TCV Scotland Network Bulletin Winter 2022

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Winter 2022 for tCV SCotland’S Community netWork

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Welcome to the Winter 2022 network Bulletin from the Conservation Volunteers in Scotland. in this issue:

Welcome to the Winter network Bulletin from the Conservation Volunteers in Scotland. as usual we feature groups belonging to tCV’s Community network, with this issue having a northern flavour with news from the award-winning ury riverside Park SCio in aberdeenshire and dunnet Community forest in Caithness.

also highlighted are some of tCV’s own projects: enhancing the ‘green’ skills of trainees in West lothian, building roots with refugees and asylum seekers in ayrshire, and improving the life chances of young Gypsy/travellers in falkirk – all achieved through nature-based learning and activities.

throughout 2022, volunteers from natWest and other companies have taken time out from their day job to improve local biodiversity, whilst primary pupils in Stoneyburn have been providing homes for hedgehogs. and to help people enjoy their green spaces, tCV’s colleagues at ramblers Scotland are looking to support communities to improve their local footpaths.

this issue’s Nature notes features a familiar seasonal sight – holly. and for a good read during the long winter nights, tCV staff

recommend their favourite books for some natural information and inspiration.

in 2023, the Conservation Volunteers will be enhancing our Community network ‘offer’, with more online digital resources available. over 280 groups and organisations in Scotland currently belong to the network, many running regular volunteer sessions and other opportunities to join in. find out if there’s a group near you here. network membership continues to be free, thanks to support from players of People’s Postcode lottery.

and, the winter days may be short but there are still plenty of ways to enjoy what the season has to offer outdoors and to make Space for nature

A river runs through it

By Ian Talboys, Trustee, Ury Riverside Park SCIO.

ury riverside Park is a 61 hectare community park for people and wildlife to enjoy together. the park is being developed by the community for the community from a former barley field to create somewhere special for wildlife and people. a great place to walk, jog, volunteer to help create habitats or watch wildlife.

the park has been developing over the last 6 years from former arable farmland on Tree planting.

the flood plain of the river ury in the heart of inverurie, approximately 15 miles northwest of aberdeen.

a group of local people came together to form a Scottish Charitable incorporated organisation (SCio) to take on the development of the park in collaboration with aberdeenshire Council who currently own the land. it is planned that the SCio will take on the ownership of the land through a Community asset transfer soon.

the objectives of the SCio are:

• The advancement and improvement of ury riverside Park.

• Develop recreational facilities that are accessible.

• Enhance the biodiversity and amenity.

• To be open and inclusive to appropriate community events.

the park is being developed with a highquality path network, areas of semi-natural wetland, riparian habitats, new native woodlands, wildflower meadows and amenity grassland. an all-abilities play area and a local granite feature entrance are planned. most of the park lies below the 200-year flood level and much of the park floods every year. this has to be taken account of for all the site works.

the SCio has had to source the funding to design and deliver all the site works. to date this has been a mix including developer obligations, eu leader, Scottish forestry Grants, inverurie Community Council and inverurie faith groups. the most important element of the development of the park is the community engagement and volunteering commitment of the local people.

our achievements so far include:

• 3km of flood resistant paths have been constructed by contractors.

• 11.75ha of wet wildflower meadow sown and maintained.

• 109,000 wetland wildflower plugs planted.

• 14ha of amenity grass sown and maintained.

• 4ha of native woodland planted (over 4,000 trees) by 70+ volunteers, including oak, rowan, holly, crab apple, birch, gean, alder, hazel, hawthorn and blackthorn.

• 6 interpretation and orientation panels designed and installed.

• 2 refurbished benches installed with funding from local people and the rotary Club of inverurie.

• Purchase of local repurposed granite for a feature entrance to the park to be built later this year.

• Installation of two noticeboards funded by the Garioch Partnership.

