Posts for February, 2022

Join our webinar to get stuck in the world of the Eurasian Curlew and learn more about the Curlew LIFE project at RSPB Insh Marshes with our Curlew LIFE project officer Thijs Claes.

We will start the webinar by exploring what a Curlew actually is, what they eat and how they behave throughout the year. We will answers many questions such as; Why does it make all these evocative calls? How are Curlew doing in our landscapes?

You will get an insight into the work behind protecting the Curlew population on Insh Marshes and find out about opportunities to support our work.

There will be an opportunity to ask questions which we will try to answer near the end of the webinar.

The project wants to establish RSPB Insh Marshes as a recognised site for curlew conservation excellence. Our target is to determine the curlew productivity and increase or sustain it to at least 0.5 chicks per pair per year. We will achieve this by supporting the reserve team to optimise habitat management, performing an thorough monitoring scheme of curlew habitat, predators, behaviour and, most importantly, nest and chick survival. Engaging the local community in this work is a key target of the project.

This talk is supported by the Curlew LIFE project (a.k.a EU LIFE Curlews in Crisis) and Cairngorms Connect .

The Curlews in Crisis project has received funding from the LIFE Programme of the European Union

Cairngorms Connect is part of the Endangered Landscapes Programme, which is managed by the Cambridge Conservation Initiative in partnership with Arcadia – a charitable fund of Lisbet Rousing and Peter Baldwin.

“Full Circle” Arctic Presentation: An Artists Experience

We are delighted to welcome Jackie Kay to the St Margaret’s stage to speak with Fiona Kennedy about her fascinating life and literary career.

Jackie Kay CBE was born and brought up in Scotland. In 2016, Kay was appointed the Makar or National Poet for Scotland for a five year term. She is the author of – among other books – The Adoption Papers, which won the Forward Prize, Red Dust Road, winner of Scottish Book of the Year Award, Trumpet, and the Costa-shortlisted Fiere. She is professor of Creative Writing at Newcastle University.

Supported by the Fife Arms’ Community Programme.

Our feral Konik ponies make light work of grazing the Marshes, keeping the habitat in tip-top condition for the special birds that live there.

Join us to learn all about them, before going on a short walk to find out about how they fit in with our wider work managing the reserve and our plans for the future.

Wednesday 2nd February
10am-12noon

This event is free, but booking is essential as places are limited by parking capacity – please email: insh@rspb.org.uk

(Our walk will be about 1 mile over uneven pathless terrain with one small, but fairly steep slope. Unfortunately this route is not suitable for wheelchairs or buggies. Wellies are essential as the entrance to the field regularly floods in winter – we do have a small number of pairs available to borrow, please let us know and we’ll see if we have your size!)

A presentation covering a selection of Royally connected visits, incidents and influences relating to Grantown, the Clan Grant and Strathspey from Edward I of England to Tsar Nicholas of Russia.

A presentation from Peter Cosgrove on local ecology including the fascinating story of the fresh water Mollusc of the Glen and of the pearls which may be found there.

Meeting will be under Covid restrictions but if necessary will be presented on line by zoom

The way we each experience places can be vastly different – our unique emotions, knowledge, memories and company can all alter how we connect to the land. What and who we’re in company with shapes how we connect to a landscape.

With this as a starting point, writer, Elizabeth Reeder, will be hosting a series of writing workshops exploring the idea of companionship.

The workshops will explore what it might mean to have a companion species, or to be accompanied by a question, or to accompany someone with different knowledge of a place than you have.

And we’ll do some writing. The writing is for yourself and you’ll be under no obligation to share. (Although, we are considering collecting stories for those people who are interested in sharing them.)


No previous writing experience is necessary, and all ages* and abilities very welcome.
*under-18s must be accompanied by an adult.


These workshops are free, but places are limited. Please sign up to reserve a space.


Dates and times:

Saturday 5th February, 10am -12 noon, online via Zoom

Wednesday 16th February, 6-8 pm, online via Zoom

We plan to run additional in-person workshops come the spring!


For any questions please contact Elizabeth directly on elizabeth.reeder@mac.com

Elizabeth Reeder, together with Robbie Synge (choreographer and filmmaker) and Amanda Thomson (visual artist) are Artists in Residence with Cairngorms Connect through the Endangered Landscapes Artists Residency programme.

Doreen Wood and Simon Blackett will give a joint presentation on the township of Auchtavan, which inlcudes the late Queen Mother’s Picnic Cottage.

Faction is excited to bring you our third full feature film: “Roots” in Collaboration with Braemar Mountain Sports and Glenshee Ski Centre.

Come and check it out on the big screen at our Braemar Premiere and share a night to remember.

Faction’s third feature film uncovers the foundations of freeskiing as seen by the current generation of skiers. From the caves of the Dolomites to the nightscapes of Ruka and the mythic peaks surrounding Verbier, ROOTS takes us on a journey through the vibrant spectrum of freeskiing.

All proceeds go to the Braemar Mountain Rescue Team

We fix household items in a a friendly environment with tea, coffee and delicious home baking.

Please bring your item along with any obvious spare parts and we will do our best to fix it and show you how!

Things we can help with:

Small Electrical Items: toasters, kettles , vacuum cleaners etc

IT: laptops and phone software (not screens)

General items : toys, ornaments, small furniture

Clothing and textiles: jeans, bags,shirts


(Repairs are free only pay for parts)

We need a many types of volunteers to run the repair cafe ( not just repairers) if you would like to volunteer with us please contact : repaircafe@boathall.org.uk or Phone 01479 813123