Consultation on a Marine Bird Special Protection Area

Eight members of Wild Reekie attended the drop-in session organized by Scottish Natural Heritage on the proposals for a marine bird Special Protection Area for the coast of south-east of Scotland stretching from Arbroath to St Abb's Head. The presentation was very well done without distracting visuals and reference to figures and statistics made only where necessary, although there were information leaflets covering SPA’s on all areas of Scotland.  It is hoped that through the presentations people will be more informed about the need to implement SPA’s and to engage in the ongoing consultation process.  

We were given a comprehensive talk on the need for a Special Protection Area and what was hoped would be achieved.  A lot of information relating to breeding and feeding habits of birds was given, not just on land but out on the open sea.  The subject of wind and under water turbines as well as wave power was brought up. Cameras and sonar equipment will be used to monitor the effects on sea mammals and birds that dive for food. It was also explained that other parties use the sea and ports for commercial purposes, fishing, shipping and leisure.  Consultation with those parties is an important part of the process.  

It was also explained how governments (Scottish and UK) will be involved, particularly the area of the North Sea close to the Scotland – England border and the shared coastlines of Solway Firth. This also brought in the inevitable question about ‘Brexit’ and its implications regarding European directives and funding.  However, as the possible effects of ‘Brexit’ are still unknown not much could be said.   

I think everyone in the group learned something and felt better informed about the proposals.  I certainly feel it’s important to include my views in the consultation process. 

You can respond to the consultation on the SNH website here.

Brian Alexander

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Excursion to the Slamannan Bog Project

Today was Wild Reekie's first foray out of Edinburgh, to visit the 9000 year old peat bog which my friend Scott Shanks has been restoring in his role as Conservation Officer at Buglife.

Scott introducing members of Wild Reekie to the bog

The raised bog near Cumbernauld is the remnant of a mighty peatland that stretched all the way to Copenhagen - when giant elk could walk across it. We didn't see giant elk but we did see Giant wood wasps.

Female Giant wood wasp

Over the past year, Scott has been overseeing the installation of peat dams to block the drains which have been being damaging the bog since the seventeenth century. These have been causing it to release carbon into the atmosphere, release pollution into the water, and lose its value as habitat for a unique range of plants and animals.

New dams blocking an old drain to create pools, with wet ground on either side

Just a few months after the dams raise the water level, and stop the peat from eroding, sphagnum moss and cotton grass began to re-grow, and dragonflies, darters, pond-skaters, whirligig beetles and other water-loving plants and invertebrates, recolonised pools and marshes which had been silent for hundreds of years.

Female Black darter

Spotting Pond skaters, Water crickets and Whirligig beetles on the surface of a pool

We were able to contribute to the restoration of the bog by helping to fell some self-seeded Lodgepole pines which were encroaching on one edge.

When we started, the trees came up to just behind where this photo was taken. (Look there's me on the right!)

We were all inspired by Scott's passion and knowledge, and by the speed with which this degraded landscape was recovering and being filled with wildlife.

You can support projects like this by joining Buglife - it's only £2 a month - and I'd warmly encourage you to do so here.


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Burdiehouse Burn Cleanup

Yesterday a group of Wild Reekians joined in a big community event: a Friends of Burdiehouse Burn Valley Park cleanup. The weather was unexpectedly excellent.

Photo by Friends of Burdiehouse Burn Valley Park (FBBVP).

The event had been in the Evening News the day before, as the aim was to ensure the park kept its Green Flag status. It is the only Edinburgh park with a Green Flag in an area of high deprivation. A reporter was there on the day taking lots of photos - here he is distracting Emily and Rebecca from their hard work...

My highlight was getting hold of a pair of waders and getting in the river.

Eleanor with Bruce, convenor of the Friends. Photo by FBBVP. 

This meant a chance to get really close to the river, where, you discover, is where all the flowers, moss, fungi and liverworts hang out under the willows.

Celandines, Wild garlic, Fungi, and things.

Mossy willows.

After a morning's hard work we had a huge pile of rubbish (this is only some of it), including a bike, scooter, football, buggy, and what looked like an exhaust pipe.

Afterwards the kettle went on, the baking came out, and the sunbathing began.

In the afternoon a few of us who had 'interloped' from around Edinburgh took the opportunity to explore down the burn to Ellen's Glen. Spring springing everywhere.

Blackthorn and Hawthorn I think.

Coltsfoot, one of my favourite spring flowers.

