The sole surviving juniper plant at the National Trust for Scotland’s Ben Lomond is set to get a family, thanks to the efforts of the conservation charity. Once more widespread in the area, there is now only one juniper (Juniperus communis) bush remaining on this popular mountain, and only a handful of plants are still present in the wider Loch Lomondside area. Now, conservation experts are searching for local plants to establish a ‘family’ of juniper and help ensure that the plant survives for future generations. Ranger Alasdair Eckersall explains: “In the past, juniper was probably relatively widespread here, but…

Staff at Loch Garten RSPB reserve were celebrating the first egg laid by the returning female osprey as work is completed on providing a secure power supply to the centre. The osprey, called EJ, has laid an egg after returning to the reserve near Aviemore for an eighth season. The bird’s partner, named Odin, has been bringing a regular supply of fish to the nest. Visitors to this osprey stronghold will benefit from an unrivalled experience after £63,000 funding by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). The backing will provide the Abernethy National Nature Reserve (NNR) with a new mains power supply.…

Islanders on the small isle of Rum have taken over ownership of 160 acres and houses in the main settlement, Kinloch. As the culmination of a 10 year negotiation and transfer plan, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has moved assets it owned on the isle, worth an estimated £257,000, to a community trust owned and run by the islanders. Residents had voted in favour of community ownership last January and Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham has welcomed the deal, calling it a new dawn for the island. The islanders plan to implement a long term strategy for developing the community and the…

A wolf that escaped from her enclosure at the Highland Wildlife Park in Strathspey has been recaptured. The alarm was raised at about 4pm today (Tues 6 April) when the only wolf remaining at the Park escaped. The animal was recaptured after she entered an empty enclosure and was shot with a tranquiliser gun about an hour later. The Royal Zoological Society, which owns the park, said visitors were kept away from the area and were not in any danger and that Park staff were aware of the escaped wolf’s location at all times. It is understood that recent cold…

Heavy snow in Badenoch and Strathspey means that the Loch Garten Osprey centre is unlikely to open for viewing as planned tomorrow (1 April). Although EJ, the female Osprey, returned to the nest site recently, 60cm of fresh snow, means that she has sought shelter elsewhere and that visitors are unlikely to be able to make it safely to the viewing area. Although the RSPB plans to try and open the site, it is recommending that visitors postpone their visit to leave time for car parks and roads to be cleared. The same advice applies to the popular Caper-Watch which…

The bird thought to be oldest breeding female of its kind ever recorded in the UK has returned for the 20th consecutive year to the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s (SWT) Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve astonishing wildlife experts, it was announced by the SWT today (25 March). Spotted landing on her usual nesting site, known as an eyrie, at 2.00 pm on 23 March, this female osprey, estimated to now be 25 years of age which is over three times the average lifespan of an osprey, has once again completed a 3,000 mile migration from West Africa to her summer…

MSPs heard yesterday that Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) was so keen to develop the Cairngorm funicular project that it did so without proper regard for the cost and the risk to taxpayers’ money. When the railway opened in 2001, the project was nearly £5million over budget and so far funding has exceeded planned spending by £12million with another £4million being committed by HIE to maintain the railway over the next 3 to 4 years. The Scottish Parliament’s public audit committee has just published report into the project which is highly critical of the role of HIE, previously the Auditor…