Aberdeen City Council Countryside Ranger Service

Aberdeen City Council Countryside Ranger Service Working for a biodiverse, best value and socially inclusive future. Popular subjects are pond dipping, minibeast hunts, birdwatching, and tree study. Walker Dam

Aberdeen City Council Countryside Ranger Service
Aberdeen City Council Countryside Ranger Service is committed to working for a biodiverse, best value and socially inclusive future for all the City's countryside resources. We work in partnership with a wide range of groups and businesses to offer quality environmental education and recreational opportunities for all:
The Ranger Service is based in

offices upstairs at the Groats Road Pavilion at the Harlaw Academy Playing fields. The Ranger Service also:
โ€ข manages countryside sites throughout the City including Local Nature Reserves and Sites of Special Scientific Interest
โ€ข offers many educational opportunities for all ages
โ€ข runs a walks and events programme during the summer and winter months - please download the full programme from the link on our webpage at www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/rangerservice .
โ€ข promotes biodiversity in the City. Educational Opportunities
The countryside makes an ideal base for an educational group visit. The Rangers can lead a wide range of activities for all ages from pre-school to university students and beyond. Other subjects could include drama, mathematics, English, or anything else you would like to suggest we will consider! The Rangers have a good supply of equipment available for visits including pond nets, sweep nets, pooters, an assortment of plastic containers and magnifiers and much more. If you bring the enthusiasm and want to learn what more could you need! The Ranger Service will also lead environmental educational visits to any of the other City Council owned countryside sites listed below. Countryside Ranger led activities are free of charge for school groups undertaking curriculum based studies. Other activities are chargeable, please contact the Ranger Service for more details. Sites managed by Aberdeen City Council Ranger Service
1. Auchmill Community Woodland
2. Brimmond Hill
3. Carnie Woods
4. Coastal Footpath from Cove to Nigg
5. Danestone and Woodside
6. Deeside Walkway from Duthie Park to Peterculter
7. Den Burn
8. Den of Cults
9. Den of Maidencraig Local Nature Reserve
10. Donmouth Local Nature Reserve
11. Eastwood Croft
12. East Tullos Burn
13. Elrick Hill
14. Hazlehead Park
16. Hilton Woods
17. Howes Road
18. Kincorth Hill Local Nature Reserve
19. Kingswells pond
20. Ord Dam
21. Pot Heugh
22. River Don Walk
23. Scotstown Moor Local Nature Reserve
24. Tullos Hill
25.

๐Ÿšฎ Litter Pick at the Donmouth LNR - Monday 8th June ๐Ÿšฎ๐ŸŒพ Join the Countryside Rangers for World Ocean's Day for a rewardin...
02/06/2026

๐Ÿšฎ Litter Pick at the Donmouth LNR - Monday 8th June ๐Ÿšฎ

๐ŸŒพ Join the Countryside Rangers for World Ocean's Day for a rewarding morning of litter picking at the Donmouth Local Nature Reserve.

๐Ÿ—‘๏ธ Help protect the Donmouth estuary by picking up litter and keeping the area clean for both wildlife and visitors

โœจ For more information on how to sign up, click the link below:

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Join Aberdeen City Council's Countryside Ranger Service on World Ocean's Day for a community litter pick at the Donmouth LNR.

๐ŸŒ๐ŸŽ‰ Celebrating Volunteersโ€™ Week ๐ŸŽ‰๐ŸŒ๐ŸŒฑ This week marks Volunteersโ€™ Week and weโ€™d like to take a moment to recognise and tha...
01/06/2026

๐ŸŒ๐ŸŽ‰ Celebrating Volunteersโ€™ Week ๐ŸŽ‰๐ŸŒ

๐ŸŒฑ This week marks Volunteersโ€™ Week and weโ€™d like to take a moment to recognise and thank the incredible people who generously give their time to support our Countryside Rangers. Their dedication and enthusiasm go above and beyond, helping to protect, preserve, and enhance Aberdeenโ€™s amazing natural greenspaces.

So far in 2026:
โœจ 186 volunteers have joined us in our conservation work
โณ 490 hours of commitment and volunteer work contributed
๐Ÿ—‘๏ธ 40 bags of litter collected to keep our greenspaces clean and thriving

๐Ÿ˜Š The passion and effort shown by our volunteers has made a real and lasting impact, not only on the environment, but on the communities who enjoy these spaces.

๐ŸŒŸ Thank you for everything you do. You are at the heart of our mission to create a biodiverse, best value, and socially inclusive future for all ๐Ÿ’š

โญ Volunteers Needed โญCome and join Rangers Jack and Lydia on Elrick Hill this Wednesday and Thursday for a spot of Brack...
01/06/2026

โญ Volunteers Needed โญ

Come and join Rangers Jack and Lydia on Elrick Hill this Wednesday and Thursday for a spot of Bracken Bashing! ๐ŸŒฟ

Meet at the Brimmond Hill North Carpark for 10:00am.

๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ There are two sessions available. Spaces for these events are limited, so please remember to reserve a spot by visiting the links below:

๐Ÿธ Wednesday 3rd June:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/practical-volunteering-day-bracken-bashing-tickets-1988324116958?aff=oddtdtcreator

๐Ÿธ Thursday 4th June:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/practical-volunteering-day-bracken-bashing-tickets-1988324746842?aff=oddtdtcreator

๐Ÿฆ‡๐Ÿฆ‹ A Wild Night Out at the Den of Maidencraig LNR ๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿฆ‡โฑ๏ธ Friday 12th June, 21:30pm - 00:00am โฑ๏ธ๐ŸŒ• The UK is home to around ...
29/05/2026

๐Ÿฆ‡๐Ÿฆ‹ A Wild Night Out at the Den of Maidencraig LNR ๐Ÿฆ‹๐Ÿฆ‡

โฑ๏ธ Friday 12th June, 21:30pm - 00:00am โฑ๏ธ

๐ŸŒ• The UK is home to around 2500 different species of moth, many of which call Aberdeen home. Along with moths, our night skies are patrolled by several different bat species. Join the Countryside Rangers after dark for an exclusive look into this overlooked nocturnal world.

