Nigg Bay Clean Up-Saturday 8th August 11 am-3pm

EGCP and Aberdeen City council are having a joint beach clean at Nigg Bay to help tidy up what is a very special area. This area is classified as unique in many ways: its natural heritage (Balnagask & Cove District Wildlife Site, Nigg Bay Geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, Site of Interest to Natural Sciences-do you know the River Dee used to flow into the sea here) and it's built heritage.

It is also an area that can collect lots of litter so please come down and lend a hand. All equipment will be provided, just bring something to eat and drink and wear suitable clothing and stout shoes.

Hope to see you there!

 

Scotland's Coastal Archaeology and the Problem of Erosion

The SCAPE Trust are pleased to announce the publication of our Annual Review for 2008.
SCAPE (Scotland's Coastal Archaeology and the Problem of Erosion) is a charity working within the area of the historic environment of the coastal zone. Our primary focus is related to  raising awareness of the impact of climate change (particularly accelerated erosion) to Scotland's coastal heritage, and we have a very strong commitment to promoting community involvement in Scotland's coastal heritage, which we do through Shorewatch and other site specific projects.

Please follow the links within the Annual Review to learn more about SCAPE, Shorewatch, and some of our current projects.

One of the intentions of the Annual Review is for people to find out more about SCAPE and how to get invovled with coastal heritage.

 

Butterfly Conservation’s UK-wide count of Painted Lady’s - 30th May 2009

In the UK millions of Painted Lady butterflies have arrived in recent days and more are likely to arrive with sunny weather and favourable winds forecast over the coming weekend.

There is a unique opportunity to get better information on the nature and scale of this spectacular and unprecedented migration by taking part in a UK-wide count.  Butterfly Conservation are inviting interested recorders to carry out a two hour sample count from 11:00 -13:00 (UK time) on Saturday 30th May.  This will enable objective compassion with all other sites recorded in the same way.

The data can be entered online at Butterfly Conservation’s website.

Simply record the total number that you see flying through your set search area over the full two hours of observation (including the 10% or more that are likely to stop briefly to feed before carrying on migrating). Your search area will either be your garden or over a 20 wide strip of countryside (10m either side of where you stand stationary for the two hours).  Pick somewhere with a good view and do not record beyond 20m.

Good luck and fingers crossed that the weather is suitable for what should be a fascinating day!

 

Sustainable Seas for All – and that means you!

If you have a view on the running of coastal and marine waters then this September will be the best chance for a generation to influence a major piece of legislation. The Scottish Government has tasked EGCP with running a consultation workshop in Aberdeen on 17th September.

Got An Idea?

If you have an idea for a project in your area, why not apply for an EGCP Community Grants Scheme? The scheme offers grants of up to £1000, which are available to non profit making bodies such as community groups and schools for projects which benefit the natural environment of the coast, the local area, the community and its visitors.

We can help with the process of making an application from advice for writing the forms to setting up a group to run the project.

For more information please see the website or contact the partnership staff. The closing date for the applications is 19th December 2008

National Whale and Dolphin Watch

The 7th annual National Whale and Dolphin Watch, organised by the Sea Watch Foundation, took place between 21st and 29th June. When much of the UK was having bad weather, we were basking in sun shine and enjoying high numbers of sightings. This year the hot spot proved to be between Fraserburgh and St Cyrus with 20% of all the UK’s sightings coming from this small stretch of coast! Several watches took place over the week, with experts on hand to help with identification and spotting them in the first place! Harbour porpoise, bottlenose dolphins, white beaked dolphins and minke whales were all recorded during the week itself with rissos dolphins, common dolphins and killer whales spotted in the fortnight beforehand, highlighting what a fantastic place the local coast is-these amazing creatures are literally on our doorstep.

Record Summer for Whale and Dolphin Surveys

This year more people than ever have taken part in the Northern North Sea cetacean Ferry Surveys (NORCET). The surveys are part of a joint project between researchers at the University of Aberdeen, the East Grampian Coastal Partnership and the South Grampian Seawatch Group. The project was set up to collect data on cetacean occurrence and distribution in the northern North Sea between Aberdeen, Orkney and Shetland in summer 2002. Since then the project has expanded greatly, with this year having one of the best summers of coverage yet, thanks to a growing team of volunteers. We have had some great sightings this year including bottlenose dolphins, porpoise, minke whale, white beaked dolphin, killer whales and rissos dolphins as well as lots of birds and other wildlife. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the volunteers for all their hard work this year; it is much appreciated and without you the project would not be able to continue-thank you!

 

 

Beach Officer

This year, EGCP employed a seasonal member of staff, Ruth as a beach officer down at Aberdeen Beach. Ruth helped the beach keep its seaside award by ensuring all of the award criteria were met and providing a point of contact for beach users.

 

Photograph of the Month Competition

If you love taking snaps whilst at the coast why not send your best into EGCP? Each month we will be selecting the best images sent in (via e-mail if possible please) and posting them on this website in a new gallery. So not only do you (and the rest of the world) get to see to your pictures online, it also gives us the chance to showcase what a lovely place the East Grampian coast is!