Senior Conservation Policy Officer, Richard Evans, has this response to a recent article on sea eagles in the Daily Telegraph.

Bad science (or never let the truth get in the way of a “good” story)

White-tailed (sea) eagle David Tipling (rspb-images.com)

Last month, we blogged [1] about a piece in the Daily Telegraph[2] that suggested that more birds of prey were killed by wind turbines than by gamekeepers…

Conservation Manager, Stuart Benn, tells us how his Big Wild Sleepout went...

I thought you were bringing it!!

It hadn’t been a good start.

We were heading up into the glens for the Big Wild Sleepout when we realised we hadn’t packed the tent! Note for next year – make a list! Anyway, it was too far from home and too late to go back to fetch it so we ended up with the two of us plus dog sleeping in the car -…

Lisa Dove, Community Fundraiser for RSPB Scotland, reveals the winners of the 2013 RSPB Scotland photo competition.

Drum roll please...

With over 200 entries received, our judges had a tough job to do deciding the winners of the 2013 RSPB Scotland Photography Competition. Dean Bricknell, John Aitchison and Andy Hay spent much time sifting through photos and even found a few surprises. With so many top quality entries…

Revealing the fortunes of birds: what satellite transmitters tell us

Here Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland's Head of Investigations, explains why fitting satellite transmitters to birds of prey is so important and what the data provided tells us about the these birds.

A golden eagle chick in Galloway who was fitted with a satellite transmitter before fledging in 2015 and disappeared in May 2016 (Dave Anderson, Scottish…

Pete Moore, Warden at RSPB Insh Marshes shares with us the story of the ospreys at Loch Insh, inspired by another successful fledging this year!

Duncan Orr-Ewing, RSPB Scotland's Head of Species and Land Management, sets out our response to the raven research licence that has been issued by Scottish Natural Heritage.

Concern over Raven research licence – RSPB Scotland’s response

Like so many of our supporters who have been in touch with us over the weekend, we were similarly outraged when we learned that SNH has, after some deliberation, finally…

Five facts you should know about goldcrests

Goldcrests are relatively common in Scotland with something like 750,000 individuals nesting here, and up to three million covering the country as far north as Shetland in winter. They’re hyperactive little birds that always seem to be on the move, flitting through woodland, feeding on small insects and seeds. You may have even seen them in your garden or local park. So it…

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…

The latest Breeding Bird Survey (published 29 August) shows kestrel numbers decreased by 65% in Scotland between 1995 and 2012. Louise Cullen met up with Senior Conservation Scientist Staffan Roos to find out why.

Scotland is a spectacular place for watching wildlife – especially birds. Whether it’s seabirds in summer or migratory geese in winter, there’s always something to look out for. Some of our resident bird species…

Farming is extremely important for nature in Scotland, with wildlife-friendly practices bringing huge benefits to the country’s landscapes and the species that use them. This blog, from Louise Cullen of the RSPB, details five birds that are already being helped by farming in Scotland. If you’d like to learn more about this type of work, come visit our stand at the Royal Highland Show this month, we’ll be there from 22…

Blue tits are lively, attractive little birds that live in wooded areas and regularly turn up in gardens, particularly if there are peanuts on offer. The vivid blue cap sets this bird apart from other tits, making it relatively easy to identify. The great tit, as the name suggests, is bigger and coal tits have no blue, green, or yellow on them. Up to 750,000 pairs of blue tits nest in Scotland and they are found all…

With buses they say you wait for ages and then two come along at once. But special places for nature are scarce and becoming rarer.

In an exciting partnership with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, we've secured a special part of Scotland for nature and people.

Why is it so special?

Is it the stunning views with wetlands, woodlands and snow capped mountains (yes, they…

Back in October 2016 we launched an urgent appeal to make our Mersehead reserve an even bigger and better home for wildlife - in the blog Jenny Tweedie gives us an update on the appeal and what comes next for the reserve.