Our activities will focus on:

๐Ÿ› Moth trapping: Over the course of the evening, we will set up sugar and light traps to attract moths, which we will identify and release unharmed.

๐Ÿ“ป Bat detection: We will also undertake a short guided walk along the Denburn, using specialised detectors to listen to the clicks and calls of hunting bats.

๐ŸŽซ Spaces are limited, so please remember to reserve a spot by visiting the link below:

Join the Countryside Rangers and learn about moths, bats, and other amazing wildlife that we can only see at night!

๐ŸŒณ On Wednesday, Rangers Jack and Lydia joined Primary 5 pupils from Hazlehead School for an exciting day of pond dipping...
29/05/2026

๐ŸŒณ On Wednesday, Rangers Jack and Lydia joined Primary 5 pupils from Hazlehead School for an exciting day of pond dipping and minibeast hunting at the Den of Maidencraig Local Nature Reserve.

๐Ÿ•ท๏ธ Ranger Lydia led the pupils into the wildflower meadow to explore the variety of minibeasts living among the vegetation. Using sweep nets, the pupils searched through the grassland and discovered a fascinating range of creatures, including spiders, beetles, plant bugs, and sawfly caterpillars.

๐Ÿธ Meanwhile, Ranger Jack and his group turned their attention to the pond, investigating what wildlife could be found beneath the waterโ€™s surface. Their efforts were rewarded with sightings of sticklebacks, common toad and frog tadpoles, a range of aquatic invertebrates, and even several palmate newts.

๐ŸŒŸ A big thank you to the pupils from Hazlehead Primary for their enthusiasm and for asking such fantastic questions throughout the day.

Nature often grows amazing patterns ๐Ÿ˜Š
29/05/2026

Nature often grows amazing patterns ๐Ÿ˜Š

๐ŸŒณ World Environment Day - Guided Walk at Scotstown Moor ๐ŸŒณ๐Ÿž Join Ranger Jack on Friday 5th June as part of World Environm...
27/05/2026

๐ŸŒณ World Environment Day - Guided Walk at Scotstown Moor ๐ŸŒณ

๐Ÿž Join Ranger Jack on Friday 5th June as part of World Environment Day for a guided walk at the Scotstown Moor Local Nature Reserve.

๐Ÿ› Scotstown Moor is one of the four Local Nature Reserved managed by the Countryside Ranger Service. The site is home to a Site of Special Scientific Interest, which supports a wide range of different species. During the session, we will learn about the habitats found on the moor and identify some of the plants and animals that call the site home.

๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ There are two sessions available on the 5th. Spaces for these events are limited, so please remember to reserve a spot by visiting the links below:

๐Ÿธ 10:00am - 12:00pm:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/world-environment-day-guided-walk-of-scotstown-moor-local-nature-reserve-tickets-1990475905014?aff=oddtdtcreator

๐Ÿธ 12:30pm - 14:30pm:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/world-environment-day-guided-walk-of-scotstown-moor-local-nature-reserve-tickets-1990477329274?aff=oddtdtcreator

21/05/2026

In the gentle rain and constant birdsong, Carnie Woods is a beautiful place. Come and visit and see for yourself and, if you're lucky, you may spot one of the local Red squirrels in the canopy or running along the ground.

๐ŸŒŸ On Friday 8th May, we celebrated our final day with our intern, Charlotte. To mark the occasion, Charlotte organised a...
18/05/2026

๐ŸŒŸ On Friday 8th May, we celebrated our final day with our intern, Charlotte. To mark the occasion, Charlotte organised and delivered her own public event at the Scotstown Moor Local Nature Reserve. The dayโ€™s task focused on tidying pathside vegetation to ensure visitors can continue to access and enjoy the moor.

๐Ÿƒ Our Intern Programme, run in partnership with the University of Aberdeen, offers students a short placement within our team as part of their studies. During this time, they gain hands-on experience of life as a Countryside Ranger - carrying out practical conservation work, supporting educational sessions, and learning to identify the wide range of plants and animals found in Aberdeenโ€™s green spaces.

๐Ÿ˜Š We thoroughly enjoyed having Charlotte as part of our team and we hope to see her again at some of our future events. Thanks again and best of luck with your studies, Charlotte!

Great news: Meadow-in-a-Box has grown to help people and pollinators in the south of Glasgow!
14/05/2026

Great news: Meadow-in-a-Box has grown to help people and pollinators in the south of Glasgow!

We are so excited to launch our Meadow in a Box project! This is a scheme that was started by the Aberdeen City Council Countryside Ranger Service to encourage pollinators and we were thrilled to receive funding to bring it to our community. We are offering local residents, organisations and businesses the chance to receive a free wooden planter, compost and native wildflower seeds. All we ask is that you plant the seeds and water them.

The scheme came about as a response to the decline in native plants and the devastating knock-on effect on bees and butterflies. We hope that by having more patches of native wildflowers across our community, our pollinators will thrive.

If you could give a box a home, please email us at [email protected] and tell us why you'd like one - we have limited numbers available so don't delay!

In the picture you'll see our first delivery of boxes to CrossReach Williamwood House. Many thanks to the East Renfrewshire Community Payback Team for building and delivering the boxes.

Address

Aberdeen
AB117WH

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