It's been a busy time throughout the winter for the 'Celebrating Nature with Schools' project. Since the first hardy primary class in November there have been 10 further schools from Dundee, Angus, Perth & Kinross and Fife, joining us at Tentsmuir NNR to learn about the return of our magnificent white-tailed eagles
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Groups have explored the yearly life cycle of the local pair who hunt along the Tay Estuary through a variety of activities, including; pair bonding and talon grappling, building giant nests (some as big as a double bed!) and engaging in fierce competitions for prey
There have even been quite reflective moments tuning in our eagle eyes and ears to all the noises of the forest.
February saw a few guests come to join in the learning adventure, including Calum Munro from the People's Postcode Lottery, who are kindly sponsoring the project. We were also excited to be invited to be part of the Scottish Environment Link event; 'The Future is Now' at the Scottish Parliament.
It was inspiring to see the variety of education projects encouraging young people to connect with their local wildlife and become the next generation to step up and 'Defend Nature'. We also had the opportunity to chat with Mark Ruskell MSP and species champion for the white-tailed eagle about our work.
Despite the best efforts of Storm Doris we have been blessed with some glorious weather. One stand out day included a visit to the Eden Estuary, supported by Ranald Strachan, ranger with the Fife Coastal and Countryside Trust.
The group had a great time not only learning about sea eagles, but the special mud flat habitat that supports a wide variety of wading birds. Who knew that jelly sweets and chopsticks could be so effective at demonstrating the foraging techniques of waders?!So with many more schools due to join us in the coming months and the skylarks heralding Spring by singing high above the sands at Tentsmuir, we look forward to perhaps catching a glimpse of our native sea eagles, flying past on another hunting mission.