The park supports breeding skylarks (15+ pairs), common partridge, reed buntings, yellowhammers, and sedge warblers to name a few. otters and trout live in the river along with a range of dragonflies and damselflies. the wildflower meadows are attracting a range of butterflies, bees,

A Bioblitz event.

and the winners are….

the efforts of the ury riverside Park SCio and the local community were recognised by winning the Community initiative award in the prestigious 2022 nature of Scotland awards, co-sponsored by rSPB Scotland and NatureScot. On 17 November, Ian talboys, group trustee, and martin auld, group Chair, travelled to edinburgh to attend the awards Ceremony hosted by naturalist and tV presenter iolo Williams and broadcaster arlene Stuart. ian and martin received the Community initiative award from robert forrest, Chief executive of GreenPower, the category sponsors.

Pictured from left to right are Iolo Williams, Robert Forrest, Ian Talboys, Martin Auld and Arlene Stuart. mike WilkinSon

hoverflies and many other species to an area that was previously just a barley monoculture. We are aiming to create habitats that will function naturally with minimal management intervention.

the park has also proved a popular location for weekly parkrun events where people run or walk a measured 5km route. these are attracting 200-300 runners each week since starting in november 2019. these runs are managed by a local group of volunteers too.

the ury riverside Park has achieved the highest Its Your Neighbourhood Level 5 Award in 2021 and 2022.

We think that ury riverside Park is unique, providing a large area of accessible seminatural habitats on the active flood plain of a river at the heart of a Scottish town.

you can find out more about ury riverside Park at our website or on our facebook page.

Deekin to Jan

the ‘deekin to Jan’ programme provides outdoor, natural heritage-based learning activities to transform the life chances of young people aged 11-15 years from the Gypsy/traveller community in the falkirk area. deekin to Jan, which means ‘looking to learn’ in the Gypsy/traveller language, is delivered by tCV Scotland in partnership with article 12 and funded by the national lottery Heritage fund. the programme is organised by Cara Jackson, tCV training officer, and Project assistants Gregor McLeod and Krissy Stevenson, along with Laura Flannagan from article 12. Here, they outline deekin to Jan’s aims and activities:

We have used local natural heritage and the group’s own cultural heritage as a platform for learning. three sessions each week connect the young people to local green spaces in falkirk, whilst teaching them skills which will enhance their future prospects. every member of the group has come out of their shell, and we are so proud of them! Parents have commented on how they can see notable changes in their child’s confidence and wellbeing.

our young people have developed core skills such as communication, teamwork and essential employability skills. the group visited the inchyra Grange Hotel for an experiential learning experience where they created a mystery shopper like check list to review the customer service. they absolutely loved it and were very fair critics. following this, the group were tasked with an entrepreneurial activity of creating their own hotel. they had a set budget, target audience and had to pitch their idea to the group/panel. their ideas were so imaginative; they really didn’t scrimp on the detail.

the group have achieved one SQa unit so far, ‘Working with others’ by working collaboratively including the creation of a woodland obstacle course and building a team den.

during our first block of activities the group have successfully completed their John muir award. the young people have discovered who John muir was and the importance of connecting with and protecting our natural world. as a result, we have learnt about and explored

Montana with her hibernaculum plan.

biodiversity in the local community woodland. the group have carried out habitat, bird, and tree surveys. they have learnt what conservation is and put this into action by planning how they could protect local species. the group have planned, developed, and built their own hibernaculum (winter shelter) for small mammals and amphibians.

Going into the new year, our second activity period will focus on community

impact and building the group’s connection to their local heritage. deekin to Jan continues until July 2023.

“I wish the sessions were longer.”

“Every week I love coming here.”

“I didn’t think I’d enjoy this, but it was really fun!”

Bird surveying.

Litter picking.

Den building.

Hedgehog friendly

Alex Paterson, tCV Senior Project officer, has been working with 3 classes at Stoneyburn Primary School in West lothian on HogWatch Green Gym sessions to make them a Hedgehog friendly School.

alex says: “So far, we have found out about ways to help hedgehogs at home and in the school, carried out a bug hunt to find out if there was food for the hedgehogs in the school grounds, and planted trees to create more habitat for hedgehogs. We’ve also made wooden hedgehog homes which we placed in the school grounds. In the new year we’ll be doing surveys using footprint tunnels to see if we have encouraged any hedgehogs to visit. Fingers crossed!”

alex also suggests a few ways people can get involved in Citizen Science this winter:

reporting hedgehog sightings at BiG Hedgehog map

add to the Woodland trust ancient tree inventory

report any winter sightings of ticks using our tick map What makes viruses tick?

record species you’ve spotted using irecord. download the app or use the website

Carry out our deadwood Survey

take part in the rSPB Big Garden

Birdwatch 27th – 29th January 2023

A group surveying deadwood.

