Welcome to Naturedays at Aigas

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Naturedays at Aigas is an environmental education project supported by the Aigas Trust. We have been working with families, young people and schools in the Highlands (and beyond!) for more than 40 years.

We focus on connecting people of all ages with nature, whether that means learning to identify wildlife, developing employability skills through practical projects, or simply finding quiet moments out in the forest.

Our highly trained staff deliver nature-based education at Aigas Field Centre, school grounds or in a local green space.

Meet the Team

Acessibility and Inclusion

If you would like to donate, please use our CAF donation page by clicking on the button below.

Thank you very much for your support!

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What's on

Family Days and Nature Clubs
Our holiday activities run throughout the School Holidays. Have a look at some of the posters for previous Family Days and Nature Clubs to get an idea of what we run!

To book an event, email naturedays@aigas.co.uk.

Here are our dates for the Summer Holidays:

Family Days (10am - 2pm, for any age):

17th July - Animals of Aigas

24th July - Aigas Explorers

14th August - Fun in the Forest (at Aigas Community Forest, next door to the Field Centre)

Nature Club (10am - 3pm, for ages 6-12):

22nd July - Mammals and Tracking

12th August - Loch Life

The suggested donation is £10 per child on Family Days and £20 per child on Nature Clubs.

We want these sessions to be as inclusive as possible. If there is anything extra that we can do for you, please let us know.

Here are some of our previous themes, which will give you an idea of days we might run in the future:

Stay connected with us for more news and upcoming events via our Facebook and Instagram.

Nature Club

Nature Club runs from 10am - 3pm for kids aged 6-12. It offers a a fantastic way to get outside and explore the Aigas estate with new and old friends.

Suggested donation £20 per child. Booking is essential. Currently fully booked, but get in contact to be added to the waiting list.

Family Days

Family days run from 4pm-8pm or 10am - 2pm. All ages are invited to join us for a mixture of nature-based activities, crafts and opportunities to explore the Aigas estate.

Suggested donation £10 per child. Booking is essential.

Take a look at what we've been up to recently:

We are excited to announce the dates for our Summer Holiday Activities this year! ☀

Family Days and Nature Clubs involve a mixture of nature-based activities, crafts and opportunities to explore the Aigas estate.

🐾Nature Clubs (10am - 3pm, for ages 6-12):
22nd July - Mammals and Tracking
12th August - Loch Life

🐝Family Days (10am - 2pm, for any age):
17th July - Animals of Aigas
24th July - Aigas Explorers
14th August - Fun in the Forest (at Aigas Community Forest, next door to the Field Centre)

Please get in contact with naturedays@aigas to book.

Image description:
A poster with a white and dark green theme. The poster is mostly text, with some summer-themed illustrations of palm fronds, and photos of a red squirrel and a sunny day on a moor. The text gives the above information about Family Days and Nature Clubs. It adds that the suggested donation for Family Days is £10 per child, and for Nature Club is £20. There is a green text box at the bottom that says "We want these sessions to be as inclusive as possible. If there is anything extra that we can do for you, please let us know."

We are excited to have a stall at @highland.pride this Saturday! Join us outside Eden Court after the parade (around 13.30 onwards) for inclusive nature-based activities.

Image description: A colourful poster with text as above. There is a colourful intersex inclusive pride flag contained within a heart, a small illustration of a fox, and a border of green leaves.

#Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #Outreach #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Nature_Lovers #Highlands #Scotland #ScottishHighlands

Last week we got to enjoy invertebrate investigations with science students from a local secondary school.

We looked into what species we could find in the different habitats around Aigas, including our beaver pools and birch woodland. From sweep netting to kick sampling, we got to look at a range of invertebrates as well as other wildlife we found on the way!

This week’s nature fact is about the emperor moth!

🦋 You can see these beautiful insects flying from late March through to early June across Scotland. Have you seen one yet?
🦋 Pictured here is a male with its rufous brown forewings and vivid orange hindwings. The females are larger and have greyish wings.
🦋 The males fly quickly over heathland, sand dunes and grassland in search of a mate.
🦋 They have eyespots on their wings which look like the eyes of a much bigger animal. These are used to scare away predators like birds.
🦋 The adults don’t have mouths! They just live long enough to mate and lay eggs.
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#Moth #EmperorMoth #NatureFacts #NatureFact #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Nature_Lovers #Highlands #Scotland

Dragonflies and damselflies have started to emerge, and you might spot them zipping over ponds, streams, and lochs!

