Cairngorms 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…

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What’s On This Weekend: Makers, music, and dachshunds

A look at what’s on this weekend around Scotland, with Peter Ranscombe. NEARLY 100 artists throughout Dumfries and Galloway are throwing open the doors to their studios this weekend for Spring Fling. Sixteen of the artists and makers have never taken part before, including slipware potter Mary Gladstone of Craighlaw, Kirkcowan, Newton Stewart, whose pieces…

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Have you seen a spotted flycatcher?

THE spotted flycatcher is one of six species of migratory birds returning home to Scotland right now – and scientists need your help if you spot one. Researchers at the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) are fitting spotted flycatchers with tags so that they can track their flights between Scotland and Africa. Monitoring the birds…

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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…

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Buglife survey shows 28% drop in Scotland’s flying insects

CONSERVATION charity Buglife today reports a 28% plunge in the number of flying insects spotted in Scotland over the past 18 years. The group’s 2021 Bugs Matter survey involved members of the public recording how many insects they found squashed on their car’s number plates. Scotland saw the smallest decline, compared with England’s 65% fall…

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Broad support for discussions on lynx in Scotland

There is sufficient appetite from a diverse cross-sector of rural stakeholders to examine whether potential barriers to a trial reintroduction of Eurasian lynx to Scotland can be overcome. That’s according to the first detailed study into the social feasibility of the species’ return. The research, commissioned by the Lynx to Scotland project, spent a year…

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Less than 10 weeks until GWCT Scottish Game Fair

There are now just over two months to go until the GWCT Scottish Game Fair. Some 35,000 visitors and 400 exhibitors will descend on Perthshire for the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust’s annual festival of countryside and conservation, which returns for the 33rd time to Scone Palace from Friday 1 to Sunday 3 July. Research…

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Going wild for health in the East Cairngorms

A new wildlife and nature trail has been launched in the East Cairngorms to improve well-being. In celebration of spring, the Ballater Business Association (BBA) and Braemar Tourism Group (BTG) have launched the East Cairngorms Wildlife and Nature Trail as part of their Imagine More campaign to encourage visitors to immerse themselves in nature and…

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Paws on Plastic play their part in the GB Spring Clean

A day long celebration and litter picking effort is Paws on Plastic’s contribution to the Great British Spring Clean – from a community of dog owners removing over 30 million pieces of rubbish every year. Paws on Plastic, a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation comprising 22,000 dog owners in over 70 countries who pledge to pick…

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Whisky and murder in the Scottish Field podcast

We’ve got whisky and writing in the 43rd episode of the Scottish Field podcast. We’re just over two weeks away from the return of the Spirit of Speyside whisky festival. This year, there will be more than five hundred events within the Festival, which runs from 27 April to 2 May. This year, there’s a…

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