A man has been charged in connection with disturbing a pod of dolphins off the coast of Portknockie.
The incident happened on Saturday, 27 June, 2026. Police received a report of a boat disturbing dolphins in the water.
The man was later traced and charged in connection. He will be reported to the Procurator Fiscal.
Constable Bryony Munro said: “We would like to remind members of the public to take care not to disturb any marine wildlife when they are encountered, and to follow the Scottish Marine Watching Code, whether they’re watching wildlife from the shore or sea.
“We understand many people enjoy the spectacle of seeing pods of dolphins and whales, but we must ensure we are not endangering them. It is vital they remain safe and protected in our seas. Anyone not adhering to the law will be investigated.
“Should you observe any human behaviour you consider to be a disturbance or harassment of dolphins, whales or other marine life, please note as much detail as you can and report the information to us.”
Campaign calls for a new standard for Britain’s new-build homes
The New Build Manifesto launches with a call to make gardens part of the infrastructure of new housing – designed from the outset for people, wildlife and a changing climate
As Britain embarks on one of its biggest periods of housebuilding in a generation, a new national campaign is calling for the gardens around those homes to be given far greater attention.
The New Build Manifesto https://newbuildmanifesto.co.uk/, founded by award-winning garden writer and designer Andrew Jackson, launches on 24 September with a mission to raise the standard of new-build gardens across Britain.
With more than a million new gardens potentially being created during this Parliament, the campaign argues that Britain has a once-in-a-generation opportunity: not simply to build new homes, but to create an entirely new generation of gardens.
Yet many buyers currently receive outdoor spaces that are little more than a starting point – compacted or poor-quality soil, thin turf, close-board fencing, limited planting and little provision for wildlife, shade or increasingly extreme weather.
For homeowners, the result can be years of work and considerable additional expense before the space outside their new home becomes the garden they expected it to be.
The New Build Manifesto wants that to change.
Its central argument is simple: a garden should not be treated as the space left over once a new home has been built. It should be regarded as part of its essential infrastructure.
“We are building new homes at a huge scale, but we urgently need to ask what we are building around them too,” says Andrew Jackson, founder of The New Build Manifesto.
“We have the opportunity to create more than a million new gardens in just a few years. Imagine the impact if those gardens began life with decent soil, better planting, space for nature and the ability to cope with heavier rainfall and hotter summers.
“A new garden shouldn’t be an expensive problem handed to the homeowner with the keys. Done properly, it can be an asset from day one – for the people who live there, for wildlife and for the neighbourhood around it.”
MORE THAN A LAWN AND A FENCE
There are around 25.8 million gardens across Great Britain, according to the Royal Horticultural Society. Collectively, they form an enormous network of green space, providing habitat for wildlife while helping to absorb rainfall, moderate temperatures and make towns and cities greener and more liveable.
The creation of more than a million new gardens therefore represents an environmental opportunity at a scale that is easy to overlook.
The New Build Manifesto is calling for the quality of gardens and outdoor spaces to be considered alongside the quality of the homes themselves.
It wants the conversation about new housing to include practical questions about the ground beneath our gardens, how water moves through developments, the trees and plants we establish, how wildlife can move between plots, and whether gardens being created today will remain comfortable and resilient as the climate changes.
The ambition is not to prescribe what every garden should look like. It is to ensure homeowners are given the foundations from which a good garden can grow.
FROM BLANK PLOT TO THRIVING GARDEN
Jackson knows the experience first-hand. When he moved into a new-build home, his own garden began as many do: a relatively blank plot surrounded by fencing.
Over the following years, he transformed it into a mature, wildlife-rich garden. That experience eventually prompted a much bigger question: why are so many new homeowners expected to begin their gardens almost entirely from scratch?
The New Build Manifesto grew from that question.
It combines a national campaign for better new-build gardens with practical support for the people already living with them – helping homeowners understand their soil, improve drainage, choose resilient plants, create habitats for wildlife and allow young gardens to develop character and maturity over time.
