Abigail Betney

Have I got newts for you?
Join our North of Scotland group for an online talk from Danny O’Brien, project lead for the UK’s most northerly Amphibian and Reptile Group.
📅 Date: Wednesday 11 February
⏰ Time: 7.30pm
Book your ticket 👉 buff.ly/3orVFrF

A joyful and windswept Megan McCubbin standing outdoors with a smile, holding a camera with a long lens. She is surrounded by a colony of Gannets on a rocky cliff overlooking the sea. Megan is dressed in a blue waterproof jacket, black hoodie, and blue jeans. She wears glasses atop her head.

Happy Birthday to our wonderful Ambassador Megan McCubbin!

Thank you for being a voice for nature.

Have a glorious day, we hope it's filled with plenty of birdsong, wildlife and cake! 🎉

Statement: Protect the best, restore the rest: what next for large-scale nature recovery in Scotland? - The Scottish Rewilding Alliance We are delighted that the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill has been voted into law. This truly landmark legislation will create a much better legal framework for nature recovery than Scotland’s…

A major leap forward for Scotland’s nature recovery 🎉 Last week, MSPs voted to pass the #NaturalEnvironmentBill into law. That means Scotland will now have legally binding targets to protect and #restore nature 🙌

Read more 👉

Halfway between the winter solstice and spring equinox, life begins to stir 🌱 Today is #Imbolc, also known as Saint Brigid's Day - the #Gaelic festival marking the first signs of #spring and celebrating the return of light.

Have you noticed any signs of spring in your area? Share them below! 👇

Six individual bird illustrations focusing on the head of the bird are lined up in a collage. Species depicted include the Goldfinch, Jackdaw, Woodpigeon, Pied Wagtail, Green Woodpecker and Chaffinch. Artwork by Will Rose.

✨ Vote for your favourite bird image! ✨ We need you to pick our new Birds in Greenspaces icon for our brand-new mobile phone app!

Vote here ➡️ bit.ly/VoteBiGsIcon

Will it be the Goldfinch, Jackdaw, Woodpigeon, Pied Wagtail, Green Woodpecker or Chaffinch? 🤔

Voting closes on 15 February.

We welcome the passing of the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill, that creates a better legal framework for nature recovery in Scotland.
🎯 Statutory nature restoration targets
🦌 reforms to deer management legislation, &
🏞️ improvements to our National Parks
have been needed for years. 1/4

@abshirecouncil.bsky.social @aberdeencc.bsky.social

A roadside verge bursting with Oxeye daisies curves alongside the road, leading toward a bridge where several cars are passing through.

Calling all Councils📢

Eager to make a change for nature in your local area? Join the #NoMowMovement in 2026 and reimagine how we see road verges and green spaces, to help native wildflowers, pollinators and animals.

Register your local authority today - https://loom.ly/42T23DU

Positive ocean news 🌊

With the High Seas Treaty and France's ban on PFAS now in force, to a boost in whale numbers and rescued manatees, there's plenty of ocean optimism to enjoy this month

Head to our blog to discover the latest ocean news 👉 mcsuk.org/positive-ocean-news-january-26

Full length portrait of a weasel.

The weasel is the smallest member of the order Carnivora, which also includes cats, dogs and bears. The largest member, the polar bear, can weigh more than 5,000 weasels combined!

(No wild polar bears in Scotland but plenty of weasels!)

📸 Amazing shots as always by Rosanna Forbes👏

🧵 1/2

Difficult to choose, so I'll go for the picture of the Pied Wagtail, as it best represents a bird in a green space 🐦🟩

A vibrant poster with a green background showing a red squirrel, Scottish wildcat, and puffin wearing party hats. They are surrounded by green and pink confetti, streamers, and balloons holding up a banner that reads: “MSPs voted to pass the Natural Environment Bill! Scotland WILL have legally binding nature recovery targets.

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.

I initially wondered if it was based on clicks and was a sad reflection on a reduction in interest, but looking at the change this month it seems they've ditched all the topical links...? That's a real shame - I thought they were a great idea compared with the dry standard topics.

Does this depend on where your fruit was grown? eg, do apples grown in the UK need a lot of additional water (though I guess a lot come from Kent, which could be a lot drier these days)?

Wild pines - Trees for Life We are finding Scotland's lost wild pines in partnership with the Woodland Trust. Caledonian pinewoods are among our oldest and richest habitats. They are characterised by wild Scots pines, descended…

On this day in 2014, #Scotspine became Scotland's national tree 🌲 These iconic trees form the backbone of Scotland’s Caledonian #pinewoods, one of our richest habitats.

Discover how we're saving Scotland's wild pine fragments👉 treesforlife.org.uk/about-us/wha...

