By Dan Milner Sleat Nature Groups’s marine litter weekend (26-27 July) went with a bang despite the inclement weather! Joining the group this time for their quarterly marine litter survey of Ostaig beach on the Saturday, were Dr Tom Stanton and his team from...
Invitation to participate in dissertation research on Skye wind farms
By Georgia MacDiarmid I am currently working on my dissertation for my Geography degree at the University of Glasgow, and I'm looking for participants to take part in a short interview and/or survey. The study looks at local views and impacts of wind energy...
Corncrakes are doing well on Skye
Crofters are adapting their farming practices in north Skye to support the population of corncrakes: in 2024, 27 males were recorded giving their distinctive 'crex crex' call - an increase on the number in 2023. Corncrakes migrate 6000 miles from the Democratic...
Amphibians and reptiles: working with crofters and kids
by Janet Ullman, Amphibian and Reptile Conservation janet.ullman@arc-trust.org Saving Scotland's Amphibians and Reptiles is a project of Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC). We work with crofters to support their needs in establishing or maintaining populations...
Highlands & Islands Climate Festival & funding
by Katy Lawrence Community Development Officer, Skye and Lochalsh From 13th September to 8th October, the Highland and Island festival will celebrate the activity taking place across Highland, Orkney and Shetland to combat climate change and create sustainable,...
Skye beach cleans update
by Peggy Semler May was a busy month for us, with the weekend of 9-11 May turning out to be the biggest beach cleaning event we have ever organised on the island – the Bracadale Beach Blitz! With the help of many volunteers and partner organisations, and especially...
Skye wind farms news
A summary of Skye Wind Information Group's June newsletter and other reports. The Highland Council’s objection to the proposals to "Repower and Extend" Ben Aketil Wind Farm triggered a public inquiry which ran from 23 - 27 June in Portree. Nadara, the Italian owners...
Bracadale Beach Blitz
by Peggy Semler From 9 - 11 May, a successful collaborative effort took place to remove marine litter and debris from seven beaches around Loch Bracadale. Volunteers, along with partner organisations, focused on cleaning remote and inaccessible areas along the...
A new butterfly species for Skye
Members of Skye Naturalists' Network have found a new butterfly species for Skye – the Chequered Skipper – at Dalavil in Sleat, with the nearest known colonies at Morar on the mainland. (Photo by Martin Benson). They also found a number of rare or unusual species such...
Does Skye need a Plastic Action group?
by Anne MacLennan Plastic is a problem and there is a lot of it about. Invented (as Bakelite) in 1907, production had reached 2.3m tons annually by 1950, 448 tons in 2015, and is set to at least double by mid-century. The plastic lifecycle aggravates climate change...