Not just another day at the office

throughout 2022, hundreds of employees have swapped their offices and workplaces for a day of ‘green’ volunteering in the community. they have joined tCV for an employee action day to improve a local greenspace or community resource. a number of companies have participated over the past year including natWest, Sky and oVo energy. in locations across fife, edinburgh and the lothians they have undertaken projects as diverse as building sensory gardens, raised beds

and composting areas to invasive species removal and creating pollinator corridors and other biodiversity enhancements. and lots of tree planting! these activities have been organised by tCV Senior Project officers Marc Knight and Teri Grieve, based in our edinburgh office.

most recently, natWest volunteers have been planting trees as part of the City

of edinburgh Council’s one million tree Campaign to plant a million trees by 2030. an estimated 240,000 trees still need to be planted to reach that goal.

marc says: “We’ve recently planted several hundred metres of hedging and some woodland pockets at Corstorphine Hill and we’ll return in January to add to these. And we’re planting at Threipmuir Reservoir, to the south of the city, with native Scottish species suitable for a wetland environment,

NatWest employees tree planting on Corstorphine Hill in Edinburgh.

including downy birch, hazel, alder and several species of willow. At Corstorphine Hill, we’re also planting an orchard of Scottish heritage fruit varieties including plums, pears and apples, all of which have been sustainably grown and specially selected to withstand an increasingly variable Scottish climate! The orchard planting will involve volunteers from the Open University. By the end of the planting season we’ll have planted approximately 18,000 trees.”

teri adds: ”It’s great to involve the volunteers from NatWest and other organisations. They are always incredibly keen to make a difference to their local environment and community. We thank them all for their hard work, and we’re looking forward to providing further opportunities during 2023, so it’s very much a case of more of the same!”

if your organisation is interested in our employee action days, please email

OVO Energy staff tree planting at Crow Wood near Glasgow.

A NatWest group at Threipmuir Reservoir.

Dunnet Community Forest

Situated beside the Caithness coastline between thurso and John o’Groats is the most northerly community woodland on the British mainland, as outlined by Shona Scatchard, dunnet forestry trust treasurer:

Since last year, following a successful community buyout from natureScot, and with assistance from the Scottish land fund, dunnet forestry trust now own dunnet Community forest, which we aim to maintain as a community resource for

relaxation, exercise and engagement with the natural environment.

a large part of the work we undertake to achieve this consists of ensuring the maintenance and safety of our 15km path system. Providing the largest part of the finance for this is harvesting windthrown trees and processing them into various sizes of wood fuel.

the forest was originally an experimental plantation on part of the dunnet links

dune system and was comprised mostly of different areas of monoculture species, mainly Sitka spruce, lodgepole pine and Corsican pine.

our long-term forest plan, as approved by natureScot, is to transform the forest into a much more open, mixed woodland with a larger variety of trees, including many more broadleaf species.

We currently employ one part time forester and depend on a committed volunteer workforce to accomplish this vision. We run a regular weekly Green Gym on thursday mornings, and recently started a new one on Sundays too.

Since october 2021, thanks to financial support from two local windfarm funds, we have employed a part-time forest development officer, who set up the Sunday group and various other activities such as our Wildlife Watch group involving children in woodland activities, working with some secondary school pupils through a ‘developing the young Workforce’ project and various one-off events in the forest.

transporting felled trees to work areas for further processing, pond clearance, chipping of brash, tree planting, and beating up to clear grass and weed growth to allow young trees to grow properly. early in 2022, a group of volunteers finished building a large roundhouse at the forest’s main entrance to serve as a meeting place and information point.

