Early departure for Loch of the Lowes ospreys

THE ospreys nesting at the Scottish Wildlife Trust nature reserve at Loch of the Lowes in Perthshire have made their earliest departure. Female NC0 hasn’t been spotted at the loch since 15 July, while male LM12 was last seen on 12 August. Both birds arrived back at the reserve after wintering in Africa on the…

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Cal Major becomes National Trust for Scotland ambassador

VET and adventurer Dr  Cal Major has been named as a new ambassador for the National Trust for Scotland (NTS). Major recently visited the Treshnish Isles, the NTS’s newest site, to film a video. In her new voluntary role, Major will raise awareness of and support for the trust’s conservation work. Major – who has…

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Famous penguin Sir Nils Olav gets promoted

ARGUABLY the world’s most famous penguin, Sir Nils Olav, has been promoted once more. Olav was raised from the rank of brigadier to major-general during a ceremony at Edinburgh Zoo. More than 160 members of the King’s Guard Band & Drill Team of Norway attended the event and bestowed Olav with his latest honour. The…

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Scottish artwork brought back to life after incredible restoration

It has taken hundreds of hours of painstaking work, but now an important Scottish painting’s restoration transformation can be revealed. For generations artist William Barr’s painting of Paisley’s ‘great and good’ was hidden from view, covered in thick, sooty dirt. In 1910, Barr, originally from Glasgow, completed pastel portraits of more than 100 of the…

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Edinburgh Zoo celebrates birth of six Asian small-clawed otters

Edinburgh Zoo is celebrating the birth of six adorable Asian small-clawed otters after the pack of pups received their first health check. Expert vets at wildlife conservation charity, The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), confirmed the new arrivals, five males and one female, are all doing well. They were born on 23 May to…

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HMS Unicorn receives £1.1m restoration funding

Scotland’s oldest ship, HMS Unicorn, has received more than £1million in funding towards its ongoing restoration. The donation comes from the National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF) and will go towards preservation work to strengthen the ship’s hull to improve resilience ahead of a move to a nearby dry dock. The ship, which was moved to…

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Businessman is set to row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic

A Fife businessman is set to embark on an epic solo adventure which will see him row 3,000 miles across the Atlantic. Henry Cheape, from Balgove Larder in St Andrews, plans to take on the challenge to raise £250,000 for conservation and environment charities. Known as the World’s Toughest Row, the challenge starts in December…

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Number of critically-endangered capercaillie increases

Numbers of critically-endangered capercaillie have increased for the first time in eight years. The birds are on the verge of extinction in Scotland with numbers having decreased by more than 50% in the last five years. The latest national survey (2021/2022) estimated there are only 542 capercaillie left in Scotland. But the latest lek count…

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