Tayside Biodiversity

Swift Guided Walk & Survey Training Session (Portmoak)
2024-06-30 20:30 - 22:30 UTC
This is a great opportunity to discover fascinating facts about these amazing birds and how we can all help them.
Tonight we will be exploring Portmoak, Scotlandwell and Kinnesswood – either contact Daniele on perthshirewildlife@gmail.com or check the Perthshire Wildlife and Tayside Swifts Facebook pages for details.
We will be meeting at Kinnesswood bus stop at 8.30pm. Everyone welcome!

Dun Coillich Community Land: Volunteer Sunday
2024-06-30 10:00 - 15:00 UTC | Dun Coillich Community Land, Glengoulandie, Dunkeld, PERTHSHIRE, PH16 5NL, United Kingdom
At Dun Coillich we run regular volunteer days which allow the community to get involved with the practical side of managing the community owned land up at Dun Coillich to improve biodversity and public access. Our volunteers get hands-on with all aspects of site management, from improving footpaths to maintaining deer fences, building benches to tree pruning, ecological surveys to habitat creation.
Our monthly weekend volunteer sessions are a great chance to meet new people, spend time in a stunning landscape and do something positive for your local environment. ALL WELCOME!
Come for the whole day or just a couple of hours – all equipment and training is provided, just wear warm layers and sturdy footwear, bring your lunch and, as this is Scotland, don’t forget waterproofs!
There is always plenty to do to suit different ages, abilities, and energy levels, and you never know, you might be lucky enough to spot an eagle or get a glimpse of a hen harrier when you’re out and about on the hill!
Taking place on the last Sunday of every month, it’s easy to sign up and get involved. You’ll be given all the equipment and training you need, just bring warm layers, sturdy footwear, your lunch – and be prepared for whatever the Scottish weather might throw at you!
WHEN: last Sunday of the month 10am – 3pm
WHERE: Dùn Coillich Community Land, by Schiehallion.
WHO: open to everyone, all training and equipment provided.
WHAT YOU NEED: suitable outdoor clothing and footwear, lunch and a willingness to share your skills, learn from others and get stuck in!

ZoomIn2 Photographic Time Lapse
2024-06-30 | online, United Kingdom
As the Tayside Biodiversity Festival comes to a close, how about starting up a photographic time lapse as we leave one month and go into a new one?
ZOOMIn2 is about taking regular photographs of your special space. For this project we are looking for natural areas in Tayside, not buildings or people. So – which green spaces or natural places do you visit often? The photographs you take each month (or at least every six weeks) will form a time lapse record showing the different seasons of your one special place.
Just find something you want to study through the seasons – it could be an apple tree, a view across your local park or allotment, your school grounds, the sand dunes by a beach, the care home patio, a far-reaching country view, a favourite woodland walk, or even a special No Mow area in your garden or nearby greenspace!
Find a marker or something you can easily return to every month to frame your photo – so that each photo is the same every time – and then take your first photo. In a month’s time, take your second photo of exactly the same thing, and then a third month, and so on through all the seasons. You may not notice much difference at first, but when it becomes a time lapse, you will be astonished how the seasons change everything!
This project is suitable for all ages so please involve children and the older generation. Each member of the family could choose a different subject or colleagues at work could focus on different aspects of the area around them. Whole classrooms could involve each child and help them choose somewhere special.
There’s a lot more information on the Tayside Biodiversity Partnership’s special website – http://www.zoomin2.co.uk/.

Swift Guided Walk & Survey Training Session (Kettins)
2024-06-29 20:30 - 22:30 UTC
This is a great opportunity to discover fascinating facts about these amazing birds and how we can all help them.
Tonight we will be meeting in Kettins – either contact Daniele on perthshirewildlife@gmail.com or check the Perthshire Wildlife and Tayside Swifts Facebook pages for further details. Everyone welcome!

