Sumer is icumen in
by Alex Levontine – Although the summer solstice represents all the abundance and potential of summer, it is also a moment of stillness. The pause in the pendulum swing of the year as day length reaches its maximum and the…
Category Environmental Education
World Peatlands Day – Praise Be to the Bog!
by Alex Levontine – Preparations are underway. The sacrifices have been made to the Bog Sprites. The Peat Hags have been complimented. The Sphagnum Gods have been honoured. That’s right — it could only be World Peatlands Day (2nd June).…
Wheels Up – Naturedays Outreach in North West Sutherland
by Bethany Hickling – As part of their 2023 outreach programme, the Naturedays team at Aigas visited three primary schools across North West Sutherland to run workshops on “Brilliant Birds” and “Marvellous Maps”. Sutherland is a remote area in the…
Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns Grow
It was an extremely cold and frosty, but beautifully sunny day as myself and the Naturedays at Aigas education team headed out for an afternoon of seed collecting. Each year, Naturedays runs an outreach programme where the team heads out to Highland schools, nurseries and local…
Beautiful Views and Ptarmigan Sightings from the West Coast
We have had some beautiful weather over the last few weeks in the Highlands, which was perfect for the many walks we did with a residential school group staying at the Field Centre. One of my favourite days was going…
The Weird and Wonderful World of Sphagnum Mosses
I have always been fascinated by the more unusual and overlooked groups of wildlife; from obscure beetle families, millipedes and slugs, to lichens and bryophytes (mosses and liverworts). So often these understudied organisms can tell us huge amounts about the…
A Trip to the North Coast
Our outreach sessions carry us far and wide around the highlands; which recently included a two-day excursion around the north coast. We aim to reach as many schools and classes as we can to share our love for wildlife. The…
Tree Planting in the Aigas Community Forest
Bordering our Field Centre is an undulating, 260ha community owned patch of woodland – Aigas Community Forest. Bought with the aims of increasing biodiversity in areas of previously poorly managed plantation; it demonstrates sustainable timber sourcing, whilst providing a fantastic…
Waking up with Coileach Dubh
Our Aigas guests will be familiar with what we call the Early Morning Run (EMR). At the beginning of the season, we offer guests the opportunity to visit a black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) lek and otters (Lutra lutra) later in…
Butterfly Garden: Before and After
May 2018 (Before) Now that signs of spring are finally showing themselves around Aigas, we have seen Queen bees buzzing around after being woken up from hibernation by the warmer temperatures. They need to find flowers with nectar to feed…
Naturedays on the Isle of Skye
Over winter, the Naturedays team travelled to many primary schools and nurseries around the Highlands to deliver an outreach programme on how animals survive the harsh winter months. As we entered spring, the outreach changed from this theme to one…
My first experience of leading a school group at Aigas
As a new ranger, I recently had my first experience of teaching school pupils. My previous teaching experience includes assisting with zookeeper talks and interacting visitors to nature reserves, where my audience consisted mostly of adults. When I learned that…
Exploring the Bone Caves
Every year, a school group from the south coast of England travel north to learn all about the Highlands. Traditionally, we take this group to Assynt to climb Stac Pollaidh, a rocky Corbett of Torridonian sandstone just north of Ullapool.…
John Muir Day – Celebrating an Inspirational Conservationist
“Camp out among the grass of glacier meadows. Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. – The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.” John…
The Rewards of Walking in the Hills
Back in February, Pete and I decided to hit the hills of Glen Affric armed with warm boots, plenty of layers and ice axes for a day of winter walking. With the Highlands still firmly in the grip of winter’s…
Birch Syrup: Beneath the Bark
It’s easy to think that while there’s snow on the ground, there isn’t much going on in the way of wild food. While an icy blanket conceals the winter fungi and the bitter frosts slow the growth of spring greens,…
Aigas Ranger Training with Naturedays
Having experienced the Aigas Ranger Training Scheme (ARTS) once before I was eager to see what new things 2018 would bring. I was most excited for the week of education training with Naturedays, the charity based at Aigas which focuses…
Aigas Ranger Training – Part 4
A fresh fall of snow turned the Highlands into a stunning icy landscape. On Monday we revisited Culloden Battlefield and Clava Cairns. By understanding the history of these sites, we can understand some of the human factors that have shaped…
Aigas Ranger Training: Part 3
Day 1 We started the week with an early morning run to the Inverness shore looking for otters. To our delight we spotted a mother and her cub. Following that great success we headed to the east coast to explore…
Aigas Ranger Training: Part 2
Over the last week we have done a lot of walking, wandering through local straths, glens, farms, forests and along the shore discovering Scotland’s spectacular array of wildlife and delving into its great history. Day 1 On Monday we explored…
The Big Garden Bird Watch
This weekend RSPB held their annual Big Garden Birdwatch. A nationwide wildlife (primarily bird) survey that is participated by half a million people. This year we got involved. Undeterred by the rain, our ranger team spread out across the estate,…
Living alongside Chimpanzees in Uganda
I arrived in Hoima, Uganda, on Monday 15th, and since then it has been an absolute whirlwind of experiences, every one of them incredible. I spent a night in the Itahyo Forest where the Chimp Trust works with the community…
From Aigas to Ngamba
A very belated Happy New Year to everyone in the Aigas community! Right now I’m sitting taking in the view over Lake Victoria listening to hundreds of birds and some very noisy chimps – I’m probably sitting in the same…
Rural Skills at Aigas
Over a period of 9 sessions, a group of S3/4 students studying Rural Skills at Inverness Royal Academy have been coming to Naturedays to get practical experience related to what they have been learning. Activities that the group of students…
Monkey Business
I am sat writing this blog post after watching the sun set over Lake Victoria. I am fortunate enough to be spending three weeks volunteering for The Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust (The Chimpanzee Trust), an NGO based in…
Naturedays at Aigas
Possibly the most important work that the Aigas Trust funds is that of Naturedays. We provide environmental education to students from nursery to secondary school age. Each year over 5,000 students throughout the Highlands and islands of Scotland and beyond…
