Police Scotland and the RSPB have appealed for help identifying wildlife criminals, after releasing video footage of masked gunmen appearing to repeatedly attack a goshawk nest in the Cairngorms National Park. In May 2014, a video camera deployed by RSPB Scotland staff to monitor a goshawk nest at Glenochty, Strathdon, on land owned by Forestry Commission Scotland captured footage revealing a group of men repeatedly visiting the area in what appears to be an attempt to kill the birds and destroy the nest. The goshawk is a specially protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and it is…

The number of Golden Eagles in Scotland is to surveyed to check how its population is doing. This is the fourth survey of its kind to be undertaken and is being funded Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and RSPB Scotland. Licensed surveyors from the RSPB and the Scottish Raptor Study Group will spend six months recording the number of these majestic birds. All of the golden eagles in Great Britain are found in Scotland except for a solitary male in the Lake District. Much of the population is in the west Highlands and islands of Scotland. Long term monitoring has shown…

A petition has been launched today urging the Scottish Government to create more National Parks in Scotland. The petition, which has been organised by two Scottish charities, the Scottish Campaign for National Parks (SCNP) and The Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (APRS), calls for at least one Coastal and Marine National Park. The petition is open for signature until 13 March on the Scottish Parliament’s website. John Mayhew, Director of APRS, said: “Scotland’s landscapes rank amongst the best in the world, but we only have two National Parks, the highest national accolade which can be given to any…