Staff at the Loch Garten RSPB reserve near Aviemore are celebrating the arrival of a third osprey chick. Breeding pair, EJ and Odin had two chicks hatch last weekend with the third making its arrival yesterday. Three Osprey chicks are being raised by a pair of ospreys at an RSPB reserve in the Highlands. The chicks progress can be monitored on the RSPB webcam which updates images every two minutes although sightings of the chicks are rare at this stage as the adult bird remains on the nest most of the time.
40 day Munro challenger conquers Cuillin
Stephen Pyke (better known as Spyke) is still well on track to finish his Munro challenge in 40 days, although there are still some supremely challenging days ahead. On Monday of this week Spyke completed the Cuillin ridge on Skye, starting at 6 in the morning from Glenbrittle campsite and finishing at Sligachan at 9.30pm. Since then Spyke has been tackling the north Glenshiel Munros with time for a brief and unexpected encounter with Hamish Brown, the first person to complete a continuous round. Spyke is covering all the ground under his own steam, using a bike to get between…
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Wolves plan scrapped at Alladale
Alladale Esate in Sutherland has axed plans to keep four wolves in a secure enclosure. The plan had been to import the wolves from Romania and keep them in a relatively small enclosure but this has now been shelved because of concerns about the animal’s welfare. The Estate had originally planned to keep two entire wolf packs across 50,000 acres which would have involved the use of land from neighbouring estates but these plans were scaled back. The Estate, owned by MFI heir, Paul Lister, says that it still plans to keep wolves in the future but that the current…
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Speyside Way extension likely to go ahead
The Cairngorms National Park (CPNA) has decided to go ahead with the proposed extension of the Speyside Way to Newtonmore despite objections from one landowner. Last Friday (14 May) the National Park Authority’s Board approved the making of a ‘Path Order’ under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 which if given Ministerial approval will allow the path to be built without the land owner’s consent. This decision follows years of work on the proposed route and approval ‘in principle’ in 2009 from the Scottish Government to extend the Speyside Way through the Cairngorms National Park. The work has included negotiations…
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Posted in Access issues, News
Follow walks from Monty Halls’ Great Escape
Fans of the ongoing BBC2 series Monty Halls’ Great Hebridean Escape have been enjoying great footage of the superb scenery, hills and beaches of the Outer Hebrides. In the program, Monty has been working as a voluntary ranger on North Uist, and has been helping to improve waymarking and information on walks from Berneray in the north to Barra in the south. Now Walkhighlands has added coverage of North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist, Berneray and Eriskay so you can check out Monty’s waymarker posts for yourselves – and discover many more walks! Begin exploring our new Outer Hebrides walks. The…
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NTS offers high level Glencoe walks
The National Trust for Scotland’s Glencoe will mark the UN International Year of Biodiversity by giving visitors the opportunity to experience some of its highest mountains in a series of special ranger-led hikes. The challenging, high-level walks, which each take in a wide variety of habitats, begin on the International Day of Biodiversity – Saturday 22 May. Property Manager Scott McCombie said: “As a site of special scientific interest and home to a vast number of plant and animal species, Glencoe is the perfect place to celebrate biodiversity. I’m sure hikers will enjoy spotting the creatures that live on its…
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Avalanche service needs your views
Last year the Scottish Avalanche Information Service changed the format of its forecasts with the aim of making them more user-friendly. The Service is now seeking the views of walkers and climbers who have used the forecasts so they can see how the new format is working and whether it needs to be improved. If you used the Avalanche Information Service last winter you can take part in the survey here.
Posted in News
Stephen Pyke Munro-run nears halfway stage
Stephen Pyke (better known as Spyke) is still well on track on his attempted record-breaking run over all the Munros, despite reporting a problem with his achilles a couple of days ago. Spyke is climbing all the peaks under his own steam, including using a bike between some mountains and kayaking to get to the islands. As of yesterday, day 19, he had completed 136 Munros and was today heading for a mammoth route over 13 summits from Ben Cruachan to Glen Etive before tackling Glencoe over the weekend. You can follow Spyke’s progress at his blog, sponsor him (the…
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Study clears sea-eagles in lamb deaths
White tailed sea eagles have a minimal impact on lamb mortality according to the results of a scientific study published this week. The study, undertaken by the Food and Environment Research Agency (FERA) on behalf of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), recorded the fortunes of lambs in the Gairloch peninsula, Wester Ross, from April to mid August last year. Radio tracking technology, the experiences of shepherds, fieldworker observations and examination of debris in nests were all used in the study. It found that sea birds, such as fulmar, were the main source of food for the sea eagles and that less…
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Posted in Nature
Scottish wildcat species likely to survive
Two new reports from Scottish Natural Heritage have yielded positive evidence that the Scottish wildcat is surviving as a distinct species. Scottish wildcat is one of our most endangered mammals and is at greatest risk from hybridisation with feral cats. The two reports investigated the genetic characteristics of species identity and the geographical distribution of Scottish wildcats in our countryside. The species report confirms that Scottish wildcats can be distinguished from feral cats by coat markings. The results will be welcomed by land managers and conservationists alike. Doubt was cast over the identity of Scottish wildcat during a court case…
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Posted in Nature