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Chairman's Blog
08.09.10
I drove down to Langholm yesterday to give evidence to the Scottish Government's Rural Affairs and Environment Committee. They had spent the morning out on Langholm Moor looking at the Demonstration Project which is trying to find a way of resolving the conflict over grouse and raptors which exists on many of the moors in Scotland.
The aim is that hen harriers and other raptors can be managed at the same time as grouse numbers are increased to a point where there's a harvestable surplus for shooting. Our moors are big enough for all biodiversity and interests to flourish but because many of these interests are so diverse we need to find a balance that's practical as well as political. And that means compromise all round.
Anyway the meeting in the afternoon was about answering questions from the Committee on some of the key points in the forthcoming Wildlife and Natural Enviromnment Bill and I was on a panel alongside Advocates for Animals and the SSPCA (which, needless to say, don't always have the same objectives as gamekeepers and land managers) so the committee heard some polarised views on issues such as snaring.
We're adament that snaring is retained to ensure foxes don't destroy the great biodiversity for which Scotland is renowned. It's not just young grouse that are protected when foxes are controlled, after all. The science shows clearly that waders and all ground-nesting birds benefit from good land management and snares are the most effective way of doing that.
27.08.10
I'd a cracking breakfast this morning of freshly picked chanterelles from the woods and a couple of free-range eggs from Caroline's hens. That's the third helping this week and the way things are going the mushrooms are going to outlast the eggs - another hen was taken by a fox yesterday despite us killing 27 of them since mid-July. They're clearly homing in on this estate from unmanaged ground and view our free-range poultry as a well stocked takeaway!
I stopped short of adding frogs legs to the feast even though I've never before in my life seen so many miniature frogs in one place. For a couple of days there were tens of thousands of them migrating from the banks into the loch and they were so thick on the ground it was almost impossible not to stand on them.
The whole estate is a wildlife haven at the moment and there are butterflies - like this Peacock butterfly - crawling all over the rhododendrons and the new buddleias in the garden.
And the abundance seems to be replicated on the grouse moors with all reports indicating a healthy surplus of birds this year - fantastic news after the worries of so many grouse dying over the Winter. I'm loading on the moor tomorow so looking forward to a day out and some good exercise after too many meetings and hours sitting at the computer.
11.08.10
A photographer from Reuters came to take some pictures on the heather moor yesterday prior to the 12th (they turned up in the Irish Times and the Los Angeles Times apparently, so you probably didn't see them!) and while he was here we counted 21 buzzards around the pheasant pens. He coundn't believe his eyes. I wish I could convince members of the Scottish Government to come out and see for themselves what we're facing day after day despite all my efforts to divert the raptors with freshly killed rabbits every morning. I think it's just making them stronger and is beginning to feel counterproductive.
And now I hear the Government's flagship conservation project at Langholm Moor is in trouble thanks to buzzard predation. The word is that thanks to good keepering the grouse count was up by 25-30% this year but once this season's buzzards had fledged the young grouse were rapidly decimated. It's exactly what we predicted would happen and totally skews the experiment which is all about demonstrating an effective means of resolving the hen harrier-grouse moor controversy by restoring moor management.
I've seen the comments of protectionists who read this blog and mock the gamekeeper's understanding of wildlife management. It's true we may not all have read all the management manuals or have university degrees in ecology but we're out and about on the hill from 5am till dark every day watching wildlife and seeing the implications of even the most subtle changes at first hand. We know what we're talking about.
04.08.10
It's buzzard central here and they're not just predating the release pens. Only an hour ago I watched one fly off with a poult it killeed within a few yards of the garage beside my house and I'm pulling my hair out with frustration.
We put in every possible deterrent and I really thought the problem wasn't going to be so bad this year but the last week has been a nightmare. So on Friday I contacted the local Government office and asked inspectors to come and see the problem and issue a licence to control the buzzards that are doing most of the killing. They came yesterday (four days later) and heard and saw the menace for themselves. At one point we could hardly hear ourselves speak for the noise the birds were making.
