• Happy days for red-necked phalaropes at the Mires of Funzie

    This summer we had some exciting red-necked phalarope news at the Mires of Funzie. Our Shetland sites manager Kevin Kelly tells us more.

    To say the last few months in Shetland have been difficult is an understatement. The impact the current strain of HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza) is having on our seabirds has been heart-breaking to witness. But just as nature can break our hearts it can also fill them with…

    • 26 Sep 2022
  • White-tailed eagles in the Cairngorms - a look back at the 2022 season

    We've had a wonderful year at our Loch Garten Nature Centre, with live cameras capturing two white-tailed eagles fledging in the Cairngorms Connect landscape. Ewan Craig looks back at an awe-inspiring few months.
    • 23 Sep 2022
  • The beetle and the bird

    Dave Wood, Site Manager at The Oa nature reserve on Islay tells us why dung beetles are so important to our most stylish corvid – the chough, and what needs to be done to make sure there are enough dung beetles to support the chough population.
    • 8 Sep 2022
  • Environmental Standards Scotland - safeguarding Scotland's nature

    Environmental Standards Scotland are an independent body whose role is to assess how well environmental law is being implemented by public bodies in Scotland. In this blog, their Chief Executive Officer discusses how they work to safeguard Scotland's nature.
    • 29 Aug 2022
  • On a wing and a prayer

    Several white-tailed eagle chicks have recently died on Mull, some of which have tested positive for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). Dave Sexton tells us more in this blog. WARNING: CONTAINS IMAGES OF DEAD BIRDS.
    • 25 Aug 2022
  • Five facts about hen harriers

    Watching a hen harrier soar is one of the most incredible spectacles in nature. Read on for five facts about one of the most iconic birds of the Scottish uplands.
    • 8 Aug 2022
  • Living with the land in Norway

    Some of our staff recently spent a week in Norway learning about the relationships many Norwegians enjoy with the landscape. Here's a little of what they learned.
    • 4 Aug 2022
  • A new chapter for Scotland’s Rainforest

    We are delighted to be able to share with you that RSPB Scotland have taken on a new site, Glencripesdale nature reserve, located on the Morvern Peninsula, on the south shore of Loch Sunart in the Western Highlands of Scotland. Izzy Baker tells us more.

    Why Glencripesdale?

    Glencripesdale nature reserve is part of Scotland’s rainforest, a very rare habitat that is fragmented and under threat.

    When you hear the…

    • 1 Aug 2022
  • Living alongside urban gulls

    Urban gulls can be particularly noisy at this time of year, especially in coastal communities. In this blog we discuss why this is, the challenges they face and how we can live alongside each other.
    • 29 Jul 2022
  • We need a Nature Emergency Strategy!!

    We are facing a nature and climate emergency.

    The signs are all around us.

    It's clearer than ever the climate is in crisis with temperatures in Scotland reaching record highs again last week – the UK’s 10 warmest years since 1884 have been in the last two decades – and wildfires in England, Spain, France, Portugal, Greece, California and even Alaska.

    And the same is true for nature. This year, avian…

    • 27 Jul 2022
  • Hope hard to find

    Kirsty Nutt describes a visit to the gannet colony at Troup Head last week to look at the impact avian influenza is having there.

    Warning: Contains images and descriptions you might find upsetting. 

    Last week I visited our Troup Head nature reserve to meet the site manager, Richard, and an STV reporter. Located on the northeast coast of Scotland, it is Scotland’s only mainland gannet colony. Gannets first bred here in…

    • 26 Jul 2022
  • Visiting Loch Leven

    Rhona Maxwell, our Projects and Events Officer, tells us why she loves visiting our Loch Leven nature reserve.
    • 22 Jul 2022
  • Species on the Edge – A new partnership project for coastal wildlife

    James Silvey tells us about Species on the Edge, a NatureScot-led project that aims to protect 35 of Scotland's most vulnerable coastal and island species.
    • 18 Jul 2022
  • Avian Influenza update

    RSPB Scotland's Country Communications Manager, Kirsty Nutt gives us an update on the bird flu situation we are currently experiencing.
    • 17 Jul 2022
  • Avian influenza - the impact in Shetland

    RSPB Scotland Country Communications Manager Stephen Magee recently travelled to the Shetland Islands to film the ongoing crisis caused by bird flu. Here he reflects on the things he saw and the people he met. WARNING - CONTAINS IMAGES OF DEAD BIRDS
    • 12 Jul 2022
  • Here we go again, sadly (Coul Links)

    In February 2020, we celebrated some fantastic news for nature. The Scottish Government had just announced that the proposals for a golf development at Coul Links near Embo had been refused.

    For many of us, it was a huge relief and a truly uplifting end to more than four years of fighting to protect this special area, as part of a huge collective effort with conservation partners and more than 13,000 members of the public…

    • 8 Jul 2022
  • RSPB Scotland at the Royal Highland Show 2022

    Rhona Maxwell is our Projects and Events Officer for Scotland. In today's blog, she reflects on a very busy few days at this year's Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh.
    • 6 Jul 2022
  • The Outer Hebrides is celebrating its first ever Wildlife Festival

    We're so excited about the first ever Outer Hebrides Wildlife Festival starting this week. Read on for a taste of what's coming up.
    • 20 Jun 2022
  • Five facts about dotterels

    This Father's Day, we're celebrating one of nature's greatest dads, the dotterel. The understated male of the species takes the lead on parenting duties in some of the most extreme habitats in Scotland. Read on for five facts about these fascinating birds.
    • 19 Jun 2022
  • Scotland’s Good Food Nation Bill is here, what next?

    In this blog we look at the outcome of the recent Stage 3 debate for the Good Food Nation Bill, and of the future of Scotland’s food system.
    • 18 Jun 2022
  • Connecting with Nature for Photography

    RSPB Scotland volunteer and Scots Magazine Photographer of the Year Laura Elliot discusses what nature photography means to her and the process which led to the award winning shot.
    • 7 Jun 2022
  • Volunteering with Curlew LIFE

    Colin Mclennan tells us about his experiences volunteering with the Curlew LIFE project on our Insh Marshes nature reserve.
    • 6 Jun 2022
  • Bird Flu - a new threat to Scottish seabirds

    Paul Walton gives an update on the worrying bird flu threat to Scottish seabirds and outlines action needed to protect our precious wildlife.

    The loss, to a deadly new strain of Avian Influenza, of 1/3 of the entire Solway barnacle goose population last winter was an unprecedented tragedy. It took us into uncharted territory regarding Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) and wild birds. RSPB Scotland staff, with the…

    • 27 May 2022
  • Surprises at Wood of Cree

    Our nature reserves aren't just homes for wildlife - many also harbour ancient signs of human habitation. Our Reserves Archaeologist, Jill Harden, discusses some of these discoveries from a recent visit to Wood of Cree.
    • 23 May 2022
  • Collaborative action for wading birds

    Owen Selly, Conservation Officer for RSPB Scotland covering Loch Lomond, The Trossachs and Tayside tells us about the work farmers in Angus are doing to help our precious wading birds.

    It’s a stunning May evening as I sit not in a field or on a hill, but at my laptop, meeting with farmers and other conservationists to discuss our collective progress in a trial initiative by the Working for Waders partnership to help…

    • 20 May 2022