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Why Broubster is special
'A flock of 300 golden plovers in summer plumage were wheeling overhead, calling and feeding up on the pastures before heading north to their breeding grounds.
'There were curlews, redshanks, lapwings and snipe displaying for their 'patch' on the Leans, as well as hundreds of geese and swans still hanging round after winter.
'I almost stood on an adder, just waking up in the spring sunshine. I had a chat with one of the local farmers who is keen to work with us and then I helped to reunite a lamb with its mother.' Pete Mayhew, RSPB Regional Reserve Manager, North Scotland
Broubster Leans is one of the most important sites for breeding waders in Scotland, and is home to nationally important numbers of wintering Greenland white-fronted geese.
Without the peaceful haven of places like Broubster Leans, the future of wading birds in the Highlands is at grave risk.
Already in some parts of Scotland we've seen some populations of breeding waders decrease by up to 90% in the last 20 years. But with sensitive land management we can start to reverse these declines.
Once the rich wildlife of a place like Broubster Leans is lost, it's gone forever. But if we act now, we can protect its delicate balance of farm land, rough land and wetland – forever.
With your help, and under RSPB stewardship, Broubster Leans will be safe from another grave threat too: the effects of badly-placed forest plantations.
Purchasing Broubster Leans allows us to work closely with local farmers, helping make not just the RSPB's land but the surrounding area a welcoming space where some of our most amazing wildlife can find a home and thrive.