The Art of Nature Fun Day
2024-06-29 13:30 - 15:30 UTC | Perth Art Gallery, 78 George Street, Perth, Perth and Kinross, PH1 5LB, United Kingdom
A family event to promote and celebrate the new Fergus and Meg exhibition at Perth Art Gallery and the Tayside Biodiversity Festival. Activities and crafts will take inspiration from the couple’s love of nature. Activities include making head dresses, beeswax candles and learning about nature and animals in the area. Activities are suitable for all ages and abilities and all materials are included. This free event is drop in and there is no need to book. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

Between Two Worlds: Ecological Zonation Along the Intertidal Zone (East Haven)
2024-06-29 13:00 - 17:00 UTC | East Haven, East Haven community Gardens, East Haven, Scotland, DD7 6LS
A FIELD TRIP TO EAST HAVEN WITH DR. KEITH SKENE
£17.50 and £20
The intertidal zone is one of the most fascinating ecological places on the planet, key to so much debate in terms of the impact of climate change, but so often over-looked. Here we find an amazing array of organisms that spend much of their day underwater, and a good part in the open air. This extraordinary challenge has led to some inspiring acts of survival. As we move from the upper shore to the lower shore, we see beneath our feet the intriguing process of ecological zonation.
East Haven is a great place to explore this amazing range of adaptations, from the top of the shore, where the seaweeds are so adapted to terrestrial life that they drown if underwater for more than an hour or two, to the lower shore, where they barely peep above water. And then there are the rockpools – whole worlds full of extraordinary natural stories.
It was at East Haven, in 1994, that Dr Keith Skene discovered why these seaweeds cope with these rapidly changing conditions, as an undergraduate student at the University of Dundee. Join him as he teases apart the magic and history of the rocky shores at East Haven, one of the earliest recorded fishing communities in Scotland.
The rocks can be slippery in places so please wear shoes with a good grip. Walking boots are recommended.
Please note: Participants joining this visit do so at their own risk and must arrange their own transport and lunch.
Booking is via Eventbrite and our website

Guided Walk Dronley Community Woodland (Dundee)
2024-06-29 10:00 - 13:00 UTC | https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/56%C2%B031’02.1%22N+3%C2%B003’52.5%22W/@56.5220319,-3.1567075,12z/data=!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d56.5172615!4d-3.064579?entry=ttu, Kirkhill, Dundee, United Kingdom
We would like to invite you for a guided walk at Dronley Community Woodland (north of Dundee, by Birkhill). It is a multi-purpose woodland: timber production, biodiversity and recreation are equal priorities.
Dronley Community Woodland offers volunteering opportunities, courses, and school involvement to establish a strong connection between the local community and their woodland. We manage Dronley Wood according to the site conditions and the ecological processes by applying low-impact woodland management operations. This kind of woodland management is called Continuous Cover Forestry. Our management approach protects the soil, forest microclimate, flora, fauna and trees. We aim to develop Dronley Wood towards a resilient mixed woodland that can produce high-quality timber for the benefit of future generations whilst maintaining, enhancing and safeguarding a functioning woodland ecosystem.
During the guided walk, we want to show you what we have achieved so far and highlight the challenges for the future. We will highlight the essential role of Continuous Cover Forestry in mitigating the effects of climate change and discuss the vital importance of developing existing woodland towards site-adapted, diverse, multi-aged and resilient mixed woods.
Transforming existing woodlands into diverse and resilient mixed woods by thinning systems like transformation thinning, irregular shelterwood method, encouraging natural regeneration and underplanting gaps will become the dominating silvicultural topics for woodland management for the next decades. We will have the opportunity to see and discuss the different silvicultural systems helping us to develop healthy, stable, multi-layered and resilient mixed woodlands for the benefit of future generations.
Dronley Community Woodland is involved in the Angus Climate Hub. For more information please visit both our new website: https://dronleywood.org/ and the Angus Climate Hub: https://www.angusclimatehub.co.uk/current-projects.
Please bring waterproofs, sturdy footwear and your own packed lunch. Please pre-book a place for the Guided Walk (or have any queries) by email: dronleycommunitywoodland@gmail.com.

Blairgowrie Swift Walk & Survey Training Session
2024-06-28 20:30 - 22:30 UTC | Blairgowrie, St Catherine's Centre, George Street,, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, PH10 6EY, United Kingdom
Meet in the library car park on Leslie Street to learn fascinating facts about these amazing birds and how we can all help them. Everyone welcome.
Free walk.
Contact Daniele on perthshirewildlife@gmail.com to book and obtain more information.

Swift Saunter
2024-06-28 20:30 - 22:00 (Europe/London) | Kirriemuir Library, Reform Street, Kirriemuir, DD8 4BS, United Kingdom
Join us for a gentle walk around Kirriemuir town centre to spot and chat all things swifts. In past years we have seen 23 at once! We will be joined by some of our swift enthusiasts from our Action for Nature volunteer group.
The meeting point will be at the Nature Detectives Swift Information Sign outside Kirriemuir Library.