But the officials confirmed what we have suspected for the last six weeks: that despite the SGA negotiating the conditions for the issue of such licences with Government at numerous meetings over the past year, the process has come to an abrupt halt. No licences will be forthcoming. No matter how severe the problem.
What the hell do I do now?
21.07.10
When the weather forecasts warned of "standing water" on the roads and flooded tees at the Open at St Andrews, my heart sank. It's the last thing you want to hear when pheasant poults are about to be delivered and I worried about how they'd cope with acclimatising from the relative comfort of the rearing field to the torrential rain, with only natural shelter from trees and shrubs in my release pens. At least it's not too cold and they're hardy stock.
And, all things considered, they're doing well ... fingers crossed. So far I've been able to avoid releasing any poults near the sites where the buzzard predation was worst last year and the kills have been largely from tawny owls. We just have to live with that.
Elsewhere on the estate the work is focused on fox control and despite all we do they continue to breed in big numbers. We thought we had things under control after we found seven litters earlier in the year but have had to shoot another 19 young in the last 10 days. I can't imagine the impact on wildlife if these sorts of numbers were left unchecked across the country. We certainly wouldn't be seeing the healthy broods of red-legged partridges and pheasants which are breeding in the wild in our neck of the woods.
06.07.10
Driving past the loch in the early evening yeterday I caught sight of two birds I'd never spotted on the estate before so grabbed the camera and here they are - black-tailed godwits. They're high conservation status and rare - certainly in Peeblesshire!
It's good to get back to the land and some physical work after three days at Scone where it was all about talking, politicking and meeting old and new members. We were selling veniburgers this year for the first time, after many years success at the Highland Game Fair at Moy, but the stall wasn't well enough situated to maximise sales. It's a learning point for next year.
Otherwise we signed up lots of new members and there was a stready stream of people buying raffle tickets. One generous supporter handed over a large banknote and by the time 100 tickets had been filled out, his name and phone number was certainly permanently etched in one keeper's brain!
And just in case you passed by the tent and wondered (but didn't like to ask) why a pink bra was decorating our doorway, it was courtesy of the Gamekeeper Welfare Trust which was advertising its saucy new calendar. Needless to say I highly recommend it - contact them on 01677 470180 !
29.06.10
The socialising season
We're in the final stages of preparation for the arrival of young pheasant poults next week. They'll be delivered just after the three day extravaganza that is the Scottish Game Fair at Scone Palace. So to say that life is hectic would be a major understatement.
We're just back from the Highland Show where there were record crowds and at some points it felt as though everyone was passing by the SGA stand to stop and chat. There was a great mix of the casual and curious, politicians and ministers, gamekeepers, supporters and journalists. Bert Burnett was interviewed for the BBC's Out of Doors programme.
I also attended a seminar in Aviemore run by a Highland Estate which wants to develop scrub land over thousands of acres of Scotland in much the same way as it grows in Norway. I'm not convinced that they'll be able to achieve the same effect and I don't like the methods they're employing. Already they've killed 10,000 deer in preparation for their experiment which seems to me a very high price to pay.
On Friday it's Scone and some important meetings about how we develop new training for the deer sector to ensure everyone has faith in the competence of stalkers who already have a great reputation as skilled, knowledgeable professionals with a great passion for the animals they manage.
But the main aim at Scone is to meet members and take time to explain to the wider population how gamekeepers manage Scotland's wild land and bring essential benefits to biodiversity. See you there!
10.06.10
The next challenge
There's going to be no shortage of reading material for the forseeable future. In front of me on my desk is the full Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill which was introduced to Parliament today. I've printed it off - all 54 pages - and then there are explanatory notes and all the references to five previous Acts dating back to 1946 which we'll need to cross reference. I quite enjoy working my way through legalese but this is going to be a massive job. It'll certainly get me out of some of the routine jobs on the estate for some time!
