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LinksOver the last 30 years Aigas has built up great friendships, working relationships and associations with a large number of environmental, educational and literary institutions. Often it is the people that we know and rely on for advice, expertise and support that enables the staff at Aigas to provide truly unique and memorable experiences for our guests. Here are links to the websites of a handful of such organisations; they are listed under the following headings: Essential Web Sites:
Naturedays is the Scottish registered charity which delivers all of the environmental education programmes at Aigas. These programmes range from hands-on activites like pond dipping for preschool and primary aged school children to Advanced higher and A-level geography and biology field work for secondary school students.
For all the latest news on wildlife at home and abroad, BBC Wildlife has got it all. Watch out for features on all your Aigas favourites like badgers, pine martens, otters and deer. Highly recommended! Aigas is a member of Wild Scotland - an association of wildlife tourism operators who are passionate about Scotland's natural heritage. Members aim to provide the very best wildlife watching in Scotland, through a responsible attitude to the environment, your safety and enjoyment.
BBC Spring Watch Hosted by Simon King, Bill Oddie & Aigas friend Kate Humble, Springwatch is the biggest survey ever into the arrival of spring. It is run by the BBC in association with the Woodland Trust and the UK Phenology Network. Aigas takes part every year. By collecting information about the first signs of spring, we can help build the most complete picture of the season as it unfolds across the UK. Scientists will have a better understanding of how spring is changing and what needs to be done to help wildlife thrive in the UK. BBC Autumnwatch - A new venture by the BBC's fantastic crew of enthusiastic wildlife presenters. Simon King, Kate Humble, Bill Oddie and Gordon Buchanan are amongst the contributors reporting on Grey Seals pupping on the remote and wild Monarch Isles, rutting stags on Rum, the great goose and swan migration, and as always, many other fascintaing wildlife sights and sounds. Laurie Campbell - Laurie is one of the UK's finest nature photographers. He has illustrated and authored several books including the bestselling 'RSPB Guide to Bird & Nature Photgraphy' and has won twenty-three awards in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. On his website you'll find his own picture library of over 100000 images. Scottish Beaver Network - The Scottish Beaver Network is a small group of people who are enthusiastic about seeing beavers restored to Scotland as soon as possible. All Aigas staff and Lister-Kaye family members are keen supporters of this group. Their web-site is offered as a public information service regarding European beavers and beaver reintroduction. Highland Wildlife Park - This park has an amazing variety of animals that would have been found in Scotland, hundreds, even thousands of years ago, including beaver and lynx. The Capercaillie Breeding Programme here at Aigas is in collaboration with HWP. Roy Dennis - In 2004 Roy won the RSPB's Golden Eagle Award for the most significant contribution to nature conservation in Scotland over the last 100 years. Roy is an old friend to Aigas; he regularly gives lectures here and offers his support and advice over all of our projects on the restoration of natural ecosystems. Ecoventures - provide first-class dolphin watching boat trips on the Moray Firth. They are based in Cromarty and are accredited operators with the Dolphin Space Programme. Duncan Chisholm - A local boy and a friend of ours for many years, Duncan Chisholm produces some of the finest traditional music to be heard in the Highlands today. A superb fiddler, lyricist and story teller Duncan's CD Redpoint is one of the best sellers in our Aigas shop. Wolfstone - Founded by local boy and friend of the field centre, Duncan Chisholm, Wolfstone are a Scottish rock band whose unique blend of music has produced two gold albums and seen the band play around the world headlining many major festivals. Wolfstone are described by Duncan as “….are a rock band from the Highlands of Scotland that happen to use pipes, whistles and fiddles in our repertoire” - superb! Cnocciuil Ceilidh Band - Sheila Kerr is not only Field Centre Secretary here at Aigas, but she also helps to run a local accordian band. They have regualr local events - highly recommended. Wikipedia - The biggest multilingual free-content encyclopedia on the Internet. Our Favourite Historical Sites:Cawdor Castle. Cawdor is one of our favourite sites - it has something for everyone; romance, mystery, drama and of course history! Eilean Donan Castle is one of the most famous and photographed castles in Scotland. Owned by our friends the MacRaes, this fantastic site has a fasinating history and a beautiful location. The Clava Cairns are one of the Highlands most mysterious and magical sites. The site consists of three neolithic burial chambers, two of which are passage-grave cairns with passages which align with the mid-winter setting sun. This is a special place and a real favourite amongst Aigas guests. Photography:Laurie Campbell - Laurie is one of the UK's finest nature photographers. He has illustrated and authored several books including the bestselling 'RSPB Guide to Bird & Nature Photgraphy' and has won twenty-three awards in the prestigious BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year Competition. On his website you'll find his own picture library of over 100000 images. Imagesfromtheedge - Niall Benvie is a friend of Aigas and has been working with us photographing some of our wildlife. You can see some of Niall's excellent beaver photographs on our beaver diary page. Ladislav Vogeltanz - superb images of European Beaver and other wildlife from the website of Ladislav Vogeltanz in Czechoslovakia, as featured in the Aigas 2007 brochure. Tooth & Claw: A new project, entitled 'Tooth & Claw' has been launched by Cairngorms-based wildlife photographers and journalists, Peter Cairns, Mark Hamblin and Ian Rowlands. This independent, web-based project aims to examine public attitudes towards predators and predation in Britain by asking people from all walks of life, whether they have a professional interest in predators or not, to complete a short, online questionnaire. The web-site also hosts a discussion forum, and provides information about key species, as well as several great photos of British wildlife past, present, and possibly future. Pro Optocam Ltd Suppliers of professional optoelectronics and camera equipment. They supplied us with an infrared illuminator for the badger & pine marten hide. Beyond Infrared.. Literary Links:As you will see from the Aigas Shop page, John Lister-Kaye is the author of a number of books, ranging from essays on sustainable land use, a fictional romance novel and his best-selling nature writing. Along the way he has recieved invaluable support from a great number of people. The following links relate to the literary activites that go on at Aigas. Derek Robertson - Derek does beautifuul paintings and prints of wildlife and the countryside; he is also the illustrator of John Lister-Kaye's books: Song of the Rolling Earth and Nature's Child. Edinburgh Book Festival Time Warner Books - Time Warner published John Lister-kaye's best selling nature writing: Song of the Rolling Earth and Nature's Child. Time Warner were publisher of the Year 2004 and 2005, and include the imprints Abacus and Little, Brown. Sites for Bird Watchers:General Bird Sightings and NewsAn all inclusive site with up to the minute sightings and photos from around the UK. Plus for the best in bird guides, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMS, Video guides, guides for butterflies and dragonflies too - Birdguides have got the lot!