Plans for the coming year include the erection of two totem poles to replace old ones that had rotted, the refurbishment and extension of a children’s play area, and perhaps the start of work on the erection of a polycrub and larger nursery to allow us to grow our own trees from seed, and possibly even install a compost toilet.

anyone wanting to get involved can just come along to our Green Gym sessions or our monthly log sales. you can also get in touch by email or phone if you would like more information first and we can then give advice about what to wear and give health and safety advice.

Phone: 07858 058 800

at our Green Gyms the typical activities include path and bridge maintenance,

Building Roots in Ayrshire

throughout 2022, the Building roots project has given refugees and asylum seekers in ayrshire opportunities to discover their local green spaces, develop their english language skills, meet new people and connect with their community. the project is run in partnership with east ayrshire, north ayrshire and South ayrshire councils. eSol (english for Speakers of other languages) classes are closely linked with the project and tutors come to activity sessions to assist the participants with their language learning. a flavour of Building roots is provided in a short video

one of the group members is from Syria, and he says:

“After a session I feel more brave to talk to anyone as I don’t worry about my accent or lack of vocabulary. Also, I feel more comfortable as now I know that I’m not the only one facing difficulties talking in a new language. I like that I have been sociable, meeting new people every week instead of sitting at home doing nothing.”

Nature notes

Holly – a prickly customer

With its glossy, prickly leaves and vibrant red berries, the evergreen holly (Ilex aquifolium), is one of our most distinctive native plants.

Holly is a common shrub or tree found in oak and beech woods, scrubland and hedgerows, and is also planted as an ornamental tree in parks and gardens. mature hollies grow up to 15 metres and live up to 300 years. Holly is dioecious, meaning that its male and female flowers grow on different trees. Holly flowers are white with four petals, with only the male flowers being fragrant. they bloom any time between early spring and early summer. only the female holly bears berries. once pollinated by bees and other insects, female flowers develop into the familiar red berries, and for this to happen there must be a male holly nearby. the familiar prickly leaves are most likely found on young plants whilst the leaves of older trees are more likely to be smooth, as are the leaves in the upper parts of holly trees.

many wildlife species find shelter and a safe nesting place in holly’s dense, spiky foliage which deters predators. the berries are eaten by small mammals such as wood mice and many species of birds, including

redwings, fieldfares and thrushes. mistle thrushes are known to vigorously defend ‘their’ holly tree/berries from other birds. Holly leaves are a major food source for the caterpillar of the Holly Blue butterfly, which is widespread in england and Wales, and according to Butterfly Conservation:

‘The Holly Blue has expanded northwards in recent years and has colonised parts of southern Scotland.’

in winter, the holly’s deep leaf litter can provide a cosy spot to hibernate for toads, slow worms, hedgehogs and other small mammals.

Holly blue butterfly.

like many plants, holly has its place in folklore and mythology, including roman, Celtic and Christian. in some cultures it was considered unlucky to cut down a whole holly tree, although branches could be brought into homes and barns to bring good luck and ward off evil spirits. Holly trees were also seen as protection from lightning strikes and so were planted near houses. there does appear to be some scientific evidence that the spines on holly leaves can indeed act as miniature lightning conductors, protecting the tree and nearby objects.

today, holly is particularly associated with Christmas, featuring on innumerable Christmas cards, decorations and wreaths. the prickly leaves are thought to represent Christ’s crown of thorns while the berries signify Christ’s blood. these themes are reflected in the lyrics of the traditional Christmas carol – the Holly and the ivy.

Holly grows in most soil types in sunny or partial shade. if you want to add holly to your garden or local green space, holly saplings and ‘standard’ trees can be bought from many tree nurseries, and the Woodland trust also supplies cellgrown saplings. alternatively, you can try growing holly from cuttings or seed, the

latter method being described on the tCV website

So, if you have a suitable spot and want to provide some food and shelter for wildlife, plus a splash of colour in winter, why not plant a few holly trees.

Collecting holly berries.

