Join us on Sunday 11 October 2026 for a nature walk around Livingston Village, and help us record local wildlife. We will be looking out for colourful grassland fungi and complete a Waxcap Survey, whilst also collecting records to submit to iRecord. You don't need any knowledge to come along and take part, we will provide various ID guides and work together to gather some records.

Back by request, we’re having a special Saturday evening walk this month. We’ll ramble along the River Almond, listening for bats and blethering about nature, climate action, biodiversity, or whatever comes to mind. Under 18s are welcome, if accompanied by a responsible adult. This is a free event but please book via Eventbrite Who: all West Lothian residents. No unaccompanied children…

Sharing details of an excellent event happening in East Calder next weekend. Details below...  Hello, I have organised a screening of the National Emergency Briefing film on climate change (for full details see: www.nebriefing.org). The screening will be held on Sunday 23rd August, 15.00-17.00, at the Dave King Community Centre in East Calder. This film provides a valuable and timely opportunity to…

The weather conditions were ideal for our July Ramble&Chat event at Easter Breich Wood, where we surveyed a BeeWalk route for bumblebees and honeybees. Our group consisted of a 'spotter' who called attention to any bees inside a set area known as a recording box. This is an invisible area of 2m to the left and right of the walker, 2m up from the ground and 4m in front.

On the 9th August, we will meet for a woodland walk in the Community Woods and Garden, Polbeth and West Calder for our monthly Ramble and Chat. Weather permitting, we are also aiming to take part in Butterfly Conservation Trusts Big Butteurfly Count (which runs from 17 July to 9 August this year). Everyone is welcome, children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

A male white-tailed bumblebee It's finally summer and who doesn't love that deep buzzing sound of a bumblebee on a warm sunny afternoon! We're going to the woods at Easter Breich Community Woodland to survey these fascinating animals for the Bumblebee Conservation Trusts BeeWalk scheme. On this walk we'll talk about the different bumblebee species and how to identify them, and share what we know about why they're such important pollinators and the different pressures that these amazing little creatures face.

World Localization Day is an annual celebration on June 21. Local Futures and Global Partners host events to highlight localization.

Join us on Sunday 14 June for a nature walk around Campbridge Pond, in Muireston. We will take a slow paced walk around the pond, noticing and recording wildlife. We will have a pond dipping kit with us too and we can watch pond life from the viewing platforms around the pond. Everyone is welcome, children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Join us for a wander along a flower rich path through a large woodland to search for spring butterflies! We will be going to Woodmuir, a Scottish Forestry plantation, which sits off of the A704, near the village of Breich. A male orange-tip butterfly We'll be taking our nets and plastic pots along to try and get a closer look at some of the spring butterflies on the wing.

This April we will Ramble & Chat through Almondell Country Park, searching for wild flowers and still on the lookout for Signs of Spring. When: Sunday 12th February, 2-3;30pm Where:  Almondell Country Park. We’ll meet at the South Gate just off East Calder Main Street What 3 Words: ///hack.alongside.firming Google Maps: How to get there…

Join us on Sunday 08 March for a nature walk with a focus on learning to identify trees. The event is suitable for beginners, and children are welcome when accompanied by a responsible adult. Meeting point: We will meet at the path next to Howden House Google Maps: What3words:///length.zoom.elaborate Time: 14:00 - 15:30 Route: We will follow a circular route, starting near Howden House, following the paths around some pockets of woodland and a stop at Howden Walled Garden.

We’re back in Almond Park, Craigshill for our walk this month. We’ll be on the lookout for signs of spring - like snowdrop flowers and tiny hazel catkins - and hoping for a good blether as well. When: Sunday 8th February, 2-3.30pm Where:  Almond Park in Craigshill. We’ll meet at the bridge below Livingston Rugby Club What 3 Words…

What a month January can be! For the first time we had to postpone one of our Ramble&Chats due to a yellow weather warning. We managed to meet up on the following Sunday when it was cold and overcast but at least didn't rain and we were able to spend an hour watching and identifying lots of different species of birds out on the water at the Almond Pools!

Big Garden Birdwatch is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey. Every year, hundreds of thousands of nature lovers like you take part, helping to build a picture of how garden birds are faring.

December can be a busy month for many, and the colder weather and shorter days might provide less opportunities to go out for a walk and explore the green spaces around us. However, there is lots to see, hear and notice even during the winter months. From winter visitors, to winter blooms, taking a short walk in nature can have multiple benefits for both our physical and mental health.

