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…

Many of you will have seen house martins dashing about in the skies above you the last couple of months. Here RSPB Scotland’s Jess Barrett brings you five facts you need to know about these summer migrants.

Five facts you need to know about house martins

1. House martins have a white rump

With swifts, swallows, sand martins and house martins all back in Scotland over the summer months it can be difficult to…

Two and a half weeks ago, RSPB Scotland, supported by a coalition of environmental experts including Buglife Scotland, Butterfly Conservation Scotland, Plantlife Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Marine Conservation Society, launched an e-action asking people to write to their MSPs, or if not in Scotland, to the First Minister, calling on the Scottish Government to step in…

Fate of Coul Links now in the hands of Scottish Government

URGENT call to action

Those of you following the campaign to Save Coul Links will know that we’re part of a group of conservation organisations fighting to stop proposals for a golf course on this triple protected wildlife site. Coul Links is one of the Scotland’s national treasures and is designated as a SPA, Ramsar site and SSSI. Kate Bellew, our Senior Conservation…

National Insect Week kicks off today until 24^th June. You can find out more about it here. To celebrate we’re bringing you a fantastic blog from Mary Laing, a volunteer for Rare Invertebrates in the Cairngorms on her involvement in the project along with some beautiful photos she has taken.

Me and the Kentish Glory

Mary Laing, based in the Cainrgorms National Park, is relatively new to moth recording but has…

Swift Awareness Week starts today so in celebration of these birds RSPB Scotland’s Jess Barrett brings you five facts you need to know about them. You can find out more about Swift Awareness Week and find events happening near you as part of it here.

Five facts you need to know about swifts

1. Swifts migrate here from Africa

Swifts spend our winter months away from our cold weather in Africa, undertaking a huge…

Last week Highland Council held an important meeting to decide on the fate of Coul Links. Kate Bellew, Senior Conservation Planner at RSPB Scotland, attended the meeting and brings us up to date on the threat to this internationally important wildlife site.

#SaveCoulLinks Please get ready, we may need your help again soon

Small blue butterfly - the species has been recorded at Coul Links

A week ago Highland Council…

Ian McNab takes a look back over this year's fantastic nature festival in Orkney.

Orkney Nature Festival 2018

May saw the sixth running of the annual Orkney Nature Festival, with RSPB Scotland co-ordinating a wide range of events all over the county. From navigating boats into cavernous sea-caves, to designing household goods with discarded beach litter, there was something for everyone to enjoy.

While RSPB Scotland…

In our final blog celebrating Volunteers’ Week Colin Miller looks back at his time as an intern at our Central Highland Reserves and fills us in on some of the work he was involved with.

My time as a Central Highland Reserves intern

Wading around the shallower section of Loch Ruthven (full loch survey). Image by Isabel Morgan.

While working as an intern, I was lucky to work on one of the best sites for Slavonian…

In our second blog celebrating Volunteers' Week we hear from Lizzie Rhoades on how she's been involved in Digging for Diversity, a partnership project kindly funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund’s Young Roots Scheme aimed at engaging young people with Edinburgh's wildlife. Lizzie is the president of the Dirty Weekenders, the University of Edinburgh's conservation volunteers student society. 

Digging…

It's Volunteers' Week 1st to 7th June; to celebrate all of our fantastic volunteers who generously donate their time to RSPB Scotland we'll be sharing some of their experiences with you. For our first blog we hear from Adaica Rodríguez, a residential volunteer at our RSPB Scotland Mersehead reserve in Dumfries and Galloway.

Tales of a residential volunteer at RSPB Scotland Mersehead

The warm and…

All this month we are highlighting the plight of curlews in the UK. As part of this we're taking a look at what Lewis Macdonald MSP, species champion for curlew in Scotland, has been doing to help the species. 

Championing the Curlew in Scotland

In Scotland our species champion for the curlew is Lewis Macdonald, Member of Scottish Parliament for North East Scotland Region. Since first signing up to the project…

Peadar O'Connell, our Marine Policy Officer, recalls an evening’s kayak paddle by Marwick Head in Orkney and the seabirds that make a home there.

