Scottish Nature Notes

Sadie Gorvett, our Community Engagement Officer based in Aberdeen, recently took up an invitation to help out with some work up in Shetland.

Not everyone is fond of slugs, but here are five facts which might just change your mind!

One of our wonderful volunteers, Marion, takes us through what it’s like being a volunteer with RSPB Scotland, and the creative new way she is managing her pin badge boxes.

Today we’re very excited to launch Glasgow to Globe, a living exhibition that demonstrates how nature can help tackle the climate crisis and create a happier, healthier world.

Last year the Scottish Government committed to protect at least 30% of Scotland’s land for nature by 2030. So how much land is currently protected and how far do we have left to go?

In today’s blog, RSPB Scotland’s Ian McNab shares five facts about bottlenose dolphins.

It has been 10 years since RSPB Scotland acquired Crannach nature reserve. Site Manager Sturt Jennings looks back past and into the future of this special reserve.

Exciting things are coming to the wetlands at RSPB Loch Lomond. In this blog, Mirran Trimble from Froglife tells us more.

Former RSPB Scotland staff member Amanda Biggins is now an active volunteer, monitoring one of Scotland's rarest birds. In today's blog, she updates us on their return to their Aberdeenshire breeding grounds.

Last week we asked people to imagine a shopping experience set in a future where our skies had fallen silent, cities had disappeared under rising seas and nature had collapsed, at our InConvenience store in Waverley Mall, part of the RSPB’s Revive Our World Campaign.

You might have seen our video all about 10-year-old bird lover Yiyi, who took part in our Big Garden Birdwatch. We were so impressed with her love for birds and nature that we had to get in touch with her to find out more.

Of the many black and white seabirds, the razorbill might just be the most stylish. In this blog Molly Martin tells us five facts about these chunky auks!

A guest blog by Dr Euan Dunn, author of a new RSPB report, which makes the case for strengthening the management of fishing for sandeels – a small oily fish that is both the target of industrial fishing in the North Sea and the favourite food of kittiwakes, puffins and much more besides.

No matter who you are, every single person can make a difference and help nature. In this blog we celebrate some of the small steps we can all take to hold decisionmakers accountable and reduce our own environmental impact.

Last week volunteers from the Cairngorms Connect partnership made a three and a half mile hike, climbing around sixteen hundred feet to Loch A'an, between them carrying 3,000 montane willow saplings. RSPB Scotland's Stephen Magee was among the tree-transport party, here he tells us what it was like to make this epic journey, and what the hopes are for these little plants.

To celebrate this year’s World Ocean Day theme ‘Life and Livelihoods’, we spoke to some of the wonderful people working to save our special seas at RSPB Scotland.

Project Puffin is a citizen science project that asks the public to be members of the Puffarazzi and submit photos of puffins carrying prey for their chicks. Our Puffineers (a group of fantastically dedicated volunteers) run this flagship citizen science project, that generates crucial data for conservation science and facilitates high public engagement. The Puffineers have a front and centre role on deciding the direction…

On World Peatland Day 2021, Julia Westbury tells us about two important areas of peatland restoration work on RSPB Scotland reserves.

Monitoring of protected areas has been inadequate in Scotland over the last decade. Niamh Coyne, RSPB Scotland’s Conservation Planner discusses the need for this to be urgently addressed to meaningfully deliver on the Scottish Government’s commitment to protect 30% of Scotland’s land for nature by 2030.

Two weeks ago, we issued a stark warning to all our newly elected MSPs about the perilous state of…

This week is invasive non-native species week. A chance to highlight the problems that non-native species can cause to plants and animals when they are introduced or spread outside of their natural habitat. Today we are looking at woodlands, what invasive species are a threat here, and what can be done to protect Scotland’s rainforest.

Today marks the start of this year’s Invasive Species Week. It is organised by the Non-native Species Secretariat to raise awareness of invasive non-native species (INNS) and how everyone can help to prevent their spread. Paul Walton, RSPB Scotland’s Head of Habitats and Species, explains more about the problems and what actions the Scottish Parliament must take to tackle the threats of invasive non-native species in…

We are in a nature and climate emergency and it is absolutely critical that we get to grips with turning this around in the next few years. Key to this is getting new policies and laws in place during this Parliament to start that change happening. Our newly elected MSPs have a lot of work to do.

Scotland’s nature is world-renowned. It is part of our heritage, our culture, our identity. It supports our economy and our…

Ailis Watt, a student at the University of Glasgow, tells us how important her local nature is, and why RSPB Scotland is campaigning for better access for everyone this Mental Health Awareness Week

We talked to Ben Yoxon, IOSF’s Education Officer and Broadford’s Team Otter leader about these groups and why they are so important, not only to nature but also to the young people involved.

In the run up to the Scottish Elections in May we will be talking to you about the transformative changes that politicians in Scotland must make to recover Scotland’s amazing nature and how you can help. Here we look at why we should make spaces for people and nature. 

As part of the Nature Recovery Plan (NRP) launched in 2020, RSPB Scotland, WWF Scotland, and the Scottish Wildlife Trust are calling for two NRP actions…