Windswept and Interesting

Polly Pullar is well-known as a writer and conservationist, but her remarkable collection of rescued animals, and her views on how farmers should be helped to live with rewilding, need more attention. She's a farmer herself and has robust opinions. She also has a crazy squirrel named Alistair, a fecund one-eyed hedgehog named Reggie, and some very funny stories - including one about a kid with a head full of dolphins.So this week we learn about:Animal rescue and why it's worthwhileSaving a paralysed, tick-infested red deer hindHow gardeners can help rewildJust how frightened I am of getting a squirrel down my trousersWhy kids might be the answer to nature's declineJoin in, contact me - @ScotNatureCorr - on X/Twitter with ideas/crits, if you're liking this, sign up and spread the word. And if you're new here there are seven other fun-packed episodes, all putting the Great into Outdoors, that you can take a listen to.Music created for this podcast by Nottingham's own Rob Baynes https://www.facebook.com/Beeeaaanz/ - hit him up if you want your own specially created music!

We all use footpaths but do we think for a moment about who builds and maintains them? In this episode we talk to footpaths ace and outdoorswoman Shona Irvine, who organises volunteering and more for mountain paths charity the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland.We're finding out about:How paths get worn and batteredWhat you can do to help put things rightSandwich fillings, pink trousers and the patriarchy!Warning: Shona is one of the brightest and keenest people working in the outdoors, and just listening to her will make you want to get out and devote your time to fixing paths! But don't let that put you off too much - the more listeners the better and if you can subscribe, share, stick it on X/Twitter that's great too.Music created for this podcast by Nottingham's own Rob Baynes https://www.facebook.com/Beeeaaanz/ - hit him up if you want your own specially created music!

It's not set in stone, but I reckon Dr Eileen Tisdall is the most enthusiastic scientist you're ever going to meet. She's been mad about rocks from an early age, and now preaches the importance of geology - how it shapes our lives as well as the landscape around us. In this episode she tells meHow the glaciers helped build the second Forth road bridgeWhat a real rock festival is aboutHow Scotland could get a whole lot colder thanks to global warmingWhy geology is the perfect career for a womanHow we need to look after our rocks betterOn the way we have a few laughs and learn exactly why there's a magnificent piece of geology behind a row of council houses in Callander. If you're enjoying this podcast, give it a follow or subscribe, and share it with anyone you can think of. The more listens we get the better we're able to keep it going!Music created for this podcast by Nottingham's own Rob Baynes https://www.facebook.com/Beeeaaanz/ - hit him up if you want your own specially created music!

This time we're talking to Steve Micklewright, the chief executive of up-and-coming nature charity Trees for Life. In his time in the job he has doubled the charity's staff, established the UK's first rewilding centre, and tackled the Scottish Government in court over beaver shootings. That's despite working WITH the government on many issues.... SoDo too many NGOs back off from such confrontation when they should have nothing to fear?Should lynx, absent from Scotland for more than a millennium, come back in the next decade - and what will sheep farmers make of that?Just how scary is it working for a bird charity in Malta?Listen in, subscribe, share - Steve is an important figure in conservation in Scotland, and his views should be heard.Music created for this podcast by Nottingham's own Rob Baynes https://www.facebook.com/Beeeaaanz/ - hit him up if you want your own specially created music!

It's 48 years since white-tailed eagles were brought back to Scotland. Since then they have delighted conservationists and twitching tourists, who flock to see them on Scotland's west coast. but horrified sheep farmers, who blame them for lamb losses. So what does John Love, one of the people responsible for their reintroduction in 1975, think about them now?Has the environment changed too much to sustain them?Is the successful reintroduction of this apex predator a blueprint for bringing the lynx and wolf back to Scotland?And - should farmers be grateful to the sea-eagle reintroduction programme?John is a legend in the conservation world and his reflections on these topics may not be quite what you would expect.This is the fourth of the first W&I series, and we're building some momentum but I could do with more help to sustain this podcast, so if you're interested in this stuff, please follow, subscribe or whatever your chosen podcast source allows, to give us a boost. A share would help too!Music created for this podcast by Nottingham's own Rob Baynes https://www.facebook.com/Beeeaaanz/ - hit him up if you want your own specially created music!

It’s windswept Wednesday again, and this week I’m finding out how the estate at the heart of Scotland’s rewilding journey is still forging ahead with restoring nature.I’m talking to Sophie Ramsay, daughter of arch beaver enthusiasts Paul and Louise, at their transformed estate at Bamff in Perthshire.She has picked up the rewilding baton from her parents and is now leading on much of the project. So        What did a snake that hands out superpowers have to do with the Bamff story?        Which beavers are the biggest show-offs?        Did the Bamff beavers start the population which now lives on the Tay?        And how do you tempt ospreys to move into your neighbourhood?Listen in to find out…And remember, we're giving out a slice of Scotland's outdoors folk every first and third Wednesday, so sign up and make sure you know we're coming!Music created for this podcast by Nottingham's own Rob Baynes https://www.facebook.com/Beeeaaanz/ - hit him up if you want your own specially created music!

Here’s a bonus for loyal listeners, one from my archives, previously unpublished, revealing something of how Scotland’s Green environment minister Lorna Slater thinks about a lot of issues close to the hearts of those who care about the Scottish environment. The deer management stuff and the green finance plans may worry some in the conservation world…Music created for this podcast by Nottingham's own Rob Baynes https://www.facebook.com/Beeeaaanz/ - hit him up if you want your own specially created music!

This week we're at Mar Lodge, arguably Britain's most important conservation estate, covering 70,000-plus acres. David Frew is the man in charge - we're finding out: why a conservationist has had thousands of deer shotwhether no fences make good neighbourswhy the National Trust estate still has commercial stalkingand whether David would like to organise a cull of hillwalkers.We're getting listened to in the USA, Canada, Singapore and Sweden - rather amazingly - and it all helps build momentum - so subscribe if you can, or buzz me @ScotNatureCorr on Twitter with suggestions etc.Lots more eps to come, and we're aiming to hit at least two Wednesdays a month...Music created for this podcast by Nottingham's own Rob Baynes https://www.facebook.com/Beeeaaanz/ - hit him up if you want your own specially created music!

It's the first Windswept and Interesting podcast, on what I'm hoping will be Windswept Wednesdays. This show features the ever-youthful Andy Meldrum, the man who took on the Glen Coe Ski Centre and won, turning it into Glencoe Mountain resort, complete with fabulous cafe, mountain biking, accommodation pods and more. So - is it true he didn't tell his wife the full story when he remortgaged their house to buy the place? How confident is he that skiing will go on at Glen Coe when snow is a fast disappearing commodity in the Highlands? And what's the worst possible Christmas present you could have if you own a ski resort (and no, there was plenty of snow...)? Listen in to find out, and subscribe if you can - it will help ensure we keep going! Find me @ScotNatureCorr on TwitterYou can find out more about the Glencoe Mountain Resort here: https://www.glencoemountain.co.uk/Lots more eps to come, and we'll be aiming to hit at least two Wednesdays a month...Music created for this podcast by Nottingham's own Rob Baynes https://www.facebook.com/Beeeaaanz/ - hit him up if you want your own specially created music!