It will be one of the most important pieces of legislation to affect our industry in many years and we've been living with the run-up to this day for the past 18 months. The SGA had a major input into the Bill's Consultation and our strong arguments (which were backed by many other rural organisations) led to the Government's decision to rethink or modify some of the most unpalatable elements. But we're not out of the woods yet as difficult amendments are likely to appear during the course of the Bill through Parliament.
The next thing that'll happen is that Parliament will decide on the lead Committee for the Bill - and we expect this to be the Rural Affairs and Environment Committee. Parliament will also set a date by which the Committee should report back and it's likely that Stage 1 will last until the autumn.
I've a feeling this is going to be a long hard slog.
03.06.10
Nature in the raw
With only five weeks till the pheasant poults are delivered and all quiet on the political front (so far) this week we're concentrating on getting the woodland pens repaired and ready for their arrival after some heavy winter damage.
We have seven pens dotted through the woods which give good cover for the young poults and I don't think I've ever seen as much devastation to the wire and fences from trees and branches as this year. There's one pen we still haven't been able to reach because the maze of branches and twisted timber is like a madman's knitting and there's no way through.
The plant cover is starting to grow well (mainly bracken and willow herb) and together with branches on the ground it provides the best possible security for poults when they arrive at six weeks of age. With so many predators poised to take advantage it becomes a battle where only the smartest survive. And that's when I start to lose a lot of sleep!
And here's a picture of a greater spotted woodpecker which is in the process of killing some bluetit chicks after pulling the hen bird out of the crack at the bottom of the box and killing her. It was fast and furious and I wish I'd caught it on film.
15.05.10
Highs and lows in a varied life
An early start this morning moving the high seat which gives us a vantage point over the ground to watch for foxes or - in the season - roe deer. It was grand to get outside again after a few days at meetings, including a half day doing a snaring course here on the estate. We had 26 people round the table in the bothy and then outside setting snares and getting clued up on the changes to the law. It's not too onerous and it means I'm "legal" if I want to set snares and I'd appeal to anyone who's involved in wildlife management to sign up for the course.
We also had a meeting this week about how we take our Game and Angling Show forward next March and then it was into the kilt and off to the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust dinner and auction at Prestonfield Hotel. Needless to say I didn't bid for any of the lots myself, although it would appear I "volunteered" to load for the chap who paid for one of the star lots, a day's partridge shooting.
We had a Moorland Forum meeting yesterday and tomorrow the SGA committee meets at Bankfoot for our regular Sunday catch ups. It's the one day in the week when keepers, ghillies and stalkers are free to travel from all over the country and there's a big agenda tomorrow including a discussion on this week's appalling news about the discovery of three golden eagles in the north.
But it's not all work. Our head stop and good friend "Sticky" Watson (who makes stunning walking sticks out of buffalo or ram's horn or deer antlers) is coming to the loch for a day's trout fishing next week. I think I might just join him.
28.04.10
Taking a battering.jpg)
I'm under assault again, not from the bird lobby this time, but from the birds themselves!
There's a chaffinch relentlessly attacking my window as I write, demented by its reflection in the glass. I wish it would stop because it's beginning to look (and sound) really painful but no matter how often we chase it away it comes back for another go at the imagined foe. It's not particularly unusual behaviour - we've a pied wagtail which regularly assaults the landrover wing mirrors - but this is the first time the house has come under attack.
There's positive news on the birds front though as we're continuing to work closely with the RSPB, the Raptor Study Groups, Scottish Natural Heritage and others through the Partnership for Action Against Wilfdlife Crime (PAW). We had a joint meeting at the end of last week and amongst other things reconfirmed our commitment to stamping out illegal poisoning which hampers every attempt to find legal solutions to excessive predation of protected wild birds as well as reared pheasants and partridges..jpg)
It sometimes feels like I'm banging my own head against a window (and it DOES hurt) but if it's the last thing I do I'm determined to convinve every rogue landowner, keeper, shepherd or farmer that illegal poisoning isn't just totally wrong and against everything a country dweller should stand for, it's also the convenient stick used to beat us at every opportunity. And believe me, I know as well as anyone the frustration of watching buzzards attack defenseless poults.
