Posts Tagged ‘NatureScot’
Wildlife news round-up: Rewilding, capercaillie, and more
Peter Ranscombe rounds-up the latest wildlife news from Scotland. A MIXED picture has emerged from Scotland’s national nature reserves (NNRs) this season, with bird flu decimating great skuas – or bonxies – and gannets at Noss on Shetland, with kittiwake and Arctic terns fairing better. Terns of all varieties – Arctic, common, little, and sandwich…
Read MoreGaelic specialist celebrates winter solstice
A GAELIC specialist is helping NatureScot to mark today’s winter solstice. The Scottish Government agency, known previously as Scottish Natural Heritage, asked broadcaster, storyteller, and writer Ruairidh Maclean to compile a Gaelic compendium that “celebrates the nature, land, and heritage of Scotland in the winter”. Maclean said: “As keepers of a unique language and culture,…
Read MoreFossils hunters have their say on Scottish Fossil Code
SCOTLAND’S fossil hunters are having their say on the revised Scottish Fossil Code. NatureScot, the Scottish Government agency known previously as Scottish Natural Heritage, published the code in 2008. It’s now being revised, with the next version due to be issued early next year. Katherine Leys, NatureScot’s head of biodiversity and geodiversity, said: “Fossil collecting…
Read More‘End is nigh’ again for capercaillie, warn experts
THE capercaillie could become extinct in Scotland for a second time unless its predators are controlled, according to conservationists. This year’s brood survey by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) found only 300 to 400 birds now live in Scotland, with 90% confined to part of Strathspey. That number has fallen from around 2,200…
Read MoreForaging Fortnight begins on Saturday
SCOTLAND’S Foraging Fortnight begins on Saturday, with events taking place throughout the country. Talks, workshops, and walks have been organised as part of the Orkney International Science Festival, which also begins on Saturday. The Scottish Wild Food Festival is also taking place at Tir na nOg, near Drymen, on 17 and 18 September. The Foraging…
Read MoreRestoring Cairngorms forests – one burger at a time
VENISON from red deer shot in the Cairngorms is being sold to fund tree planting. Deer are culled in the Cairngorms National Park to stop them from eating the growing tips off tree saplings. The venison has gone on sale in the shop at the RSPB’s Loch Garten nature reserve. Previously, Lynbreck Croft – which…
Read MoreBeavers bid by Glen Affric
LANDOWNERS in Glen Affric hope to reintroduce beavers to the Highlands. Four estates and government agency Forestry & Land Scotland have launched a joint consultation on the plans, coordinated by conservation charity Trees for Life. Beavers are already found at the Aigas field centre near Beauly and at the Highland Wildlife Park near Kincraig. Reintroducing…
Read MoreKinloch Castle on verge of sale
KINLOCH Castle, the landmark property on the Isle of Rum, is on the verge of being sold. Businessman Jeremy Hosking is setting up a trust to buy the castle from NatureScot, the successor organisation to the Nature Conservancy Council, which bought the island in 1957 as a national nature reserve. The castle was used as…
Read MoreCairngorms wants to bring back ‘lost’ beavers
THE Cairngorms National Park Authority is to lead an application to reintroduce beavers to the area. The park’s board voted to take the lead in the process, while working with other public bodies, charities, landowners, and residents. Sarah Henshall, head of conservation at the authority, said: “We will be doing work around supporting land managers…
Read MoreQuiraing paths reopen after upgrade
PATHS at Quiraing on the Isle of Skye have reopened following upgrades led by the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland (OATS). Routes measuring 300 metres in length have been created or upgraded to make the site safer for locals and visitors. The work is part of the £1 million Skye Iconic Sites Project (SISP), which…
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