The new season of Anster Nichts has launched, with our first talk in the series to be delivered by Dr Dawn Hollis of the Crail Press. Dawn will trace the history of letterpress printing to the present day and will bring one of her more portable printing presses, giving audience members the opportunity to print their own keepsake.  You can join us on Thursday 17th September at 7.30pm at Dreel Halls.

Anster Nichts take place on the third Thursday of the month at 7.30pm in September, October, November, January, February and March.  You can download our current season flyer here.

Members and non-members are welcome to attend our public talks at Dreel Halls in Anstruther, which are free for members. If you are not yet a member of the AIA you can attend individual Anster Nichts for £3 per event. Membership is £10 per year and to find out more please visit our Membership page.

Unfortunately, due to ongoing unavoidable circumstances, we have had to cancel our upcoming Big Butterfly Count, scheduled for Sunday 9th August, and Dreel Burn Mini Scientists activity, scheduled for Tuesday 11th August.

We do hope this has not inconvenienced anyone and that we can schedule replacement activities later in the year.

We are looking for an experienced Early Years Coordinator to join our team from August 2026 to July 2027. The Early Years Coordinator will be engaged on a sessional temporary contract and responsible for:

• Delivery of the AIA Early Years Project, reaching local people 0-4 years and their families
• Coordination of social, developmental and literacy-focused activities
• Fundraising for continuation of the Early Years Project beyond July 2027

£15 per hour, 4 hours per week, term time on a flexible basis

You can find the Early Years Coordinator Role Description here.

If you have any questions regarding the Early Years Coordinator role please email Julia Priestley, AIA Community Development Worker.

Apply now online!

This role is funded by Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) Offshore Wind Farm Fund – Fife (Anstruther), administered by Foundation Scotland.

Summer is here! The mayflies are emerging from the river, butterflies are on the wing, fledglings have left their nests, and many birds are already raising their second brood. Meanwhile, the weather remains as changeable as June usually promises to be.

As we head towards the summer solstice and enjoy these long, light evenings, we hope you’ve been finding time to get outdoors. We have a fantastic programme of events coming up over the summer and would love you to get involved. We want to help as many people as possible connect with and enjoy the Dreel Burn, while playing an active role in protecting and improving it.

This season’s activities include everything from beach cleans at Castle Street Beach to children’s science and nature art workshops, alongside our regular water and invertebrate monitoring sessions. If you have expressed an interest in volunteering for us in the past, there is an opportunity to get trained in the Riverfly Partnership’s Monitoring Initiative and join our team of community scientists. So, whether you’re a long-time volunteer or joining us for the first time, there’s something for everyone…

🧪  Monthly Water Quality Monitoring  🧪
📅  Sunday 5^th July
📍  Dreel Halls, morning
🎟️  FREE to attend, please email us for more information

Come and meet our team of friendly volunteers and find out more about how to get involved as a community scientist. The invertebrate monitoring and the chemical testing take place at Dreel Halls. Hot drinks and cake are provided. Email us for more information.
 

🌳  Dreel Burn Mini Scientists  🌳
📅  Tuesday 7^th July, 10am – 12pm
🎟️  FREE to attend, booking required here

Calling young explorers and nature lovers! Join us for two hours of hands-on outdoor discovery as we release our inner scientists and investigate the wildlife of the Dreel Burn at Dreelside Woods.  Together we’ll explore the burn, taking part in a kick sample to discover the fascinating invertebrates living in the variety of habitats.  We’ll also investigate the surrounding woods and meadow, recording wildflowers, pollinators, and tree species.  This fun and interactive session is a great opportunity for children to learn about nature, develop scientific skills and be outdoors. This session is suitable for ages 6-12 years. Bring suitable outdoor clothing, a drink and snack and a sense of adventure!
 

🎨  Art in Nature – Crowns and Mandalas 🌿
📅  Wednesday 8^th July, 10am – 12pm
🎟️  FREE to attend, booking required here

Join us for a creative outdoor session at Dreelside Woods, where children can explore the patterns, shapes, colours and beauty of the natural world.  Children will have the opportunity to create their own willow crown, decorating it with leaves, lichens, flowers, feathers and other natural materials gathered during the session.  We will also work together to create a beautiful collaborative nature mandala, using items we discover. Perfect for young artists, nature lovers and curious minds. No artistic experience needed. Suitable for children aged 6-12 years. Bring full waterproof cover, a drink and snack. 

🏖️ Summer Holiday Beach Clean 🏖️
📅  Friday 31st July, 10am
📍  Castle Street Beach, Anstruther – meet at the entrance at 10am
🎟️  FREE to attend, please let us know you are coming here
What3words location: ///bypasses.moth.bounty

Join us for our Summer Holiday Beach Clean on 31st July and help keep Castle Street Beach clean and welcoming for everyone. This is a great opportunity to make a positive difference to the local environment and find out more about how to get involved as a Dreel Burn volunteer. We will meet at the Castle Street entrance to the beach before heading onto the shore for the clean-up. All ages are welcome and litter-picking equipment will be provided.
We look forward to seeing you there! 🌊♻️
 

🧪 Monthly Water Quality Monitoring 🧪
📅  Sunday 2^nd August
📍  Dreel Halls, morning
🎟️  FREE to attend, please email us for more information

Come and meet our team of friendly volunteers and find out more about how to get involved as a community scientist. The invertebrate monitoring and the chemical testing take place at Dreel Halls. Hot drinks and cake are provided. Email us for more information.

