Beaver appeal raises £60,000

CONSERVATION charity Trees for Life has raised nearly £60,000 through a crowdfunding appeal to help protect Scotland’s beavers. The fundraising effort sets the scene for a court challenge to the Scottish Government’s beaver policy, which the charity claims is causing “needless loss of beavers’ lives”. Trees for Life and rewilding charity The Lifescape Project claim…

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Helping nature: Scotland’s successes and challenges

A NEW report reveals what progress has been made towards tackling biodiversity loss in Scotland – and the challenges that lie ahead. NatureScot, the Scottish Government agency previously known as Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), has published its biodiversity duty report covering 2018 to 2020. The document details the work carried out to tackle the loss…

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Mixed picture for songbird breeding

DATA from bird ringers suggests that not all birds benefited from last spring’s mild weather and lack of human disturbance during the lockdown. Figures from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) reveal how 24 species of songbird fared, with some suffering from a mismatch between breeding and food availability. Lee Barber, the BTO’s demographic surveys…

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Ten easy ways to help Scotland’s wildlife

HALF of Scots want to do more to help our native wildlife, according to new figures. NatureScot, formerly Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), carried out its research during the pandemic, when more people visited nature reserves and green spaces in cities. The Scottish Government agency has now come up with ten top tips to help Scots…

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Scottish rowan up for European tree award

A ROWAN tree near Moffat will represent Great Britain in a European contest. The Woodland Trust has chosen “The Survivor” at Carrifran to represent Great Britain in the “European Tree of the Year” competition. The public selected “The Survivor” as Scotland’s “Tree of the Year” back in October. It has now beaten off competition from…

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Dame Judi Dench supports Scottish forest

ACTRESS Dame Judi Dench and her family have dedicated a grove at the Woodland Trust’s Ledmore & Migdale Wood in Sutherland “for the people we love.” The former James Bond star sent Christmas cards last year telling her friends that she was dedicating an acre of woodland to them. A post has now been erected…

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Estates vow to continue wildlife scheme

SCOTTISH estates have vowed to continue expanding an international wildlife and habitat accreditation scheme beyond the UK’s European Union (EU) transition. Wildlife Estates Scotland (WES), which builds information on species and land use to improve Scotland’s biodiversity, is based on a European scheme used in 19 countries. WES is celebrating its tenth birthday this month…

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Is love in the air for Scotland’s eagles?

POTENTIAL courtship has been spotted between two golden eagles that were moved to the South of Scotland. John Wright, eagle officer at the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, spotted the birds displaying behaviour often used to communicate prior to mating. Wright watched as female Beaky, who was moved to the area in 2018, and…

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BBC Autumnwatch lands in Scotland

AUTUMNWATCH, the BBC’s flagship wildlife television series, returns to Scotland next week with live broadcasts from Tentsmuir in Fife. Presenter Michaela Strachan will be based at Tentsmuir National Nature Reserve (NNR), which includes sand dunes and forests. Species spotted on the site include red squirrels, seals, otters, badgers, white-tailed eagles, and kingfishers, as well as…

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How to spot Scotland’s winter wildlife

Paul Sharman, business development manager at Hebridean Adventures, and binocular maker Swarovski offer tips for spotting winter wildlife in Scotland. 1. Be in the right place at the right time for the best chance of success There are some very seasonal highlights as well as localised species to target in Scotland, and a little forward…

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