Anne McCall, our Director, gives us an update on the licence Scottish Natural Heritage have issued to cull ravens.

Raven research licence: an update

Earlier this week we published this blog expressing our deep concern about SNH having granted a licence to cull ravens in the Strathbraan area of Highland Perthshire. Our unease at what we believe is a surprising decision is founded especially on the context and history…

James Silvey, our nature recovery officer, takes a look at why one small island is so important for one of Scotland's rarest insects.

Small reserves for small creatures

Great yellow bumblebee on red clover. Credit: Neil Cowie

Does size matter? When it comes to protecting ecosystems then the answer is probably yes. There’s no doubt that if you want to conserve populations of capercaille, pine marten and potentially…

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…

Welcome to the eleventh instalment of our work on the Shiant Isles Recovery Project. The project is an initiative to remove non-native black rats from the isles in order to provide safe breeding sites for Scotland’s globally important seabird colonies. It is part funded by the EU LIFE+ programme and is a partnership between RSPB Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Nicolson family, who have been the custodians…

Welcome to the tenth instalment of our work on the Shiant Isles Recovery Project. The project is an initiative to remove non-native black rats from the isles in order to provide safe breeding sites for Scotland’s globally important seabird colonies. It is part funded by the EU LIFE+ programme and is a partnership between RSPB Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the Nicolson family, who have been the custodians…

With the results for Big Garden Birdwatch 2018 in RSPB Scotland’s Jess Barrett takes a closer look at some of the birds that hopped up the rankings this year.

Top of the flocks: who’s flown up the Big Garden Birdwatch chart

The Big Garden Birdwatch results are in for 2018 and have revealed that an incredible 29,362 people took part across Scotland and counted 521,428 birds – that’s over half a million of…

Dolphinwatch is back for 2018 and it's even bigger than before thanks to some new funders. RSPB Scotland's Adam Ross fills us in on the project. 

Dolphin watching in Aberdeen

Dolphins might not be the first things that spring to mind when people think of RSPB Scotland but, honestly, who could resist those smiles? The bottlenose dolphins which frequent Aberdeen harbour are fantastic indicators of ecosystem health…

Last year proposals emerged to build a golf course at Coul Links, an area of rare dune habitats on the East Sutherland coast, home to a vast array of wildlife which is triple protected at the national, European and international levels. We’re part of a group of environmental organisations campaigning to save the site and in autumn 2017 we asked you to support us by submitting objections to the Highland Council. Now Kate…

We're one of a number of organisations who has written to Government Ministers about the need for Scottish farming to become carbon neutral. Jim Densham, our Senior Land Use Policy Officer, fills us in.

Open letter calls for transition to carbon-neutral farming

We have signed an open letter addressed to Government Ministers calling on them to drive a just transition to carbon-neutral farming by 2050. The letter…

Just a few of weeks after celebrating the rat-free status of the Shiants Isles becoming official there has been even more good news for the project – it’s been nominated for a Natura2000 award! The winner of this award is decided by public vote so we need your help please to get as many votes as we can. Here Laura Bambini, RSPB Scotland’s seabird recovery officer, fills us in on how you can vote for the project…

All this week we’ve been celebrating the amazing milestone of 25,000 children in Scotland starting their own wild adventure in just two years through our partnership with Aldi. For our final day of marking this we have a blog from Katie Bogie, a Schools’ Outreach Volunteer in Edinburgh for the project.

Inspiring the next generation about nature

‘We must teach our children
To smell the earth,
To taste…

All this week we are celebrating the amazing milestone of 25,000 children in Scotland starting their own wild adventure in just two years through our partnership with Aldi. Here Sally Nicholson, a Schools’ Outreach Volunteer in Glasgow, tells us about one of her favourite Connections to Nature sessions.

An outstanding visit

My name is Sally and I have been a volunteer with the RSPB Scotland since September 2017…

All this week we are celebrating the amazing milestone of 25,000 children in Scotland starting their own wild adventure in just two years through our partnership with Aldi. In this blog from Rowan Cannell, a Schools’ Outreach Volunteer in Edinburgh, we hear about the experience children get from the 90 minute school sessions and why Rowan enjoys them so much as well.