Here's a couple of photos of my frenzied friend!!
19.04.10
Balancing the workload
There's no end to the influence of the Icelandic volcano. Certainly the crows on this estate are getting some respite because Kyle, my son / under keeper is currently very happily marooned in Santa Barbara, California for at least another week while I'm snowed under with SGA work and meetings all over the country. I'm going to have to draft in Brian, our local retired dentist who knows the ropes, to get the Larsen traps set up and keep a regular eye on them while I'm away.
First stop is an industry meeting in Kingussie tonight ahead of tomorrow's Association of Deer Management Groups conference where welfare, deer mortality and this past winter's high cull will be on the agenda. Forestry Commission and Deer Commission will be having their say alongside private estates and stalkers, so tensions will undoubtedly be high.
The Scottish Government's scheduled stakeholder meeting on Wednesday which was to have discussed progress on the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill has been postponed for a second time so that gives me a day at home before the Scottish Estates Business Group conference in Edinburgh on Thursday morning. In the afternoon I'll drop into Parliament and meet MSPs before seeing the Control of Dogs Bill debated. The SGA managed to secure a vital last-minute amendment which will mean the owners of working dogs won't be penalised for letting them control sheep or pick up wounded pheasants.
Then on Friday there's a meeting in Stirling on raptor persecution and next week looks like it will be just as busy.
There's going to be some serious redeployment of duties once those transatlantic flights get going again!
07.04.10
It's an ill wind ...
It's as though a tornado has passed through the estate ripping limbs from oaks and Scots pines, uprooting beeches and birches and creating total devastation in the woods and policies.
The heavy snow and wind last week had more impact than all the rest of the winter weather and now I'm faced with trying to restore some order by clearing a path through the wreckage with a chainsaw. Some of the trees must be 150 years old, so not only is it hard back-breaking work (I was in my bed by 9pm last night!) it's also sad and disheartening seeing landmarks destroyed when I've been used to passing them every day for the past 20 years. We have a regular planting programme so there are plenty new trees and shrubs coming up but it'll be long after my day before they're mature.
Most people are unaware that woodland management is part of a keeper's remit on many estates but in order to have a successful game business you need a varied habitat that's attractive to the whole range of wildlife and also, of course, to the clients who want to enjoy the landscape as much as the sport. That's partly why we have such a rich wooded countryside in Scotland - it's yet another benefit of the country sports tradition.
Back to work now. There's not going to be a shortage of firewood here for a very long time.
30.03.10
Terrible weather and worse news
There's three inches of snow on the ground and it's still falling as I write, so I'm taking the easy option today and staying indoors to deal with a backlog of SGA emails and write my regular column for the National Gamekeepers Organisation (NGO) magazine which is produced by our sister body in England. We work closely with our southern counterparts and share information as much as we can on policy and our responses to consultations on forthcoming legislation. The latest on that's occupying our time is on game farming with the English have just been through.
But the bad news this week is that on the same day as the SGA ran its first snaring training course to help members comply with the new Scottish Government snaring legislation, the Northern Ireland Environment Committee voted to ban the use of snares. It happened during a clause by clause scrutiny of their new Wildlife and Natural Environment (WANE) Bill and is yet another warning of the fight we will have on our hands when our own WANE Bill goes through Parliament either later this year or in 2011.
And that's why it's absolutely vital that anyone who is involved in snaring gets the proper training now and knows exactly where NOT to put snares because there are plenty of animal rights activists out there who are deternimed to put an end to one of our most important tools. Our office staff are geared up to organise courses all over the country so call them now on 01738 587515 and if you can suggest a venue for a course near you, so much the better.
