Posts for October, 2023

Join Cairngorms Astronomy Group and Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust for a night of introductory stargazing and star stories during the new moon at Inveraven Church & Pictish Stones. Where do we get our stories of the night sky? What did the Celts see in the night sky? Come along to find out more and have a go trying out our community telescope.

Access to Inveraven Church is off the A95 about half a mile north of the entrance to Ballindalloch Castle, and can be found by following the brown tourist sign directing visitors down the single track road to the Inveraven Pictish Stones.

Parking is available at the bottom of the drive before you arrive at the church or in front of the church building. We will be meeting in the foyer inside the church building before walking up to field above to access the telescope.

As we will be outside, please dress appropriately for cold and changeable weather.

Suggested donation £5 on the night.

Funded by Foundation Scotland from the Dorenell Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund.

Join Cairngorms Astronomy Club and TGDT in The Square, Tomintoul for an all ages telescope moon viewing session. The first quarter moon on the 20th rises mid-morning and sets at midnight so it’s a great time of the month to view and learn about the moon.

The Glenlivet and Tomintoul area is one of the best places in the Cairngorms National Park to discover the wonders of the night sky. Not only does this remote area have stunning dark skies but it also has easy access allowing everyone to enjoy a night sky brimming with stars.

We’ll have the Celestron telescope and a smartphone bracket on the night that will allow you to take the moon home in your pocket!

If the weather isn’t suitable on the day, we’ll run another session on the 21st at the same time.

Suggested donation £5 on the night.

Join Glenlivet & Inveravon Heritage Ranger Lydia for an introduction to Pictish art and symbol stones. We will be looking at four Pictish Stones discovered in the churchyard of Inveraven, which has been a site of spiritual practice and pilgrimage for centuries. This tour will provide an overview to Pictish art and culture and will show how the Picts contributed to the shaping of modern Scotland.

Access to Inveraven Church is off the A95 about half a mile north of the entrance to Ballindalloch Castle, and can be found by following the brown tourist sign directing visitors down the single track road to the Inveraven Pictish Stones.

Parking is available at the bottom of the drive before you arrive at the church or in front of the church building.

As we will be outside, please dress appropriately for changeable weather.

Children are very welcome to attend. Please note that toilet facilities are not available on site.

Well behaved dogs may attend but must be leashed.

Funded by Foundation Scotland from the Dorenell Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund.

The plains of the Alentejo provide unique habitat for species such as Great and Little Bustards, Iberian Imperial Eagles, Black Vultures, Rollers and Bonelli’s Eagles, as well as reintroduced Iberian Lynx. Find out more about what you can see there, and in the nearby wetland areas of the Algarve, and learn how easy it is to see it from the beautiful, historic town of Mertola.

Autumn is an incredible time to watch the multitudes of birds arriving on the Yorkshire coast, from all over the world – common, scarce and rare, every one is a treat, and Mark has knowledge on all of them!

In simple terms, vismig is literally watching birds as they migrate – but there’s a lot more to it than that, and Mark has the passion (and the photos) to prove it!

Imagine standing at the crossroads of two migration superhighways, where countless thousands of raptors and storks and a mouth-watering host of whales and dolphins pass each other on their epic journeys…. Tarifa, at the very tip of south-west Europe, is that place!

Every spring, teams from around the world gather in the Negev desert to take part in a 24-hour long bird race – the culmination of a campaign to save migratory birds from illegal killing. As a former winner (and now co-organiser), Mark will take you through the adventure, with lots of amazing migration spectacles thrown in for good measure!

Nigel is a TV Producer and Presenter and in this talk he will share fun facts and stories from his filming trips in the boreal forest, tundra and mountain slopes. We’ll also travel back in time to Prehistoric Scotland to meet giant insects and a millipede nearly 2 metres long!

Sarah White from the RSPB will talk about Cairngorms Connect – Landscape Scale Restoration. Open to all.