Stranded Scottish orca Identified as member of UK’s only known resident population of killer whales

Lulu found stranded on Tiree

©John Bowler, RSPB Scotland; 

A killer whale found dead, stranded on Tiree on 3 January has been identified as ‘Lulu’, a member of the West Coast Community of orcas. This small and well-known group is Britain and Ireland’s only known resident population of killer whales and is feared to be at risk of extinction. They are unique in this region in that their diet primarily comprises other marine mammals. A second type of killer whales are occasionally seen in these waters, but these feed primarily on fishes and seals and are far more wide-ranging, e.g. between the Hebrides and Iceland.

The identity of the animal was confirmed this week by Dr Andy Foote, an orca specialist and Dr Conor Ryan of Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust. Using photos from the Trust’s photo ID catalogue the pair were able to identify Lulu from the distinctive eye and saddle patches which are unique to each individual. Photos taken of the stranded orca by John Bowler, RSPB Scotland Tiree Officer were crucial to allow HWDT to identify the animal.

Dr Conor Ryan, Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust’s Sighting and Stranding Officer commented: “It is particularly sad to know that another one of these killer whales, unique to the British and Irish Isles,

Rewilding Scotland and tackling climate change for Christmas

Scots pine seedling in snow

I'm posting this late due to broadband and computer issues during the last month and hope you're having a good holiday despite all the recent flooding.

People can help rewild the Scottish Highlands and take action on climate change this Christmas and New Year by having specially-dedicated trees planted for family and friends through conservation charity Trees for Life.

A dedicated native tree will be planted in the Caledonian Forest for each recipient of Trees

Beaver shooting must stop. Scottish Wild Beaver Group Press Release.

European beaver feeding © Laurie Campbell

News of the shooting of beavers in Tayside by some farmers has led to an outcry from supporters, conservationists, and animal lovers everywhere. Of especial concern is the fact that, while an overdue decision from Scottish Government to adopt the protection due to the species under the European Habitats Directive, there is not even a closed season and the females can therefore be shot pregnant or lactating, killing kits slowly by starvation.

SWBG call for an immediate moratorium on shooting in advance of an early decision to enshrine EU legal protection of the species in Scotland.

Louise Ramsay, Co-Chair of SWBG says: “We flew a

Initiative with Kew Gardens to Protect Scotland’s Trees Takes Root

Juniperus communis (Common juniper)

With a host of new pests and diseases attacking the UK’s native treescape, a new consortium of Scottish organisations, working with Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, are tackling the threat, as part of the UK National Tree Seed Project.

The UK does not currently have comprehensive and genetically representative seed collections of native tree populations for research and use in practical conservation. The UK National Tree Seed Project, launched in 2013, seeks to fill the gap and will make seed collections available for researchers working on challenges facing UK woodlands and forestry such as pests and diseases and climate change.  The Project

Emergency tree rescue appeal launched for West Affric woodlands

Trees for Life team inspecting a section of
damaged fence in West Affric

Conservation charity Trees for Life has launched an emergency rescue appeal to protect tens of thousands of young trees on West Affric from grazing deer.

A new generation of trees – many planted by Trees for Life volunteers – has become established on West Affric over the past 20 years, after Trees for Life and the National Trust for Scotland created a series of 10 fenced exclosures. The exclosures – areas from which large grazing animals are excluded – were designed to boost the recovery of native woodland by preventing the pressure of browsing deer.

But recent damage to the fences has left many of these trees vulnerable to grazing by deer, and Trees for Life

Minke whale baby boom off Scotland’s west coast? Highest number of young recorded since surveys began

Juvenile minke whale alongside HWDT’s research
yacht Silurian - copyright Kerry Froud

Sightings of juvenile minke whales off Scotland’s west coast increased in 2015 to the highest ever recorded within a survey season, during marine research expeditions carried out by Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust – indicating either a significant increase in actual numbers or an influx of minke whales from elsewhere.

The charity’s 2015 research season also recorded the highest annual number of common dolphin sightings since its expeditions began, with 723 individuals observed over 63 encounters. The common dolphin was once uncommon in the Hebrides, but the trust’s encounter rate

In Memory of Kali - 6th January 2005 to 22nd July 2015

9 weeks on the doorstep at Scatwell

Kali had been my constant companion for ten and a half years when at the end of June this year she suddenly started having fits.

Epilepsy drugs seemed to work for about three weeks and then the seizures started again with a vengeance and three days later she had gone.

I still haven't quite come to terms with her passing which is why it's taken me three months to post this collection of pictures taken throughout her life.

She was one of the most gentle, even tempered, friendly and attentive beings I have ever had the privilege to know.

She was always a lady even when confronted with people or dogs she obviously didn't take to. Everybody liked her and I absolutely loved her.

I do not want her to be forgotten.

9 weeks and discovering snow for the first time.

Trees for Life emergency appeal to repair damaged deer fences protecting forest regeneration.

Trees for Life are making an emergency appeal for donations to repair damaged fences that are vital to the successful growth of trees that have been successfully recovering for the last 25 years

In the 1990s Trees for Life established a series of 10 fenced exclosures for native forest recovery on West Affric which encompasses the headwaters of the Affric River, in partnership with the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), and tens of thousands of young trees, planted by volunteers, are now growing successfully there. However, recent damage to the fences has left many of these trees vulnerable to grazing by deer, so Trees for Life are making an urgent appeal to you to help them raise £20,000 for vital repairs to protect them before this winter.

This is an emergency situation, as Trees for Life stand to lose the results of their forest restoration work unless the protection can be reinstated.

Read more and make a donation

Trees for Life project creates conservation opportunities for young people

Phil Duffield from Scottish Power Foundation (centre)
meets Trees for Life volunteers (left-right) Sam Manning,
 Grace Burger, Emily Warner and Rebecca Schmidt
 at Dundreggan Conservation Estate

Award-winning conservation charity Trees for Life is running a new project to develop high-quality conservation volunteering opportunities for young people, thanks to a grant of £20,000 from the ScottishPower Foundation.

Those benefitting from the initiative include students from Peterborough Open Awards Centre, Aberdeen University, Glasgow University and Leicestershire’s Brooksby Melton College.

“This generous grant from ScottishPower Foundation is excellent news for the Caledonian Forest and its rare species, and for dozens of young people who will be able to study and carry out practical hands-on conservation work – including the establishment of native woodlands and managing land for wildlife,” said Alan Watson Featherstone, Trees for Life’s

New project seeks first major boost in Scotland’s red squirrel numbers in decades

Red squirrel © Peter Cairns www.northshots.com

An innovative new project by conservation charities Trees for Life and the Highland Foundation for Wildlife aims to secure a major increase in the range of Scotland’s red squirrel populations for the first time in decades.

The Caledonian Forest Wildlife Project – which launches this summer – has the ambitious goal of establishing 10 new populations of the species in the Highlands over the next three years, with the long-term aim of boosting red squirrel numbers in Scotland by more than 10 per cent. It will also provide a unique opportunity for volunteers, including those from remote communities, to take an active