Ramblers Scotland: Supporting community path projects

tCV’s colleagues at ramblers Scotland are looking to support footpath development, which may be of interest to groups belonging to our Community network, as outlined here by Heath Brown, ramblers Scotland Community outreach officer:

the ramblers are looking to support groups and organisations to access funding and develop projects that create changes in local path networks. We are looking to work with groups to improve their local path networks, create walking routes and develop local signage.

every step we can take to improve our path networks helps everyone take a step outdoors.

at the ramblers we have developed an online mapping tool that helps individuals and groups review their local path networks and working together we can establish what can be done to improve the network.

Whether it’s a path disappearing under vegetation, erosion due to weather or barriers restricting access – local groups know where improvements could be made. let’s make the most of that local knowledge.

We’d like to help groups to develop local partnerships to explore ideas and potential projects that could apply for funds and make real change in your community.

We can help you develop ideas, from taking the first walk along the path to see and understand the issues, to creating partnerships with local authorities and other local groups, to potentially develop a fully costed project application.

We can support a wide range of projects to:

• Improve accessibility and resilience of existing paths between homes, community facilities, active travel routes and public transport facilities

• Remove barriers to make existing paths more accessible to more people

• Create short links from existing paths to community destinations such as homes and public transport

• Create routes to aid the development of 20-minute neighbourhoods

you may know of lots of path projects, big and small, but are unsure how improvements can be funded. With your knowledge about local paths, together with the right support from ramblers Scotland and others, including tCV, we can make a real difference to our local path network.

if this is of interest to your group, please get in touch

Developing Greenskills in West Lothian

in november, five young trainees successfully completed their Greenskills traineeships with tCV to deliver greenspace improvements across West lothian and further afield. the West lothian Greenskills programme ran between march and november 2022 and was funded by players of People’s Postcode lottery. through practical, hands-on experience, the programme aimed to give the young trainees valuable skills and knowledge to progress onto a positive destination, be that the world of work or otherwise as an active citizen.

the Greenskills trainees were Evyn Hollinger (17), Ben Stoddart (18), Logan Bainbridge (18), Leigh Herd (19) and Ethan Shaw (20). throughout their traineeship the team were supervised by Joe Williams, tCV Senior Project officer*. Here, Joe (second from left above) outlines what the programme entailed:

We recruited the trainees through previous project partners in West lothian, including Helping young People engage (HyPe), Skills training Programme (StP), and the Street league charity. the programme’s

Evyn (left) and Ethan hedge laying.

Greenskills trainees and TCV staff with raised beds at Grangemouth Community Centre.

recruitment criteria were for young people who had left full time education within the last two years and who would have been subjected to the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, and when leaving education were not progressing onto a positive destination. the trainees had a limited knowledge and awareness of the natural environment and did not have regular exposure to local greenspaces and some of the fantastic natural sites that Scotland has to offer. Something we wanted to change!

the trainees undertook a range of practical environmental and biodiversity improvements:

• 150 trees planted

• 130 metres of hedge planted

• 72 metres of waterways managed

• 19 homes for wildlife created

• 3,075 square metres of woodland managed

• 400 wildflower plugs planted

• 990 metres of paths maintained

• 13,772 square metres of meadows managed

• 1,000 square metres of invasive species cleared

different sites, over a quarter of which were classed as being in the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods, according to the Scottish index of multiple deprivation (Simd). the team were put through a number of accredited training courses, including Brushcutter, Woodchipper, outdoor emergency first aid, and manual Handling and lifting. the trainees also attended charcoal making, coppicing, hedgelaying and scything workshops to develop their skills and experience in traditional conservation practices. and there were opportunities to attend training courses to obtain vocational qualifications and to develop the soft ‘core’ skills necessary to progress into an active citizen role when the programme came to an end.

these activities were carried out on 15

Before the programme ended, one of the trainees enrolled onto SruC’s HnC Wildlife and Conservation management course. another trainee now volunteers two days a week with a project partner and has enrolled onto an art course at college. one of the group is now in employment, while the two remaining trainees are searching for suitable roles and are meanwhile considering becoming Volunteer officers with tCV. overall, it was great working

Lantra Woodchipper training.

Trainees at SRUC Open Day.

with these lads. their hard work made big improvements to the local environment and significantly enhanced their own prospects.

