Friday, 30 November 2012

To See Or Not To See...That is the Question.


After speaking to SNH, (Scottish natural heritage) I have today sent off the following email to the biodiversity Officer of Highland Region. This sets out my reasoning for the retention of the undergrowth at the Merryton bridge. I think I have a valid argument, I would like Cllrs Colin Macaulay, and  Tommy Hogg to look at this blog post in it's entirety and convince me otherwise.

Dear Miss Bromham,

I understand you deal with bio diversity for the highland region, and I have been given your name by SNH.
For the past 9 years I have been caring for the local swans and river wildlife in general on the river Nairn. Having constructed a Swans island on the lower river 5 years ago which has been naturalised and highly successful.
I am concerned for some riverside natural habitat which is currently under threat from the local authority.
A family of rats was discovered in a patch of undergrowth near the Merryton footbridge over the River Nairn. This family was only two adults and one maybe two youngsters as far as I could ascertain. The local authority are currently baiting the area with rat poison, evidence today is that the bait is being taken.
However, local councillor Colin Macaulay, has ideas of removing the undergrowth where the rats have been seen as an additional measure.
Along with others, I consider this idea to be very foolish for a number of very good reasons.
1. The undergrowth is dense and made up of dead and alive Bramble, gorse, and broom . It is useful and used extensively by small birds throughout the year, particularly winter where it can remain snow free underneath because of the density.

2. It is on the riverside and is also used by the ducks during nesting time, because it is safe from dogs which are constantly passing by on the nearby footpath. With the construction of a large flats complex only last year, many additional new dog owners now use this riverside path.

3.The riverbank location of this undergrowth is such that if it were removed, it would give a clear line of sight to every dog passing the area, and would most certainly result in swans and ducks being attacked by uncontrolled or unleashed dogs !

4. It would also allow the possibility of canoes and kayaks using the cleared bank space to launch boats into the river from the adjacent carpark.

5.Because the river community council have just cleared native and non native species ie, Himalayan balsam from the vicinity just after full bloom and the seed pods were bursting ! It is inevitable that any newly cleared area will be covered in non native seeds and will sprout unhindered !
Leaving the old undergrowth will suppress any new growth from starting !
In the last couple of years I have noticed a sharp decline in Herons fishing at this side of the river, and am convinced it is because of the increase in dogs taken alongside the river bank. The birds do not get the time and peace to fish !
All of the above things will happen if this scruffy piece of undergrowth is removed, it may look scruffy and untidy but is a vital part of the local ecosystem and protection for many species.
I ask you, for the sake of two or three rats which are also part of the river system - is it worth removing for the potential damage to the environment ?
If you have the power to advise and stop this foolish idea, please use it for the sake of our river and wildlife.
Enclosed photo's of our Pen which was attacked and nearly killed by a passing Labrador a few years back, only prompt action on my part saved her life. Allowing more dogs unhindered access to the river will result in more attacks.
Please persuade cllr Macaulay and River community council to abandon any idea of removing the undergrowth - in fact, advising additional planting of thorny type bushes would be a benefit to the habitat and ecosystem.
Yours   Sincerely
Joe Telfer   River Nairn wildlife carer.
















My point about the lack of Herons over the last couple of years I think is also a valid one. The amount of dogs that are now sent down into the water between the Merryton bridge and swans island has jumped in the last couple of years. The Heron pics I took below were seen through gaps between bushes. The one at the top was taken just in front of the area that has now been cleared and opened by Tommy Hogg about  30 yards above the Merryton bridge, we will probably never see that again. My point is, the greater access to the riverside by dogs and people will mean less scenes like these.









8 comments:

grovecanada said...

I second & agree with the above letter...Also I'd like to add that putting out rat poison has serious environmental consequences, not only to the rats, who are a natural part of an ecosystem & serve as food for larger birds as well as other animals, but to the dogs, the cats, the waterbirds & other wildlife currently residing in Nairn as well as the people...A safer & more legal method of dealing with the rats, if they truly are a bother as opposed to some antiquated & obsolete paranoid about disease which is purely mythical & rubbish in 2012, is safe capture, relocation, & release & or adoption by local children...It has been found in Canada that rats make particularly good pets for children or adults with Down's Syndrome...They require less care & bond well...Catching these rats & rehoming them with a Down's Syndrome child or adult would have been a better, more legal & eco-friendly option...Besides it would have given joy & hope to a boy or girl or man or woman with Down's...I hope next time this will be considered prior to a killing...
Mrs. Sari Grove
The Waterbird Society
Province of Ontario
(member in good standing)

jayteescot1 said...

Thank you Sari, some very good points made and well said !!

Mary said...

You are truly God's man on earth Joe, bless you for caring for all the birds and wild creatures

Genesis 2:19
Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name.

jayteescot1 said...

to anon@20.16 yes I do, but this has no bearing on this argument, and I see what your at.

Anonymous said...

Two points for you to conceder
I seam to recall not so long ago you were complaining about the herons and crows and the likes killing all the young ducks now you want more herons on the river.
2 Is it not a fact in parts of Canada rats must be reported and EXTERMINATED to prevent them breading and destroying the crops that the people of the world liveest on

jayteescot1 said...

@ Anon, I didn't say I want more herons on the river, merely that they are less likely to be seen, due to disturbance. I hardly think a couple of river rats in Nairn threatens anything.

Anonymous said...

POTTING you in the picture about rats HEAR AND IN Canada

Rats can reach sexual maturity at

5 weeks of age, so the sexes should be separated at this age. Rats don’t recognize incest, so brothers and sisters and even mothers and sons must be separated.

rats have large litters(average is 10 to 12)

Thus a pair of brown rats can produce as many as 2,000 descendants in a year if left to breed unchecked.
Keep Alberta Rat-free for another 50 years!
Early poster for rat control (1955)
Today, provincial legislation requires all Albertans take measures to control rats.
At this time of year, rats are on the move, seeking food and shelter before winter sets in. They take up residence in what ever is available and close to the ground, such as rubbish, lumber, warehouses, outbuildings and machinery. As long as they are close to food and sheltered from the weather and predators, a pair of rats will thrive and produce as many as 15, 000 more rats every year

jayteescot1 said...

Well anon, if your figures are right, we must have several million living along the river Nairn with all that dead salmon lying around all winter as a ready made food supply !