Come birding with us! We're visiting the River Almond pools for our January outing. Bring along your bird ID books and binoculars (your bins in birding talk!) and we'll try to identify the different species and contribute some biological records while we're there. We'll use the ornithology trusts app BirdTrack to add a list of all the birds we identify. You can find out more about bird recording using the app: …

When the day of our usual monthly walk fell on the exact anniversary of the Dechmont UFO Incident we had to visit the woods around Dechmont Law, on the lookout for aliens! * * aka. non-native and invasive species We met at the Eastwood Park entrance and started with a climb up the side of the Law, following the…

This month the second Sunday falls on the exact anniversary of the Dechmont UFO Incident! So obviously we’re heading to Dechmont Law to search for aliens!!! (aka. non-native and invasive spec…

This month the second Sunday falls on the exact anniversary of the Dechmont UFO Incident! So obviously we're heading to Dechmont Law to search for aliens!!! (aka. non-native and invasive species) 🌳👽🌳 When: Sunday 9th November, 2 to 3:30pm Meeting point: Eastwood Park car park, near Deans Community High School. Google maps:  What 3 Words: …

Our October walk took us to Calderwood, a Site of Scientific Interest, near Mid Calder. Following the marked, circular hazel trail, the group practiced tree identification skills, focusing on autumn nuts and berries as clues. Although, we were too late for any hazelnuts - the squirrels must have got them all already. The autumn colours were in full display, and the abundant bracken created a beautiful scene.

Autumnal walk in Calderwood Join us for a slow paced walk in Calderwood, Mid Calder on Sunday 12 October 2025. This is an opportunity to spend some time in nature, exploring this ancient woodland and enjoying the beautiful autumnal colours. We will meet at the Mid Calder entrance to Almondell and Calderwood Country park, just off the car park. We will then follow the path towards Calderwood and explore the circular, yellow waymarked hazel Trail.

Learn about pollinators workshop On Sunday 17/08/2025 we joined Melissa from Buglife -The Invertebrate Conservation Trust, for a pollinator workshop at Almondell Country Park, in East Calder. The aim of the workshop was to train participants to monitor pollinators by conducting Flower-Insect Timed counts. This 10 minute survey, that can be done in gardens and parks, collects important data on the changes of pollinator numbers visiting flowers.

In September our Ramble&Chat will take us to the woodland near Bellsquarry called Wilderness. This diverse Woodland Trust site has good habitats for various wildlife and plants. When: Sunday 14th September, 2-3:30pm Meeting point: the path on the East side of Bellsquarry Primary School, 52 Calder Road, Bellsquarry, EH54 9AD Google maps:  What 3 Words…

One of my guilty pleasures is watching YouTube travel videos, made by overseas visitors to Scotland and the UK. It’s interesting to see and hear an unfiltered, instant impression of where you live,...

We were a group of five this month for our Livingston Ramble&Chat outing in nature. We took a slow walk around the grassy meadows between the allotments and the River Almond to see what could be spotted living among the long grasses. These areas that are left uncut are a huge benefit to the insects living there, which in turn benefits the birds, bats and everything else that relies on insect life.

Join us on Sunday 17/08/2025 for a pollinators identification workshop at Almondell Country Park. This month, we will join Buglife for an introduction into pollinator identification at Almondell Country Park, East Calder. The event is free to attend and everyone is welcome. Please book a free spot via try booking.com/UK/EXMZ The event is part of West Lothian Council's Biodiversity Month…

Join us for a relaxed stroll through a little-known gem of an area in Livingston for July's Ramble&Chat. We'll be wandering around the beautiful meadows beside the Killandean allotments and the River Almond. The area sits within the Kirkton Campus Industrial Estate but goes largely unnoticed by most people driving passed on the main road. A short walk from the car park opposite the allotments will take us under the underpass and on to an easy trail.

This month we'll take a Ramble&Chat around Dedridge Pond. It’s Pond Watch weekend so we’re planning a bit of pond dipping too. Meeting point: the stone bridge at the North end of Dedridge Pond Google maps:  What 3 Words:///engage.actors.jumps Meeting time: 2pm  How to get there: The pond is just South of The Lanthorn in Kenilworth Rise, EH54 6NY.

Having recently moved house, I was unsure what the results of No Mow May would be! Both front and back lawns had a cut at the end of April, and some new grass seeds scattered to cover some empty patches. On 1st June, I took photos of the plants that appeared in my lawn in the last 30 days. Not all of them are in flower yet, so this is a good reason to continue No Mow May with Let it Bloom June!