The extra woodland will help bird species such as the black grouse

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has bought a hill farm adjacent to its Wood of Cree nature reserve near Newton Stewart in Galloway.

The charity plans to plant it with oak and other broadleaf trees to extend a rare habitat for threatened species of birds and animals.

A total of 250,000 seedlings will be planted which will create 670 acres of new woodland.

Wood of Cree is a remnant of the ancient oak woodlands that once dominated Southern Scotland.

This will support rare and threatened species such as the black grouse Pam Pumphrey RSPB

It supports red squirrels and birds such as wood warbler, grasshopper warbler, redstart, pied flycatcher, willow tit and black grouse.

Funding has come from BP, in collaboration with the Forestry Commission, the Woodland Trust and the RSPB.

Pam Pumphrey, chairwoman of the RSPB's Scottish committee, said: "The Wood of Cree is a place of exceptional beauty.

"The acquisition of Barclye Farm is a marvellous extension to the Cree Valley woodland, and will allow visitors to walk uninterrupted for 18km through deciduous forest.

"It's a splendid addition, both for people and wildlife, and will support rare and threatened species such as the black grouse."

Traditional feature

She added: "I am particularly pleased that it will involve wood and scrub pasture which is scarce in many parts of the UK and has been a traditional feature of Dumfries and Galloway."

Gordon Harvey, senior environmental advisor at BP, said: "In its unique collaboration through the Scottish Forest Alliance during the past six years, BP has shown its commitment to recreating vast areas of native woodland.

"Just short of three million trees have been planted or established by natural regeneration from an expected total of nearly seven million."