“I have always wanted to work outside in nature, and this programme provided that. I have learned how important biodiversity is for ecosystems and the things that we can do to improve biodiversity, such as removing invasive species that damage these ecosystems. I have learned important leadership and communication skills through working with TCV and associated volunteering and community groups. I really enjoyed working at Beecraigs Country Park doing things like path work and scything. This programme has led to me getting into college for Wildlife and Conservation Management at SRUC Oatridge. The traineeship has given me a real sense of purpose and I don’t know where I would be without it.” – ethan Shaw

“Working with TCV is a great way to learn lots of new skills, meet lots of people and help to make a positive impact on the environment. I really enjoy being part of a group because it involves working as a team and solving problems as a team. I have been involved in all sorts of activities and training courses such as dead hedging,

hedge laying, pond clearing, tree planting, path creation, pond creation, making raised beds, willow spiling, tool sharpening, coppicing, hut building, wood chipping and scything. My favourite day with TCV was planting trees with the Arsenal FC under-16s team at Loch Lomond, because I was getting to teach people how to plant to trees while getting to talk to them. The programme experience has been phenomenal.” – Ben

Stoddart

“I thought the programme would be good to learn new skills and experience. I enjoy being part of a group a great deal. Activities included building raised beds for a mental health facility, and my favourite activity was hedgelaying at Loch Leven. I also learned about invasive species and how harmful they are to the environment. Training courses included Brushcutting, Woodchipping and Manual Handling. Enjoyable!” – leigh

Herd

*Joe has since changed roles and now helps run tCV activities in the edinburgh area, including our local volunteer group.

One of the locals at Beecraigs Country Park.

Ben building a dead hedge at Polbeth and West Calder Community Garden, West Lothian.

A good read

In the run-up to Christmas most of us are thinking of gifts for family or friends. Even in this digital age, ‘real’ books remain a popular choice with something suitable for all ages and interests. Here, staff from TCV Scotland give their own recommendations for books about nature and the environment. As well as a gift for others, you could of course also treat yourself!

diary of a young naturalist

By Dara McAnulty

this is a cracking reflection on the effect nature can have on someone’s life and their journey to sharing their fascination of it with others. featuring one of the best mum’s i have ever read about, fictional or otherwise. dara is already a big voice in the environmental world and having read this, i am sure he will continue to be so in the future.

JoSH tHornHill, StirlinG

rewild your Garden

By Frances Tophill

i think this is a great book, (or maybe almanac is the better noun) for beginners who are looking to garden differently and make a refuge for wildlife. it’s something that you can pick up and flick through while sitting in the shed, letting the colourful illustrations guide you, or browse until you find exactly what you’re looking for. then read a page or two synopsis on everything from pond creation to dead hedges, unsung environmental heroes like fungi and slugs, and a host of other ideas to bring wildlife back into our own personal green spaces.

Joe WilliamS, edinBurGH

Wilding: the return of nature to a British farm

By Isabella Tree

i had heard many thoughts about this book but was surprised at how much it drew me in. a book about how wild the uk used to be and what still exists in savannah lands today with big game playing a crucial part in the cycle of life of a wilder place. Some excellent facts about nature –

the loss of nightingales – how valuable one 400 year old tree is – the need for corridors of connectivity to islands of sanctuary. it also highlights the social and political storms and fashions and how much owners of one farm had to fight their cause and invest in their vision both in terms of time and money. ultimately it helped me appreciate how far conservation has come recently as well as how we need to keep challenging our assumptions. it is important to explore conservation elsewhere on earth and what we do and say with nature in mind matters. definitely one to read for 2023.

Clare JoHnStone, GranGemoutH

Badgerlands

By Patrick Barkham

this book is about the world of badgers from a species viewpoint, but also how they impact the world and people around them in a positive and negative way. i enjoyed it because it shows all the different perspectives and opinions that this one creature just going about its business has created. it also made me love badgers even more than i already did.

fiona mCGreVey, GlaSGoW

the forest unseen: a year’s Watch in nature

By David G. Haskell

Haskell spends a year returning to a single, one square metre patch of ancient woodland and shares his observations and inspirations in this beautifully written book. forty-three short chapters each describe a different visit throughout the year as the weather and seasons evoke changes in the lives and behaviour of all the life of this randomly chosen patch of woods. i loved it for its deep dive into how much is going on in any spot we might otherwise walk past without much thought. it captures how much can be gained by building a relationship with a place and seeing it over time.