Here’s a photo of a four-spotted chaser dragonfly that had just emerged during a pond dipping session at Aigas Community Forest last week.

Look closely at the bottom of the photo—you can see the case it crawled out of! This is called an exuvia (a fancy science word), and it’s what the young dragonfly, called a nymph, looks like before it transforms.

Dragonfly nymphs live underwater in rivers, ponds, and lochs for most of their lives. While they’re down there, they’re fierce little predators—snacking on aquatic insects, tadpoles, and even tiny fish!

We saw loads of dragonflies at the pond last week—though they were way too fast to catch!
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#Dragonfly #Exuvia #NatureFacts #NatureFact #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Nature_Lovers #Highlands #Scotland

Today is World Bee Day! 🐝

We have started seeing lots of different bees around Aigas now that we’re approaching summer including common carder bees, blaeberry bumblebees and mining bees! To celebrate, here are some fun bee facts for you…

🐝 There are over 250 different bee species in the UK! This includes the honeybee, bumblebees and solitary bees.
🐝 Bees love the colour purple! They see colours differently to us and their eyes are particularly drawn to the colours purple and blue.
🐝 Bees can flap their wings over 200 times a second! This causes the buzzing sound that you hear when a bee is nearby.
🐝 Without bees, we wouldn’t have apples, strawberries, tomatoes or pumpkins! Through expert pollination, they help to produce around one third of the food that we eat. So during your next meal, take a moment to thank the bees for all of their hard work!
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#WorldBeeDay #Bees #NatureFacts #NatureFact #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Nature_Lovers #Highlands #Scotland

Fox tracks can sometimes be a bit tricky to tell apart from dog tracks. Below are some quick tips to help you decide if you have found a fox track! 🦊

🦊 Fox tracks are usually diamond shaped, whereas dog tracks have a more circular shape.
🦊Fox palm pads are about the same size as their toe pads. Dog palm pads are usually much bigger than their toe pads.
🦊 You can draw a cross through a fox print without it touching any of the pads (see photo 2). This is not possible with a dog print.
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#Tracks #TracksAndSigns #Fox #FoxTracks #Tracking #AnimalTracks #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Highlands #Scotland

This week is #NationalMammalWeek. There are many different ways that we can survey mammals, and we have tried lots of them out with our groups. We often use small mammal traps, ink footprint tunnels, look at tracks and signs, and survey for mammal feeding signs. 🐾
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#Mammals #MammalWeek #Nature_Lovers #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #Scotland #Highlands #Aigas #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #EnvironmentalEducation

Our alternative education groups have been doing some activities based on the theme of conservation science. We have been dissecting owl pellets, designing wildcat enclosures and visiting some of our wildlife hides over the past few weeks! 🦉🔬
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#ConservationScience #Conservation #OwlPellets #Wildcat #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #AlternativeEducation #HomeEd #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #NatureDetectives #OutdoorEducation #NatureEducation #Highlands #Scotland

As the weather gets warmer, animals are emerging that have been hibernating over the winter. The common lizard hibernates amongst rocks and fallen logs in the winter. They emerge in warmer months, when temperatures are high enough for them to stay warm. ☀

Common lizards are "cold blooded", meaning they need the heat of the sun to warm their blood. On warm, sunny days you may see common lizards basking in areas such as brash piles, logs and open grassland. They do this to get their bodies up to a high enough temperature so that they can be active, and hunt for food. 🦎
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#CommonLizard #NatureFact #Lizard #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife

Members of our Birch alternative education group have been busy building a dead hedge in our nature garden. Check out this photo showing all their hard work! 🔨

This will be a great shelter for birds like wrens, robins and dunnocks.
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#NatureGarden #WildlifeGarden #DeadHedge #WildlifeHomes #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation

It has been great to visit some new schools as part of our outreach programme over the past few weeks. We've had an excellent time visiting new places and delivering our sessions. Thank you to everyone who has welcomed us! 😊

📷Check out these photos of beaver dams that pupils have made during our Rivers session.
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#Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #Outreach #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Highlands #Scotland #ScottishHighlands

We're excited to announce the dates for our upcoming Family Day and Nature Club in the Spring Holidays! Family Days and Nature Clubs involve a mixture of nature-based activities, crafts and opportunities to explore the Aigas estate.

