EHG1654 - Watching brief - Kilbraur Wind Farm, Strath Brora (2007)

An archaeological watching brief took place during Phase 1 construction works. The work comprised monitoring the excavation for the main access track, including adjustments and the construction of drainage and silt traps along the route. This phase also involved monitoring of excavations for the movement of the site compound, expansion of the borrow pit and the construction of an "aluminium road". During this work two clearance cairns were excavated and other sites were marked and avoided. The excavation of the area for the sub station was also monitored: tree stumps were recovered showing cut marks and possible charring. <1> The tool-marked stumps were subject to a set of palaeoenvironmental analyses. Pollen, non-pollen palynomorph, plant macrofossil, dendrochronological and tool-mark analyses were undertaken. The stumps were found to date from the Neolithic, but the tool marks correlate well with Bronze Age too marks, from possible peat cutting activity, such as that found at nearby Loch Farlary. The pine trees were found to be long-lived and existed in a landscape where wet woodland and damp herbaceous vegetation eventually gave way to the development of heathland. <2> There are inconsistancies between the plan given in excavation report <1> and OS Mapping and APs with the sub-station clearly built slightly north east of the area shown in figure 1. It is likely that the site location plan is indicative only of the watching brief areas and not an accurate plan of these. The grid references recorded for the location of the trees, which were described to have been found within the sub-station watching brief area, match the location of the sub-station as depicted on OS mapping and as visible on APs. GW 20/05/19