My star sighting was a Comma, a butterfly I've never seen before, as it only recently returned to Scotland for the first time since the early nineteenth century. Worth looking out for: they look distinctively raggedy round the edges.

Many thanks to the Friends for organising the event and providing such lovely weather! Keep an eye on their Facebook Page for news of their big Bioblitz this summer.

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Scottish Parliament Nature Café Hustings

This was an event where I brought three of my networks - Wild Reekie, Edinburgh central Eco-Congregations, and Scottish Environment LINK - together in one event, to do something I consider hugely important: to talk to our future political representatives about nature.

Ben MacPherson, SNP Candidate for Edinburgh Northern and Leith.

The candidates each had two minutes to give an initial introduction to their policies on nature and biodiversity. They then circulated around the five café tables to discuss the issues with voters in more depth.

This café format was promoted in 2011 by Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, when we ran one at St John's. It is a far better way to get real in-depth conversations going than a traditional platform-format hustings, which is why we adopted it as our chosen method to promote the Wildlife Proclamation. You can read my guide to hosting a Nature Café here.

Charles Kennedy, Scottish Conservative candidate for Linlithgow.

The five candidates, Ben MacPherson (SNP), Charles Kennedy (Scottish Conservative), Hannah Bettsworth (Liberal Democrat), Lorna Slater (Scottish Green) and Richard Corral (Scottish Labour), were given in-depth grillings by each table. But I was very pleased that they agreed it was a much better format: both more probing and less adversarial.

Hannah Bettsworth, Liberal Democrat candidate for Edinburgh Central. 

Topics discussed included rewilding, land reform, forestry, development, brownfield sites and greenbelt, food production, marine conservation, climate change and natural capital.

Lorna Slater, Scottish Green candidate for Lothians.

While the candidates had all clearly done their homework on their parties' own biodiversity policies, there was a great deal of specialist knowledge in the room and numerous left-field questions. It was very encouraging to see the candidates listening as well as speaking, and making notes and exchanging contact details to go and find out about the various issues.

Wild Reekie members putting Ben MacPherson on the spot.

This demonstrates, to me, why it is essential for ecologists to engage in politics. We know our society is 'disengaged from nature', and politicians are no more likely than the rest of society to understand the importance of biodiversity. But they are always on the look-out for good policy, and will pay attention to a well-made case for what they should make the next big issue. If they do not act to stop biodiversity decline because no-one has shown them its importance, we have no-one to blame but ourselves.

Richard Corral, Labour candidate for Lothians. 

My secondary aim for the evening was to ask all the candidates to sign the Scottish Environment LINK Wildlife Proclamation, which reads,

“Scotland’s wildlife, habitats and landscapes are of great importance. Investment in nature, in all its colour, variety and vitality, underpins Scotland’s cultural and economic future and resilience to climate change. If elected I undertake to work to restore Scotland’s nature.”

Our candidates holding their signed Wildlife Proclamations.

One might say this is the kind of catch-all statement it is easy for a candidate to sign up to, while pledging little specific in practice. I would disagree for two reasons.

Firstly, explaining to a candidate why they should sign, is to begin that process of showing why biodiversity is so important and so worthy of protection.

Secondly, even if the politician signs and forgets the Wildlife Proclamation, the organisations which make up Scottish Environment LINK will not. All signatories are listed publicly on the Wildlife Proclamation website, and those who are elected will be held to their pledge in the new parliament, for example by becoming a LINK Species Champion and engaging in an ongoing process of learning about and working for Scottish biodiversity.

So between now and May, please get involved. Follow the Wildlife Proclamation on Facebook and Twitter, explore wildlifeproclamation.org.uk to order copies of the proclamation, hunt out your candidates at street stalls or hustings and invite them to sign up, and spread the word.

Ian Gilmour

Finally, huge thanks to the congregation of St Andrews and St Georges west for letting us use their beautiful church and making it so hospitable, to their minister Ian Gilmour for chairing it and setting a perfect tone of thoughtful discussion, to the St John's Church Green Team for initiating the event and organising the publicity, and to all of you who came, bringing your knowledge of and passion for biodiversity, which made the whole thing possible.

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Restalrig Railway Path Cleanup

Well done to the crack team of five who attacked the litter at the Easter Road end of Restalrig Railway Path this morning.

