Great day in Dundee with @hutton.ac.uk. A showcase of diverse, impactful science — incl. mountain soil #biodiversity via eDNA, AI/GPU diagnostics, #sustainable biofuels, carbon-flux modelling, resilient soft-fruit breeding for #foodsecurity & the importance of tree diversity & structure in forests.

Lovely sunrise over the #FirthofForth as I trundle by train to #Dundee for the @hutton.ac.uk scientific symposium today. A day packed with short talks on the breadth of science being undertaken by the Institute and partners. Looking forward to the day … #science #research #knowledgeexchange

It’s a bit “meh” out there, so here’s another #winter #wader fix — the #Sanderling. Often seen zooming back and forth in the wave splash zone. They don’t have a hallux (hind toe), which cuts down resistance on firm sand and lets them shift along at a quick pace. A clever physical adaptation.

Plenty of our regular #waders around the #EastLothian coastline at the moment feeding on the mudflats and strandline. #redshank, #oystercatcher & #turnstone are on the watchlist (amber) for conservation concern & the #curlew is flagged as being in serious trouble (red-listed).

And the first winners tonight at the #NatureOfScotland Awards are: 🚜 Farming with nature: Johnnie Balfour - Balbirnie Home Farms. 🚶 Youth action award: Ullapool Sea Savers - Love Our Seas! AND Biodiversity Literacy (BioLit) VIP Well done everyone!

The next winners in the #NatureOfScotland awards are: 🌳 Health and wellbeing award: Recovery Through Nature in the Phoenix Forest ⚓ Innovation: It'll Never Work - A Ground-breaking Electric Fishing Vessel 🐞 Nature tourism: Biosphere Experiences: Nature-Friendly Adventures for All Congratulations!

The next group of winners at the #NatureOfScotland Awards 2025 are: ⛳ Business for nature: Seven Golf Courses for Nature 🌊 Coasts and water: Green Shores ⛰️ Nature and climate action: Affric Highlands Well done everyone!

#BerwickBank is assessed to have catastrophic impacts on internationally important #seabirds. Please join @seabirdcentre.bsky.social by taking action now - tell SSE and Scotland’s First Minister to #CancelBerwickBank and to support #naturepositive developments. ▶️ www.seabird.org/cancel-berwi...

Winter golf ⛳️ A chilly 🥶 but braw day at #DunbarGolfClub today. Long shadows casting across the greens and fairways in low sunshine ☀️ #wintergolf #eastlothian #scottishgolf

It wasn’t smiles by the end …. What a disappointing 2nd half, what a disappointing outcome. @scotlandteam.bsky.social need to play 80 minutes with structure & passion. 😭 #AsOne #ScottishRugby

The blue-purple hues of #Phacelia - grown widely in Scotland as a cover crop to improve soil health by suppressing weeds and adding organic matter when returned to the soil. Its flowers attract pollinators, helping support biodiversity. #Farming #EastLothian #Autumncolours #landscape

Not to be at Murrayfield (yet again). Kind of hoped Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 may have turned up in the first half too against New Zealand 🇳🇿. #AsOne

A common find on the stumps of dead broadleaved trees and moss - the #candlesnuff fungus with its black base, grey mid-section and white tip. Laboratory studies have shown that extracts from these #fungi can inhibit certain viruses in test-tube conditions. #fungus #woodland #autumn #autumncolours

Binning wood in #EastLothian in its autumn colours - quite spectacular. No other words required. #BinningWood #AutumnColours #Autumn #WoodlandWalks #Woodland

A grey heron “foot-paddling” or “foot-stirring” - a movement they use when hunting for food in murky or moving water, where visibility is reduced. #greyheron #urbanwildlife #birds #birdphotography

Plenty of winter plumage #turnstones to be seen along the tide line of the coast - resting at high tide or scurrying around turning over seaweed or stones in search of food. They can turnover their body weight ~120g. #birds #bird #wader #birdbehaviour #eastlothian

