Posts for February, 2024

With palm-fringed white sandy beaches, lapped by calm warm crystal clear turquoise water, the Seychelles are said to be the most beautiful islands in the world. This isolated archipelago, a thousand miles from anywhere, has twelve of the world’s rarest endemic birds, like the superb Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher, and is a magnet to spectacular crowds of literally millions of seabirds, which can be enjoyed at incredibly close range, ideal for photography. This talk includes the wildlife of five different islands, Praslin, Mahe, La Digue, Cousin and fabulous Bird Island, with its frenetic colony of around 1.5 million Sooty Terns and Esmeralda the world’s largest giant tortoise, weighing 6 hundredweights and thought to be over 200 years old! Bird Island is definitely one of my favourite places on the planet. So, come along and see for yourself.

An evening talk with a difference, TV Presenter and Naturalist Nick Baker will have a bucket of pond water and an electron microscope. We will find out what is lurking unseen in our ponds and find out more about their life cycles and stories, a fascinating insight into a hidden world.

This talk is a tour of the best that Namibia has to offer for wildlife and covers a variety of scenery and habitats from coast to desert.

A look at the wide variety of habitats of this country and it’s associated birdlife. The talk also takes in some historical sites such as Petra , Jerash and some ancient castles from the period of the crusades.

Being a TV presenter who pontificates about wildlife seems like a fun and exciting gig. It is also a very public job with all the pressures that brings, and just like Marmite, everyone either loves them or hates them! Having worked as a presenter on a variety of programmes across a number of channels, puts Mike in a unique position to talk about the hard work, attributes and resilience needed to make a living from this uniquely bizarre profession.

The Scottish Highlands have some exceptional wildlife—which is why we are all here! Some of the birds and mammals are very different from what we are used to elsewhere in the country, and it can feel like being thrown into the deep end trying to identify these beasties. So, in this Mike will introduce the birds (and some mammals) we all want to see, with particular emphasis on how to identify them at this time of year (early spring). Expect ID tips for eagles, grouse, divers, grebes, sea-ducks, auks, Crested Tit and some LBJs, as well as seals.

If you’re making the long drive up to the Highlands, it makes sense to incorporate a bit of birding into your stops along the way (especially if you’re doing Bird Watching’s #My200BirdYear challenge). Matt will take a look at some great birdwatching spots along the way – from RSPB reserves to service stations and laybys. All of them are easy to access and make perfect places to pull over, enjoy a coffee and a biscuit, and add a few ticks to your list, including eagles, grouse, sea-ducks, geese and more.

You’ll taste four spirits including gin and rum made at Lost Loch Distillery near Aboyne on Royal Deeside, while listening to the story of the Lost Loch, how Haroosh began and why we made Scotland’s first absinthe, Murmichan. THIS EVENT WILL ONLY GO AHEAD IF THERE ARE 4 OR MORE PEOPLE BOOKED (if this event is cancelled, your fee will be refunded in full).

We are getting together at Glenlivet Estate Office in Tomintoul to celebrate LGBT History Month with a special Rainbow Afternoon Tea, an LGBTQ+ Heritage Talk and a Pride Ideas Session to ask everyone what they might like to see as part of a Pride in the Cairngorms National Park.

Led by cultural interpreter Stef Lauer, the Heritage Talk will cover the lives of three very different LGBTQ+ people who all had links to the Park. This will start at 2.30pm and run until 3.15pm, including a Q&A. Then it’s over to Kath from Somewhere: For Us magazine from 3.30pm to guide us through a Pride Ideas session, collecting up everyone’s ideas and thoughts as part of a Park-wide consultation into the possibility of a new Pride next year.

Free tea, cake, chat and rainbow fun. See you there!

The Integrated Land Use Conference will take place in, and around Kingussie.

Organiser: UHI

The Integrated Land Use conference will take place 26 – 28 March 2024 in, and around Kingussie.

This year will be focussing on where we have come from and where we are going in terms of land management and use. What has changed and what has worked. Many aspects will be discussed like community, attitude/behaviour evolution, inclusivity, diversity, forestry, agriculture, wildlife and game management, energy, tourism and many more exciting topics.

The event will be packed with a mix of field-based and conference-style activities and talks. The speakers will share their knowledge and specialist expertise in the sector, and it will be a fantastic networking opportunity. We are looking forward to seeing you all at the conference.