 

🦋 Moths of Gillingshill 🦋
📅 Saturday 15^th August, 9am
📍 Gillingshill Nature Reserve, Anstruther KY9 1JS
🎟️ FREE to attend, no booking required
What3words location: ///retailing.good.kebabs

Explore the world of local moths in the Dreel Burn catchment with local ecologist and moth enthusiast, Susan Falconer. We will discover which moths are emerging in mid-summer in this beautiful location.  Moth traps will be set overnight; in the morning we will identify the species and talk about their natural history before releasing them back into their habitat. This event will add to our catchment species records and help build a fuller picture of the biodiversity of the Dreel Burn.
 

🐞 Buglife Riverfly Training 🐞
📅 Sunday 23rd August, 10am – 1pm
🎟️  FREE to attend, booking essential here

Buglife runs the Guardians of our Rivers citizen science project, offering nationally recognised Riverfly training. Volunteers learn to monitor freshwater habitats by taking 3-minute invertebrate kick samples, helping spot early signs of pollution in UK waterways. The training consists of a 6-hour programme, broken down into two components: an online theory session followed by practical training at a pre-existing monitoring site. 

During the training you learn to use the Riverfly Monitoring Initiative (RMI) method. This includes:
•                Identifying eight key, pollution-sensitive freshwater invertebrate groups
•                Recording and calculating scores based on the invertebrates present
•                Flagging potential pollution issues if the scores reach ‘trigger levels’

If you like the sound of this and you’d like to be involved in our Dreel Burn Riverfly community science volunteer group, please get in touch for more information on how to sign up.

To contact us with any questions about the Dreel Burn Project please email Heather Anderson, the AIA’s Dreel Burn Project Worker.

This project is supported by The Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland (FIRNS), delivered by NatureScot in collaboration with The Scottish Government

With a week to go to the duck race, we have put a limited number of ducks online on our website. This will allow anyone who is unable to get to Anstruther’s local businesses to take part in the race!

We’ll be in touch soon after you have sponsored your ducks with your duck numbers and to request contact details

You will find our online ducks available here

💧🌿 What a fantastic day we had at our Balcaskie wetland tours on Sunday 22nd March 🌿💧

We were delighted to welcome two wonderful groups — an engaging morning session with adults, followed by a lively and curious family tour in the afternoon. In total, 29 people joined us to explore the Balcaskie Estate wetland. Created in 2024 it is the first intervention initiated through the Dreel Burn Project. The energy and interest from everyone made it truly special.

This inspiring site shows how a woodland area has been carefully allowed to flood, creating a nature-based solution to recurrent local flooding. Not only is the wetland helping to manage the water table, but it has also become a thriving habitat where biodiversity is flourishing.

It was a real pleasure to guide everyone through the wetland’s biodiversity hotspots, share the story behind its creation, and see so much enthusiasm for nature and sustainable solutions. And of course, we rounded off the day perfectly with coffee and cake! ☕🍰

We would like to thank Ewan Malecki (formerly of Forth Rivers Trust and project manager of the Balcaskie Wetland Project in 2024) for sharing his knowledge and passion for the wetland, the Balcaskie Estate for hosting us and everyone who joined us – we hope you left feeling inspired by the power of working with nature.

This project is supported by The Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland (FIRNS), delivered by NatureScot in collaboration with The Scottish Government and in partnership with the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

We would love to see more people getting involved in our shelled wall restoration project, especially to help us collect more shells now the weather is improving!

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to our shell collection, we have now collected 1/3 of the shells required to restore the wall. This year we plan to meet monthly in a small group to collect shells and go for a coffee afterwards. Please get in touch if you would like to join us

Whelk shell collection buckets are now back in place at Dreel Halls in Anstruther, Castle St Beach in Anstruther and Kingsbarns Beach at Cambo Sands.

If you are interested in finding out more please get in touch here

Monday 16th March was a special day for our P4/5 pupils at Anstruther Primary School, as they completed their Fish in the Classroom journey with the release of their trout fry into the Dreel Burn

Over the past 6 weeks the children have carefully looked after the trout, from eggs through each stage of development. Thanks to their dedication and care, they successfully reached the fry stage—ready to head into the river and begin finding their own food in the wild.

The pupils were fully invested from start to finish and absolutely loved every minute of the experience. It’s been incredible to see their enthusiasm, sense of responsibility and connection to nature grow along the way.

To make the day even more meaningful, we carried out a kick sample in the Dreel Burn, exploring the variety of invertebrates that form an important part of the trout’s diet as they grow. This also helped highlight the fantastic work being done by our Dreel Burn volunteers, a group of community scientists who monitor indicator species to assess and protect the health of the Dreel Burn.

A big well done to all our young conservationists—you’ve done an amazing job

Thanks to Fife Coast & Countryside Trust for the project delivery and Miss McNeil from Anstruther Primary for backing the process with such enthusiasm.

This project is supported by The Facility for Investment Ready Nature in Scotland (FIRNS), delivered by NatureScot in collaboration with The Scottish Government and in partnership with the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

On Sunday 25 January the Dreel Burn Project met for the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, and what a treat it was. Thirteen of us, led by Professor Will Cresswell, enjoyed a gentle walk up the Dreel Burn, keeping our eyes and ears open for feathered friends along the way.

Together we recorded 17 bird species within the Big Garden Birdwatch rules, plus another 7 species spotted outside the count — a fantastic result and a real testament to the richness of the area.

After the walk, we slowed things down with tea and shortbread by the burn, soaking up the sounds of nature and good company.

A simple, joyful morning spent outdoors — thank you to everyone who came along and made it such a pleasure

Here’s to more moments like this, right on our doorstep.