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Scotland Scottish Borders

(visit this page on fatfisherman.com)
(visit this page on fatphotographer.net)

Coal Tit Parus ater ŠNigel Blake http://www.nigelblake.co.uk/

The Scottish Borders, often referred to simply as the Borders, is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland and Cumbria in England to the south and east. The administrative centre of the area is Newtown St. Boswells.

Historically, the name Scottish Borders designated the entire border region of southern Scotland and, together with neighbouring areas of England, was part of the historical Borders region.

The Scottish Borders are located in the Eastern part of the Southern Uplands.

The region is hilly, with the River Tweed flowing west to east through the region. In the east of the region the area that borders the River Tweed is flat and is known as 'The Merse'. The Tweed and its tributaries drain the entire region with the river flowing into the North Sea at Berwick-upon-Tweed, and forming the border with England for the last twenty miles or so of its length.

County Recorder

Ray Murray
4 Bellfield Crescent, Eddleston, Peebles, EH45 8RQ
01721 730677
raymurray1@tiscali.co.uk

Useful Reading

Bird-Life of the Borders

Abel Chapman - 298 pages, 54 line illustrations - Spredden Press
ISBN: 187173911X
Buy this book from NHBS.com

The Top 50 Birds of Northumberland and the Borders

Edited by Graham Bell - 51 pages, b/w photos - Covers the most common birds of the area, especially those likely to be encountered in coastal areas.
ISBN: 095310110X
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Where to Watch Birds in Scotland

Mike Madders and Julia Welstead - 297 pages, b/w illus, maps - Christopher Helm
ISBN: 071365693X
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Organisations

Borders Forest Trust

Website

Our vision for the south of Scotland is for a place where a rich tapestry of native woodlands and wild places can flourish, cared for by the local communities that live there. Borders Forest Trust was established in 1996 to conserve, restore and manage native woodlands and other natural habitats for the benefit of people and wildlife.

Friends of Kailzie Wildlife Group

Website

Friends of Kailzie Wildlife Group is a community organisation whose objective is to develop and create opportunities for the wider public to discover wildlife in the local environment through recreation, heritage, wildlife interpretation and educational facilities...

The Berwick Swan and Wildlife Trust

Website

The historic Borders town of Berwick-upon-Tweed is home to Britain's second largest mute swan moulting colony. The Berwick Swan and Wildlife Trust was formed in 1992, following a major pollution incident in the River Tweed estuary, to provide support for the local swan herd as well as other wildlife in the area...

Tweed Valley Osprey Project

Website

Live on camera in the centres: ospreys, jackdaws and swallows at Glentress and Ospreys, herons and nuthatches at Kalizie...

Reserves

Caberston Forrest

Website
Satellite View
Caberston is part of Forests of the Scottish Borders. Innerleithen is the nearest town or village...

Ettrick Flood-Plain Habitat Enhancement Project

Website
Satellite View
Although amongst the richest of ecological systems, flood-plain forest habitats have almost disappeared from Britain, with a few surviving in parts of Scotland. In 1995, WWF Scotland commissioned a review to determine the status of flood-plain forests within Scotland; this identified the haughland of the Upper Ettrick as one of the best-developed areas of flood-plain habitat and as an area that offered great potential for restoration and expansion...

Glentress Forest

Website
Satellite View
Glentress forest is in the heart of the Tweed Valley Forest Park and is a one of the most diverse forests in south Scotland...

Scottish Seabird Centre

Website
Satellite View
In a stunning location overlooking the sea and sandy beaches, you'll have a great day out at the Scottish Seabird Centre with its exciting Discovery Centre, Gift Shop and Cafe with open decking over the sea...

St Abb's Head National Nature Reserve

Website
Satellite View
Formed by an extinct volcano, St Abb's Head is the best known landmark along the Berwickshire coast. Home to thousands of nesting seabirds in summer, it is also home to a wide range of other wildlife. A new remote camera facility allows visitors to the Nature Reserve Centre to eavesdrop on the nesting birds...

Trip Reports

This section sponsored by:

2002 - The Great Seabird Break - The Farne Islands & S Scotland

Report

Ever since watching a Bill Oddie programme on the Farne Islands, I have had an ambition to have a trip to these islands during the main breeding season to witness first hand this amazing spectacle...

Places To Stay

Gunsgreen House

Accommodation

Self catering Accommodation located on the coast at Eyemouth, within 15 mins of St Abbs Head Nature Reserve and the Farne Islands...

Holiday Cottages at Castletoun

Accommodation

The Holiday Cottages at Castletoun are nestled at the foot of Greenlaw Moor, and close to Watchwater Reservoir, making it the perfect base for bird watching holidays. It is also within 30mins of the sea bird colonies at St Abbs Head...

Osprey Viewing

Website

Visitors to the Tweed Valley Forest Park will soon be able to watch osprey chicks live as two viewing centres in the Borders open their doors. Thanks to an automatic camera close to a secret eyrie, live pictures with sound are to be beamed to centres in Glentress Forest and Kailzie Gardens, both just outside Peebles...

Photographers & Artists

Photographer - Ron McCombe

Gallery

Ron welcomes you to his wildlife photography website. Based in Scotland in the Scottish Borders and travelling around the UK, Europe and the USA photographing what has become a passion for him, wild birds and animals. He can be regularly seen in the Farne Islands, the Bass Rock, The Cairngorms and The Shetland Islands as well as The Isle of Mull, The Trishnish Isles, Ardnamurchan and the Hebrides in search of the wild birds he loves to photograph...

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