Windswept and Interesting

It's 48 years since white-tailed eagles were brought back to Scotland. Since then they have delighted conservationists and twitching tourists, who flock to see them on Scotland's west coast. but horrified sheep farmers, who blame them for lamb losses. So what does John Love, one of the people responsible for their reintroduction in 1975, think about them now?

• Has the environment changed too much to sustain them?
• Is the successful reintroduction of this apex predator a blueprint for bringing the lynx and wolf back to Scotland?
• And - should farmers be grateful to the sea-eagle reintroduction programme?

John is a legend in the conservation world and his reflections on these topics may not be quite what you would expect.

This is the fourth of the first W&I series, and we're building some momentum but I could do with more help to sustain this podcast, so if you're interested in this stuff, please follow, subscribe or whatever your chosen podcast source allows, to give us a boost. A share would help too!

Music created for this podcast by Nottingham's own Rob Baynes https://www.facebook.com/Beeeaaanz/ - hit him up if you want your own specially created music!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s windswept Wednesday again, and this week I’m finding out how the estate at the heart of Scotland’s rewilding journey is still forging ahead with restoring nature.

I’m talking to Sophie Ramsay, daughter of arch beaver enthusiasts Paul and Louise, at their transformed estate at Bamff in Perthshire.

She has picked up the rewilding baton from her parents and is now leading on much of the project. So

•         What did a snake that hands out superpowers have to do with the Bamff story?
•         Which beavers are the biggest show-offs?
•         Did the Bamff beavers start the population which now lives on the Tay?
•         And how do you tempt ospreys to move into your neighbourhood?

Listen in to find out…

And remember, we're giving out a slice of Scotland's outdoors folk every first and third Wednesday, so sign up and make sure you know we're coming!

Music created for this podcast by Nottingham's own Rob Baynes https://www.facebook.com/Beeeaaanz/ - hit him up if you want your own specially created music!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here’s a bonus for loyal listeners, one from my archives, previously unpublished, revealing something of how Scotland’s Green environment minister Lorna Slater thinks about a lot of issues close to the hearts of those who care about the Scottish environment. The deer management stuff and the green finance plans may worry some in the conservation world…

Music created for this podcast by Nottingham's own Rob Baynes https://www.facebook.com/Beeeaaanz/ - hit him up if you want your own specially created music!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're at Mar Lodge, arguably Britain's most important conservation estate, covering 70,000-plus acres.

David Frew is the man in charge - we're finding out:

• why a conservationist has had thousands of deer shot
• whether no fences make good neighbours
• why the National Trust estate still has commercial stalking
• and whether David would like to organise a cull of hillwalkers.

We're getting listened to in the USA, Canada, Singapore and Sweden - rather amazingly - and it all helps build momentum - so subscribe if you can, or buzz me @ScotNatureCorr on Twitter with suggestions etc.

Lots more eps to come, and we're aiming to hit at least two Wednesdays a month...

Music created for this podcast by Nottingham's own Rob Baynes https://www.facebook.com/Beeeaaanz/ - hit him up if you want your own specially created music!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's the first Windswept and Interesting podcast, on what I'm hoping will be Windswept Wednesdays. This show features the ever-youthful Andy Meldrum, the man who took on the Glen Coe Ski Centre and won, turning it into Glencoe Mountain resort, complete with fabulous cafe, mountain biking, accommodation pods and more. So - is it true he didn't tell his wife the full story when he remortgaged their house to buy the place? How confident is he that skiing will go on at Glen Coe when snow is a fast disappearing commodity in the Highlands? And what's the worst possible Christmas present you could have if you own a ski resort (and no, there was plenty of snow...)? Listen in to find out, and subscribe if you can - it will help ensure we keep going! Find me @ScotNatureCorr on Twitter

You can find out more about the Glencoe Mountain Resort here:

https://www.glencoemountain.co.uk/

Lots more eps to come, and we'll be aiming to hit at least two Wednesdays a month...

Music created for this podcast by Nottingham's own Rob Baynes https://www.facebook.com/Beeeaaanz/ - hit him up if you want your own specially created music!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you want to hear more from the folk in the know about Scotland's countryside? If so, this is the place to come!

In my work as a broadcast and print journalist specialising in Scotland's outdoors and environment, I meet lots of really interesting folk, but a four-line quote or a couple of 30-second radio clips rarely does them justice. This podcast aims to set that right, giving the people at the heart of Scotland's countryside, and the debates about it, a chance to tell us who they are, where they're coming from, and what they believe the future holds.

It'll be around once a fortnight, and you can subscribe, or give me feedback and suggestions on Twitter @ScotNatureCorr. It's all about you getting more from my work - so don't hold back. The first ep proper is coming in a couple of weeks...

Music specially created for this podcast by Nottingham's own Rob Baynes https://www.facebook.com/Beeeaaanz/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.