Fochabers Wildlife Day

Fochabers Wildlife Day Saturday 14th March 2026, Fochabers Institute
Come along and kick-off spring by finding out how you can help our wildlife and environment .

Learn about our village wildlife and how you can help it thrive.

17/03/2026

A huge thanks to our guest experts, volunteers and of course our lovely visitors. We had a great day and met lots of people very keen to get stuck in and make a difference this spring.

We received lots of good feedback and folk seemed to enjoy the variety and detail put into our displays. Many thanks for those who came along and good luck to those busy building all this nest boxes, hedgehog hotels and ponds.

05/03/2026

For those who don't know, Fochabers is celebrating 250 years since the new village was established in its current location, having been moved from Gordon Castle grounds. To do our bit and join in the celebrations we thought we'd put on a small display of wildlife you may have seen around the village or North Scotland generally in 1776.

As you may imagine, what we consider to be our precious wildlife to be nurtured and supported, was viewed somewhat differently back then. Generally wildlife only came to most peoples' attention when it either posed a threat or was seen as an opportunity to gain free food. There was little consideration for the holistic benefits of a rich biodiversity.

As such, mentions of wildlife from the period are limited, but we've done a bit of digging and referencing material from the National Library of Scotland have come up with illustrations of some of the animals you may be familiar with, and some perhaps not.

It's just a bit of fun really, but come along and see if you could guess at the animals you may have bumped into near the village 250 years ago.

Fochabers Wildlife Day isn't just the numerous stalls each dedicated to a particular aspect of nature conservation, nor ...
26/02/2026

Fochabers Wildlife Day isn't just the numerous stalls each dedicated to a particular aspect of nature conservation, nor is it just the models, working examples and graphic displays that will illustrate how you can get involved and help our wildlife thrive, it isn't even just the kid's activity area where the younger nature-lovers can express their creativity, it's rather more than just that.

We're very pleased to announce our programme of guest speakers who will address the audience with presentations on their specialist subject.

To be held in the Christie Room adjoining the main hall, talks will be held every hour throughout the day and will be free and open to anyone, subject to a maximum number of 90 in the room at once.

The programme of talks is as follows:

We look forward to welcoming you on 14th March...

19/02/2026

I've just come away from Milne's Primary School having given a presentation to the school on local wildlife and to promote our Fochabers Wildlife Day. What an enthusiastic group of young nature-lovers! We'll look forward to seeing some of them along with their grown-ups on our special day.

Today we shine a light on the Scottish Ornithologists Club (SOC) who will be one of our guest exhibitors. The SOC are a long-established group of nature enthusiasts with a branch in Moray, who encourage birdwatching and conservation and actively gather vital information about Scotland's wild birds.

Our guest from the SOC will be delivering a talk on birds and gardens, exploring the difference we can all make in improving an environment where birds can thrive.

The SOC are clearly a multi-talented group because as well as the talk on birds, our guest will be hosting a display on butterflies and moths highlighting species to be found locally and emphasising the importance of these beautiful creatures within the ecological cycle.

12/02/2026

Here at Fochabers Wildlife Day HQ we are beavering away to get ready for our event which is a mere 4 weeks away. We are a small team of enthusiastic volunteers who are working to put on interesting and informative displays of ways we can all get involved in improving the lot of our environment and wildlife.
Our group will hold a number of stalls including ones focusing on hedgehogs, swift nest boxes, wildlife ponds, garden birds nest sites, bug hotels etc.
We are being supported by our fantastic guest groups who are joining us for the day, some of whom I've posted about already.

Today though I'd like to shine a light on the Scottish Invasive Species Partnership (SISP) and the Spey Fishery Board (SFB) who operate in partnership along our very own River Spey. The Spey has always been vital to the history and fortunes of our village and maintaining it and its environs in good condition is an important part of the partnership's role.

Control of non-native species such as giant hogweed, Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam and American mink is vital to protect our native species and help them thrive along the river.

The battle against inventive species is never-ending but it is actually something we can all get involved in and make a real difference by helping in the partnership's efforts. Come along and speak to the guys of the SISP and SFB about the work they do and how you can volunteer to help them in their work.

04/02/2026

Today we highlight the North East Scotland Bats group who are attending our Wildlife Day where they'll be manning their stall. An active and enthusiastic group promote the welfare and conservation of our treasured local bat population. Their stated aims are:

Advance the protection and conservation of bats, their roosts, feeding areas and hibernacula in NE Scotland.
Promote awareness of and enjoyment of bats among the public and other stakeholders.
Promote the training of members and sharing of skills and knowledge.

Come along on 14th March and learn about these sometimes mis-understood but fascinating animals. Hear recordings of bat calls of the various species to be found in our area and learn how surveys are conducted and various species identified.

The group will be giving a presentation of bat ecology and of their work to safeguard the species as one of a series of talks planned throughout the day.

30/01/2026

It's fantastic news this week that a new law has been passed by Scottish parliament that new build houses must contain swift bricks.
This is a fantastic outcome following years of campaigning by many dedicated swift-lovers, one of whom is Cally Smith of NES Swifts. Come and meet Cally at her stall at our Fochabers Wildlife Day and hear of the hard-won battle to have this legislation in place.

28/01/2026

The team at Fochabers Swifts will be hosting a number of stalls at our Wildlife open day.
Help our hedgehogs. We'll have a display of a hog hotel with plans and instructions on how to make your own, a hog feeding station and a model showing the really positive impact creating a hedgehog highway can have on helping our prickly pals to thrive.

To complement the NES Swifts stall, we'll have a display of swift nest boxes and instructions on how to build your own. Also, where to locate them and how to attract your very own colony of our favourite birds.

Come along and enjoy the fun. Families welcome, kids activities and crafts throughout the day. Drop in and out as you want - it's free!

22/01/2026

The Habitat People are joining us at Fochabers Wildlife Day with a stall presenting their ambitious plans to create a significant area of habitat for biodiversity and carbon sequestration in North East Scotland within the next 5 years.

Specialising in wildflower garden creation, wildlife pond design and build and designing ecosystems to maximise the attraction of biodiverse wildlife. Here you will find the expertise to help you improve your environment for the benefit of flowers, pollinators, birds amphibians and mammals.

With an impressive track record in successful re-wilding and ecological transformations, come along and speak to The Habitat People.

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Fochabers Institute
Fochabers
IV327EP

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+447840669251

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