Scotland’s sealife at heart of whale and dolphin watch

Scotland played a major part in the Sea Watch Foundation’s 2019 National Whale and Dolphin Watch event. The survey revealed striking biodiversity with an impressive 13 species of cetaceans seen around the British Isles. This was a number which has only been recorded twice before in the history of the event. The total number of…

Read More

It’s all in the name as Scottish Natural Heritage rebrands

Scotland’s national nature agency, Scottish Natural Heritage, will change its name to NatureScot from May 1 next year. This is part of plans to adapt the organisation to meet current environment challenges. Recent global UN reports on climate change and biodiversity loss have issued a stark warning on the need for transformational change in the…

Read More

Bid to save the endangered alpine blue-sowthistle

Conservationists working to ensure the survival of the rare and endangered alpine blue-sowthistle in Scotland are attempting to establish a new population of the species. The beautiful but elusive flower has now been planted along a small gorge at the Water of Clunie in the centre of the village of Braemar in Aberdeenshire, where it…

Read More

Scotland takes 4 prizes at horticulture awards

Scotland has been blooming at this year’s Royal Horticultural Society awards. Perth has been awarded top prize and crowned ‘Champion of Champions’ in the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) 55th annual Britain in Bloom community gardening competition. And there were other awards for Bridge of Earn, Haddington and St Andrews. In the same year that environmental…

Read More

New study to explore impact of peatland wildfires

A new study is set to investigate the impact of a recent wildfire on peatland in Caithness and Sutherland. The Fire Blanket project will focus on the effects of a fire on approximately 60 square kilometres of land near Strathy in May 2019. The area is part of the Flow Country, the largest blanket bog…

Read More

Glamis Estate offers a unique field sports experience

Few places in Britain have the history on offer at Glamis Castle and its surrounding estate. The Glamis Estate offers unique and well managed field sports set amongst 14,000 acres of rolling landscape. The Game Department works tirelessly to conserve the beautiful landscape and biodiversity of the Estate for the benefit of guests and the…

Read More

The Scottish newt is a natural born survivor

Around for a million years, adapted to land and sea, and with remarkable regenerative powers, the newt is a creature like no other. I have long been fascinated by newts. If they survive the attentions of their many predators, they may be fairly longlived. They also have an extraordinary ability to regenerate various parts of…

Read More

Scots pine martens repopulating Welsh mountains

Scottish pine martens are looking to take over the British Isles – after a successful reintroduction programme in Wales! Forest Enterprise Scotland staff are celebrating the success of the project, after helping to source and capture specimens from across Scotland. The Pine Marten Recovery Project has been led by the Vincent Wildlife Trust under licence…

Read More

Winner of the Grand Grouse Draw is revealed

A Scots estate is getting ready to welcome the winner of the 2018 Grand Grouse Draw. A member of draw organisers Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), William Gardiner won a day’s driven grouse shooting next year with eight friends on the breathtaking Glenogil estate, which includes luxurious accommodation at Redheugh Lodge. William, who is…

Read More

Enjoy the wonders of nature in the winter

A celebration of the winter wonders of the natural world is taking place this Sunday. The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE), Scotland’s National Academy, is throwing open its doors on George Street on Sunday afternoon, 9 December, with a free afternoon of talks, storytelling, film screenings and a special Festive café and again on 10…

Read More