Latest news with #GoldenEagleProject
The Herald Scotland
14 hours ago
- General
- The Herald Scotland
For the love of peat, why must humble gardeners be victimised?
What really rankles is the non-stop air traffic taking off from nearby Glasgow Airport plus the constant stream of jet-trails overhead, bound for USA, Europe, Japan, Dubai etc, all flying over Scotland releasing their poisons. Why does my little bit of garden peat matter so much it is banned but at any time there are around 4,500 flights in the air guzzling enormous amounts of fuel and causing untold environmental damage? Try the Flightradar24 app and give yourself a fright. I guess gardeners are just an easy target. Scientifically I can understand the environmental damage caused by all these flights and I could even see the point of banning the burning of peat but I fail to see that allowing gardeners to use a bit of peat is going to destroy the planet. David Gilchrist, Paisley. Read more Grouse moor claims are false Robbie Marsland's article ("For nature and wildlife, grouse shooting creates a vicious circle of destruction. Call that 'glorious'?", The Herald, August 12) contains so many inaccuracies about grouse moor management that it would be impossible to address them all in one letter. But several of his key claims cannot go unanswered. He asserts that muirburn 'encourages wildfires'. Estates and gamekeepers – recently praised for their role in tackling Scotland's largest recorded wildfire near Dava and Carrbridge – know the opposite to be true. The Scottish Fire & Rescue Service and the Scottish Government both recognise that controlled muirburn, when carried out by trained professionals, is an essential tool for reducing fuel loads and lowering the risk of devastating, uncontrolled blazes. On medicated grit, Mr Marsland omits that its use is tightly regulated by veterinarians, who must be satisfied of the need before it is deployed. In 2020, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency concluded that flubendazole 'presented a low environmental risk'. Claims that grouse moors are 'wildlife deserts' are also unfounded. Indeed, to give one example, by 2022, 90% of the chicks translocated for the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project came from private estates – most of them grouse moors. Finally, licensing for grouse shooting, which was introduced last year, has seen over 270 applications approved by NatureScot, with no cases of raptor persecution requiring intervention. The truth is that Mr Marsland prefers to paint a picture of licensing not working, falsely claiming that licences only cover tiny areas immediately surrounding grouse butts. This is demonstrably untrue and was recently debunked by the Scottish Government in response to a parliamentary question. All in all, I find it quite astonishing to see the lengths to which some people will go to pursue extreme agendas with absolutely no regard for the consequences. Ross Ewing, Director of Moorland, Scottish Land & Estates, Musselburgh. Roadworks everywhere I readily identify with John McMenemy's letter (August 16) regarding roadworks and diversions. Back in January 2023, I sent a Freedom of Information request to Edinburgh City Council asking how many separate roadworks there were across the city as, like Mr McMenemy, I was totally fed up with delays everywhere I went. The council sent me a detailed response which confirmed that there was a total of 135 distinct roadworks – consisting of 55 road closures, 38 'give and take' traffic controls, 21 portable traffic lights, 15 lane closures; three narrow roads, and three works on footways. It was illuminating but not surprising. Brian Watt, Edinburgh. Sour milk The proposed congestion charge for Glasgow ('Concerns as plans for a Glasgow congestion charge move forward', The Herald, August 16, and Letters, August 19) will serve no useful purpose, and is no real surprise, as it is merely part of a grand plan to milk the population at every opportunity. Quite simply, we are being harvested. Malcolm Parkin, Kinnesswood, Kinross-shire. Good news at last Everyone expects to open a newspaper these days and find nothing but bad news. It's either happening or about to happen. Donald Trump has no idea how to present good manners never mind good sense as leader of the free world. A young politician is being pilloried for stating her beliefs. There's a huge rise in the amount of sea creatures being stranded on Scottish beaches. A man has been blinded by alcohol while on holiday. I could go on of course but that is not the point of my letter because today in your Business Section is the most welcome and pleasing news this month. CCG (Scotland) has just welcomed 14 new apprentices into its ranks ("Major Scots construction group ramps up intake of apprentices", The Herald, August 19). Isn't this just what the country and the economy need? May I suggest a monthly round-up of similar good-news apprenticeships? Each and every one of them could convince yet another young school leaver that it is a very good idea and that there has always been this option alongside what seems to be every modern parent's desire: for their wean to go to uni. Michael Colgan, Glasgow. Prince Harry penned a letter to his late grandfather (Image: PA) Psst, can you keep a secret? I refer to your article reporting that the Duke of Sussex arranged that a secret, personal letter to his late grandfather be left at the National Memorial Arboretum, and that he had now published this letter ("Harry's secret tribute to his grandfather Prince Philip left at national memorial after VJ Day commemorations", The Herald, August 19). I'm not sure he understands "secret". Allan McDougall, Neilston.
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Sir David Attenborough names first eagle chick in conservation project
Sir David Attenborough has named the first young golden eagle to fledge as part of a pioneering conservation project to boost the birds' numbers in southern Scotland. The broadcaster, now aged 99, named the eaglet Princeling, meaning young prince, which he said was a symbol of new hope for the restoration of the number of breeding pairs of golden eagles in southern Scotland had fallen to as low as three, but since 2018, the population has risen to more than 50 after eagles from the Scottish Highlands were brought south. Princeling hatched and left the nest after one of the relocated birds, named Emma, mated with Keith, a member of the local eagle population in Galloway. Originally called the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, it has now become a standalone charity Restoring Upland Nature (Run) after expanding its reach into northern England. Sir David said: "Many congratulations to all those in Restoring Upland Nature who have brought about the fledging of a young golden eagle." How did Emma and Keith meet? In 2021, NatureScot granted the project a licence to remove chicks from eyries in the Highlands. The translocated chicks, aged five to six weeks, were initially kept in aviaries in the Southern Uplands for about two months before being of the birds was named Emma - after Emma Ritch, an advocate for women's rights and and local eagle Keith made a nest near Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway, where their offspring later was satellite-tagged earlier this summer, and has now left the nest in what Run chief executive Cat Barlow described as a "game-changing moment" in UK conservation."Seeing Princeling thrive in the south of Scotland highlights that, where there are healthy ecosystems and a low risk of persecution, translocated eagles can integrate well into native populations to breed successfully," she said."This brings renewed hope to our ambition to reverse biodiversity decline and ensure current and future generations across the UK, including Scotland, England and Wales, can experience that incredible sense of awe on seeing golden eagles soar."
