Cameras put Creetown on the wildlife map
Scottish Wildlife, picture by Paul Dodds
Isabel Glasgow; Chairwoman of the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) West Areas Board formally opened a new wildlife visitor attraction at Creetown, putting the small Wigtownshire village on the wildlife tourism map.
Close circuit TV cameras installed locally beam live and recorded footage of red squirrels and nesting peregrine falcons to visitors in the Creetown Heritage Museum so visitors can now watch their every move. The project is the result of a year of hard work by enthusiastic members of the local community, who wanted to make the most of the wildlife in the area to bring in more visitors and help keep the museum on its feet.
A viewing area has been set up in the museum where visitors can watch the wildlife action throughout the day on a set of four screens. Two of the screens show the antics of red squirrels, filmed in nearby gardens while the other two show a peregrine falcon nest. Grants from the Slevin Bequest, Forward Scotland and Tarmac along with a grant and help in kind from SNH have helped to get the viewing project off the ground.
The Creetown project was originally inspired by the desire to let the public see the wildlife on the east of Wigtown Bay, following the success of the osprey viewing project based in the Town Hall in Wigtown.
In the longer term the local community are very keen to build links with other wildlife viewing projects in Dumfries & Galloway, including the seabird centre at the Mull of Galloway, the red kite trail at Loch Ken, the osprey camera at Wigtown and the two National Nature Reserves at Cairnsmore of Fleet and Caerlaverock.
Further information contact Tommy Donnelly, SNH Area Officer Email: tommy.donnelly@snh.gov.uk
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