Scottish Nature Notes

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. Today, we look at actions that would benefit and protect some of Scotland’s extraordinary wildlife.

Restoring nature and protecting Scotland’s iconic species

There are two actions in our joint Nature…

This spring we are voting for #oorfuture. The candidates we elect on 6 May will be responsible for taking action to tackle the nature and climate crises over the course of the next Parliament. We have joined forces with nature and climate groups across Scotland to encourage people to show how much they care ahead of next month’s election using #oorfootprint.

While Rare Invertebrates in the Cairngorms project volunteers continue working through the colder months, looking for the overwintering stages of various invertebrates, there is nothing like the thrill of seeing the first of Spring’s insects emerging! Here are five of Gen Tompkins, Project Officer, favourite harbingers of spring from the insect world.

Sarah-Jayne Forster, RSPB Scotland’s Giving Nature a Home Project Manager is encouraging us all to get closer to nature by recording the wildlife in our local patches for this year’s City Nature Challenge.

Do you love nature but have never recorded what you found? This year’s City Nature Challenge is taking place from 30th April to 3rd May and is the perfect way to start recording your local wildlife…

The results from Scotland's Big Garden Birdwatch 2021 are in! How does your garden compare?

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. Today, we look at actions to recover nature in Scotland’s spectacular seas.

There are two actions in our joint Nature Recovery Plan that focus on how we manage our seas and would deliver huge benefits for…

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.

Local activism is a crucial part of climate and ecological justice, and in this post we’d like to celebrate the inspirational work of Beenie-Ann from Shetland, age 10, who has been working at home, at school, and in her local community to bring about change.

RSPB Scotland's Duncan Orr-Ewing and Andrew Midgley discuss muirburn and what we would like to see in the face of the nature and climate crisis .

2021 is a year of challenges and opportunities for nature in Scotland. From the Scottish Parliamentary Elections in May to November’s United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow, this year we have the chance to keep conversations around climate and nature on the agenda as we work to recover from the impacts of Covid-19.

Sharing some of the wildlife moments as seen from a home office

University of Glasgow student Molly Davidson is currently on a work placement with our ecology team. Here she tells us about her first visit to our Baron’s Haugh nature reserve and the fascinating things she uncovered whilst surveying the trees there.

The parkland of Baron’s Haugh is one of the most loved areas of the reserve. The large open area is used by many people, including nature lovers, dog walkers and is…

The last year of lockdowns and travel restrictions has underlined the health benefits of having access to local green space and opportunities to connect with nature. Getting outdoors and visiting parks and nature reserves to see wildlife has been a lifeline for many people.

RSPB Scotland Conservation Officer Jenny Weston has spent some time reflecting on when she first joined the RSPB as a red kite officer and shares her more recent stories of spotting red kites while we're all staying close to home.

A challenged world is an alert world. From challenge comes change.

RSPB Scotland Senior Conservation Officer David Hunt shares stories of his local nature.

John, aged 11, lives on the Isle of Skye and combines his enthusiasm for photography with his passion for nature in his hometown, Kylerhea. John won the International Otter Survival Fund (IOSF) 2020 Otter Oscar Awards for Photography and Artwork with his incredible wildlife photos. We talked to John to find out what inspired his project and to find out more about what he does to help nature.

On February 28 the last ever mountain hare season in Scotland will end. RSPB Scotland Senior Species and Habitats Officer James Silvey discusses what protections for mountain hare in Scotland will mean.

In last week’s blog archaeologist Jill Harden told us about the history of the windpump at our Loch of Strathbeg nature reserve, and the role it once played in managing water. Here warden Lorna Dow takes over the story and tells us how water management continues to play a crucial on the reserve.

Although our aims have changed since the windpump was used, we still manage water on the reserve, but now for wildlife…

For the past few years environmental charities have been working hard to ensure that protections for nature are strengthened, not rolled back, as the UK exited the EU. In this blog, Isobel Mercer gives us a stocktake of progress in Scotland and a look ahead to how we can build from nature’s protection to nature’s recovery in 2021.

The 230 year-old windpump at our Loch of Strathbeg nature reserve underwent some much needed conservation work last year. Jill Harden, the RSPB’s Archaeologist for Scotland and Northern Ireland tells us more.

Since 2014 we have been exploring ways to save the 230 year-old windpump tower at our Loch of Strathbeg nature reserve. And now it’s done!  And it’s all been made possible by a grant from Historic Environment…

Valentine's Day is just around the corner so to ‘Show the love’ we’ve shared some of the things we love most about exploring local nature.

RSPB Scotland’s Allie McGregor shares five facts about one of our common garden visitors.

Last December, we wrote about how some of Scotland’s wonderful wildlife was under threat and facing a precarious future. This was due to the lack of a decision by the Scottish Government about the vitally important Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS). Thankfully, the Scottish Government announced at the end of 2020 that the scheme would be reopening in 2021, although not fully and with no guarantee of funding beyond…

I asked my non-birdy partner for his top tips on how to take part in Big Garden Birdwatch, when you don’t know that much about birds!