There are no guarantees that snaring will survive amendments to our own WANE Bill but the Scottish Government has backed our right to protect the wildlife we manage. The knock-on benefits to other ground-nesting birds like the curlew and the golden plover are immeasurable, so let's not just do everything exactly by the book, but get out there and tell the walkers, birdwatchers and tourists who enjoy walking over our land just how much we are doing for the biodiversity of wild Scotland. And write to your MSPs and tell them as well. We are going to need a lot of support in the coming months.
16.03.10
On the road
It may be a quiet catch-up time of year on the land but there's no doubt it's open season for conferences, industry liaison meetings and get-togethers.
Last week we met with landowner organisations and other industry groups to try to promote some key initiatives we've been working on (which are still at the drawing-board stage) and this week the focus turns to deer with an industry liaison meeting in Pitlochry today and then a separate summit in Edinburgh on the latest consultation to hit the industry; a proposed Gamebird rearing Code of Practice. We need to respond by 9th April so considerable effort is going into taking all views on board.
At the end of this week I'm planning to head north to the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust conference in Inverness which is focusing on the biodiversity benefits of game.
Next week we're having an SGA branch meeting at Oldmeldrum in Aberdeenshire to which all members and prospective members are invited and there are more plans to take the SGA show on the road to the most remote parts of the country where it's difficult for stalkers and keepers to make the long journey to central meetings.
It won't be long before practical work gets in the way of talking and politicking and already we've been out on the estate clearing paths and cutting trees, tidying up after the winter. Chainsaws and spades are useful tools when it comes to working off frustrations after a long unproductive meeting!
10.03.10
Going forward on a high
What a great show of support we had last weekend, both at the AGM where we had one of the biggest turnouts ever, then over the following two days at our Game and Angling Show at Ingliston where SGA members and countryside enthusiasts poured through the gates, many of them stopping at our stand to voice their backing for what we do and to sign up new members.
It was also encouraging to meet young members who were enthusiastic about getting involved in the running of the SGA and to that end we're making plans to hold meetings in remote parts of the country to encourage that fresh blood and energy to come forward for election. Keep an eye on your magazine or the website for information on dates and locations.
So all in all it was a highly constructive three days and we're breathing a collective sigh of relief that the inaugural show proved to be such a success. The feedback was that the timing and location was right and most people just want it to be bigger and with more attractions throughout the day. Consider that work in progress and the SGA show a fixture on the annual show calendar from now on.
Meanwhile on the political front it looks as though we're going to have a lot on our hands over the next few months. It was clear from what the Environment Minister said at the AGM that there's some tough lobbying ahead during the passage of the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill which is expected to attract amendments that are unlikely to be to our liking.
I suspect we'll be seeing rather a lot of Edinburgh during the rest of 2010.
04.03.10
A busy weekend ahead
With snow still on the hills and a decent forecast for the next few days I'm hoping that we might get perfect weather for our AGM at Perth tomorrow and the first SGA Game and Angling Show over the weekend at Ingliston. The events may be taking place indoors but the weather conditions outside will have a major bearing on whether or not keepers and other country folk take the day off and turn up.
If the snow had gone from the hills, for instance, keepers would be out there getting an early start to the heather burning season. As a profession we're notoriously bad at taking a day off, but we certainly know how to enjoy ourselves when we do!
All the preparations are coming together now for the next three days of politics, business, debate and socialising. I'm especially looking forward to what the Environment Minister has to say at the AGM and amongst other things we'll be reiterating the statements we made earlier this week that deer need to be left in peace to withstand the rest of the winter, not hounded to death as advised by one so-called wildlife charity. The organisation which called for an extension to the hind cull made sweeping statements without taking the time to understand the practicalities or the wider picture. You can read the details in the press statement on our home page.
So today I'm delegating all the practical outdoors work to my son. For me it's speech writing, a radio interview previewing the show for BBC Scotland's Out of Doors programme and countless other preparations which will keep me busy until late tonight. And all the time I'll be looking out of the window and keeping my fingers crossed that the weather doesn't change too much so that we get great turn-outs at both events. See you there!