Tuesday 15th April 2025 - Nature Club
Nature Club is for ages 6-12 and runs from 10.00 - 15.00. Participants are usually dropped off by their adults for the day. Suggested donation of £20 per child.
🐦🐛

Thursday 17th April 2025 - Family Day
Join us for an adventure around the estate looking for wildlife and taking in the sights and sounds of spring.
Family Days are for all ages and run from 10.00 -14.00. Suggested donation of £10 per child.
🌱🌸

Booking is essential, please email naturedays@aigas.co.uk to book. We look forward to seeing you there!
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#SpringHolidays #SchoolHolidays #Spring #FamilyDay #NatureClub #EasterHolidays #FamilyEvent #SpringActivities #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature

We have been hearing our first chiffchaffs of the year around the Field Centre over the past few weeks. Chiffchaffs are usually one of the first migrant birds to arrive back to the UK after the winter. It's wonderful to have their distinctive "chiff-chaff chiff-chaff" song floating around on the wind once more. 🎵
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#Chiffchaff #MigrantBirds #Spring #SpringBirds #NatureFact #NatureEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation

This week, we delivered the first sessions of our 2025 school outreach programme. Our outreach themes this year are "Diversity in Nature" and "Rivers: from Source to Sea". We're looking forward to visiting lots more schools over the next few months!

Today is the spring equinox, when the Sun crosses the equator, and day and night are roughly equal in length. From now on, our days will be longer than nights. Those long, summer days are just around the corner! ☀
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#SpringEquinox #Equinox #Spring

Capercaillie are a magnificent woodland grouse species, that were once widely distributed across Britain and Ireland. Now however, the birds are only found in the Scottish Highlands, and are currently at risk of going extinct (for a second time).

Capercaillie were hunted to extinction in 1785, and were reintroduced 50 years later from Sweden. By 1970, around 20,000 birds lived in the pinewoods of Scotland. Unfortunately, due to climate change, disturbance, and predation, the number of birds has since declined rapidly, and recent estimates suggest only 542 birds remain. 📉

Since capercaillie are such a rare and declining bird, you should not go looking for them from March to August, during the breeding season. Capercaillie are legally protected under UK law, and it is a criminal offence to disturb them whilst they are breeding. Disturbance can cause unnecessary stress to the birds, and contribute towards their decline.

For more information about capercaillie, and why it is so important to reduce disturbance to them, you can visit https://lekitbe.scot/
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#LekItBe #Capercaillie #NatureFacts #ScottishHighlands

Over the past few weeks our alternative education groups have been practising their hammering skills, making some nail weaving art. 🔨

The groups have also been trialling some new games that we have designed, and have visited our Wildcat hide. 🐱
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#Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #AlternativeEducation #HomeEd #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #OutdoorEducation #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Nature_Lovers #Highlands #Scotland

As we approach the bird nesting season, this week one of our groups had a go at building their own bird nests in the woods. We also made some eggs to go inside them! 🐣
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#Spring #BirdNests #BirdEggs #OutdoorEducation #OutdoorLearning #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Highlands #Scotland

We had another of our monthly outdoor learning sessions at a local primary school this week. Pupils brought in lots of interesting natural objects to take part in a "show and tell", and we also had a go at making some natural art. Some of the older pupils conducted a mini bioblitz in the school's playground. We found lots of interesting things, from woodpecker feeding signs, to leopard slugs and woodlice! 🦌🐜
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#OutdoorLearning #Outreac #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #Outreach #AigasFieldCentre #ScottishHighlands

Last week we conducted some geography fieldwork with a local high school. We investigated the changes in a stream's characteristics as we moved upstream. This photo was taken near the source of the stream. 📏🔎
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#GeographyFieldwork #AdvancedHigher #Geography #Fieldwork #SQA #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre

