Convener of Ramblers Scotland, Dennis Canavan, has called for the next Scottish Government to carry out a fundamental review of the role of windfarm development in future energy strategies. The call comes after it was revealed that windfarm operators in Scotland are being paid to switch off their turbines because the national grid cannot cope with the excess energy being produced. Six windfarm operators have received payments of £900,000 for stopping their turbines for several hours on 5 and 6 April, including £300,000 paid to the operators of the Whitelees windfarm in East Renfrewshire. Dennis Canavan said: “The windfarm gravy…

Visitors and locals in the Highlands are being offered the chance to see the courtship display of black grouse once again. Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve, sited part way between Laggan and Spean Bridge, ran a similar event last year which proved so popular that this time it is planned to hold two guided black grouse watches on Saturday 30 April and Sunday 1 May. The displays called ‘leks’ take place in the spring as male black grouse compete to attract females. With the striking black and white plumage of the birds, and their strange bubbling calls, the show is…

The John Muir Trust has cautiously welcomed the prospect of revised plans for a gold mine at Cononish, near Tyndrum in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. Developer Scotgold Resources Ltd has issued a letter to interested parties stating its intention to submit a new application for the mine, which will include a Tailings Management Facility (which will deal with excavated waste) that is “approximately half” the size of the original. The waste treatment and the effect on the River Cononish was the main reason for the refusal of the original planning application by the National Park Authority. The…

One of northeast Scotland’s top wildlife watching sites is sporting a new bird hide in time for summer. Forvie national nature reserve, just north of Aberdeen, is famous for wading birds and geese. The hide overlooks the Ythan estuary at Waulkmill, a vast area of mudflats, reed beds and nearby fields. Recent counts have found over 22,000 pink-footed geese use the estuary and nearby fields. Visitors also often see large numbers of other birds like lapwing, golden plover and redshank. One of the reasons the hide’s location is terrific for bird-watching is the mud: the mud in front of the…

Conservationists at the National Trust for Scotland have caught a rare image of a wildcat in the grounds of Leith Hall estate in Aberdeenshire. The image which was caught by wildlife surveillance cameras, which were funded by Scottish Natural Heritage, set up on Craigfall Hill in the grounds of the historic property a few weeks ago, while snow still blanketed the ground. Nature conservation advisor Rob Dewar said: “Leith Hall nestles below open moorland and plantation forests deep in the Aberdeenshire countryside and is a haven for wildlife. “Sightings of Scottish wildcats had been reported on Craigfall Hill, but was…