Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has teamed up with the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) to double the money available to Scottish groups to improve and protect the natural environment through BIG’s Community Wildlife funding scheme. Launched in June this year BIG’s Community Wildlife programme had a budget of £250,000 to distribute in Scotland making grants of £300 to £10,000 to allow community groups to discover, enjoy or protect the local wildlife in their area. Now SNH has invested a further £250,000 to enable communities across Scotland an even greater chance to celebrate local biodiversity. From bird, bat or badger watching, to…

An injured Osprey was rescued close to the River Dunbeath in Caithness on Monday 13 September. The rescue was undertaken by the local SSPCA Inspector who took the bird to be treated by a local vet. However the Osprey died as a result of its’ injury, which the Police say the result of a deliberate act. Northern Constabulary are working in partnership with the SSPCA and the RSPB in order to conduct enquiries into this incident. Caithness Wildlife Crime Officer, PC Cailean Macleod commented ” any persons with any information regarding who is responsible for committing this crime, or where…

A new report by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) reveals that Scotland’s seabird numbers appear to be levelling off, after a steady period of decline since 2000. Between 1986 and 2009, the number of seabirds in Scotland has fluctuated, but declined overall by 28 percent. Now, a recent study confirms that overall numbers may have stabilised since 2007. The decrease was likely due to food shortages, weather conditions and predation by non-native species such as brown rats and mink. A likely major cause was a drop in the number of small fish, such as sandeels, which are an important food source…