RSPB Scotland has issued an appeal and a reward for information, following the discovery of the body of a golden eagle on Deeside. The bird, fitted with a satellite transmitter, was found on 5 May 2012, after signals sent by the transmitter indicated that the bird had not moved for several days. The body was found, lying face down, with its wings folded, under a tree branch, close to a lay-by on a quiet country road near Aboyne, and was seized as evidence by officers from Grampian police. The carcass was then taken for a post mortem at the Scottish…

The Scottish Wildcat Association (SWA) is warning that the number of pure-bred wildcats has fallen so low that the species could be extinct within monnths. The SWA reviewed 2,000 records of camera trap sightings, eyewitness reports and also road kill evidence which they say suggests there might only be 35 wildcats living in Scotland. This is far fewer than previously thought and a recent report by Scottish Natural Heritage estimated that there might be 150 breeding pairs of the endangered creatures. Disease and inter-breeding with domestic and feral cats are the main causes of the reduction in number of of…

Britain’s mountaineers have united in a campaign to protect Scotland’s most sensitive mountain areas from wind farm industrialisation. The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) has announced its backing for the Mountaineering Council of Scotland’s (MCofS) manifesto which calls for a moratorium on further developments in key upland areas, especially round the Munros and Corbetts which are Scotland’s highest peaks. The document, Protecting our Mountains: The MCofS Manifesto on Onshore Wind Farms, also seeks urgent action to create a Scottish national spatial renewables policy to harmonise clean energy generation with landscape protection. MCofS Chief Officer David Gibson welcomed the support of the…

Volunteers from Arran and the mainland came together to help build a replica Bronze Age roundhouse in Brodick Country Park. In just six days the volunteers, achieved an incredible amount and were able to assemble the wooden skeleton of a roundhouse, which was once a common type of dwelling across what is now Scotland over 4,000 years ago. The roundhouse, located on the park’s Wilma’s Walk, is part of the Arran Archaeology Project, a two year joint venture between Arran Arts Resource and the National Trust for Scotland Ranger Service. The project gives local school children the opportunity to explore…

A new report reviews the legal avenues to resolve conflicts between land managers and reintroduced species, as well as recommending comprehensive management strategy for all reintroductions and is generally positive about the effects of species reintroductions but says that beavers may have to be culled in future if the species is formally reintroduced in Scotland. Scotland has already successfully reintroduced sea eagles and red kites, and is now considering reintroducing beavers, with a trial underway in Knapdale. The report was commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), at the request of the Scotland’s National Species Reintroduction Forum, to help inform debate…

The latest progress report on beaver the Scottish Beaver Trial has been published by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and shows that after initial set backs the beavers appear to be thriving in their Argyle home. A group of European beavers was reintroduced to Knapdale forest near Lochgilphead in 2009, as part of the Scottish Beaver Trial. Since then SNH has been closely monitoring the beavers, and their effects on the environment, in partnership with a number of other independent organisations. The results of this monitoring will help inform the Scottish Government’s decisions about the future of beavers in Scotland, following…

Basking sharks being tracked by satellite in Scottish waters have begun to reveal some secrets. The last of 20 sharks was tagged last week by scientists from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the University of Exeter, as part of a project to find out more about their life cycle. The results of the project will help inform decisions about marine protected areas and the future management of Scotland's marine environment. The tags, which allow the public to track the movements of eight of the sharks online, show that in the last three or four weeks, many have stayed around the…

The John Muir Trust has responded to the announcement by the UK government of the new subsidy level for wind energy production, a reduction of only 10 per cent, by calling for legal protection for the top 10 per cent of Wild Land in the UK. Stuart Brooks, chief executive of the Trust, said: “There are two aspects of major concern for lovers of natural landscapes from current energy policies. Most of the UK’s top 10 per cent of wild land has no statutory protection and there are now a host of applications for industrial energy developments coming through in…