Big win for Scotland’s nature! The Natural Environment Bill passed by MSPs will bring in legally binding targets to restore wildlife and habitats. Huge thanks to LINK’s members and supporters who helped make this happen! Let’s keep pushing for strong action and funding to restore Scotland’s nature.

The #muteswans appeared to be very chilled out on the calm waters of #SeafieldPond #BelhavenBay #EastLothian today, inbetween bouts of preening and gliding along

On a dreich day the saprophytic jelly ear #fungus, with its distinctive gelatinous form stood out in our #communitywoodland. Found mainly on dead or dying wood, quietly breaking it down and recycling nutrients back into the woodland #ecosystem improving its health. #fungi #jellyear

An enjoyable hour participating in #BigGardenBirdwatch #BGBW today. 10 species, 65 birds (maximum of each species combined) and most: Colourful - #goldfinch (1) Numerous - #starling (30) Bedraggled - #woodpigeon (2) Unusual - #rook (2)

Female #goosanders with their distinctive shaggy rust-coloured crest on their heads - two were dabbling around on the #EddlestonWater #Peebles and preening on the burns banks. Unperturbed by passersby.

Interesting insight into the rise of #LittleEgret numbers in the UK. By using methods that allow for gaps in the data, BTO researchers suggest the breeding population is much larger than previously recorded — and may now be over 2,200 pairs. A species we enjoy seeing year round now in #EastLothian

At low tide, #crows make the most of seaweed and rock pools. Caught this one with a periwinkle in its beak. Highly intelligent foragers and scavengers — the “carrion” in their name says it all. #birds #coastal #bird #carrioncrow

The #rooks have discovered the fatballs in the garden & are becoming masters of dislodging the top from the feeder and dropping the contents to the ground. #gardenbirdwatch @bto-gbw.bsky.social

A frosty 🥶 day for golf today @dunbargolfclub … nice to be able to play still. #wintergolf #scottishgolf #eastlothian

Lovely afternoon for a stroll around #johnmuircountrypark - hard frost underfoot but otherwise calm and sunny conditions. Continue to feel lucky to have access to this on our doorstep. #visiteastlothian #eastlothian #coastalwalks

Male adult #mallards are looking splendid in their bright breeding colours at our local pond - their iridescent green heads catching the winter sunlight #ducks #nature #birds

A sunny and chilly one at #DunbarGC today - frozen fairways and all 18 holes on temporary greens with some devilish 😈 pin positions. A good laugh had.

Down the river Tweed today in #Peebles - where the #greyheron was hunkered down & the #robin fluffed up to protect it from the cold. Good to stretch the legs … #winterwalks #scottishborders #riverwalk #birds

A male #goldeneye down at Seafield Pond, Belhaven Bay. I feel like they favour sitting out in the middle of the pond and are usually on their own. A skilled #divingduck #duck #bird #birds

Great to see the @seabirdcentre.bsky.social is rated the No1 #visitorattraction in #EastLothian in a new study. Drop in & visit their #DiscoveryExperience to learn more about #seabirds #shorebirds #marinewildlife #visitscotland #visiteastlothian ▶️ www.eastlothian.gov.uk/download/dow...

Starting the new year with the company of a little #wren - a wee bird with a mighty song 🎶 and said to symbolise protection and prosperity. #songbirds #happynewyear2026

Wishing all followers a very happy & healthy #newyear. Bring 2026 on ….

A show of strength from this #turnstone as it flips over a stone in search of food. Using leverage and momentum, they can flip stones several times their body weight. #waders #winterwaders #eastlothian

Let’s galvanise more support to stop public money being used to support what’s described - based on the developers own models - as the World’s deadliest offshore windfarm for #seabirds. There’s far better projects in the pipeline for energy and nature 🔽 #campaign action.rspb.org.uk/page/183454/...

Always a good roundup of the varied work going on @hutton.ac.uk in the #HuttonHighlights 🔽

A good stride out around #JohnMuirCountryPark #JMCP and #BelhavenBay today - pretty changeable and murky weather but good to stretch the legs and get a post Christmas dose of fresh air. #winterwalks #beachwalks #VisitEastLothian

The #DunbarHarbour #Robin was singing its heart out on Christmas Eve. Wishing everyone a very🎄Merry Christmas🎄 #merrychristmas #christmaseve

I rather like the occasional winter shot of the #BassRock, #NorthBerwick #EastLothian - now that we’ve reached the longest day of the year it’s only 8-10 weeks until the #gannets are back #seabirds #seabird #gannet #northerngannet

Using my winter golf membership #HaddingtonGolfClub today - lovely sunny 🌞 and calm day for it. View down the tree lined 18th. A wee bit muddier than the winter Links golf #dunbargolfclub 🤣 #ScottishGolf #EastLothian

Delighted to become the owner of this Lucy Newton painting of a #kittiwake and its chick at #DunbarHarbour. It captures the location and this beautiful #seabird so well. Now, where to hang it? #art #wildlifeartist

@hutton.ac.uk we’re looking for a new Board member - someone who is deeply rooted in Scotland’s #farming and #agricultural sector. Please help us by signposting anyone who may be interested to the advert, or get in touch for a conversation about the role 🔽 www.hutton.ac.uk/non-executiv...

Alleged killing of Red Kites in Cairngorms National Park - trial of two gamekeepers adjourned as Sheriff recuses himself due to RSPB membership. Details in blog ⬇️ NB: Comments turned off as legal proceedings are live ⚖️ raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/12/09/a...

Treated to a nice rainbow 🌈 at the end of our round of golf today ⛳️ - perfect December day. #DunbarGolfClub #DunbarGC #EastLothian

If you can help @seabirdcentre.bsky.social contributing to their #fundraiser for repair of the conservation RIB & other essential building maintenance it would be much appreciated by them. You could also win a boat trip around the #seabird islands in the #FirthofForth for your donation. 🔽

Something a little bit different today - the @beyondmonet.bsky.social #immersiveexperience at the Royal Highland Centre’s buildings. Large-scale digital projections, quotes and sounds.

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