@wtscotsocial.bsky.social

European bison in a forest with text overlay that reads: "January 2026, Rewilding Wins of the Month". Photo credit: Etienne Brunelle/Getty images/Canva

The first #RewildingWins of 2026 have landed 🙌

Scroll down to discover how this year has got off to a wild start👇

🧵1/6

What a win for nature!

Scotland is the first UK country to have Swift bricks in law – a lifeline for this threatened bird. And, for the first time ever, the Scottish Government must set legally binding nature recovery targets.

Thanks for helping make history with a strong Natural Environment Bill.

On Jan 27, MSPs decide the fate of Scotland’s Natural Environment Bill. This is our chance for legally binding nature recovery targets. 🌍🌿🐾

MSPs can still strengthen or weaken it—we need bold action now!

Like & share to help restore Scotland’s nature! 📢
#NaturalEnvironmentBill

A collage of photos showing BTO Bird Camp activities, including a group of young people looking at plants, a young person drawing at a table, a young person looking through binoculars and a close-up of a caterpillar. In the middle is an orange circle with white wording that reads: Bird Camps 2026. The BTO Youth logo is above this.

Bird Camps are back! 🙌 Apply for a FREE place now ➡️ www.bto.org/birdcamps

If you’re a nature lover aged 11-17 (12-16 in Scotland) join us and fellow nature enthusiasts for a weekend of birding, exploring and nature-based activities. 🐦🦋 @scottishbirding.bsky.social

Kids are still off here, so it's hard to say 😆

I guessed Scot's Pine, spruce, fir, larch (but not which particular species of spruce or fir).

Two Starlings face off in an intense standoff, beaks wide open as though mid-argument. Their glossy, speckled plumage shimmers with iridescent greens and purples, but their flared wings and sharp postures steal the show. One bird leans forward, as if shouting, while the other appears just as indignant...capturing the chaos when tensions soar and everyone takes the game a little too seriously.

POV: You try and have a nice game of Monopoly

📷 Paul Browning

The silhouette of a mature tree in a U-shaped hollow set against a starry sky. Pic by Anita Nicolson with thanks to the National Trust.

We want to see a new criminal offence for harming heritage trees. The next Scottish Parliament should introduce a Tree Protection (Scotland) Bill including the creation of a new legal status for ancient & veteran trees, with new criminal offences for harming or destroying them. 🧵 1/3

Winter in the Caledonian forest ❄️ The landscape transforms into a #winter wonderland with snow-dusted glens and frost-covered trees.🌲

#Rewilding ensures that Scotland’s precious species - from red squirrels to crested tits - have the #habitats they need to thrive.

Snow at sunrise in the Scottish highlands in Queen Elizabeth Forest Park, Scotland. Clouds in the sky have a light peach glow and a light scatter of snow covers the hills and valley.

Happy #WinterSolstice! Today marks the shortest day of the year and the turning point toward brighter days ahead. It’s a wonderful reminder of nature’s cycles and how good it feels to connect with the outdoors in every season. 🌿

Starling flock murmuration across a sunset sky. Mountains silhouette below, with the orange hues of the sun setting. Above in the dark blue of the sky the starlings create a wiggly shape are they move together across the sky.

The longest night of the year means lighter days are just beyond the horizon.

A few extra minutes of daylight each day = more time to spend in nature. 💚

#WinterSolstice

A close‑up of a dried wildflower head covered in delicate frost. The thin stems radiate outward like spokes, each coated in tiny ice crystals against a soft, blurred winter background.

A quiet woodland path covered in fresh snow. Trees on both sides are heavily dusted with snow, their branches creating a soft, wintry canopy under a pale grey sky. The scene feels still and peaceful in the muted winter light.

Macro photo of green leaves coated in frost. Ice crystals form sharp, white edges around each leaf and tiny frozen droplets cover their surfaces, creating a sparkling, textured winter pattern.

Close‑up of several snowdrops in soft golden light. Their white, drooping flowers and slender green leaves stand out against a blurred grassy background, giving a gentle early‑spring feel.

Nature can look so pretty in the winter 😍 ❄️

Happy #WinterSolstice, the shortest day and the longest night of the year.

Whatever you’re doing today, take a moment to think about longer days to come. Spring will be here before we know it! 💚

#Winter #Wildflowers #Solstice

Absolutely, as we see them year-round, and get to see other lives interact with them (usually Blue, Coal or Great Tits are the more obvious ones), and not cut them down or pull them out of the loft for just a few weeks 💚

Not sure how many Winters we've taken it inside now, but £6.95 was certainly better value than most Christmas trees - thank you Tree 💚🌲

I just checked back - next week it will be 14 years since we ordered it from the Woodland Trust shop 🌳🌲