Camilo BrokaW, GlaSGoW

Braiding Sweetgrass

By Robin Wall Kimmerer

robin is a master storyteller, botanist, and tradition keeper of indigenous knowledge who better than anyone i’ve read expresses the human capacity to live in close relationship to the natural world. She

weaves between her own life experience, her extensive knowledge of diverse plant life, and the stories and wisdom of her and other indigenous american tribes a tapestry of how meaning can be found in the way we treat the world around of us. the book is an invitation to accept some animism into our worldview and a dare to approach the natural world with a respect we may not have even considered beforehand.

Camilo BrokaW, GlaSGoW

entangled life

By Merlin Sheldrake

a mushroom afficionado

myself i had heard about this book for some time. at a time when mushrooms and fungi are having a moment in the spotlight, Sheldrake manages to set this book apart with a deep knowledge and romantic appreciation of the subject matter. Sheldrake grabs the reader’s curiosity and evokes a powerful sense of wonder with a complete re-evaluation of the way biology works. a world of survival of the fittest and dog eat dog evolution is called into question as systems are shown to thrive through cooperation and fluid, dynamic relationships. Sheldrake will get you to wonder if you actually know

where the individual ends and the wide, connected world around them begins.

Camilo BrokaW, GlaSGoW

Britain’s Birds: a treasury of fact, fiction and folklore

By Jo Woolf

did you know that the latin name for chough (pronounced chuff) is the fire crow, and comes from an old belief that the birds would deliberately set fire to people’s houses so that they could steal money and valuables from the ruins? or that the reason you rarely see fairies in an alder wood is because they use a dye made from the leaves to camouflage themselves? all these facts and more can be found in the ‘treasury of tradition’ series published by the national trust. the three books in the series cover Britain’s birds, trees and wildflowers and are chock-full of stories and old beliefs about our natural world. Beautifully illustrated and bound, they’re perfect for dipping in and out of on a dreich winter’s eve.

Paul BarClay, liVinGSton

Where Bigfoot Walks

– Crossing the dark divide

By Robert Michael Pyle

the first thing to say about this book about bigfoot… is that it’s mostly not about bigfoot. for the first half of the book we accompany the author, an experienced field entomologist, on a journey through the unprotected forest wilderness known as the ‘dark divide’ in north-west Washington state. although we will be introduced to many bigfoot stories and ‘encounters’, including indigenous american tales, as we go on the real meat of the story is about that forest wilderness itself. How people experience it, how we relate to it, how living and vital an organism it is by itself, and how we as a civilization are destroying it for logging and recreation purposes. at times the text is amazing and inspiring, but at others it becomes heart-breaking as we come to realise that for future generations this wonderful, wild place might be as much of a vanished myth and legend as bigfoot is to us today.

Paul BarClay, liVinGSton

Shark!

By Ron and Valerie Taylor

not an easy one to get hold of – it was published in 1979 – but copies can be found online for £5 or so, ron and Valerie taylor are australian legends. film makers and conservationists, they were responsible for all of the ‘real’ shark footage in the Jaws movies. using ground-breaking techniques and with a hair-raising approach to health and safety – when the script in Jaws 2 required the shark to have a scar, Valerie simply leaned over the side of her boat and used her waterproof lipstick to draw one on the mouth of every great white which came within reach. the couple have been responsible for some of the most iconic shark footage and incredible research. the book is a mix of anecdotes, stories and science pieces as the authors attempt to dispel some of the fearsome reputation of great whites which the Jaws films largely created.

