Big BioBuzz Day
Saturday 22 May 2010

Find out more about the events taking place in Grantown-on-Spey, Kingussie and Ballater.

As part of the International Year of Biodiversity celebrations, one of Scotland's largest ever wildlife recording events took place in May. Grantown-on-Spey, Kingussie and Ballater took part in the 24-hour Big BioBuzz Day with hundreds of people getting involved in identifying the wildlife on their doorstep from dawn till dusk.

Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment Richard Lochhead and his family visited the Grantown event, accompanied by CNPA Convener David Green. Mr Lochhead said: "It was absolutely fantastic to see so many people out enjoying everything that the Cairngorms National Park has to offer. Everyone's efforts to collect as much information as possible on biodiversity shows the great variety of plants and animals that we have in Scotland, whether that's in our national parks, local woods or our gardens."

Stephen Corcoran, the Cairngorms Biodiversity Officer, said: "What a superb day with people of all ages involved, locals and visitors alike. It raised the profile of just how much biodiversity is next door to where people live."

John Latham, Aberdeenshire Council Countryside Ranger who was involved in running the Ballater event added: "The event has increased our knowledge of the biodiversity found in and around Ballater. It was also the first time nearly all the Ranger Services from across the Park have worked together on a project, which was a great experience."

More information on Big BioBuzz Day, including a list of wildlife found, photographs of the day and other items of interest can be found at the Cairngorms LBAP website: www.spanglefish.com/CairngormsBiodiversity/

Other events


  • Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park will be holding their own Big BioBuzz day on 22 May. Visit their website for more information www.lochlomond-trossachs.org
  • Cairngorms LBAP staff will be attending a number of shows in the Park throughout the year, including Grantown Agricultural Show and the Braemar Gathering. More details will be published during the year.

Useful links

Big Biobuzz links will take you to a host of other fascinating websites.