Today marks the first day of meteorological spring! We have been keeping our eyes and ears out for signs of spring around the estate. We have spotted daffodils popping up in front of the Magnus House, snow drops peeking out through the leaves behind the loch, and more birds singing in the mornings. 🌸🎵

What signs of spring have you noticed?
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#Spring #SignsOfSpring #SpringTime #SnowDrops

Buzzards are the most common bird of prey in the UK. We often hear them around the Field Centre, their distinctive "kee-yaaa" call carrying on the wind. They are a frequent sight soaring in the skies above the loch, scanning the surrounding land for prey. They will eat small mammals, other birds, rabbits and invertebrates.
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#NatureFact #Buzzard #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #NatureEducation

Last week was the Education Week of the Aigas Ranger Training Scheme. We have introduced the new rangers to some of Naturedays' most popular activities, and have led workshops on various topics such as diversity, inclusion, mental health and safeguarding.

We ended the week with our rangers planning and teaching some outdoor learning sessions to a local primary school. Everyone seemed to have a great time! 🎉

📷 Photo: Rangers Jacob and Finley making resources for a game about salmon.
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#Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #OutdoorLearning

We are proud to announce that we have a new "Accessibility and Inclusion" section on our website, as well as a page for frequently asked questions.

Nature is for everyone, and we know that many people face extra barriers to getting outside and enjoying nature, so we want to make it as easy as we can to come and join us!

Our hope is that young people, families, and teachers can read these sections of the website, know what to expect, and feel more comfortable coming to Aigas.

You can find the link to our website in our bio.
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#Website #Acessibility #Inclusion

It has been great to welcome new members to our alternative education groups over the past few weeks, and to see familiar faces again after our winter break. ❄

We spent our first sessions back exploring round the loch and the woods. 🌳

Wood mice are one of the most common rodents in the UK. They are mostly nocturnal, but we sometimes see them scuttling around near our wildlife hides and bird feeders during the day. Sometimes, we try to survey them by catching them in humane small mammal traps. 🔎

Wood mice are browner than house mice, and have bigger eyes and ears than voles. They eat seeds, fruit, nuts, and invertebrates such as worms and caterpillars. 🐛

They are they prey of animals like foxes, badgers and owls. To try and avoid being eaten by predators, they can shed the skin on their long tail.🐁
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#WoodMouse #NatureFacts #NatureFact #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Nature_Lovers #Highlands #Scotland

We had a beautiful cold and crisp evening for members of our alternative education groups who attended a Nature at Night session yesterday. We heard tawny owls calling, saw animal footprints under UV light, and had a gathering round a warm fire at the end of the evening. Thanks to everyone who came along! ⭐🌙
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#Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #AlternativeEducation #HomeEd #AlternativeEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #OutdoorEducation #NatureEducation #Highlands #Scotland #NatureAtNight

We have been running monthly outdoor learning sessions with a local primary school since October. Today's session involved finishing off some bird boxes, ready to put up in time for the bird nesting season. 🐣
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#OutdoorLearning #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #Outreach

Today is #WorldWetlandsDay. Wetlands are an incredibly important ecosystem. They help prevent flooding, store carbon, and provide habitat to a diverse range of plants and animals.💚

At Aigas Field Centre, the beavers have done a fantastic job of creating new wetland habitats. The pools that the beavers have made at the back of the loch are now home to frogs, toads, dragonflies, and even otters. Whilst investigating the beaver wetland with local secondary schools, we frequently find diving beetles, mayflies, and water boatmen who have made the pools their home. 🔎
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#WorldWetlandsDay2025 #Wetland #BeaverWetland #BeaverPools #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Nature_Lovers #Highlands #Scotland

Crossbills are a member of the finch family. Males are red in colour, whereas females are grey-ish. 🐦

Crossbills use their special crossed bill to get seeds from conifer tree cones. To get to the seeds, they use their bill to force the scales of the cone open, which can leave a split down the middle of the scales. We often find pinecones with split scales under trees at the Field Centre. They are clues that crossbills have been feeding in the area! 🌲
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#NatureFact #NatureFacts #Crossbill #Aigas #NaturePhotography #WildlifePhotography #BirdStagram #BirdPhotography #BirdWatching #Nature_Lovers #Highlands #Scotland #EnvironmentalEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation

The RSPB's #BigGardenBirdwatch starts today! You have between the 24th and 26th of January to spend one hour recording the birds that land in your local green space. Remember to record the highest number of each bird species that you see at any one time, and submit your sightings on the RSPB website. 🐦

Let us know if you take part, and what birds you have seen! 👀
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#BigGardenBirdwatch2025 #BGBW #RSPB #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #Birds #GardenBirds #WildlifeEducation #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Highlands #Scotland

Today is #RedSquirrelAppreciationDay. To celebrate, we thought we'd share some of our favourite red squirrel facts!

🐿 1. They can leap a distance of more than 2 metres, which is almost ten times the length of their body.
🐿 2. They can be left handed, right handed, or even ambidextrous. When we find pinecones nibbled by squirrels round the Field Centre, we can often tell which hand the squirrel has used to eat the pinecone!
🐿 3. They have double-jointed ankles, which allow them to grip branches and leap easily between trees.
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#NatureFacts #NatureFact #RedSquirrel #RedSquirrelAppreciation #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #Highlands #Scotland

It was great to visit our first school of the year this week. We learnt how to identify some of the common birds that pupils might see in their playground, and started making some bird boxes to put up round the school ready for the spring. 🐦🌳

During the session we spotted robins, blue tits, blackbirds, buzzards, and red kites from the school grounds! 😍
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#Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #Outreach #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Nature_Lovers #Highlands #Scotland #ScottishHighlands

We are very excited to announce that we have recently received funding awarded by People's Postcode Trust and raised by players of @PeoplesPostcodeLottery!

We are looking forward to putting the funding we have received towards costs of new equipment, staff training, and helping even more young people access inclusive outdoor education. Thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery for making this all possible.
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#PeoplesPostcodeLottery #PostcodeLotteryPeople #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #WildlifeEducation #NatureEducation

We're back in the office after our winter break, and looking forward to welcoming our first groups of 2025 soon! 🌳
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#NewYear #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Nature_Lovers #Highlands #Scotland

Over the next few weeks we will be taking a short break from social media, but before we do, here is a compilation of some of the things we got up to in 2024!

We would like to extend a big thank you to everyone who has attended our events, visited us at the Field Centre, or invited us to visit them this year. We send you all warm wishes for the winter period. Here's to another nature-filled year! 💚

[Video description: A slideshow of photos set against light, bouncing background music on guitar and piano. The photos include pictures of various activities including pond dipping, bug hunting, rock pooling, and people holding insects such as moths. The last photo in the series is a picture of a loch surrounded by trees, underneath a bright blue sky. The sky and the trees are reflected in the loch, which is perfectly still.]

We had our last group of the year yesterday, and helped the Staff Naturalist at the Field Centre plant an orchard. We were rewarded with a beautiful rainbow once we had finished planting! What a great way to end the year. 🌈🌳
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#TreePlanting #Orchard #OrchardPlanting #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Highlands #Scotland

Our Alternative Education groups have spent their last few sessions of the year visiting the @aigascommunityforest in the snow, and walking round the Field Centre taking measurements of factors such as temperature, wind speed and humidity. We will repeat this activity in the summer to see how these factors have changed. ❄
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#Snow #Winter #Aigas #AigasCommunityForest #CommunityForest #EnvironmentalEducation #AlternativeEducation #HomeEd #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Nature_Lovers #Highlands #Scotland #Visit_Scotland

This week we visited our last school of 2025! We did an animal tracks and signs quiz, then went outside into the school grounds to look for signs of animals living there. 🐾

We found evidence of insect larvae in bramble leaves (pictured), woodpecker activity on trees, and beetle activity on bark! 🌳
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#TracksAndSigns #AnimalTracksAndSigns #Tracking #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #Outreach #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Nature_Lovers #NatureUpClose #Highlands #Scotland #ScottishHighlands

