Nests of rare bees found in Cairngorms

28 September 2017

Nests of rare small scabious mining bees have been recorded for the first time in the Cairngorms.

The sites were discovered as part of the three-year Rare Invertebrates in the Cairngorms project.

Conservationists will now be able to study the bees at their nests in an effort to better understand the insects' behaviour

The project has also found 11 rare pine hoverfly larvae, two of them at RSPB Scotland's Abernethy reserve.

The hoverflies have not been seen at Abernethy for five years.

RSPB Scotland, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Buglife, Butterfly Conservation Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage are involved in the invertebrates conservation project.

Source  

Big Grey Man film project starts in Cairngorms (Via Lindsay Selby)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/10262853.stm

The myth of the Big Grey Man of Ben MacDhui is to be made into a movie by an amateur film company.

Carrbridge Films is run by young people from the Cairngorms National Park. The Big Grey Man is said to haunt the Cairngorms, but sightings are linked to walkers' reflections being cast on low cloud.

To raise £2,500 for a new camera, Carrbridge Films has offered sponsors "perks" such as roles as associate producers. Director Fergus Thom, 18, said the project was one of the company's most ambitious. Inspiration for the film, called Broken Spectre, include an account from Prof Norman Collie in the late 1800s.

He claimed to have been "seized with terror" when followed by an unseen creature while descending Ben MacDhui. Mr Thom said: "We're all very excited to be embarking on another big project and look forward to getting out and about and capturing all the wonderful locations we have on our doorsteps.

"Having said this, we also have a lot of work ahead of us to prepare the plot and screenplay."

The group hope to complete the film by early next year.