NEWS / FIOS
FEBRUARY 2014
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Further work agreed to help Uists’
nesting waders
A fresh drive to protect some of Europe’s most important wader birds
has been backed by a range of organisations and community leaders.
Dunlin, ringed plover, redshank, snipe, lapwing and oystercatcher nest
on the Uists and the birds are a big attraction for visitors to the islands
– local wildlife is recognised as one of the key assets for the Outer
Hebrides’ growing £53 million per year tourism industry.
Uists’ waders have been in decline since the mid-1980s and research
has shown that this is partly due to non-native hedgehogs feeding on
the birds’ eggs, and sometimes also on small chicks. The focus of the
new work will be to trap the hedgehogs, which were introduced to the
Uists in the 1970s, and humanely relocate them to their natural range
on the mainland.
read more >>>
Rare ice pancakes found
on River Dee
Curious discs of ice resembling lily pads were
recently discovered by River Dee Trust biologist
Jamie Urquhart. More commonly seen in the Antarctic
– but a rare occurrence here – these natural
formations occur only when conditions are just right.
read more >>>
Lewis and Harris goose
pilot takes off
A three-year pilot project to control the growing
greylag goose population on Lewis and Harris has
begun. Greylag geese numbers on the islands have
increased by more than 45% since 2010 to around
6,000 birds. Similar projects are under way on
Orkney, Uist, Coll and Tiree, where rising populations
of the geese cause significant damage to crops.
read more >>>
Agreement to secure prairie dogs
Free-roaming prairie dogs in East Lothian have now been rehomed
in a secure enclosure. The move is to ensure that the non-native
population of North American burrowing rodents doesn’t escape
onto a neighbouring Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI),
where they could damage important native wildlife.
It is the first time such a voluntary agreement has been used
to control an invasive non-native species in Scotland. Invasive
species pose a serious threat to global biodiversity and they
cost the Scottish economy around £246 million each year. It’s
estimated that rabbits alone – introduced by the Romans and not
unlike prairie dogs in their habits – cost agriculture and forestry
£81 million annually.
read more >>>
Catch up with the world’s fastest animal
There’s still time to book your FREE place at the launch of Peregrine Watch 2015 next month. Join the Ranger and Scottish
Wildlife Trust volunteers for a guided walk to the peregrine watch site, as you learn about this remarkable bird and the history of
falcons at the Falls of Clyde.
When hunting, peregrine falcons soar to a great height before diving steeply at around 300 km an hour, making it the fastest
animal on the planet. Britain’s best peregrine viewing area, at the Falls of Clyde reserve, is open daily from 22 March to 21
June. Follow the peregrine trail to meet the ranger and the opportunity to see wild peregrine in their nests.
read more >>>
Make your paper dream
come true
Environmental charity Reforesting Scotland are
offering a prize for the best and most practical
idea to stop wasteful paper use. Simply email your
suggestions to Reforesting Scotland by 31 March
and you could win up to £1000 to help put your
bright idea into practice.
read more >>>
Scotland’s Nature
Our Scotland’s Nature blog looks at work to promote and protect
our natural heritage. Recent highlights for you include:
​
Defining habitats: the changing art of habitat definition.
Repelling invasives: focus on some alien species from here on
planet Earth.
Mountain hares: reflections on recent controversy concerning this
popular species.
Priority Marine Features – serpulid reefs: looking for organ-pipe
worms in icy Loch Creran.
read more >>>
Better results for people
and nature
Survey results published this month suggest
that SNH’s advice and guidance is making a
real difference to Scotland’s people, nature and
landscapes. The feedback shows that our work with
planners and developers is welcomed and is helping
to get the best development in the right places.
read more >>>
Caora agus Caorann
Bidh daoine uaireannan a’ faighneachd carson a tha na
faclan caora agus caorann cho coltach ri chèile, agus iad le
chèile bitheanta ann an ainmean-àite na Gàidhealtachd. ’S e
tuiteamas a th’ ann oir chan eil iad càirdeach. Buinidh caora
don t-seann Ghàidhlig agus tha dùil gu bheil e càirdeach
do caper – gobhar ann an Laideann. Tha caorann a’ tighinn
bho caor – dearcag dhearg. Tha sin co-cheangailte ri caoir
– teine a tha a’ lasradh gu mòr, agus ris an fhacal caoran
– fàd beag a bhios a’ deàlradh ann an teine-mònach. Tha
a’ chiall ‘dearcag’ a-nise air caora cuideachd ann an cuid
de dh’àiteachan me caora-mhitheig ‘blaeberry’ agus caorafeannaig ‘crowberry’. Sin ann an cainnt, ach air na mapaichean,
’s e caorann ‘rowan’ agus caora ‘sheep’.
Non Gaelic-speakers are sometimes confused about Highland place-names which contain the similar elements caora (sheep)
and caorann (rowan). The ‘nn’ is usually a give away for the tree species; for example, Allt a’ Chaorainn is ‘the burn of the
rowan’. While caora (sheep) is related to the Latin caper (goat), caorann derives separately from caor (a red berry). That, in
turn, is related to caoir (a blaze) and also to caoran (a small peat which blazes brightly in a fire). Perhaps confusingly, in some
dialects, caora (from caor) has also come to mean any sort of berry, e.g. caora-feannaig (crowberry), but names of this type are
almost non-existent on our maps.
Every edition online, for you!
All 20 editions of our popular Nature of Scotland magazine
are available on our website. FREE!
You can download a pdf or an audio version to your
computer, tablet or phone to enjoy at home or on the move.
read more >>>
NEWS IN BRIEF
– WORLD WILDLIFE DAY: Tuesday 3 March is an opportunity for us all to celebrate the beauty and variety of life on Earth. World Wildlife Day will also raise awareness of the fight against wildlife crime and its wide-ranging economic, environmental and social impacts.
read more >>>
– OHN MUIR WAY UPGRADE: An 800-metre section of the John Muir Way near Helensburgh has been upgraded. A new viewpoint means you can now enjoy panoramic views to the Firth of Clyde and Arran, and to Loch Lomond and the Campsies.
read more >>>
– DIAL 101 TO REPORT ILLEGAL SHELLFISH COLLECTING: Police Scotland are asking people to contact them if they see anyone collecting shellfish in Loch Fleet or along the northern shores of the Dornoch Firth. These areas are nationally and internationally protected areas where collecting shellfish is a criminal offence.
read more >>>
– SUPERB PRIZES FOR YOUNG FILM MAKERS: Young people aged 14 to 17 are invited to make a film between 3 and 5 minutes long on a rural topic of their choice. Prizes in Countryside Learning Scotland’s short film competition include a work placement with the BBC.
read more >>>
Follow Scottish Natural Heritage on social media using the links above
Scottish Natural Heritage is the government’s adviser on all aspects of nature and landscape across Scotland. Our role is to
help everyone understand, value and enjoy Scotland’s nature now and in the future. For more information, visit our website at
www.snh.gov.uk.
Contact us by email at [email protected]
Communications Unit
Scottish Natural Heritage
Battleby
Perth
PH1 3EW
Scotland
Published: February 2015
Image Credits
All images copyright Lorne Gill/SNH, except: prairie dog, Crown copyright 2009; waste paper, George Logan/SNH; Icy Loch
Creran boat, SNH/Ben James; ice pancakes, Jamie Urquhart/River Dee Trust.
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