24.02.10
In the majority
I've just spent a couple of hours reading the independent analysis of responses to the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill consultation on the Scottish Government website and am feeling encouraged that the strong views submitted by the SGA have been supported by so many other organisations and individuals.
I'm delighted, for instance, that the most contentious proposals for changes to the management of red deer - and in particular on the abolition of close seasons - were overwhelmingly rejected by the majority of respondents. Some 83% of respondents rejected the idea of abolishing the male season and 70% said there should be no change to the female season.
But that doesn't necessarily mean the Government will listen, although we'll be doing all we can to influence the Environment Minister when she addresses our annual meeting at Perth on 5th March.
What this consultation underlines yet again is the massive gulf between the views held by land and wildlife managers and those organisations which are focused on conservation and animal welfare. It's absolutely vital that organisations like the SGA continue to fight for the views of practical people to be heard.
I'm hoping to see as many members as possible at the agm. It's your chance to debate the issues and influence policy. The meeting starts at 10am sharp, but please come early for tea and coffee before business gets under way.
09.02.10
25 days...and counting!
We had a meeting yesterday to discuss progress with our Show at Ingliston in just three weeks time - the 6th and 7th of March.
It's all falling into place, with around 60 top exhibitors booked so far, and more still asking for space. We've got signs up on main roads across the country, banners are being erected on the Royal Highland Centre stand, the website is getting lots of extra hits and everywhere I go keepers are talking about coming along to their own Game Show.
What's attracting them? Partly it'll be the prospect of seeing what's new and buying some essentials for the year ahead. There's the added attraction of a range of seminars on everything from game crops and salmon to saving the red squirrel and Scottish sport tourism. And there's also the knowledge that we'll have a restaurant and bar open for business and socialising after all those long lonely months trudging through the snow!
So if a lot of you are coming along why not arrange a bus for the glen or neighbouring estates and come in a group?
Whatever transport you use parking will be free. And I look forward to seeing you there.
03.02.10
Setting the record straight
I know (because they've told me) that animal welfare groups and Government officials read this blog but I didn't think the SGA's own members followed it very closely.
The reaction to yesterday's posting proved me very wrong and highlighted the strength of feeling in this industry when it comes to red deer.
I'd posted a link to the Oban Times website which carried a story about a group of deer which had been killed in a Forest Enterprise woodland during the heavy snow. They'd got in through a broken fence and were doing damage to the trees. Despite a local agreement to chase them out, Commission rangers shot them.
The SGA has argued for years that woodland or areas of regeneration should be protected by a secure deer fence so that both approaches to land use can work side by side and that is still our unwavering policy.
My correspondents and critics were Forestry Commission stalkers (fellow SGA members) whose job is to protect woodland and they were angry that I was ignoring the fact that their employers required them to take the action they did. And they felt frustrated that as employees they weren't allowed to respond publicly to press criticism.
My argument is absolutely not with the men who do a clean, efficient job but with the policy which makes some measures necessary, and that's down to the failure of Government and conservation agencies to adequately fence animals out of afforested land. My apologies for not making that clearer yesterday.
02.02.10
Survival of the fittest
I was out "brashing" in the woods yesterday, cutting back some of the excess branches so that we're able to walk among the trees, and I came across a hare on one of the snowy paths, just sitting in the snow, unmoving. I went close and although it was alive it seemed too weak to move away so I left it in peace and got on with the work.
On my way home I passed the same way again and discovered that the hare had died in the exact spot I'd seen it earlier. It was just skin and bone, a victim of the snow and ice which still covers all the land down here. I felt sad for the creature that had starved to death,and for all the other wildlife which are still suffering this winter.
My stalker friend Peter Fraser from Braemar, and many of his colleagues out on the hills called a temporary halt to stalking weeks ago because the deer needed all the energy they had just to survive in the conditions this winter, and disturbing them when they're at their lowest ebb just doesn't seem right.
Unfortunately our national agency, Forestry Commission is taking the opposite approach and is using the freeze as an opportunity to slaughter as many weakened animals as they can. You can read all about it on the Oban TImes website.