Easy-wins at the entrance

Fishing "witches' knickers" out of the hawthorn

Working along the path

Councillor Gordon Munro struggling in the bushes - hard work but worth it as a lot of this has obviously been there for years, so hopefully making things easier for future parties!

This wee robin was delighted with the colonies of beasies we turned up under overgrown plastic bags. Apologies for the photo, I was hampered by equipment. We also startled a fox!

There, that looks a bit better!

There were lots of cleanups going on around Edinburgh this weekend including Figgate Park, Water of Leith, and the other end of Restalrig Path. Look out for the clean bits as you walk around!

You can follow future Wild Reekie events on our Meetup page, www.meetup.com/Wild-Reekie/.

Eleanor Harris, @eleanormharris

Cleaning up Restalrig Railway Path

Restalrig Railway Path is a useful link for walkers and cyclists, and a green corridor for wildlife through a busy area of Edinburgh between Leith Academy and Hibernian Football Club. These features are both what make it valuable, and make it in regular need of a clean-up.

Eager Wild Reekians eager to get started

We started at the Easter Road end, with the intention of cleaning up the section to Hawkhill Avenue.

It took a lot longer than we anticipated - we were determined to fish out all those plastic bags buried in the leaf-mould and caught up in the bushes! - and we only got about halfway.

Wild Reekians looking rather less eager after two hours hard work.  

We collected quite a lot more than in the picture, but conceded our haul to a passing bin lorry half way.

I've been thinking about doing something like this ever since I read the article which went round Facebook almost a year ago about the Dutch guy who cleaned up a river bank, called "I did a thing". Well, now we've started a thing.

We started two things actually: we also started a Wild Reekie species list, although between concentrating on litter and lack of knowledge it is a rather short one. Well done to Adam who identified a Redwing from its song. Anyone know what the delicate purple fungus above is?

Not much out in January, but we think this is Cow parsley. I think I've just trodden on it, oh dear.

After all our hard work we went to visit the nearby Lochend Park, with its unexpected lake and spectacular views of Arthur's Seat.

That gave us a few birds for the species list at any rate.

Graylag goose and Tufted ducks

So today's short list is:

• Cow parsley
• Hawthorn
• Woodlouse (Slater)
• Graylag goose
• Canada goose
• Mallard
• Tufted duck
• Coot
• Moorhen
• Black-headed gull

Huge thanks to the guys from Edinburgh Council who brought us the litter-pickers and other equipment. 

And huge well done to the Wild Reekians who took part: it was hard work and not the most enjoyable of trips, but the company was great and I hope you all feel you've done something really worthwhile!

Sign up to be notified of future events at www.meetup.com/Wild-Reekie.

"Truly enjoyed myself! Nice friendly people, great to be outdoors and do something good. Thank you everyone!" 

Have a look also for the Restalrig Road and Railway Path Facebook Group who also organise clean-ups along the path. 

Follow me on Twitter @eleanormharris.

Woodland management at Burdiehouse Burn

The Wild Reekians headed to Gilmerton for a day of woodland management.

Burdiehouse Burn begins as the Lothian Burn in the Pentlands, runs between Liberton and Gilmerton in the Burdiehouse Burn Valley,  and becomes the Niddrie Burn before running into the sea at Joppa.

In 2000 the valley was planted with a Millennium Wood and soon afterwards the Friends of Burdiehouse Burn Valley Park was established. It has cared for the park ever since, with the help recently of Esperanza Martin of Edinburgh and Lothian Greenspace Trust. We are very grateful to the Friends and Esperanza for letting us join them.

Esperanza teaching us how to use loppers and bow saw to remove lower branches.

The wood is now maturing and, as the trees have flourished and are all the same age, are in need of thinning and having their lower branches removed. This will admit more light to the valley floor in summer, allow people to explore under the trees, and prevent the woodland becoming overgrown and threatening.

Getting stuck in.

We were also joined by Pete Carthy of Instinctively Wild who demonstrated the camp kettle.

Water in an outer chamber is heated by a small fire of twigs in the middle, with the kettle acting as a chimney. Tea for all was ready in four minutes. If you think that looks fun, sign up to be notified of future Wild Reekie events as Pete has agreed to lead a Bushcraft one.

It was a beautiful snowy day to be out amongst the trees, warmed up by hard work: we all felt well exercised after a day wielding heavy loppers. If you're walking through Burdiehouse Burn Valley, especially next spring when the leaves come out, have a look at the Millennium Forest.

Follow me at @eleanormharris.