Site of the Month: Castle and Kirk Lochs (October 2023)
Blog
Castle and Kirk Lochs, Lochmaben, are nutrient rich lochs with siginficant ammounts of emergent vegetation, providing an important wintering habitat for birds. Wintering birds to look out for include Goosander Mergus merganser, Wigeon Anas penelope, Teal Anas crecca, Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula and Mute Swan Cygnus olor. Water Rail Rallus …
Site of the Month: Drumadoon, Arran (March 2024)
Blog
This stretch of coast is partly designated a SSSI for its awe-inspiring geological features. This includes 60 million-year-old volcanic rocks and glass including the iconic Judd’s Dykes. The rocks between King’s Cave and Drumadoon date from the Triassic period circa …
Site of the Month: Girvan-Ayr Coast (November 2023)
Blog
This stretch of coast is internationally significant for its geodiversity and is particularly known for its volcanic and palaeontological interests, including the fossilised remains of ancient spores dating from 360-350 MYA. It’s not just the very old biodiversity fossilised in …
Site of the Month: Hannahston Community Woodland (August 2023)
Blog
Hannahston, at Drongan, has a history of coal extraction with opencast mining in operation until as recently as 1996, when reclamation of the site into a community facility began. As a result, most of the trees are still fairly young, but …
Site of the Month: Lowther Hills (July 2023)
Blog
Heather moorlands are at their most colourful in July and August and the Lowther Hills are some of the best in our region. The moorlands around Wanlockhead, on the the border with South Lanarkshire, are dominated by dwarf shrubs, principally …
Site of the Month: Lynn Glen (January 2024)
Blog
Located just south of Dalry in North Ayrshire this site is of considerable geological interest. The 320 million year old limestone formations have been carved by the water exposing a wide range of marine fossils including corals, bivalves and conodonts, which …
Site of the Month: Merrick Kells (February 2024)
Blog
In the heart of Galloway, the Merrick Kells is a fantastic example of habitats carved by glaciers during the Pleistocene (the last Ice Age). The area is home to important moraines which may help us to unravel mysteries on the climate and …
Site of the Month: The Nith Estuary (December 2023)
Blog
This Nith Estuary is one of the most significant sites in the region for wintering waders and waterfowl. The Solway is famously home to the entire wintering population of Svalbard Barnacle Geese Branta leucopsis, and has significant numbers of Pintail Anas acuta, Shelduck Tadorna tadorna and Scaup Aythya marila. The …
Solitary bees: training for identification, surveys and monitoring
Event
Buglife are running a solitary bee workshop at RSPB Mersehead on the 23rd June. This free event is an opportunity to learn more about solitary bees, identification of some of the commonly seen species and how to survey and monitor them. …
Species of the Month: Lily Beetle Lilioceris lilii (June 2025)
Blog
For June, our species of the month is one for gardeners, and one that may not always be a particularly welcome find. The Lily Beetle Lilioceris lilii is a leaf beetle (family Chrysomelidae), a large group of often colourful beetles. The adult is 6-8mm …
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