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THE BEST EVENTS. TALKS AND SPORT
* Modern Chlnm Culture Frndoutmoreaboutoneofthe world's fastest growing economies at this talk on recent trends in Chinese music and social attitudes by Szu Wei Chen from Stirling University. Gamethi/l Community Centre. 21 Rose Street, Glasgow, Tue 30 May.
* Guldod walk around Poulll Maul: Join members of the Scottish Wildlife Trust for a walk around this Reserve, an area which is popular with birds such as little grebes. tufted ducks and moorhens. Possil Marsh Wildlife Reserve, Bishopbn'ggs Glasgow, Sun 4 Jun.
* Organic Monlng for Beginners Forget paying extortionate supermarket prices for organic veg, the best way is to grow your own, whether you have a window box or an allotment. Royal Botanic Garden, 20a Inverleith Row, Edinburgh, Sun 28 May & Sun 4 Jun.
* Lelth Saul-l Every year the Lelth Festival celebrates the best of the area's eclectic culture and this comedy-show-cum-cultural- history-lesson is no exception. Following the success of last year’s Thermos Museum, Neil Davidson (pictued) retums in the guise of big game hunter Sir Horace Tek. Cameo Bar, 23 Commercral Street, Edinburgh, Mon 5-7hu 8 Jun.
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Finding wilderness doesn’t always mean driving for miles. Some of Scotland’s most diverse habitats are right on the edge of our cities, discovers Rachael Street.
eauty is in the eye of the beholder. ()r so
claimed some particularly lucid famous person.
But on first glance at the Bawsinch nature reserve. on the edge of lidinburgh‘s l)uddingston l.och. ‘beautiful‘ might not have been the first word to spring into that person‘s mind. ‘(ireenfl ‘bushy‘fl ‘well- maintained’. ‘varied‘ were the slightly underwhelming descriptions that came to mind on first glimpsing this area maintained by the Scottish Wildlife Trust. Being a city dweller used to visiting natural spaces such as the Botanic Gardens or the gorgeous sandy beaches of liast
Lothian. the area confounded all my expectations of what a reserve should be. I envisaged something far
grander — a jungle teeming with rare species of plant. each with its own appropriately complicated Latin name. a wealth of unusual creatures constantly springing from its foliage. I certainly didn't expect to see an enormous square of freshly mown grass smack bang in the middle of it. or hear the roar of traffic on Duddington Road West from jtist a stone‘s throw away. But didn‘t another wise person say something about not judging a book by its cover‘.’ While a casual glance only revealed some trees. an area of marshland and a basic viewing but. my guided tour with volunteer warden Stuart Maxwell uncovered more than I could have imagined. Scots pine. juniper. endangered wildflowers and the gentle call of a green woodpecker all emerged from among the branches and leaves as we strolled around the surprisingly large area of land.
Founded in I964. the Scottish Wildlife TrUst now manages around l23 reserves such as Bawsinch. as well as three visitor centres across the country. Wildlife
Week (3 ll .ltlllc‘l gives lllc public a chance lti lllltl (llll more about all the species that have made their homes on SW'l land and the work that the organisation does to encourage more wild visitors. lake llawsinch for example: you can't fail to notice the deep hole that has been dug into one corner of the lawn. It looks like somebody ‘s started a task. building a pond perhaps. and then got bored of it halfway through. llut actually the pit was created in the hope of attracting Sand Martins. a small migratory bird that makes its nest in sandy banks (hence the name). l'nl'ortunately these winged creatures didn't seem interested in the hole. but a quite different beast took a shine to it instead. It is now home to a whole host of solitary bees and wasps. which burrow into the earth to make their home alone rather than living in a pack. While such creatures are not immediately impressive to the viewer tin fact on this day they stayed resolutely away from the outside world) they are incredibly important to the local ecosystem. 'lihis happy accident fits in pcrlectly with S\‘v"l”s aim. which is not to protect any one species but to encourage a huge diversity of plant. insect and mammal life. liven when unwanted animals turn up (such as terrapins released into the loch by teenagers well past the fi'r'ltrlg't’ .llirlulil .N'ili/"u firi'l/r' phasci. the Trust will try to discourage them but never esterminate them. livolution. integration. survival it‘s all part of nature ~ and there's nothing more beautiful than that
For more information on the variety of events taking place during Wildlife Week see listings or visit swt.org.uk
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