Trust News

After 3 months The Bank of Scotland have finally set up the Trust Bank account, it has been a yo - yo application, and the Bank has apologised for the errors and delays, as a gesture of goodwill they will deposit £25 into the account, Thats nearly a week's food supply for the swans and waterfowl. 

This spring has been consistently cold, resulting in fewer ducks leaving the lower river to nest, and an increase in the feed required at this time.
Thanks to the trust membership, the Swans, waterfowl and small riverside birds are being well taken care of.

The Rescues carried out over the past year, totalled 23 birds,  8 pigeons, 7 herring gulls, 7 ducklings, and one swan. Then there was Popeye with his infected leg successfully treated.

All but 5 of these survived to be returned to the wild, but 4 of the ducklings have since been killed by predators, including dogs. 

The current pigeon 
rehabbed at home is doing well, after nearly 3 weeks it is flying about the house, but still has a balance problem on it's weak right side. The symptoms are similar to a stroke victim and it could be permanent, although I am working on the physiotherapy side. Considering it was totally paralysed 3 weeks ago, the progress has been remarkable.

Short vid below.

 My Thanks to Sue our Avian adviser for all the helpful advice. Sue is a remarkable woman who carries out extremely difficult and dangerous rescues down south, she gets frequent black eyes, gets covered in mud, occasionally loses her glasses, and has even had a broken rib from a Swan she had to rescue. Well done Sue !
Finally, I heard from a dog walker tonight that she saw a dead Drake off the path verge recently,  yet another dog casualty !
I have asked Cllr Liz Mcdonald repeatedly for a few signs between the road bridge and bailey bridge, but she says she doesn't think they will be taken notice of . The Trust feels that educating the public takes time, and responsible signage will have an effect over time, even responsible dog owners agree with this.  

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.

Irrepressible Popeye !

Seems like the Anti - inflammatory medication is helping, and you cant keep a good Cob down ! This is the optimum time for Swan mating - the Spring Equinox, right on cue and Popeye with a bad leg too ! The will to survive and procreate is powerful stuff, as I witnessed Popeye and Penny enter the harbour for the business of mating - regardless of the injured leg ! Incredibly he actually managed to mate without the help of his injured leg, I think there's joke there somewhere about not getting a leg over ! Pics tell the story.

( I have cut out the actual mating shots for those with a sensitive disposition )

Popeye Injured

Popeye our resident Cob has been injured and puts this years mating and nesting at risk ! I noticed yesterday that he was sitting on the island virtually all day, and did not come over for his usually feed. Knowing him as I do, I thought something must be wrong and went over to check him out. He was laying down and was loathe to get up, I forced him to stand up but his legs were weak and he had great difficulty in getting to the moat. I could see he had injured his legs, probably hitting stones when chasing other swans and landing in shallow water - the river is extremely low just now.

I have given him some anti - inflammatory medication and will continue this for several days in the hope that it reduces any pain and gets him on his feet. If he is unable to do the business with Penny his mate, then nesting might be scuppered for this year !