The message is deliberately optimistic: the blank plots being created around new homes are not simply a problem to solve. Collectively, they could become one of Britain’s biggest opportunities to create new green space.
A CAMPAIGN FOR HOMEOWNERS AND INDUSTRY
The New Build Manifesto is bringing together homeowners, housebuilders, developers, garden designers, horticultural businesses, environmental organisations and policymakers around a shared ambition for better new-build gardens.
Rather than seeking to create identical gardens, the campaign wants to establish some basic principles for what homeowners should reasonably expect: good ground, sensible water management, opportunities for planting and trees, connectivity for wildlife, and gardens capable of adapting to a changing climate.
It will also provide homeowners with practical information and inspiration to help them transform the gardens they already have.
Andrew Jackson adds: “This isn’t about demanding elaborate landscaped gardens with every new house. It’s about getting the fundamentals right.
“We are going to build these homes anyway, and the land around them is going to become millions of gardens. We can either regard that space as an afterthought, or recognise what an extraordinary opportunity it represents.
“Britain is a nation of gardeners. The next generation of British gardens is being created right now.”
From 24 September 2026, homeowners, organisations and industry professionals will be invited to take the New Build Manifesto pledge and support the campaign for a better standard of garden alongside every new home.
Following the fire which began in Holyrood Park on Sunday evening, Sanne Dijkstra-Downie has called for recognition of the impact that climate change is already having on our city while highlighting the need for better wildfire awareness.
While wildfires can be an important part of the ecological cycle, the rate and intensity that we are seeing them occur with is a clear indication of climate change and its impact on our day-to-day lives.
Longer, hotter and drier summers are becoming the norm within Scotland and now areas that previously rarely saw such fires are affected more often. Given the number of visitors and the variety of purposes it serves, Holyrood Park is particularly susceptible to fires that are started by human activity.
Holyrood Park is a uniquely important ecological site with a wide range of trees, plants and animals, including several rare and endangered species. The effects of climate change threaten the destruction of these species within our city, reshaping how the park will look, sound and feel for the future.
Commenting Sanne Dijkstra-Downie MSP said: – “I am deeply concerned by yet another fire in Holyrood Park and want to thank the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and all emergency responders for their swift and professional efforts to tackle the blaze.
“Holyrood Park is one of Edinburgh’s most striking natural landscapes which provides a vital habitat for wildlife and a valuable green space for residents and visitors alike. Fires of this nature can have a devastating impact on local ecosystems, destroying vegetation, disrupting breeding habitats and leaving long-lasting damage.
“The effects of climate change are not a distant threat and we are already seeing its impact across our city. As climate change contributes to more frequent periods of hot, dry weather we need investment in wildfire prevention. We also need better education about wildfire risks due to human activity such as campfires and discarded cigarettes.
“Above all, we must increase our efforts to reduce emissions, support renewable energy and step up adaptation measures in these ecologically important areas so that they can be safeguarded for future generations.”
The swifts are back! They spend the winter flying (without ever landing!) and go all the way to North Africa and back.
During the summer, they’re back, and it’s our neighbourhood where they choose to bring up a family. These amazing birds can eat 100,000 insects per day (including midgies) and can fly at 69mph!
We’re having a wee party to celebrate their return. See poster for details.
Lots of us have been learning more about the different species we share Granton with, and the things we can do to be good neighbours to them. Come join us!
Campaign aims to make gardens safer for threatened native species
HOMEOWNERS across Edinburgh and the Lothians are being encouraged to make their gardens safer for one of the UK’s most loved native species as part of a new campaign launched for Hedgehog Awareness Week.
Timed to coincide with the national awareness week running from 3–9 May, the initiative will see homebuyers and sellers offered guidance on how to create “hedgehog-friendly homes” through simple changes to gardens and outdoor spaces.
Ralph Sayer has launched the campaign in partnership with Midlothian Hedgehog Rescue and Rehabilitation, positioning itself as what is believed to be the first estate agency in the UK to actively champion hedgehog-friendly homes within the property sector.
