Specially-trained sniffer dogs are now being used in the hunt to search and locate hedgehogs which can prey on the eggs of native bird populations. The dogs are being used by the Uist Wader Project (UWP) as part of an ongoing drive to rid the Western Isles of the non-native hedgehogs. New dog handler Stephen Robinson is in place to help the team along with golden labrador Misca, who is fully trained and will mainly be used on the moorland on the east side of Benbecula, and parts of North Uist. She is expected to be extremely effective, especially in…

Two cultural events will take place this month to mark the 80th anniversary of the evacuation of St Kilda which falls on 29 August. The Islands Book Trust, with support from the National Trust for Scotland which owns St Kilda, will be staging a four-day conference in Benbecula from 11 -14 August to explore how the Western Isles have been portrayed in literature over the centuries and to dispel some common myths. Speakers will come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and will include several with direct links to St Kilda including John MacDonald – son of Calum MacDonald (1908-1979)…

The John Muir Trust is appealing for funds to repair the path leading to the iconic Sandwood Bay, one of Britain’s most remote beaches. The Trust, which owns and protects the bay, in northwest Sutherland, is aiming to repair the path using local materials and labour. Parts of the four mile footpath are suffering from excessive erosion, which is starting to cause damage to the surrounding peatland. The repairs will cost £27,000. John Hutchison, chairman of the John Muir Trust said, “Sandwood is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The beauty of the area means it is…

Two golden eagles and a sea eagle were among 28 illegally poisoned Scottish birds of prey last year. A report published by RSPB Scotland indicates that human killing continues to have a serious impact on the populations of some of the country’s most vulnerable species. The report states that in 2009, 21 buzzards, 4 red kites, 2 golden eagles and 1 white-tailed eagle, the latter gifted to Scotland from Norway as part of a reintroduction programme, were among the victims in 46 poisoning cases confirmed by Scottish Government testing. Illegal killings, through shooting, nest destruction or the use of spring…

The John Muir Trust (JMT) has released new figures which show that the energy output of the country’s wind developments has been much less than expected. Output from wind turbines is generally stated to be 30 per cent. But figures provided by analyst Stuart Young, who runs Caithness Wind Information Forum which campaigns against the spread of windfarms in that area, show that for 80 per cent of the time between February and June 2010 Scotland’s turbines were operating at less than this. For almost a third of that time they were producing virtually no energy, operating at less than…

The viewing tower at Flanders Moss National Nature Reserve had some special visitors this spring, with a pair of redstarts nesting on one of the tower’s supports. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) staff was delighted to see the redstarts, which are listed as an amber species with unfavourable conservation status in Europe, where they are declining. This brightly coloured, member of the thrush family makes a long journey from Africa each spring, usually seeking out holes in trees for nesting, but will use many different structures. In this case, the redstarts arrived back to the Moss to find what they thought…

The application to re-open and extend Scotland’s only gold mine looks set to become the latest large-scale planning battle affecting the landscape and environment. Last week the application was described by Fiona Logan, chief executive of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, as, “our Beauly-Denny in terms of controversy”. On the one side conservations are raising serious concerns about wildlife, the affect on water quality and salmon, and landscape issues, and on the other the local community council and business development organisations are keen to see jobs created. The application by Scotgold is to re-open the mine…

Nature’s answer to Supermum, a 24-year-old osprey famed as the oldest breeding bird of its kind ever to be recorded in the UK, has exceeded the expectations of experts by surviving this year’s breeding season to see that her latest chicks successfully take their first flight from the nest. Taking to the skies on 11th July at 9:09am, the most recent chick to fledge from the osprey nest at the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve and Visitor Centre is the 47th chick of the famed female bird. With ospreys living an average of eight years and…

The Borders Forest Trust has received funding from the Scottish Government to restore native woodland at the Devil’s Beef Tub near Moffat. The Trust which bought the land at Corehead Farm in 2009 after a lengthy fundraising campaign, has secured almost £1million to re-forest part of the iconic landscape. The Trust says that the hills and valleys around the famous beauty spot were once cloaked with native woodland making up the Ettrick Forest. Within this wild forest, heather moorland thrived on the higher slopes and wetlands and meadows beside the rivers. Borders Forest Trust plans to restore these habitats and…