Paul BarClay, liVinGSton

two recommendations from david meechan, irvine:

the Climate Book, by Greta Thunberg feral, by George Monbiot

Badger – encounters in the Wild

By Jim Crumley

Part of a series of books filled with Jim Crumley’s almost poetic descriptions of his encounters with various species in the wild. this isn’t a book about biology, science or conservation – it’s about how experiencing wildlife makes us feel, how it fills the soul with joy and wonder. the books themselves are slim volumes with beautiful cover art – a perfect stocking filler for Christmas.

Paul BarClay, liVinGSton

a monstrous Commotion – the mysteries of loch ness

By Gareth Williams

tHe definitive history of the phenomenon of the loch ness monster and its impact on the people involved. most of the book avoids talking about the existence of strange creatures in the loch, it is much more interested in the (sometimes even stranger) people who have been involved in the search and the murky history of the monster story. from the early days of a doctor’s (and doctored) photos, to the sightings of gamekeepers, hotel employees, celebrities (did you

know respected royal correspondent

nicholas Witchell began his media career by spending weeks on a rowboat floating about the loch?) and Watergate style ‘deep throat’ anonymous witnesses, through to the intense period of well financed international research expeditions from impressive sounding science establishments and on to the modern day. although the author doesn’t speculate much about the monster itself, stick around to the end for the twist in the tale…

Paul BarClay, liVinGSton

a Sky full of kites: a rewilding Story

By Tom Bowser

this is a fascinating story which brings together Britain’s chequered history of red kite persecution with a more personal and positive experience of reintroduction of kites at argaty estate near doune, Stirlingshire. tom talks with emotion about the highs and lows of this journey and the challenges of changing the land management priorities of the wider estate. a fascinating insight into rewilding, ecotourism and the frustrations/barriers that come with navigating a new and much needed nature restoration direction.

Julia dunCan, edinBurGH

fingers in the Sparkle Jar: a memoir

By Chris Packham

this book reminded me a bit of my own daughter, Charlie, who for years and years has come home covered in mud or wet through from the river with some precious smelly animal skull or ancient bone or similar “treasure” trailing mud, sand and water in her wake. this story features the incredible story of Chris as a young man and his relationship with a wild kestrel that he hand-reared. a fascinating story that shines a light on those whose “social battery” becomes easily overwhelmed and who need nature to recharge and recalibrate more than food!

Julia dunCan, edinBurGH

Hindsight: in Search of lost Wilderness

by Jenna Watt

rewilding is a complex and sometimes contentious topic. Here, Jenna Watt looks into what rewilding is, and how it may contribute to the restoration of our nature-depleted environment and help combat the ‘ecological grief’ many people, including herself, feel.

She visits several Highland estates to talk to landowners, stalkers (including a rare woman stalker), and others involved in land management. She discusses with them the re-introduction of species such as the beaver and apex predators including lynx and most controversial of all – the wolf, a subject which seems to distort the wider rewilding debate.

Watt is particularly interested in the role of deer and their management in the regeneration of native woodland, whether through planting or natural regeneration. for that to succeed deer numbers need to be controlled, but to what extent?

and are deer to ‘blame’ for the current situation? interwoven through the book is the account of a day on the hill the author spent stalking as part of the deer cull. Could she overcome her deep anxiety to shoot a hind?

also raised is the question of whether the new ‘green’ landowners engaged in rewilding schemes are simply replacing control of the land and the people who live there, from one set of rich and often absentee owners to another? a thoughtful read.

GraHam BurnS, GlaSGoW

the make Space for nature campaign from natureScot encourages us all to help reverse nature loss and combat climate change. a range of seasonal activities benefit both nature and everyone taking part. discover ten tips to make Space for nature this winter.

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Join the #idigtrees phenomenon –toGetHer we will plant 3 million treeS for the climate, wildlife and communities! order your free trees packs for delivery up to the end of march 2023. Claim your free trees here

Free membership

With support from players of People’s Postcode lottery, tCV’s Community network offers free one year membership to community organisations, large and small, who help care for their local greenspaces. the Community network has almost 2,000 member groups spread throughout the uk, with over 280 in Scotland.

Find out more and join the Network here

the network Bulletin is produced quarterly by the Conservation Volunteers in Scotland and features groups belonging to the Community network, plus news of tCV’s own projects and volunteers.

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