It was definitely landscape views between #AberladyBay and #GullaneSands earlier in the week - #saltmarsh #mudflats #sanddunes & #beach habitats stretching out to the #FirthOfForth - love it #landscape #coastal #coastalwalks #seascape

A favourite perch for the #bluetits in our garden is the willow tree. They find plenty of insects to peck off the leaves. Not long until those leaves all fall #autumn 🍁 #gardenbirds #gardenbirdwatch #bird #birds #nature #featherdfriends

Having been “runner up” in two of the Dunbar golf club finals this year (mixed and singles knockout) I was chuffed to come away with two prizes at the ladies annual prize giving last night - Swanston Plate and Christie Cup. My #golf ⛳️ occasionally rises to a good game!

Coastal #saltmarsh is flushed pink just now with #glasswort (Salicornia spp). As salt levels rise through evaporation and cooler nights set in, anthocyanin pigments build up in the stems, leading to this change in colour from green to bright pink. #EastLothian #Nature #Coastal #Autumn

Bright orange #seabuckthorn always stands out. It sparks debate; whether to remove it for being so dominant or keep it for the benefits it brings to soil, air and wildlife. I came across #SeabuckthornScotland a social enterprise creating natural products from it ▶️ www.seabuckthornscotland.co.uk

Want to know what happens at the #NatureOfScotland Awards? Take a peek at this video with last year’s highlights buff.ly/nRRWt0L Remember, ticket sales close on 30 Oct buff.ly/nxJK2O1 📷 Mike Wilkinson

Landscape views along our walk from #PrestonMill to #JohnMuirCountryPark earlier today - a near 7 mile stroll. #Walking #VisitEastLothian #CoastalLiving #Dunbar

Lovely to see the diminuitive #coaltit on the garden feeders. Most likely just passing through as they join mixed flocks moving between habitats in search of food. Just 4.5inches long and 8-10g in weight. #gardenbirdwatch @bto-gbw.bsky.social #birds #gardenbirds #Dunbar #EastLothian

Early’ish (for me anyway) walk at #Tyninghame with a pal and her dog this morning - before the rain came. Had forgotten what an expanse of sand it is looking across the #BassRock. #EastLothian #CoastalWalk #Sunrise #Beach

Migrating from Iceland, Scandinavia and Russia, the return of larger numbers of wigeon to Scotland always signals the progression of autumn. Their whistling calls are so soft and distinctive. #wigeon #Birds #BirdMigration #EastLothian #Scotland #Autumn

The WNW winds & high tide combined to create big waves that overtopped the #dunbarharbour wall today - too chilly 🥶 to hang around for long. #BBCWeatherWatch #ScottishWeather #Dunbar #EastLothian

#Curlew feeding in the mud at #BelhavenBay. You can see the nictitating membrane — a thin, translucent third eyelid that moves sideways across the eye - as it probes its beak (and almost its full head) into the mud for food. Mainly lugworms this time, but the occasional wee fish too. #birds #bird

Berwick Bank could kill more birds than any other windfarm on Earth, devastating colonies of Gannets, Puffins and Kittiwakes off Scotland’s coast. 🚨 We support renewables, but not at catastrophic cost to seabirds already in crisis. www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3JE...

Scotland’s smallest duck — the Eurasian teal is just 34–38 cm long (about a ruler), 250–400g (a can of soup). I think you get an impression of its small size against the more familiar mallard ducks in the background. #Teal #EastLothian #Birds #Birdwatching #ducks

The lovely tree Avenue at the entrance to #Haddington Golf Club … lots of acorns on the ground under the old oak trees around the course too. #autumnalcolours #autumn #trees #leaves #acorns #oak #EastLothian

‘When I pass piles of fishing nets, I see piles of money’: a one man recycling revolution on the Cornish coast