Why connections to nature are so important

All this week we are celebrating the amazing milestone of 25,000 children in Scotland starting their own wild adventure in just two years through our partnership with Aldi. Here Craig Leitch, Community Learning Officer at RSPB Scotland Loch Leven, fills us in on the success of the school visits to the reserve that the partnership has funded.

Exploring nature at Loch Leven

It's been incredible having Aldi funding…

All this week we are celebrating the amazing milestone of 25,000 children in Scotland starting their own wild adventure in just two years through our partnership with Aldi. Here Kevin Beck, a Schools’ Outreach Volunteer in Glasgow, tells us why he volunteers for the project and what makes it so important.

Connecting children to nature in Glasgow

A Connection to Nature session taking place

I started working…

Chiffchaffs are one of the first birds to arrive back in Scotland in spring after spending the winter months in warmer places. In celebration of their return RSPB Scotland’s Jess Barrett brings you five facts you need to know about these birds.

Five facts you need to know about chiffchaffs

1. Chiffchaffs have an onomatopoeic name

Many of you will be familiar with the “chiff chaff, chiff chaff” call of a chiffchaff…

The Heritage Lottery Fund are currently running a public consultation on their future direction and funding. Over the years their support has been vital for nature conservation in Scotland. We’re asking you to please take a moment to remind them of this and here’s why.

Why Heritage Lottery Fund support is so important for nature in Scotland

Scotland’s nature is under threat – but the funding which underpins…

Signs of spring will soon be beginning to show themselves. RSPB Scotland's Jess Barrett highlights a few easy ways to help give nature a home in your garden as the days get longer and warmer.

Give nature a home this spring

Spring is starting to creep in across Scotland. We’re just a few weeks away from the clocks going forward which will give us those glorious light evenings come the summer months. Nature begins…

Let’s make our nature laws worth the paper they’re written on

Regardless of the outcome of Brexit, we all want nature to be better protected.

Given that the wild species and habitats that we love, and the pressures they face, do not respect borders, we need a collaborative approach between the four governments of the UK to ensure the best possible outcomes for nature.

You have the power to hold them…

Mountain hares are Scotland's only native member of the Lagomorpha family and are known for their coats turning white during winter. Here James Silvey, RSPB Scotland's Species and Habitats Officer, takes a look at what needs to be done to ensure the long term future of these mammals here. 

Scotland's mountain hares

A mountain hare in its winter coat

On the 26^th January the long awaited SNH (Scottish Natural…

2018 is the Year of Young People in Scotland. Here Jasper Hamlet, our Youth and Families Officer, takes a look at some of the ways RSPB Scotland is joining in with this including an exciting Wild Sparks get together taking place in June.

Year of Young People: Wild Sparks

Image: Paul Gault, Young Scot

“The world now has the largest generation of young people in history. I place great hope in their power to shape…

Climate change is happening now and affecting the things we love. As part of Show The Love week we are looking at how nature, in particular seas and seabirds around Scotland’s coasts, is being affected. In the first blog Peadar O’Connell looked at exactly what climate change is and why it is such a threat to our much loved wildlife. The second blog focused at what impact it is having on our seas. In this final…

Climate change is happening now and affecting the things we love. As part of Show The Love week we are looking at how nature, in particular seas and seabirds around Scotland’s coasts, is being affected. In the first blog Peadar O’Connell looked at exactly what climate change is and why it is such a threat to our much loved wildlife. In this second blog he looks at what impact it is having on our seas.

Show…

Snowdrop season is here! Jess Barrett celebrates the reappearance of these beautiful flowers. 

Carpets of white

It’s been a rather cold start to 2018 so far with snow for many of us and temperatures lingering below freezing. Yet, despite this there are signs of spring creeping in with the return of snowdrops to many of our gardens and woodlands. These delicate white flowers, the first to bloom while we’re still in…

Climate change is happening now and affecting the things we love. As part of Show The Love week we are looking at how nature, in particular seas and seabirds around Scotland’s coasts, is being affected. In this first blog Peadar O’Connell unpicks exactly what climate change is and why it is such a threat to our much loved wildlife. Keep an eye for more blogs over the next week.

Show The Love – what is climate…