Archive for Rewilding

My year planting trees

January 28, 2019 Ben Damph, Ben Damph Estate, environment, highlands, nature, nature writing, Rewilding, rhododendrons, scotland, Torridon, trees, Trees for Life, Uncategorized, wester ross, wildlife Comments Off on My year planting trees
Aspen planted in 1.8m tubes by Loch Torridon.

Aspen planted in 1.8m tubes by Loch Torridon.

Over the past year I have been involved in a project to plant 3,500 native trees on Ben Damph Estate in the Highlands of Scotland. It was a part of a Forestry Commission Scotland grant to improve woodland in an area previously infested with rhododendron ponticum. This blog is an attempt to exchange knowledge on the challenges of planting in a landscape shared with red deer and rhoddies, and a little bit of philosophy about the joys of planting trees…
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The pine martens make a meal of it, until the badger comes along

May 1, 2017 aigas, animals, badger, beaver, countryside, environment, highlands, nature, nature writing, photography, pine marten, Rewilding, scotland, Uncategorized, wildlife Comments Off on The pine martens make a meal of it, until the badger comes along

A pine marten looking for danger - and peanuts.

A pine marten looking for danger – and peanuts.

A few weeks ago I spent a very enjoyable evening in the hide at Aigas Field Centre, where BBC Springwatch is filmed, watching a pine marten happily munching peanuts – until a badger came along…  Read more

H is for Human too

November 5, 2014 animal ethics, animal rights, birds, Books, ethics, Meat, nature, Rewilding, Uncategorized, vegan, vegetarian, wildlife Comments Off on H is for Human too

H is for Hawk has won the Samuel Johnson prize

H is for Hawk has won the Samuel Johnson prize

The world is going crazy for H is for Hawk, the first memoir to win the Samuel Johnson Prize. I think I know why. Read more

Grouse shooting: The vainglorious 12th

August 25, 2014 animal ethics, animal rights, Country sports, eating, environment, ethics, Food, Grouse, highlands, nature, Rewilding, shooting, trees, vegan, vegetarian, wildlife 6 comments

A walked-up grouse shoot beneath the wind turbines

A walked-up grouse shoot beneath the wind turbines

Since I have pledged to only eat animals I have killed myself, I decide to go grouse shooting on the Glorious 12th and start off the project with a bang. It doesn’t quite go to plan…

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Shucking oysters: A soft start to the kill-to-eat diet

July 21, 2014 animal ethics, animal rights, eating, environment, ethics, fish, Food, nature, Rewilding, vegan, vegetarian, wildlife Comments Off on Shucking oysters: A soft start to the kill-to-eat diet

Shucking oysters

I didn’t mean to match my nail varnish to the oyster knife…

Oysters are possibly the most “raw” food experience you can get, in fact they are probably still alive when you eat them… Read more

Late spring in the Highlands: Blooming rhododendrons

June 15, 2014 environment, gardening, highlands, nature, Rewilding, rhododendrons, trees, wildlife One comment

Rhododendrons frame the Torridon hills

Rhododendron blooms frame the Torridon hills in June.

The rhododendrons are in bloom across the Highlands and I must admit they look beautiful – but they look better in a bonfire. Read more

A winter in the Highlands: Or how I learnt to love waterproofs and hate rhododendrons

April 22, 2014 gardening, highlands, nature, Rewilding, rhododendrons, wildlife Comments Off on A winter in the Highlands: Or how I learnt to love waterproofs and hate rhododendrons

Stunning views out to Ben Alligin now the rhododendrons are cleared.

Stunning views out to Ben Alligin now the rhododendrons are cleared.

Apologies if I have been a wee bit quiet on the blogging front. Rather embarrassingly for an environmental journalist, I have been involved in a major deforestation project. Read more