#lapwings #peewits feeding or resting on the saltmarsh at #BelhavenBay #EastLothian Sadly they are #redlisted, under the BOU’s Birds of Conservation Concern, due to their falling numbers. The changes are linked to habitat loss or changes in quality and changes in farming practices. #BOCC

An unsually high number (9) of adult mute swans at on Seafield Pond, #BelhavenBay yesterday. The resident cob was trying to maintain his territory - puffing up his wings as he chased down on the incomers. #EastLothian #MuteSwans #ScottishBirds #Birds #WildlifePhotography #AutumnNature #UKBirds

Beautiful light at Belhaven Bay yesterday. This grey heron was perfectly at ease just over the seawall, unfazed by walkers and cyclists passing by. A quick skirmish with another heron broke the calm … #BelhavenBay #EastLothian #WildlifePhotography #GreyHeron #NatureMoments #Sunset

Great to see local #EastLothian company - Ocean Vertical’s -“Pay it Forward” scheme linking corporate wellness activities with opportunities for disadvantaged young people. Well done 👏 🔽 #corporatepartnerships #communityimpact #wellness sustainablebusinessmagazine.net/socialsustai...

On 30 October MSPs will debate the Natural Environment Bill - a vital opportunity to ensure that Scotland sets legally binding nature recovery targets. Help inspire MSPs to support meaningful action for nature by sharing these 40 powerful messages: www.scotlandlovesnature.scot/dear-msp-nat...

Having a dawdle through our #communitywoodland & briefly had the company of resident #roedeer. They were browsing at the edge of a wetland area within the wood; building up their winter fat reserves. I retreated to avoid disturbing them. #Dunbar #EastLothian #lowlandwoodland #deer #woodland

A habitat niche within the wider woodland & old tree system. This #Cladonia spp (if you can help identify further please do) is stunningly beautiful. #lichens #moss #perthshire #nature #macrophoto

Oak Trees - habitat niches, biodiversity hot spots - supporting over 2000 species, carbon stores and soil improvers. What’s not to love about these trees. #oaktree #nativetrees #habitats #naturelovers #autumn #autumncolours

We are deeply saddened by the passing of UN Messenger of Peace Dr. Jane Goodall. Her life’s work championing conservation, humanity and the natural world leaves an enduring legacy. Our condolences to her family, the Jane Goodall Institute and all who draw hope from her example.

46th #TBMacLecture by @kateraworth.bsky.social on the #DonughtEconomy model was delivered with energy and passion tonight - system change required from a focus on growth to one based on #wellbeing & #planetaryboundaries. Thanks 🙏🏻 Check out the latest update here ▶️ www.nature.com/articles/s41...

It’s definitely one of the times of year when our native woodlands are bursting with mushrooms & toadstools. Just a few from our Dunbar #communitywoodland today - (puff ball, parasol mushroom, coral spot & shaggy ink cap) - vital part of a healthy ecosystem #fungi #nativewoodland #mushrooms

The #greylaggeese are regularly seen around the coast of #Cumbrae #Millport - resident populations being boosted in the winter by birds mainly from Iceland. #greylag #geese #coastalbirds #migratorygeese #birds #firthofclyde #northayrshire

Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 at its best in the early #autumn sunshine. #Cumbrae #Millport with fine views over the sea to #Bute, the peaks of #Arran and 40 miles in the distance to the conical shape of #AilsaCraig. Great place to visit for a short break. #visitscotland #scottishislands

Busy time for the farmers as they cut and bale the grass for silage to feed the cattle in the winter #Cumbrae #Millport #rurallife #farming #farmers #countryside #islandlife

A little bit of rural East Lothian as we enter into autumn 🍂 - from Tyninghame estate. #visiteastlothian #rural #landscape #walking #EastLothian

Views from the East of Dunbar’s shore street, granary, parish church & the Bass Rock peering over … #Dunbar #EastLothian #visiteastlothian #coastalliving

The beauty of creeping thistles for #wildflowerhour in #EastLothian #thistles #thistle #wildflower