Hair ice is a rare type of ice formation that only occurs under very specific conditions. These conditions include the presence of rotting wood from a broadleaf tree, temperatures just under 0 degrees, and moist air. What's more, a special type of fungus also has to be present. The fungus produces products that help stabilise the thin strands of ice that are pushed out the wood as the water inside freezes and expands. ❄

Have you ever seen hair ice? Keep an eye out for it this winter! 👀
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#HairIce #Ice #Winter #FrostBeard #IceWool #Fungus #FantasticFungi #WinterWalk #Naturewalk #NatureFacts #NatureFact #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Nature_Lovers #Highlands #Scotland

Today is #WorldSoilDay. To celebrate, here is a photo of some soil samples that we recently took with a visiting advanced higher geography class. Our Soils Investigation is a popular session with local secondary schools. We look at factors affecting soil formation, soil profiles, and how soil characteristics change up a slope.🌱
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#WorldSoilDay2024 #Geography #AdvancedHigher #GeographyFieldwork #Fieldwork #SoilInvestigation #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #SQA #SQAExams #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #NatureEducation #Highlands #Scotland #ScottishHighlands

Today marks the start of meteorological winter. We have been embracing the turn to colder weather with our groups; cooking on fires, wrapping up in hats and scarves for walks, and watching winter migrant birds such as redwings and fieldfares. ❄🧣🐦
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#Winter #MeteorologicalWinter #Snow #December #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #Scotland #ScottishHighlands

We've had a busy week visiting some local schools. We've done activities in school grounds, and in local outdoor spaces. Some highlights have been bug hunting, making bird feeders, and habitat piles! 🐜🐦🌳
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#Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #Outreach #GreenSpaces #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Nature_Lovers #Highlands #Scotland #ScottishHighlands

Last year during #NationalTreeWeek we finished planting a new native woodland above the Magnus House.

This year we have been caring for the trees to make sure that they have the best chance of surviving. Our Alternative Education group Birch has been watering the trees during dry periods, weeding round them, and bashing down vegetation such as dock which was growing up above the trees. 🌳🌳
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#Woodland #WoodlandPlanting #TreePlanting #TreeWeek #Trees #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation

On Friday we hosted an open day for people on our alternative education group waiting list. We had a day of activities in the woods, with an optional walk round the loch. It was brilliant to meet some new faces, and welcome back those who have attended previous open days. 🌳🐜🌱

Check out this natural sculpture one of our attendees made! 😍
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#Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #HomeEd #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #AlternativeEducation #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Nature_Lovers #Highlands #Scotland #NatureArt #NaturalArt

Over the last few weeks our Alternative Education Groups have been focussing on the season of Autumn. We have collected autumn leaves, conkers, and acorns, and have investigated leaf pigments through chromatography. More recently, we have been looking at how beavers at the Field Centre have been getting ready for winter, by tracking their activity round the loch, and building mini beaver dams of our own. 🍂🌳
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#Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #AlternativeEducation #HomeEd #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #Autumn #AutumnLeaves #Conkers #Chromatography #Beavers #BeaverSigns

Scots pines are magnificent trees. In Scotland they have been recorded growing up to 27 metres tall, and living to over 300 years old. 🌳

Scots pine forests support many different animals, plants, and fungi, including rare plants such as twinflower, and endangered birds such as the capercaillie. 🐦🌱🍄

The trees have a rich history in Highland folklore, and have long been used to mark the burial places of respected individuals such as warriors and clan chiefs. ⚔
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#Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation #DiscoverNature #ScotsPine #ScotsPineFoest #CaledonianPineForest #Highlands #ScottishHighlands

This week we had the first of our sessions with a local school as part of a programme to improve outdoor learning in their school grounds. The pupils gave us a tour of their outdoor space, and completed a mini bioblitz to get an idea of the wildlife that already lives in their playground. 🐜🌳🍄🌻
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#Bioblitz #OutdoorLearning #OutdoorEducation #Aigas #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorEducation #NaturedaysAtAigas #Outreach #AigasFieldCentre #Wildlife #WildlifeEducation #WildlifeDiscovery #WildlifeDetectives #NatureDetectives #NatureEducation

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@naturedaysataigas