The campaign includes a practical checklist for buyers and sellers, designed to help households support hedgehogs through small but meaningful actions such as creating garden access points, avoiding harmful chemicals and maintaining wildlife-friendly planting.
By incorporating wildlife-conscious advice into the home-moving process, Ralph Sayer hopes to raise awareness among homeowners at a key moment when they are already thinking about their property and outdoor space.
Tzana Webster, Head of Estate Agency at Ralph Sayer, said: “Buying or selling a home is often about imagining the life you want to build there and for many people that includes creating a welcoming outdoor space.
“Gardens do not just belong to us. They are vital habitats for wildlife, and hedgehogs in particular rely heavily on connected, accessible green spaces to survive.
“We saw an opportunity to do something genuinely positive that had not really been explored in the property market before and use our position to encourage people to think differently about their gardens.
“If simple changes made during a house move can help protect local wildlife, then that is something worth championing.”
The initiative forms part of Ralph Sayer’s broader commitment to supporting community causes across Edinburgh and the Lothians, with the firm continuing to back local charities, organisations and projects that deliver practical benefit beyond the property sector.
Hedgehog populations in the UK have declined significantly in recent decades, with habitat loss, urban development and inaccessible gardens all contributing to falling numbers.
Conservation groups have repeatedly highlighted the importance of connected residential gardens in helping hedgehogs travel safely between feeding and nesting sites.
Ann Morrison of Midlothian Hedgehog Rescue and Rehabilitation, said: “One of the biggest issues hedgehogs face in urban and suburban areas is fragmented habitats.
“People often do not realise that something as simple as a fence with no gap underneath can cut off vital access routes and make it much harder for hedgehogs to forage, nest and survive.
“It is brilliant to see a business in the property sector taking the lead and using its platform to help raise awareness.”
The “Hedgehog Heroes” campaign will be promoted across Ralph Sayer’s offices and digital channels throughout Hedgehog Awareness Week, with educational content and advice aimed at helping homeowners better understand how they can support local wildlife.
The campaign has also prompted discussion within Ralph Sayer’s private client team around the growing number of people seeking to reflect environmental values in their estate planning. That includes clients increasingly exploring ways to leave charitable gifts to conservation organisations in their wills or make provisions aimed at protecting green space and wildlife for future generations.
Ralph Sayer believes the campaign reflects growing public interest in sustainability and biodiversity, particularly among buyers and families placing greater emphasis on environmentally conscious living.
The firm hopes the initiative will help spark broader discussion across the property sector about the role homes and gardens can play in supporting wildlife, while encouraging other businesses to consider how their industries can contribute to practical conservation efforts.
To find out more about Ralph Sayer and their services, please visit:
To reduce disease, we all need to make some urgent but simple changes to how we feed our garden birds.
We all want to help birds and make our gardens or outdoor spaces a place where all wildlife can thrive. But some species, such as Greenfinches, are experiencing serious declines because of disease.
The good news is that we can help reduce the spread of disease by making two simple changes to the way we feed our birds.
How to help your garden birds
What’s the problem?
Research has shown a worrying decline in some of our much-loved garden birds due to a disease called trichomonosis. This is a highly contagious disease and can spread where birds gather in large numbers such as at bird feeders.
Greenfinches, for example, have dropped by over 65% in the last three decades – and you may have seen this decline yourself. Back when the Big Garden Birdwatch started in 1979 Greenfinches were at number seven in the top ten birds seen. This year they were down to number 18.
Greenfinch
We’ve been working with experts to find a solution, and we believe that, together, we can make a difference by feeding birds seasonally and safely.
How you can help
We can help stop the spread of disease among garden birds by making two simple shifts to how we feed birds. Put simply: Feed seasonally. Feed safely.
1. Feed seasonally
During summer and autumn, there’s a higher risk of disease spreading. But it’s also when there are more natural foods available to birds, such as seeds and insects.
1 May to 31 October
Pause filling your bird feeders with seeds or peanuts.
You can continue to offer small amounts of mealworms, fatballs or suet.
1 November to 30 April
You can feed your birds a full range of bird foods, including seeds and peanuts.
