosen because their working approach brings benefits to the country’s diverse plant and wildlife.
Mr Seaton – who has just completed an HNC in Gamekeeping with Wildlife Management at North Highland College UHI in Thurso and works at Dunmaglass Estate – said: “I am delighted to receive the award. It is a real honour in our profession.
“I didn’t come from a traditional gamekeeping background but I have really enjoyed learning and putting knowledge into practise. Managing wildlife today is a big responsibility, as is education, and modern gamekeeping doesn’t just involve the end product.
“Our estate works with local schools and, whilst I was at Invercauld, I enjoyed discussing management with the hillwalkers visiting the five Munros on the estate.
“Sharing ideas and understanding is part of gamekeeping, as is managing to help many different kinds of species.”
Mr Seaton first became interested in land management when helping out his father who did some contract shepherding work.
During his time at Dunmaglass, he has helped with school visits, passing on his knowledge to children keen to learn about the work at the estate.
While working on the estate, Mr Seaton is involved with stalking deer, pheasants and grouse.
He also looks after curlews and other birds which make the estate their home.
Alex Hogg, SGA chairman, and Aileen McLeod, minister for environment, climate change and land reform, presented the award to him at a game fair yesterday.
Mr Hogg said: “Duncan was nominated by a former head keeper because of his attitude and the standard of his work. It is clear he is a hardworking and adaptable person who knows how to manage in a balanced and considerate way.”