A couple from the garden for @wildflowerhour.bsky.social #wildflowerhour #climbingplants - an easy way to cover the fence, add structure and good for pollinators -honeysuckle and clematis.

Just spotted this male #sparrowhawk in the garden with a house sparrow in its talons. Just time for a quick iPhone snap through the window. He kept that piercing yellow eye fixed on me before lifting off, prey still held tight in his talons #gardenbirdwatch #eastlothian

A new experience for me today - playing in the Insured Health Scottish Medal Finals at #Dunblane New Golf Club. Just 7 off the (-3) leader; which I consider to be a good result given my golf swing 🏌️‍♀️ has deserted me this season. In the top third of the results table. #scottishgolf

There were plenty of moon #jellyfish in Dunbar harbour yesterday. We started pondering what the term is for a group of them. Apparently it’s “smack” as that describes the sensation of swimming into a group of them. #Dunbar #EastLothian #Nature

A round at Haggs Castle today. Founded in 1910, the course sits on the edge of Pollok Country Park. A lovely parkland layout surrounded by woodland, and in superb condition from tee to green. ⛳️ #scottishgolf #parklandgolf #glasgow

A skoot up the road for a recce round at Dunblane New Golf Club today, ahead of a competition next week. Thunderstorm ⛈️ rolling around but we got around the 18 holes before the heavens opened. Lovely hill / parkland course with views to Ben Lomond. #Dunblane #ScottishGolf #golfing

This male #blackbird has been working hard feeding his youngsters. They’re becoming increasingly independent now, with their primary feathers well developed. A joyful daily encounter in the garden. #birds #gardenbirds #nature

A quiet summer #solstice spent in the garden - the most popular plants for the #bees are the Red salvia, Johnson’s blue and Russian sage. #wildflowerhour #pollinators @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Pretty stunning day down in #NorthBerwick today for the ladies charity open at North Berwick Golf Club ⛳️ - great views up and down the Firth of Forth as we plotted our way around the course. An exceptionally well organised event. #ScottishGolf #EastLothian

#Kittiwakes incoming at Dunbar Harbour — legs outstretched, wings swept back, riding the wind’s updrafts. Always a pleasure to sit beneath the colony and watch them. #seabirds #birds #Dunbar #EastLothian

Our local #muteswans are quite productive year on year. This year’s five #cygnets were hunkered down in the reeds at the edge of Seafield Pond when I was out for a saunter the other evening - before taking to water with mum for a wee dabble. #swans #birds #EastLothian

Good strategy and business resilience session with the Board and Executive of @hutton.ac.uk Great insights into long-term cropping trials, atmospheric research, cultural change & commercialisation. Expertise, partnerships & knowledge exchange helping maximise science impact.

#Naturerecovery should be seen as critical infrastructure that underpins climate resilience, human health, sustainable production systems and our economy. I’ve signed this call for a national emergency briefing - will you? 🔽 #Petition petition.parliament.uk/petitions/76...

A win (2.5 to 0.5) for our #dunbargolfclub ladies this evening in our friendly against #giffordgolfclub. Their course is in cracking condition just now - fairways and greens tip top. The welcome and their hospitality was also excellent. #ScottishGolf #EastLothian #scotlandsgolfcoast

For @wildflowerhour.bsky.social #WildflowerHour — not a lawn in the traditional sense, but a colourful wildflower margin forming part of the #NatureNetworks in #EastLothian around Winterfield Park. #LawnFlowers

Taking pride of place resting on the lower rocks on Craigleith during our Firth of Forth #seabird count were the #Cormorants. Their nests are on the soft ground at the top of the cliffs whilst the European shag nests are perched precariously on the cliffs below. #SuperSeabirdSunday #EastLothian

Great visit with @rspbscotland.bsky.social to #Stuckindroin & with the Loch Lomond CountrysideTrust to see #WildStrathfillan - #landscaperestoration initiatives at scale in the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park. #naturerestoration

Turned out to be a good day for joining #ForthBirdStudyGroup & @seabirdcentre.bsky.social for boat based counts of the cliffs of 4 important seabird colonies in the #FirthofForth - BassRock, Craigleith, Fidra and Lamb.

The #kittiwakes through the pink of the sea-thrift at Dunbar harbour. They’re settled down on their nests and it shouldn’t be long now until the first chicks appear. Hopefully it’ll be a good breeding season for them. #seabirds #firthofforth #dunbarharbour

Come along to the People’s Emergency Briefing screening at the EICC on 15 June 2026 - #climatecrisis #naturecrisis & contribute to #naturebasedsolutions ⬇️

Plenty of rabbits around the dune system & scrub areas at #JohnMuirCountryPark, and a #carrioncrow provided a reminder of nature’s recycling service as it fed on one that it had managed to pick off. #EastLothian #naturenotes

I came across Northern Marsh Orchids at the pond edge in John Muir Country Park just in time for #WildFlowerHour. Their densely packed cylindrical flower spikes are made up of pretty 3-lobed blooms, each patterned with darker purple lines and loops. #EastLothian #OrchidChallenge

Watching the #EuropeanShags at Dunbar Harbour on #SuperSeabirdSunday. This juvenile is transitioning from its soft brown down to developing its flight feathers on its wings & trying out its wing drying pose. Lots of jostling around in the nest too with its siblings. #seabirds #eastlothian

The #seathrift in the Battery #DunbarHarbour is lovely just now. The area is managed by #volunteers provides views out across the harbour & sea, and is the venue for local events. A little breezy last night! #visitEastLothian #EastLothian

Lovely to attend the launch of the new #DeepTimeTrail at #SiccarPoint today. Created to mark the 300th anniversary of the birth of #JamesHutton - the trail explains his life, work as a farmer, & how his observations at Siccar Point helped transform our understanding of the Earth's history.

