River Kelvin, a location for wildlife presenter Megan McCubbin on BBC Springwatch 2024
We were delighted to see Megan McCubbin presenting on BBC Springwatch 2024 from the banks of the River Kelvin whilst exploring Glasgow's urban wildlife, just one stop on her Scotland adventure, for the well loved series. In the final four episodes of the series, Megan reported from the city, including from our beloved river, the University of Glasgow, Seven Lochs Wetland Park and Glasgow Botanic Gardens.
In episode 11 (12 June 2024) the river Kelvin is the primary location of and backdrop to Megan’s reporting from the city and includes the vivid blue, recently repainted Botanic Gardens Footbridge (1908). Megan's report features some beautiful footage of birds of prey - barn owls, sparrowhawks and kestrels - in the vicinity of the Botanic Gardens and close ups of wildlife on the city's key waterways, such as kingfishers, herons, coots and moorhens. Many of the images FORK shares of these birds resident on the Kelvin we receive from local FORK Member and amazing wildlife photographer Jill Ferguson, who we can see from Facebook got to meet Megan on the day of this broadcast!
Highlighted in the episode is the wildlife corridors along the river Kelvin recorded by the Gallant project (of which FORK is a collaborator) in which 2,524 species have been identified, equating to 39% of all of Glasgow’s wildlife. Plus Steven McGrath from the Scottish Raptor Study Group's observation of kestrels in the urban environment via nesting boxes fitted with cameras, supports conservation of the city's and in turn country's kestrel population which is in decline in the UK, at the highest rate in Scotland.
In Episode 9 (10 June 2024) excitement of the live fledging of the four peregrine chicks - three males and one female - from their nest in the iconic tower and spire of the Gilbert Scott Building of the University of Glasgow is captured by filmmaker Libby Penman. It’s a great episode to watch for a compilation of footage from the cameras installed around the nest from the laying of the first egg on 19 March 2024, through the hatching of the first egg on 27 April 2024 to the chicks fledging. Read more about the peregrines on the Glasgow University Peregrines Facebook group and the Glasgow Peregrine Project webpage of the Scottish Ornithologists' Club.
In Episode 10 (11 June 2024) Megan headed east to report on the grassland water voles at Avenue End, near the Seven Lochs Wetland Park; the highest density of water voles anywhere in the UK. Find out more via the Glasgow Water Vole Project who have surveyed the grassland water voles' burrow system. Also, Libby Penman films the rose ringed parakeets, a non-native bird to the UK, first spotted in Glasgow in 2016. Our highlight of the episode is the reporting on the 618 species of invertebrates found in a recent survey of Glasgow Botanic Gardens. Close ups of some of these invertebrates, taken by local photographer David Hamilton, can be seen in the final episode 12 (13 June 2024).
River Kelvin, a location for wildlife presenter Megan McCubbin on BBC Springwatch 2024
We were delighted to see Megan McCubbin presenting on BBC Springwatch 2024 from the banks of the River Kelvin whilst exploring Glasgow's urban wildlife, just one stop on her Scotland adventure, for the well loved series. In the final four episodes of the series, Megan reported from the city, including from our beloved river, the University of Glasgow, Seven Lochs Wetland Park and Glasgow Botanic Gardens.
In episode 11 (12 June 2024) the river Kelvin is the primary location of and backdrop to Megan’s reporting from the city and includes the vivid blue, recently repainted Botanic Gardens Footbridge (1908). Megan's report features some beautiful footage of birds of prey - barn owls, sparrowhawks and kestrels - in the vicinity of the Botanic Gardens and close ups of wildlife on the city's key waterways, such as kingfishers, herons, coots and moorhens. Many of the images FORK shares of these birds resident on the Kelvin we receive from local FORK Member and amazing wildlife photographer Jill Ferguson, who we can see from Facebook got to meet Megan on the day of this broadcast!
Highlighted in the episode is the wildlife corridors along the river Kelvin recorded by the Gallant project (of which FORK is a collaborator) in which 2,524 species have been identified, equating to 39% of all of Glasgow’s wildlife. Plus Steven McGrath from the Scottish Raptor Study Group's observation of kestrels in the urban environment via nesting boxes fitted with cameras, supports conservation of the city's and in turn country's kestrel population which is in decline in the UK, at the highest rate in Scotland.
In Episode 9 (10 June 2024) excitement of the live fledging of the four peregrine chicks - three males and one female - from their nest in the iconic tower and spire of the Gilbert Scott Building of the University of Glasgow is captured by filmmaker Libby Penman. It’s a great episode to watch for a compilation of footage from the cameras installed around the nest from the laying of the first egg on 19 March 2024, through the hatching of the first egg on 27 April 2024 to the chicks fledging. Read more about the peregrines on the Glasgow University Peregrines Facebook group and the Glasgow Peregrine Project webpage of the Scottish Ornithologists' Club.
In Episode 10 (11 June 2024) Megan headed east to report on the grassland water voles at Avenue End, near the Seven Lochs Wetland Park; the highest density of water voles anywhere in the UK. Find out more via the Glasgow Water Vole Project who have surveyed the grassland water voles' burrow system. Also, Libby Penman films the rose ringed parakeets, a non-native bird to the UK, first spotted in Glasgow in 2016. Our highlight of the episode is the reporting on the 618 species of invertebrates found in a recent survey of Glasgow Botanic Gardens. Close ups of some of these invertebrates, taken by local photographer David Hamilton, can be seen in the final episode 12 (13 June 2024).
Your donation, whatever its size, enables FORK to protect and enhance the River Kelvin and its natural surroundings via continued activities with our valued communities, volunteers and partners, thus fulfilling our charitable aims.
Friends of the River Kelvin (SCIO) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SC049907)
© Friends of the River Kelvin 2025
Your donation, whatever its size, enables FORK to protect and enhance the River Kelvin and its natural surroundings via continued activities with our valued communities, volunteers and partners, thus fulfilling our charitable aims.
Friends of the River Kelvin (SCIO) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SC049907)
© Friends of the River Kelvin 2025