Wildlife & Conservation
Langholm Moor extension for community buyout
THE Langholm Moor community buyout has been given an extra two months to raise the money it needs to purchase 5,300 acres in Dumfriesshire. The Langholm Initiative needs to raise £2.2 million to buy the land from Buccleuch Estates. A deadline of 31 May had been set to complete the deal, but the landowner has…
Read More‘Phoenix’ bird hide rises from the ashes at Loch Leven
THE “Phoenix” birdwatching hide at Loch Leven national nature reserve (NNR) was opened officially on Friday. Mike Cantlay, chair of Nature Scot, the Scottish Government agency formerly known as Scottish Natural Heritage, was joined by reserve manager Neil Mitchell and Kinross Beaver Scouts for the event. The previous hide burned down last year, sparking outrage.…
Read MoreWading in to help save Scotland’s woodcock
The past decade has seen a serious decline in our woodcock population – it’s time to find out why. A spring woodland, coloured with the final rosy hues of gloaming as a thrush sings its last aria before nightfall. A woodcock passes back and forth overhead: its silhouetted outline is ethereal against the bruises of…
Read MoreUrgent plea to save Scotland’s rainforests
CAMPAIGNERS are calling for cash to help them save Scotland’s Atlantic oak woodlands. The sites, which stretch along the length of the west coast, are known as “Scotland’s rainforests” thanks to their high rainfall. The forests – which include birch and hazel, as well as oak – are home to specialist specials of plants, insects,…
Read MoreBirdwatching champion launches podcast
ENVIRONMENTAL activist Mya-Rose Craig will launch a beginner’s birdwatching podcast on 29 January. Craig, 18, founded her charity, Black2Nature, in 2016 to encourage children and teenagers from visibly ethnic minorities to connect with the environment. Last year she was awarded an honorary science docorate by the University of Bristol, becoming the youngest person in the…
Read MoreCould the missing lynx return?
A YEAR-LONG survey has been launched to find out if the public wants lynx to be introduced to the Highlands. Supporters say the big cats would help to control roe deer numbers, while opponents worry about their effect on sheep kept near woodland, the species’ favoured habitat. The consultation has been launched by three charities:…
Read MoreFormer RSPB boss lands at seabird centre
THE Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick has named Stuart Housden as the next chair of its board of trustees. Housden is a former director of fellow bird charity RSPB Scotland. He succeeds David Windmill, who has served as chair at the seabird centre for the past eight years. Susan Davies, the centre’s chief executive,…
Read MoreCammo Park turns Christmas trees into wildlife homes
MORE than 350 people have donated their old Christmas trees to the Friends of Cammo Park. The 200-strong voluntary group – which helps the City of Edinburgh Council to manage the Cammo Estate in the north of the city – will use the trees as piles of dead wood. The old trees will decay to…
Read MoreWoodland birds bounce back
SCOTLAND’S woodland birds look like they’re recovering from the “Beast from the East”. The storm was linked to a 12% fall in woodland birds between 2017 and 2018. NatureScot, the Scottish Government agency previously known as Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), said woodland bird numbers have now returned to a more stable position, alongside farmland birds.…
Read MoreNew beat for wildlife crime officer
SCOTLAND has unveiled its latest recruit in the fight against wildlife crime. PC Gavin Ross has joined the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) as its investigations support officer. Ross was previously he local community police officer for Dunbar. He said: “When I was in Edinburgh, very early in my service, I became involved in investigating…
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