Bumblebee Surveying Workshop (online)
2024-06-28 18:00 - 19:00 UTC | online, United Kingdom
It’s National Insect Week 2024 and Tayside Biodiversity Month too!
Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced bee enthusiast, this free online event will help to kickstart your bumblebee surveying journey.
The Cairngorms National Park is a traditionally under-recorded area for bumblebees, but in order to best conserve and protect these fascinating and important insects, we need to know where they are and how they are doing in those areas. Reporting your bumblebee sightings is a great way to contribute towards bumblebee conservation efforts.
In this online workshop, we’ll cover some of the different ways of contributing bumblebee records before focusing in on Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s citizen science scheme – BeeWalk.
If you’d like to learn more about how to survey for bumblebees in the Cairngorms National Park, whether you’re a beginner or an experienced bee enthusiast, don’t miss out on this opportunity to connect with nature and make a difference!
This is not a species identification course. If you would like to learn to tell apart different bumblebee species, look out for our other event listings as we regularly hold beginner and intermediate identification courses online and in-person.
28 Jun 2024 18:00 – 19:00 (IST)

Coastal Wildlife Wander and Litter Pick
2024-06-28 11:00 - 14:00 UTC | Arbroath Cliffs car park, Kings Drive, Arbroath, United Kingdom
Enjoy a stroll along Seaton Cliffs to appreciate the coastal wildlife including breeding seabirds and unique flora of the maritime habitat. Pause for lunch at Carlingheugh Bay before collecting any litter we find on our return.
Please bring packed lunch. Remember to dress for the weather and wear sturdy footwear. Nitrile gloves will be provided, but you may prefer to bring your own. If you have a litter pick, then please bring it along.
Distance: Approx 5.6km. Terrain includes path with occasional steep inclines and steep steps.
Meet at north end of Victoria Park ///pirate.scam.when
Led by Scottish Wildlife Trust and Angus Council
Booking is essential:
https://www.trybooking.com/uk/DLGC

Big Wild Summer: Brilliant Bugs Trail
2024-06-28 10:00 - 2024-06-30 17:00 UTC | RSPB Scotland Loch Leven, RSPB Scotland Loch Leven, Kinross, Perthshire and Kinross, KY13 9LX, United Kingdom
Join us this summer for our new Brilliant Bugs trail! From burrowing beetles to wiggly worms, discover more about these tiny creatures and see if you can uncover any yourself.
You can purchase you trail sheets online in advance to collect from the Visitor Centre on the day of your visit OR you can simply pick up and purchase them on the day.
The trail will explore both the woodland and wetland trails at the reserve which are accessible routes for wheelchair users and families with pushchairs.

Amphibian Ladder Workshop (Dundee)
2024-06-28 10:00 - 15:00 UTC | Crescent Community Centre, Lothian Crescent, Dundee
A free workshop to learn about our amphibians and how to help them. We will be making a number of amphibian ladders to go into roadside gullypots and installing them during the afternoon.
To find out more information and to book your free place please contact Trevor on baankulab@yahoo.co.uk. Everyone welcome including older teens – no previous experience expected.
Please bring your own snack lunch and refreshments.
This will be a joint event by the Friends of Angus Herpetofauna and ARC (Amphibian & Reptile Conservation).
Venue: The Crescent Community Centre, Lothian Crescent

BioBlitz at Carnoustie Golf Links
2024-06-27 19:00 - 2024-06-28 19:00 UTC | Carnoustie Golf Links, Links Parade, Carnoustie, Angus, DD7 7JE, United Kingdom
Join us at Carnoustie Golf Links on Thursday 27th June and Friday 28th June 2024 for the first ever Golf BioBlitz, sponsored by the R&A Foundation. Discover the wildlife lurking in the rough as we explore sand dunes, heath, woodlands, and wetlands around the golf courses to try and record as much as we can in 24 hours! Bring binoculars, magnifying glasses, and anything else that may help you find a variety of flora and fauna, big and small.
Join us on the Thursday evening from 7pm for an evening bird walk lead by Angus and Dundee Bird Club (TBC) followed by a Bat Walk at 10:30pm to find bat hotspots on the golf courses – don’t forget to bring a torch!
On Friday 28th June, we’ll kick things off by finding out which moths have been caught in our overnight moth traps, followed by self-led sessions along a designated BioBlitz route meandering through an array of habitats. Small breakout sessions to identify butterflies, check hedgehog tunnels, and more will also take place during the main day with the main programme TBD.
ID guides and books will be available to use and there will be a handful of experts on hand to help with identification. You may just discover a whole new passion!
Please download the iRecord app to your phone or tablet to log your records on the day. We will then collate everyone’s records together at the end of the BioBlitz to find out how well we have done!
Let us know if you’re coming by emailing sustainability@carnoustiegolflinks.co.uk