Song Thrush
2. Feed safely
Busy bird feeders can become hotspots for disease. To help keep birds healthy, it’s vital to keep things clean – which is why we’ve strengthened our existing hygiene guidance. We recommend you:
Clean your bird feeders and water baths at least once a week. Good hygiene is essential. Be sure to also clean away any old food or droppings from beneath feeders.
Place your bird feeders in a different spot every week. This will help to prevent any build-up of potentially contaminated debris underneath. If you have more than one feeder, put them in different areas to reduce the number of birds in one place and the mixing of different species.
Avoid putting feeders under places where birds roost, such as under trees. This will help to avoid contamination through droppings.
Don’t use bird feeders with flat surfaces, such as bird tables, window feeders and feeders with trays. Research has confirmed that there’s a higher risk of disease spreading on flat surfaces, where contaminated food can collect.
Feed in moderation. Make sure all the food you put out is eaten within one to two days. Adjust the amount you offer based on demand to avoid overfeeding.
Keep food as dry as possible. Damp food allows disease to survive and spread. Choose feeders that prevent rain getting in and limit condensation.
Change water in bird baths daily. Only offer water if you’re able to change it every day and make sure it’s tap water. A pond is the best way to provide birds and other wildlife with water.
Help birds find their own food. One of the best ways to support garden birds in the long-term is to help them find their own food. So fill your outdoor space with bird-friendly plants – such as sunflowers, teasels and ivy. These help provide natural food sources for birds.
Goldfinch
Thank you for protecting garden birds
Stopping the spread of disease is a challenge we can’t tackle alone. By taking these simple steps to feed seasonally and safely, we can all help protect the future of our birds.
We need more research to find ways to reduce the risk of disease spreading at bird feeders. Some studies are already under way, but we don’t yet know if or when they’ll lead to effective solutions. It’s also important to remember that this advice may evolve as new evidence comes in. But the science shows we need to take action. We believe changing how we feed birds now will help protect them in the longer term. It will take time to see the benefits, so patience is important.
An Audience with Hamza Yassin: Talk, Q & A and book signing event
7.30pm on Saturday 11 April 2026, Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy, Fife
The SOC has long provided what our founders – back in 1936 – described as ‘a common meeting ground for all those interested in ornithology in Scotland’.
This year we celebrate 90 years of the Club fulfilling that original mission, and we’re delighted to commemorate this milestone by presenting a talk, Q & A and book signing from Scotland-based wildlife cameraman, author and TV presenter, Hamza Yassin.
Few naturalists have captured the hearts of the nation like Hamza. His infectious sense of wonder combined with his breathtaking filmmaking has engaged millions of viewers in the UK, including those who tuned in to watch his most recent series, Hamza’s Hidden Wild Isles on BBC.
We’re delighted to be welcoming him on the night to share his incredible experiences filming wildlife across the globe, and particularly in his beloved homeland of Scotland. Packed with stunning footage, charming personal stories and reflections, the evening will offer a glimpse into the life and work of one of the country’s most-loved natural history storytellers.
As the Club enters its 90th year, Hamza’s message feels more important than ever. Hamza truly believes that by engaging people in the joy of nature and what it has to offer, we can all gain a fresh perspective on the world around us and work together to protect it.
Don’t miss this inspiring celebration—a night of stories, stunning visuals, and a shared passion for nature that birdwatchers, wildlife enthusiasts, and fans of Hamza’s programmes will never forget!
Book your place now at https://tinyurl.com/38abp3c5 and be part of this milestone event in the Club’s history – 60% of tickets have already sold!
This event is suitable for attendees ages 12 and above. Young people under 18 years are welcome to attend, but must be accompanied by a parent/carer.
Everyone attending requires a ticket. All tickets are General Admission. Places range for £10 – £20.
SOC reserves the right to cancel or postpone this event due to unforeseen circumstances. Where participants are unable to join a re-scheduled event, a full refund will be given. With regret, ticket sales are non-refundable.