I’ve signed this petition to try persuade MSPs this development is simply the wrong scale & location. It’s predicted to have a devastating impact on Scotland’s internationally important #seabirds which are already in decline & need protection. Please consider signing & repost ⬇️ #CancelBerwickBank

Scotland is one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Is the government doing enough to fix it? Our new Progress Tracker monitors 136 critical actions to create accountability for nature recovery. The results might surprise you. Explore the tracker: www.scotlink.org/sbs-tracker/

Early summer #pollinatorfriendly blooms in the garden. Nice to return home from holiday to this fresh burst of colour & of course the sun & warmth. #EastLothian

One is bang on target at a Par3 and one is the usual ‘left’ of the target - need to fathom how to sort that! Enjoyable #golf at #AphroditeHills #Cyprus

Not taking much time to focus on wildlife in Cyprus, as we’re golfing, but something you see quite a few of around rocks is the Starred Agama (Laudakia stellio) #Lizard. Its lifted tail means it’s perfectly balanced to sprint to the safety of a crevice as we pass by.

As Chair of @scotlink.bsky.social I look forward to working with Cabinet Secretary @gillianamartin.bsky.social, & minister @jimfairliesnp.bsky.social - to ensuring that our #marineprotectedareas #MPAs are appropriately protected & managed responsibly for the future 🔽

'You Blew Me Away' sculpture by Penny Hardy #womensart

Such sad news; a legend in my time. I am just one of many spectators who was at that 1990 Grand Slam side and what it meant at the time. A real part of Scottish sporting memories. Thoughts with his family and friends. #scotthastings #scottishrugby www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-...

Delighted to take on the @scotlink.bsky.social Chair role - looking forward to working with members and partners & stakeholders who are working hard to ensure that nature thrives. 🔽

Great views today from #BlackfordHill across #Edinburgh & to the #Fife coast behind. The area is part of the 149‑acre Hermitage of Braid & Blackford Hill #LocalNatureReserve. It serves as a reminder of the importance of these protected areas for nature & communities. #visitEdinburgh #visitScotland

Join our demo to stand up for Scotland’s nature! With 1/9 species at risk of extinction, Scotland’s nature needs our help to recover. Join us on June 4 from 12:30pm–2pm at the Scottish Parliament to call for urgent government action to restore Scotland's nature! Sign up here: rb.gy/lwsa09

Plenty of #orangetip #butterflies on the wing just now — the males are unmistakable, but the females often need a closer look to confirm the ID. The males patrol wide circuits, of several hundred metres, while the females tend to stay put & wait for the males to come to them. #EastLothian

What a nice idea … Lego #Puffin - to make it a reality the petition in the link needs supporters 🔽 #seabirds

A black-legged #kittiwake (again) for #SuperSeabirdSunday - the colony is shifting around the castle cliffs and it feels as though there are far fewer than in previous years. Will be interested in the official count data. #seabirds #birds #eastlothian

This #greyseal appeared briefly in #DunbarHarbour today - with a small fish catch which the gulls almost immediately came in for. Adult grey seals are “big” weighing in at 150-300kg with the females at the lower end of the scale. #marinemammals #wildlife #naturelovers #VisitEastLothian

Some lesser celandine (Ficaria verna) from Brock Wood, East Lothian for this week’s #wildflowerhour. Part of the Ranunculaceae family so I think it meets the #ButtercupChallenge - the yellow adds a lovely splash of colour to our woodlands. #nativewoodlands

An influx of rooks (x8) into our garden today - you can see that one (on the right) has a swollen gular pouch - likely a sign that it’s collecting food to take back to hungry chicks in the nest. #birds #gardenbirdwatch #rooks #EastLothian

A small #Bluetit picking insects from the waving oak leaves high in the canopy at #BrockWood #EastLothian - @scotwildlife.bsky.social reserve. Donated by David Jamieson in 2006, it’s continued to be carefully managed by the Trust, including removal of non-native species

St Mary’s Pleasance gardens - a historic garden from the 17th century that was rescued and restored in the mid 1970s. It comprises various ‘rooms’ & the impressive boxed hornbeam and pleached laburnum alleys. #Haddington #EastLothian #gardens #rescuedgarden #visiteastlothian

Freshly emerged speckled wood #butterflies are filling the woodland rides and glades just now, while the occasional elderly, slightly scraggy peacock #butterfly has reappeared after winter hibernation to feed and breed before it dies. #eastlothian #woodlands

#Bluebells stirring across East Lothian’s woodlands. Thriving where the soil is undisturbed, spring light reaches the ground, & invasive shade‑casters are kept in check. Sensitive stewardship means these incredible blue carpets return each year. #wildflowerhour #BrockWood #EastLothian

Given it’s #SuperSeabirdSunday here’s some ringed #kittiwakes at Dunbar harbour. Ringing studies show that this colony is connected to others in the Firth of Forth & acts as a receiving colony, drawing in birds from strongholds such as the #IsleOfMay. #seabirds #harbours #EastLothian

Time to take in the views across the farmland back to the #BassRock and #BerwickLaw, to follow the Spott Burn, across the Ford. #EastLothian #Farming #Landscape

Please 🙏🏻 help @scotlink.bsky.social towards its funding target 🎯 which will help them to continue to be the collective voice that holds Scottish Government to account on its nature promises. I am supporting their call for donations & hope others will too 🔽 #EarthRaise #BigGive #DoubleYourDonation

If you can please donate (contributions are match funded) to @seabirdcentre.bsky.social to support its research, conservation and advocacy work for Scotland’s #seabirds which still face many pressures. It would be much appreciated by their team and our seabirds 🔽 #EarthDay #BigGive