Beaver Watch (Loch of the Lowes)
2024-06-26 19:00 - 21:30 UTC | Loch of the Lowes, Dunkeld, United Kingdom
An evening of beaver watching and learning at Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve. Supported by Players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
Join the Ranger team for an interactive talk about beavers and the chance to spot them from our Crannog Hide! Learn all about this formerly extinct mammal, their reintroduction to Scotland and the benefits they bring to wildlife.
Telescopes and binoculars will be available for use. Complementary hot drinks will also be provided.
The event is supported by Players of the People’s Postcode Lottery
Photo credit: Brian Taylor
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‘Bookable face-to-face events may be subject to change at short notice, which will be communicated to attendees via email by the organiser. Please check your email in advance of attending events.’
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Online Gardening for Butterflies Workshop
2024-06-26 19:00 - 21:00 UTC | online, United Kingdom
Looking to add more butterfly friendly plants but not sure where to start? Do you already have some butterfly friendly plants but want to know more about specific lifecycles?
Join Butterfly Conservation’s Wild Spaces to learn how to support butterflies and moths at different times of the year, from summer nectar plants to winter shelter spaces.
Wednesday 26th June – online webinar: 7pm-9pm
Book via – Online- Gardening for Butterflies (office.com)

Recording Angus wildlife with NESBReC
2024-06-26 13:30 - 15:30 UTC | Montrose Basin Visitors Centre, Rossie Braes, Montrose, DD10 9TA
Join NESBReC and Angus Council at the Scottish Wildlife Trusts Montrose Basin Visitor Centre to learn about nature recording in Angus and how the North East Scotland Biological Records Centre will extend coverage into Angus in 2024, making a real difference in how we understand Angus wildlife.
There will be an opportunity to record some species on the Local Nature Reserve that will become some of the first records to be uploaded for Angus.

Bumblebee Identification for Beginners (online)
2024-06-24 18:00 - 19:30 UTC | online, United Kingdom
It’s National Insect Week 2024 as well as Tayside Biodiversity Month!
Join Bumblebee Conservation Trust for this online bumblebee identification workshop with a Cairngorms focus. Find out more about bumblebees, why they are so important to our lives and environment, how they support our farms and countryside and how we can help them in return.
We will cover some bumblebee ecology and learn top tips for identifying the most common bumblebee species.
This FREE event is suitable for beginners with no previous experience of bumblebee identification.
24 Jun 2024 18:00 – 19:30 (IST)

Pocket Garden Competition
2024-06-23 | online, United Kingdom
Have you voted for your three schools?
The voting for the 2024 competition will close at 9am, 24th June and Tayside is of course represented. Click on the link to find out more.
So please explore the amazing work that has been achieved and vote for the nation’s favourite Pocket Gardens!
https://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/pocket-garden/showcase/

Tayside Garden BioBlitz (Online)
2024-06-23 | online, United Kingdom
Starting today, let’s go outside and record the wildlife in our gardens! No particular knowledge is expected as sightings are verified by experts.
There will be insects (butterflies, bumblebees, hoverflies, ladybirds etc), birds and perhaps the occasional mammal (hedgehog, squirrel, mouse) – and don’t forget the wildflowers in your garden. It’s all important – and great fun to discover!
By joining nearly 49,000 observers in the UK we can record what we find via the iNaturalist App. It is very easy to join – https://uk.inaturalist.org/sign up – and once you have, you can record wildlife anywhere in the world.
Then click on https://uk.inaturalist.org/projects/every-action-counts-tayside-s-local-patch-project and choose which area of Tayside you are in (right hand column).
So far, just within the UK, iNaturalist ‘citizen scientists’ have created almost 5 million records, helping scientists understand more about our wildlife. Explore more:
https://uk.inaturalist.org/ or watch one of the short tutorial videos – https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/video+tutorials.
The online Tayside Garden BioBlitz starts today (and you can take part just today if you wish). However, why not regularly explore your garden over the coming months and add more species as you find them as the seasons change?

