Posts Tagged ‘wildlife’
Is this the ultimate ‘off-grid’ job?
THE island of Rona aims to double its population by offering what’s billed as the ultimate “off-grid” job. The island, which is accessed only by a private boat, wants to recruit a live-in estate worker, along with a partner who will work part-time. Duties include “estate and property maintenance and management, housekeeping, logistics, and assisting…
Read MoreHighlands Rewilding buys Argyll’s Tayvallich Estate
THE Highlands Rewilding project today revealed it has raised the £10.5 million it needed to buy the 3,500-acre Tayvallich Estate in Argyll. The initiative, which already owns Beldorney in Aberdeenshire and Bunloit near Loch Ness, raised the funds ahead of last night’s deadline. Highlands Rewilding announced in December that it was in exclusive talks to…
Read MoreMove from research to conservation to save migrating birds
SCIENTISTS want efforts to shift from research to conservation in order to save migrating birds. Species under threat include cuckoos, swifts, and turtle doves, as well as swallows and whinchats. The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) warned that gaps in research into the problem shouldn’t…
Read MoreDucks given helping hand with nest tubes
NOW is the “ideal time” to install nest tubes for ducks, according to the Brititsh Association for Shooting & Conservation (BASC). The charity’s push to erect more platforms is part of its wider duck monitoring project. Last year, 48% of the 225 raised nests monitored by the project were occupied, with 98% showing signs of…
Read MorePerth event to examine grouse conservation
SCOTLAND’S four grouse species will be under the spotlight during an event in Perth. The symposium – entitlted “Practical Conservation for Scotland’s Grouse species” – is being organised by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) and the World Pheasant Association (WPA). Taking place at Balhousie Castle on 5 May, the event will examine the…
Read MoreScotland’s ‘ice age’ pinewoods on knife-edge
THE remnants of the Caledonian pinewoods could be wiped out within a generation, according to a study unveiled today. Four years of analysis by conservation charity Trees for Life – the first major research into Caley pines for more than 60 years – found that “high deer numbers, spread of non-native conifers, lack of long-term…
Read MoreBuccleuch selling more of Langholm Moor
ESTATE owner Buccleuch revealed this morning that it will sell more of Langholm Moor next month. Oxygen Conservation, which already owners land around the Firth of Tay, will buy 11,390 acres of moor around Blackburn and Hartsgarth. The organisation aims to demonstrate that environmental conservation can also deliver social and economic benefits for local communities.…
Read MoreCity gardeners asked to spot mammals
HAVE you spotted rabbits, foxes, or other mammals in your urban garden? If so then the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) wants to hear from you. The charity is gathering reports of sightings, footprints, and droppings from gardens, allotments, parks, playing fields, cemetries, and other public spaces. Its data will help with conservation work…
Read MoreFred Olsen passengers report 4,400 wildlife sightings
PASSENGERS aboard Fred Olsen cruise ships recorded 4,400 wildlife sightings last year. The most frequent species spotted was – appropriately – the common dolphin, which was sighted 296 times, reaching 1,996 individual dolphins. Other creatures reported during cruises included humpback whales, orca, a blue whale, and even the deepest-diving animal, the elusive Cuvier’s beaked whale,…
Read MoreWildlife struggles as climate change bites
SCOTLAND’S wildlife is struggling to recover due to biodiversity loss and climate change, according to experts. Figures published this morning by NatureScot, the Scottish Government agency known previously as Scottish Natural Heritage, showed species are struggling to increase their numbers or to spread their locations. More than 2,800 species are stuck at 1990s’ levels, which…
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