Archive of: May, 2017

Carrying out ecology surveys across Scotland means that the Caledonian Conservation team are occasionally lucky enough to witness some great natural spectacles.  On a recent trip to Skye we were treated to a stunning display of the Northern Lights, with a backdrop of an incredibly clear starry night sky virtually unpolluted by light.  Our hosts Katrina and Dave at Foxwood Bed & Breakfast keep a careful eye on the Aurora forecast and persuaded us to venture back outside after a busy day of surveys.

(Photograph © Dave McGough, Foxwood Bed & Breakfast)

Caledonian Conservation sponsored The Wildlife Information Centre (TWIC) Spring Conference ‘Farming and Biodiversity in Scotland – An Essential Partnership’ at Musselburgh on Saturday 29th April.  Niall Currie (Assistant Ecologist) reports...

The event was very well attended and allowed farmers, land managers, ecologists and biological recorders to meet and exchange ideas.  The excellent range of topics varied from the experience of individual farmers carrying out conservation projects on their farms, to global issues such as planning how best to manage soils and the incredibly complex ecological communities they support.

Other talks included individual species conservation projects, such as the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust’s research into improving the survival prospects of grey partridge (Perdix perdix) on farms by increasing vegetation cover during the breeding season and over winter.

The break for lunch, gave attendees the opportunity to explore stands and learn about TWIC’s latest citizen science project - the Scottish Spider Search - which Caledonian Conservation has helped to develop in partnership with the British Arachnological Society and Buglife.

The afternoon session included an update from Pete Minting (Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust) on the exciting ‘Great Crested Newt Detectives Project’, which has been trialing new methods of using DNA samples of pond water to determine whether great crested newts, and to which Caledonian Conservation has also contributed by surveying remote ponds and providing control samples from known sites.

The conference was a great success, being the largest arranged by TWIC to date, and a ‘sell out’ (although Caledonian Conservation’s sponsorship allowed the conference to be free to attend).

As the Caledonian Conservation team is out surveying wildlife at all hours, it should come as no surprise that we are often the first to come across animals that need help.  Carolyn Gillen (Ecologist) reports on our latest rescue...

While out conducting bird surveys last week, we came across this tawny owl injured on the road. After a short stay in our B&B’s woodshed and a trip to the vet, we are happy to report that it is recovering at the SSPCA’s Wildlife Rescue Centre! They plan to release it back into the wild once it is fully mended.

If you find an injured wild animal in Scotland, you can call the SSPCA’s Animal Helpline at 03000 999 999 or visit their website at https://www.scottishspca.org/wildlife/