Alan Stewart's Afternoon Book Talk
2024-06-22 15:00 - 16:00 UTC | Blairgowrie, St Catherine's Centre, George Street,, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, PH10 6EY, United Kingdom
Author and retired wildlife detective, Alan Stewart, will be talking about one of his wildlife crime fiction books, with reference to the local area.
Alan will be giving a talk earlier in the day but try to make both events if you can – they will each have a different focus!

Bird Ramble
2024-06-22 14:00 - 17:00 UTC | Blairgowrie, St Catherine's Centre, George Street,, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, PH10 6EY, United Kingdom
(put your walking boots on) with George Donald, a local enthusiast who will help you spot and identify different species.
This will be an all-afternoon ramble but you can leave earlier if you wish.

Bumblebee Identification Stroll
2024-06-22 14:00 - 15:00 UTC | Blairgowrie, St Catherine's Centre, George Street,, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, PH10 6EY, United Kingdom
An easy stroll with an expert – with an opportunity to spot some of our 20 Scottish bumblebee species.

Red Squirrel Talk
2024-06-22 13:30 - 14:30 UTC | Blairgowrie, St Catherine's Centre, George Street,, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, PH10 6EY, United Kingdom
Susie from Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels will give some practical tips on how we can help our native squirrel survive.

Walk with a Focus on the Lens
2024-06-22 13:00 - 14:00 UTC | Blairgowrie, St Catherine's Centre, George Street,, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, PH10 6EY, United Kingdom
Join Mike Jones on a hunt for a good wildlife photograph. Make sure you bring a camera. Please book in advance so we know who to expect!

Worm Charming Competition
2024-06-22 12:30 - 13:30 UTC | Blairgowrie, St Catherine's Centre, George Street,, Blairgowrie, Perthshire, PH10 6EY, United Kingdom
Teams of two are needed (a charmer and a picker) to entice as many worms (no digging, no chemicals/vinegar) out of a marked area of ground. Singing, tap-dancing, fork-twanging and silly bird costumes all encouraged to get those worms out.

Small Blue Survey and Butterfly Walk
2024-06-22 12:00 - 14:00 UTC
Join Caitlin, Buglife Species on the Edge Conservation Officer for a butterfly walk at Elliot Links SSSI as she searches for the rare Small Blue butterfly! This event is completely free and all under18s must be accompanied by an adult. Please wear suitable clothing.
Location: Meeting West Links beach beside the playground.
No booking required.
• https://www.facebook.com/SpeciesontheEdge?locale=en_GB
• https://www.facebook.com/buglife?locale=en_GB

Pond Dipping Workshop
2024-06-22 10:30 - 12:00 UTC
You are invited to come along to a pond dipping workshop at the Dundee Botanic Gardens.

Pond Dipping and Freshwater Life
2024-06-22 10:00 - 15:00 UTC | University of Dundee Botanic garden, Riverside Drive, Dundee, Dundee, DD2 1QH, United Kingdom
Join us, the Dundee Naturalists’ Society, for some pond dipping and to look at the freshwater creatures in the Dundee Botanic Gardens.
We hope to also have the results of a night’s moth trapping to see for those who arrive early.

Dun Coillich: Past, Present and Future
2024-06-22 10:00 - 14:00 UTC | Dun Coillich Community Land, Glengoulandie, Dunkeld, PERTHSHIRE, PH16 5NL, United Kingdom
Join our Forest Manager and native woodland expert Willie McGhee and our Project Officer Heather Hamilton on a guided walk of Dun Coillich.
During the walk you will be introduced to the emerging Native Woodland on the hill, both planted and naturally regenerating, and the associated ecology and natural history, whilst we also delve into the past and look forward to the future.
This will be a great opportunity to get to know Dun Coillich better and learn how to go about creating a native woodland in the uplands of Scotland (there is a little more to it than just sticking a tree in the ground!)
All Welcome!
Free event for HPCLT Members, £5 suggested donation for others. To join the trust visit www.hpclt.org/support-us
For more information contact email: projectofficer@hpclt.org; call Heather on 07849268411; or visit www.hpclt.org