Making Mersehead whole

We’re absolutely thrilled that a successful public appeal means we’ll now be able to extend our reserve at Mersehead on the Solway, linking up two existing areas of our land…

Jill Harden is a reserves archaeologist with RSPB Scotland and was involved with the excavation of 3,000 year old bronze weapons on our Isle of Coll nature reserve in 2015. Kilmartin Museum is now running a crowd-funding campaign to conserve these finds and put them on display for future generations to learn from. Found out more here.

RSPB Scotland’s nature reserve on the Isle of Coll is renowned for its sweeping machair…

Wildlife friendly farming is an integral part of RSPB Scotland’s work. In this blog Jack Fleming, our area manager in the Argyll Islands, and David Maynard, our community information and tourism officer at Loch Gruinart, take us through how RSPB Scotland is farming for wildlife on Islay.

Farming for wildlife on Islay

Loch Gruinart - Dave Maynard

Farming for wildlife. That, in a nutshell, is what RSPB Scotland…

Duncan Orr-Ewing, Head of Species and Land Management for RSPB Scotland, brings us this latest blog on the facts of satellite tagging birds. 

The satellite and wing tagging of birds is established scientific practice, used in many countries across the world, primarily to study the movements, and survival of birds, and in turn to inform conservation programmes. 

In the UK both satellite tagging and wing tagging are accredited…

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.

Jim Densham, Senior Land Use Policy Officer with RSPB Scotland, is back with another blog on the For The Love Of...campaign - just in time for Christmas. 

For The Love Of.....A White Christmas

The odds of a white Christmas in Glasgow this year are currently 3-1 (from a well known bookmaker) but may be cut even further now that we have had the first proper winter weather. The likelihood of a white Christmas used to be…

Sad incident whilst ringing an osprey chick

We are extremely sad to report an unfortunate accident that occurred recently when two members of staff were ringing an osprey chick in the Huntly area of Aberdeenshire. A tragic error at the top of the tree led to a chick falling to the ground from the nest, resulting in the death of the bird.

In more than 50 years of ringing osprey chicks in Scotland, this is only the…

Our very own James Reynolds, Head of Media & Communications at RSPB Scotland, tells us about a favourite pastime.

Foraging and then fungi…

My enthusiasm for all things mycological began about 15 years ago, when someone first bought me a copy of Richard Mabey’s seminal foraging bible Food for Free as a birthday gift. Already a veritable foodie with a deep love of cooking, as well as an enthusiastic outdoor…

Some of you have been in touch recently with concerns about work to control feral goats at our Inversnaid reserve. For more information on this issue please see the email below.

Goats and the Inversnaid Special Area of Conservation

There has been a lot of concern over the welfare of the goats at our Inversnaid reserve and we wanted to send a reply to everyone that has taken the time to email us on this issue.

As the…

An update from Tegan Newman, a member of our Orkney seabird tracking team.

Having a whale of a time on Muckle Skerry

Somehow, over a month has disappeared since Derren’s last blog so here is a summary of what has been keeping us busy in Orkney….

Having arrived on Orkney in April after witnessing a shocking year for seabird productivity on Fair Isle last year, I was really hoping to see a positive change…

RSPB Scotland’s Marine Policy Officer Ruby Temple-Long discusses why the Scottish Government's recent announcement of twelve new Special Protection Areas is such an important step and what we would like to see next to secure a brighter future for our seabirds.

By this time in the festive season we’re usually singing about a partridge in a pear tree, two turtle doves and three French hens, but this year, a new gift…

We've saved the best for last! Our Seabird Policy Officer, Rory Crawford, recounts his incredible visit to the Isle of Rum.

Trolls

In August last year I fulfilled an ambition I’ve had for some time: to visit the Isle of Rum, off the west coast of Scotland. Rum is a National Nature Reserve – a concept that appeals to me greatly. The SNH website says these sites are ‘areas of land set aside for nature, where the main…

12 Days or Christmas Challenge

The holidays are rapidly approaching and it may be tempting to curl up in front of the TV and watch your favourite Christmas film or enjoy a  festive drink with friends and family, but this year why not set yourself a new challenge? Instead of spending the season indoors, wrap up warm and treat yourself (and a few lucky* family & friends) to the wildlife spectacles of the season! 

Here…