Author: Paul Barclay

Wild Ways Wildlife Detectives

, by Paul Barclay
The Wild Ways Wildlife Detective Agency was out in Seafar woods last week, inspecting the woods for signs of what other inhabitants might be sharing our space with us. No detective force on the planet can run without a brew though so we stopped first to get a cuppa on the go.  Just ask Scotland yard, all detective work is…

Spring Fling

, by Paul Barclay
Spring has officially sprung, though it would be nice if someone would mention that to whoever controls the thermostat – it’s still chilly out there! No matter the cold though there is no time for life to stop. We may not have any polar bear cubs in Cumbernauld but new born badger cubs will be exploring their underground homes, they…

Putting the Wild in Wild Ways Well

, by Paul Barclay
Wild Ways Well. What’s in a name? I’m sure everyone out there will agree that it positively trips off the tongue (you trying saying it a dozen times while giving a presentation and see how long it takes to get tongue tied!), but did we just pick the name because of the snazzy alliteration? Or is – as many people…

Some Wild Ways Well firsts

, by Paul Barclay
It was a busy time for Wild Ways Well last week, with three sessions on the go, I can’t really call it hard work with a clean conscience though, it really just meant more chances to be outside! The first two groups spent their time down in the Glen, having a go at some forest skills and learning about the…

Wild Ways Well in the snow

, by Paul Barclay
    A bit of a mixed time for Wild Ways Well over the last week with the weather playing its hand as the Beast from the East continued to make its presence felt. The Tuesday group had some training booked in where we were going to learn how to film our own nature based story, unfortunately the weather put…

How the beast from the east affects our wildlife

, by Paul Barclay
The “beast from the east” hit with a vengeance last week leaving huge amounts of snow and freezing temperatures in its wake. We were just starting to get the first reports of bumblebees and hedgehogs coming out of hibernation in the week leading up to it so for those individuals there are some hard days ahead. They will face a…

A little compassion – and lots of tea

, by Paul Barclay
Anti-depressants are good for you! That was pretty much the message that was being blared out by the newspaper headlines last week after the publication of a major new study into their use was published. The truth is – you won’t be surprised to hear – a little more complicated than that! The actual results of the meta-analysis conducted were…

What’s in a name?

, by Paul Barclay
What’s in a name?  The Wild Ways Well group were out looking for Dingle-Dangles in the woods of Cumbernauld this Thursday… That’s not as dodgy as it sounds! Dingle-Dangles, Snow Piercer, Fair Maids of February, Little Sisters of the Snow, Milk Flowers, White Ladies, Hope’s Flower, Death’s Flower, Candlemass Bells… all mean the same thing, snowdrops.   The scientific name…

The toast of Cumbernauld

, by Paul Barclay
Did you know that today is National Toast Day? You might be wondering where Cumbernauld Living Landscape stands on the great debates about whether to cut toast horizontally, diagonally or not at all, or if a dropped slice of toast will always land butter side down. But surely the most important issue is how do we make sure we can…

Wild Ways Well Returns

, by Paul Barclay
Cumbernauld Living Landscape’s Wild Ways Well project is back! Thanks to backing from the Green Infrastructure Fund and Transport Scotland we’ll be offering a brand new programme of walks and conservation activities, and of course the essential cup of tea brewed over an outdoor kettle, throughout 2018. Our free Thursday afternoon sessions are open to anyone who feels they might…

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