Restoring Upland Nature

28/08/2026

🌿 Are you an experienced policy or advocacy professional with a passion for nature restoration, partnership working and community engagement?

We’re looking for a Policy and Advocacy Officer to help transform red squirrel conservation in the South of Scotland and beyond.

Working with a committed network of individuals and organisations, you’ll help shape and influence improved policies and practices for red squirrel conservation – building partnerships, strengthening engagement and helping create lasting change for this iconic species.

🐿️ Could this be you – or someone in your network?

21/08/2026

🐿️ Squirrelpox Alert: Peebles and Bowhill area

We’re asking people in the Peebles and Bowhill areas to keep an eye out for signs of squirrelpox, following a small number of recently confirmed cases.

Early reporting can help protect Scotland's red squirrel populations.

If you spot a sick or injured red squirrel, or find one dead, it’s important to follow the right steps. Knowing what to do, and reporting what you see, can make a real difference.

👉 Visit restoringuplandnature.co.uk for clear, practical guidance on what to do if you suspect squirrelpox or come across a dead red squirrel, and how to report it.

📷 Take photographs where you can and record the location. Tools such as What3Words or the Google Maps pin function can help pinpoint locations more precisely. This information can be extremely valuable to those monitoring squirrelpox and working to protect red squirrels.

Please share this alert with others in and around Peebles and Bowhill to help us spread the word.

Thank you for helping us safeguard Scotland’s red squirrels. 🐿️

19/08/2026

Around this time last year we revealed the arrival of Princeling. He was the first bird to hatch and fledge (become ready and able to fly) from the nest of a bird translocated by our pioneering South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project. It is fantastic to see him flying in southern skies. He was named by Sir David Attenborough, who congratulated us on our "wonderful achievement" in bringing "about the fledging of a young golden eagle" - a great honour.

Explore his family tree here.

13/08/2026

It's been nearly two years since we welcomed the wonderful Hamza Yassin and The One Show to Moffat Eagle Town and the UK's first ever golden eagle festival. The biennial Moffat Eagle Festival will return from 27 to 29 August 2027. We hope to see you all there. In the meantime, keep following us here and on our new Instagram page () for all the latest news.

Visit Moffat Discover South Scotland - Scotland Starts Here

07/08/2026

Keep an eye out for our red squirrel team at some of the best country fairs and agricultural shows across southern Scotland this August, starting with the Galloway Country Fair tomorrow.

Come and meet us there to learn more about red squirrel conservation and how you can get involved.

16/07/2026

Are you an experienced project manager with an ecological background and a passion for nature restoration, partnership working and community engagement?

We are looking for an exceptional individual to lead the development and delivery of the North England Golden Eagle Project (NEGEP), which is funded by the UK Government and Forestry England

📍 Find out more, including how to apply, here: https://www.goldeneaglessouthofscotland.co.uk/blog/north-of-england-golden-eagle-project-manager

26/06/2026

Police Scotland is appealing for information after a golden eagle, translocated by our project earlier this year, was found to have been shot.

We are relieved that the four-year-old female golden eagle, named Squeagle is once again flying high in southern skies, thanks to the combined efforts of the rescuing gamekeepers, the Scottish SPCA and RUN staff. However, we utterly condemn this act of persecution and urge anyone with information to call 101 immediately, quoting incident number 136 of 5 June 2026.

Police Wildlife Crime Officers in Northumberland, Durham, Cumbria and North Yorkshire, supported by the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit, have joined forces with Police Scotland for the appeal today, as evidence indicated Squeagle had flown across these areas around the time when the shooting incident happened (spring 2026). With our state-of-the-art satellite tagging system, we can see exactly where Squeagle travelled and further examination of the data could reveal more details of the incident.

While we have now sadly seen evidence of four incidents of persecution involving birds translocated through our project, it is important to highlight that we have far more often witnessed the very best of human-spirit, with land managers, communities, conservationists and volunteers working together to help these magnificent birds recover.

Indeed, thanks to this support, over 80% of the golden eagles translocated through the project are still alive and thriving in 18 active territories across the South of Scotland, providing a strong foundation for a self-sustaining population in the area. Their high survival rate reflects the success of the project. However, all wildlife crime is utterly reprehensible and even one incident of persecution is unacceptable. We will continue to do everything we can to protect this wonderful species.

We hope people across the country will once again unite in condemning these appalling crimes - helping to redress the damage caused by historic persecution, and ensuring golden eagles can thrive for generations to come.
North Yorkshire Police, Northumbria Police, Durham Constabulary, Cumbria Police

15/06/2026

We’re very sad to confirm that gamekeepers found Percy, a four-year-old golden eagle fatally injured on an estate in the Scottish Borders on 1 April 2026. All the evidence, including a pathological investigation by SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College), indicates that Percy died in a territorial combat with another golden eagle. The findings were consistent with RUN’s satellite tag data, which showed Percy flew close to an active eagle nest on the morning of 28 March before being chased and landing fatally injured on a nearby estate.

In natural golden eagle populations, territorial breeding eagles will attack and kill intruding sub-adults, and this is what evidently happened here.

This is the third time in the Project’s lifetime that the same long-established pair of native golden eagles is thought to have killed sub-adult eagles while defending their eyrie (active nest).

We’re so grateful to SRUC, and to the gamekeepers who did what they could as soon as they found Percy injured. We immediately responded to the alert, but on this occasion Percy’s injuries were severe, and he died before we arrived. This highlights how much gamekeepers engaged in our work care about these majestic birds, and their vital role in supporting the recovery of golden eagles to once again soar in southern skies.

We take great comfort in knowing that golden eagles have captured the hearts and minds of all our supporters, from conservationists and raptor workers to landowners, land managers and the wider community, including children, visitors and business operators. We thank everyone for continued painstaking support.

Percy was named by the Duke of Northumberland and released as a sub-adult in 2023 as part of our pioneering eagle restoration programme.
Scottish Land & Estates, Southern Uplands Moorland Group

12/04/2026

We're thrilled that Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds has approved £1m of additional funding to explore a new golden eagle reintroduction programme. This presents a truly exciting, and potentially game-changing moment for the return of golden eagles to Northern England.

Our success to date is testament to the strength of collaborative working between conservationists, raptor study groups, gamekeepers and land managers, and to the incredible support of thousands of people across communities in southern Scotland.

With the backing of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and our partner Forestry England, we now have the opportunity to replicate and build on this approach in Northern England. Our priority will be to listen, to work in partnership, and to ensure that golden eagle recovery supports both nature and the people who manage these landscapes, so that everyone can enjoy the thrill of seeing golden eagles flying high once again across the uplands of the UK.

Spread over three years, the funding from Forestry England will enable RUN to invest in highly trained staff, foster community engagement, and carry out selected translocations.

Today's funding news comes as Forestry England published results of a feasibility study which has found England has the capacity to sustain populations once more. You can read more about this here: https://www.forestryengland.uk/nature-wildlife/golden-eagles

The findings of this study will guide us in our work with partners including Forestry England.

If you would like to find out more about our work visit: https://www.goldeneaglessouthofscotland.co.uk/

📷: Phil Wilkinson

28/02/2026

Congratulations to Roy Dennis on being longlisted for a literary prize.

A CONSERVATIONIST who advised a Borders bird of prey project has been named on the long list for a prestigious literary award.