Duke of Northumberland gives Scottish eagles a boost

AN ESTATE owned by the Duke of Northumberland has built two artificial nests to help the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project. Conservationists hope that the nests – or “eyries” – on Burncastle Estate near the Lammermuir Hills will be used by birds that have been moved to the South of Scotland to try to…

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Call for action after final Wild Isles episode

THE Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is calling on viewers to take action following tonight’s final episode of the BBC’s Wild Isles programme. The five-part documentary series, which was presented by Sir David Attenborough, has featured wildlife from throughout the UK and Ireland. Tonight’s final show profiled creatures living in the seas surrounding Scotland and the…

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£7,000 for The Capon Tree

THE Capon Tree, one of the few survivors of the ancient Jed Forest, has received £7,000 of funding to help with its conservation. The ancient sessile oak is estimated to be between 700 and 1,000 years old and is recognised by The Tree Council as “one of Britain’s 50 greatest trees”. The cash came from…

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Scots want ‘wilder’ national parks

A MAJORITY of Scots want our national parks to be “wilder”, according to a survey by the Scottish Rewilding Alliance. An opinion poll conducted by market research agency Survation found that 74% of Scots agreed with a call to make national parks wilder, while 6% were opposed to the idea. In February, NatureScot – the…

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Conservationists object to Coul Links golf course

WILDLIFE charities are calling on the public to object to plans for a golf course at Coul Links in Sutherland. Seven organisations – including the National Trust for Scotland, the RSPB, and the Scottish Wildlife Trust – are “extremely concerned” about revised plans submitted to The Highland Council. Craig Macadam, conservation director at insect charity…

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Bluebell wood freed from Rhododendron bushes

VOLUNTEERS from the Kinclaven Woodland Working Group are celebrating the eradication of the final Rhododendron ponticum bush at Kinclaven Bluebell Wood in Perthshire. Over the last four years, the team of 50 has worked to reduce a thick mass of the plant, spending nearly 2,000 hours on the task. The plant had claimed more than…

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Attenborough’s ‘Wild Isles’ shines light on salmon

WILDLIFE legend Sir David Attenborough’s Wild Isles television series will shine a light on the plight of Scotland’s wild Atlantic salmon on Sunday. Attenborough will use his BBC One show to highlight that “there has been a 70% loss in 25 years, and [wild Atlantic] salmon could be extinct in the next two decades”. Members…

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Wildlife film inspires Dundee art project

A BBC wildlife documentary has inspired Turner Prize-nominated artist Heather Phillipson in creating her work for this summer’s Art Night Festival in Dundee. Phillipson’s work, provisionally entitled “Dream Land”, will be exhibited at the University of Dundee’s Cooper Gallery from 16 June to 1 July. Phillipson will attend an Art Night event at the gallery…

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News from the rivers Dee and Tweed

IT’S been a busy month for the rivers Dee and Tweed. Actor Robson Green, Olympic rower Dame Katherine Grainger, and internationally-experienced river guide Al Peake have been appointed as ambassadors for the River Dee Trust. Green said: “It’s the bonniest river, not only in Scotland, but in Britain if not Europe. “But, like all rivers,…

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TV’s Miranda Krestovnikoff headlines Scottish Marine Fest

TELEVISION presenter Miranda Krestovnikoff has been unveiled as the star act at this year’s Scottish Marine Fest. Krestovnikof, who rose to fame as one of the presenters on the BBC series Coast, will open the festival on 8 June. The five-day programme runs at the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick until 12 June. Other events…

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