FeatherSnap helps nature lovers get ready to count the birds with the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch: 23rd – 25th January 2026
FeatherSnap, the solar-powered, Wi-Fi enabled smart bird feeder, is proudly supporting the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch 2026 encouraging households across the UK to join hundreds of thousands of people taking part in the nation’s largest annual survey of garden birds.
Fun, free and open to everyone, the Big Garden Birdwatch provides a vital snapshot of how our most familiar bird species are faring. Every count helps build a clearer picture of the health of the UK’s bird populations and offers a simple, positive way for people to take action for nature.
Together, let’s make it count
Traditionally, birdwatchers have relied on sitting patiently in the garden, counting birds as they flit along fences or dart between feeders. FeatherSnap makes the process easier than ever, even when you’re not there to keep watch. Instead of guessing who popped by while you were out, FeatherSnap captures every visit automatically, making it simple to see exactly which birds are using your garden and how often.
In the lead-up to the bird count, taking place from 23rd – 25th January, Feathersnap is encouraging nature lovers to get their gardens bird count ready.
From practical tips on attracting birds into gardens and green spaces, to exclusive savings, FeatherSnap is offering 15% off feeders from 14th –31st January 2026 using the code FSRSPB15.
The perfect tool for effortless bird counting
Equipped with motion-activated cameras and AI-powered bird identification, FeatherSnap automatically captures high-resolution photos and videos of every visitor, delivering them straight to the FeatherSnap app.
Users can watch live, receive instant notifications, catalogue species and build a personal digital Bird Book – making it the ideal companion for observing, identifying and counting birds in support of the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch.
Throughout the campaign, FeatherSnap will also be encouraging users to share their favourite sightings across social media using #BigGardenBirdwatch, helping to spread awareness and inspire even more people to take part.
FeatherSnap’s resident Ornithologist and Research Specialist,Maria Kincaid, said: “The RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch is a fantastic and hugely important initiative.
“I’m a huge proponent of citizen science – the more people that get involved, the better the data we can gather. It also helps people feel connected to the scientific process, providing a valuable snapshot of how birds are coping during winter, when they need our support the most, and helping to track population trends over time.”
“At this time of year, there’s very little blooming in our gardens to support insects. While most birds continue to rely on natural foraging, studies show that garden feeders can provide valuable supplementary support during lean periods – while also giving people an unrivalled close-up view of the wildlife right on their doorstep.”
Here, Maria shares her top tips for creating a bird friendly garden and getting bird count ready:
Make sure your feeders are filled and maintained. It’s incredibly important to make sure that we’re not only regularly filling our feeders, but cleaning and sanitizing them as well – this helps to prevent the spread of diseases, and make sure that we’re not feeding spoiled food.
Fill your feeders with high calorie/nutritionally dense food – suet is a great option for winter as it’s an easy to digest fat full of calories. Thistle, sunflower seeds, and nut mixes are also great options.
Feeder placement matters too. keeping feeders either within three feet of windows or more than ten to reduce the risk of collisions, hanging them around five feet high for both access and squirrel deterrence, and positioning them near cover, without creating hiding spots for cats.
Providing water is also very important during cold snaps – having open water is a limiting factor in the winter, so providing a bird bath is an excellent choice. If it’s regularly freezing, consider a heated bird bath, or adding a heating element. The goal is to make sure that the water doesn’t freeze, not to have it be spectacularly warm.
Lastly, having a lot of cover available, whether it’s shrubs or a brush pile, makes for great roosting spots for birds, as they can get away from the wind and cold. Creating a brush pile in the corner your garden will also create a great foraging space.
More or less trees, foxes or gulls? Get that grass cut or let the wildflowers grow? Is nature helping with your mental health, or helping kids let off steam? Are there ways we could help nature thrive more, or should we tarmac the lot?!
Would you be up for chatting about nature in Granton for an hour for a £10 voucher (for Morrisons or Granton Garden Bakery – your choice)?
We’ll be running focus groups: Tuesday 7th October: 10-11am or 11.30am-12.30, at Pilton Community Health Project, 73 Boswall Parkway. (tea/coffee and biscuits provided).