Echos of Kitticks

We launch from the shell strewn sands, slipping over the recently submerged seaweed on a subsiding tide, whilst oystercatchers alarm indignantly, their peace temporarily shattered. As we skirt around the cliffs the gentle swell rebounds off the…

Help push for a strong Climate Change Act – our wildlife needs it

Last week the Scottish Government introduced the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets) (Scotland) Bill to the Scottish Parliament. The Bill sets new targets for emission reductions but it’s not enough to meet the threat faced by wildlife and people in Scotland and around the world.

Our precious wildlife is suffering now from global…

Re-invest in Scotland’s most precious nature sites

All this week we have been celebrating our most special places for nature by bringing you a series of blogs about Scotland’s amazing protected areas. To round up the week, Isobel Mercer, RSPB Scotland Policy Officer, explains why we need to increase our investment in Scotland’s protected areas so that they continue to protect nature for generations to come…

The Shiant Isles: a safe haven for Scotland’s seabirds

All this week we are celebrating our most special places for nature by bringing you a series of exciting blogs about Scotland’s amazing protected areas. Today Charlie Main, Shiant Isles Seabird Recovery Project Manager, tells us about the Shiant Isles - a remote haven for Scotland’s seabirds - and the hugely successful rat eradication project that has secured…

Protecting special sites to save the curlew

All this week we are celebrating our most special places for nature by bringing you a series of exciting blogs about Scotland’s amazing protected areas. Today we hear from Isobel Mercer, RSPB Scotland Policy Officer, about why we need for more nature sites to protect the wonderful curlew.

Curlew, credit: Andy Hay

As well as being Protected Areas Week it is also Curlew…

The call of the corncrake and the magic of the machair

All this week we are celebrating our most special places for nature by bringing you a series of exciting blogs about Scotland’s amazing protected areas. Today we hear from Jamie Boyle, Site Manager at our Balranald Reserve, about the wonderful relationship between corncrakes and traditional farming techniques within this unique protected site.

It’s early…

Scotland’s growing network of cetacean Marine Protected Areas

All this week we are celebrating our most special places for nature by bringing you a series of exciting blogs about Scotland’s amazing protected areas. Today, we hear from guest blogger Sarah Dolman, Policy Manager at Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), about the growing network of protected sites for marine mammals like dolphin, porpoise and whale…

Springtime at Airds Moss Nature Reserve

All this week we are celebrating our most special places for nature by bringing you a series of exciting blogs about Scotland’s amazing protected areas. Today Dan Brown, Senior Conservation Advisor for South and West Scotland, tells us about the vibrant springtime unfolding at Airds Moss – a protected area that is special for birds like curlew, golden plover and redshank, as well…

Life on the Firth of Forth

All this week we are celebrating our most special places for nature by bringing you a series of exciting blogs about Scotland’s amazing protected areas. Today David Anderson, Inner Forth Project Officer, tells us all about life on the Firth of Forth Special Protection Area (SPA), and the wonderful birds that this site protects.

I love spring. It’s the season when the whole natural world…

Welcome to Protected Areas Week 2018

All this week we are celebrating our most special places for nature by bringing you a series of exciting blogs about Scotland’s amazing protected areas. We’re kicking off with Natura 2000 Day. Today, nature fans all across Europe will be celebrating what this wonderful network has achieved for wildlife and for people. Isobel Mercer, RSPB Scotland Policy Officer, tells…

Dolphinwatch has just launched - find out more about the project and meet the team.

Dolphinwatch in Aberdeen – Meet the team!

2018 marks a very exciting year for RSPB Scotland in Aberdeen. Over the last five years, we have been raising the profile of Aberdeen as one of the best and most reliable places in Europe to see bottlenose dolphins while engaging people about marine wildlife and habitats and the threats…

The UK is one of the most important places for curlews but numbers here are in decline. Throughout May across the RSPB we will be highlighting their plight. Many people are inspired by these birds - on Shetland two knitting patterns have been created in their honour. 

Knit for Shetland Whaaps

Curlews, more commonly known as Whaaps in Shetland, are part of the fabric of Shetland so we are thrilled that we have two knitting…

As Digging for Diversity, a project aimed at engaging young people with nature in Edinbugh, comes to an end Laura Goble, Community Green Space Officer – Edinburgh for RSPB Scotland, takes a look at what it has achieved and what comes next.

Digging for Diversity

The coming of Easter marked the end of Digging for Diversity, a two year joint project focused on engaging young people in the exploration of Edinburgh…