Summer 2009 - Scottish Natural Heritage

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Join the club! Ewen Cameron and Pete Moore of SNH outline a project that celebrates those who’ve helped our understanding of Scottish wildlife, and encourage you to follow their lead 1 1 The Highland Naturalists exhibition has something to interest all ages. 30 The Nature of Scotland
Coffee-table books and TV nature programmes often leave us with the impression that people who study wildlife have to be professional scientists leading expeditions or cameramen with thousands of pounds worth of technical equipment. Some of them are, but others have nothing more than a pencil and notebook, allied with binoculars and the patience to observe and record what they see. The Highland Naturalists project celebrates those who, over the last 300 years, have contributed much to our understanding of Scotland’s wildlife. Some are old, some are young, some are male, some female – there are even some husband and wife or father and daughter ‘teams’. What they all have in common is an interest in the world around them and the willingness to record what they see. People also assume that in a small country like Scotland we must already know all there is to know about our wildlife, but nothing could be further from the truth. There are literally thousands of Scottish native plants and animals about which we know very little. The Highland Naturalists project has two main elements. Firstly, an exhibition, most recently on display in the Caithness Horizons museum in Thurso and SNH’s Inverness headquarters. The exhibition features a selection of 15 naturalists and some of the equipment and other materials associated with their work. The second element is the website www.highlandnaturalists.com, which forms a longer-term legacy with a global audience. It currently features 35 naturalists and we’re awaiting further nominations of people to be added to this ‘roll of honour’. Seton Gordon (1886–1977) devoted his life to lecturing and writing about the landscapes, wildlife, history and traditions of the Highlands and Islands. He demonstrated two vital skills of the naturalist: keen observation and careful recording. But he also had time to enthuse and encourage others, irrespective of their ages or backgrounds. This photo of him was taken by his wife Audrey as he examined the prey items at the nest of a golden eagle. His standard fi eld kit included the kilt! www.snh.org.uk 31
Page 1: Scottish Natural Heritage Summer 20
Page 4 and 5: Credits The Nature of Scotland The
Page 6 and 7: Wild calendar Long days and bright
Page 8 and 9: Brown-eyed twirl Warm summer days,
Page 10 and 11: Unearthing nature’s wonders What
Page 12 and 13: Just what the doctor ordered Scotla
Page 14 and 15: 2 Nature is good for you - that’s
Page 16 and 17: 4 Outdoor activity offers everyone
Page 18 and 19: 1 16 The Nature of Scotland
Page 20 and 21: Dragonfl ies are sensitive to tempe
Page 22 and 23: Dualchas coitcheann Common heritage
Page 24 and 25: City sights The most popular visito
Page 26 and 27: Inspiring children During the week,
Page 28 and 29: NEWS Searching beneath the surface
Page 30 and 31: NEWS Wildcat stronghold project A n
Page 34 and 35: The featured naturalists include th
Page 36 and 37: Events diary 2009 July Saturday 4 O
Page 38 and 39: Island of the cowled women Loch Lom
Page 40 and 41: 2 Walk on for about 10 minutes and
Page 42 and 43: 6 From Port Bawn take the low path
Page 44 and 45: SNH Area News East Highland Corresp
Page 46 and 47: SNH Area News Strathclyde and Ayrsh
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Page 50 and 51: You’ll come across national parks
Page 52 and 53: For instance, Loch Lomond & The Tro
Page 54 and 55: Learning from the past Scotland has
Page 56 and 57: Living with change Over the last hu
Page 58 and 59: National Trust for Scotland ranger
Page 60 and 61: Kids only! You will need: 4 pipe cl
Page 62 and 63: 1 “It was the bestest day in scho
Page 64 and 65: 3 Experience the wild The fi rst pr
Page 66: Join our mailing list The Nature of

Summer 2009 - Scottish Natural Heritage

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