A huge web forum that has lots of discussions and debates. A good place to get those tricky bird related questions answered!
A popular website that brings together news and links from all over the world. Extremely detailed, and a must for all birders planning a trip!
A worldwide birding site with news and photos (including the UK).
A “ranking by traffic” website that shows the most viewed bird related websites in the world. Constantly changing, with sites appearing and disappearing frequently!
Research and appeals on Scottish bird species
A website all about the conservation of Barn Owls in the British countryside. The Barn Owl Conservation Network is a project of The Hawk and Owl Trust.
Every winter hundreds of Bean Geese arrive in central Scotland. This website provides lots of info on this rare species, and provides information on where to see them.
The Swift is a very dear species to us at Aigas, their presence in the tower was one of the main reasons Sir John chose Aigas as the location for the field centre! The website highlights their decline and provides useful advice for helping this amazing species.
A look at another Scottish Red Kite re-introduction, this time in Galloway.
The famous wildlife farm of mid-Wales has lots of information about a species seen regularly at Aigas, the Red Kite. There are interesting articles about the re-introduction on the Black Isle and on wing tagging.
A good friend of Aigas, Roy Dennis MBE has an excellent website following radio tagged raptors from their Scottish birthplace to their African wintering grounds. There is also information on Beavers!
A website looking at the migrant Whooper Swans that winter in the Lothians and Fife region.
Scottish birding sites and regional news
An excellent, up to date site on birding in the Ayrshire region. (South West Scotland)
A site focussed on the Musselburgh region. (North East Scotland)
A local council site that highlights news and sightings within the Caithness region. (North East Scotland)
A personal site looking at wildlife in and around the Clyde River. (West Scotland)
Bird reports and news from the Isle of Coll. (Inner Hebrides)
News and information about Britain’s most remote inhabited Isle. Sightings updated daily from THE site for bird migration!
Website following the seabird monitoring in the Firth of Forth.
News and info about the Bird Observatory 5 miles off the Fife coast.
An excellent website covering all sightings of migrant birds in Shetland.
News on all of the seabirds that breed on National Trust for Scotland land (around one fifth of all of Scottish seabirds!)
The website of North Ronaldsay Bird Observatory, located in the far North East of Orkney.
Fascinating website detailing the Bird Club centred on the oil rigs in the North Sea! There are excellent stories and some truly remarkable records.
A new attraction focussing on seabirds from Bass Rock, Isle of May and other seabird colonies.
An excellent site, collating all of the work of the different bird of prey research groups that operate throughout Scotland.
Information and sightings from a location that we often visit throughout the season. Well presented and updated daily.
National bird related organisations and schemes
The BOC provide information and links to all of the bird observatories in Britain and Ireland.
The international body which oversees bird conservation all over the world.
A scheme which Aigas is getting involved in. Birdtrack collates bird sightings from all over the country to build up a picture of the habits of resident and migrant birds.
Provides research and advice on British bird species. Oversees the Ringing program and Birdtrack.
Charity organisation that undertakes a large amount of bird related research, particularly on game species.
Europe’s largest conservation charity, with over a million members (mostly UK). Owns hundreds of reserves and has a large paid and voluntary workforce. This website is very user friendly and covers every bird related topic.
An international charity, based in the UK that oversees the conservation of wetlands and associated species. Has several centres across the UK.
Magazines and Newsletters
Newsletter produced by the bird recording group of the SOC Highland Branch
A quarterly journal for birders featuring interesting articles on Scottish birds, especially rare migrants.
A birding magazine, almost entirely dedicated to birding and rarities in the UK.
A journal which covers research, conservation, ecology and migration of (mainly) British Birds. Also includes rarity news.
An independent journal that covers all forms of British wildlife, but has lots of features on birds and their status and conservation.
Although it is a Dutch journal, the text is in English and the articles cover birding throughout the Western Palearctic.
Sites for Mammal Enthusiasts:
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 “There is a place which to me is heaven on earth – Aigas
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Mary M Williams, Denver, Colorado – June 2006 PodcastsNext ProgrammeScottish Islands Cruise |
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