tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89229545564269678552024-03-10T15:09:38.049-07:00CraigardCroftWorking to develop small scale, intensive, sustainable farming on a West Highland croft stocked with sheep, goats, poultry and fruit. Crofting should be able to make a significant contribution to household income, provide locally produced food for local consumption while conserving wildlife and landscape.Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.comBlogger556125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-4488537333799851272022-08-19T14:38:00.000-07:002022-08-19T14:38:25.329-07:00Coco...... A little black number<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />After doing 500+ blog posts by last December I ran out of steam or maybe it was, " blogger's block" but now things have moved on. Bojo the Clown our incompetent, lying, indolent Prime Minister has been sacked leaving the UK with a zombie government while a new PM is chosen. It looks as if our next will be Liz Truss, a third rate Margaret Thatcher tribute act whose economic analysis and solutions are at least thirty years out of date. so we descend deeper into destitution and chaos after leaving the EU. How do we cheer ourselves up and move on .....the inhabitants of this Banana Monarchy on the edge of the N. Atlantic run by idiotic incompetent people?<p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsux-gGWF8zODi64oXkIsFyRG3CLN0TO8HU2N9mrT92RSTAcMBQVG4CNusdty1XRoEIhdKzdHwZCjtwyW1YeRELNN9XM_n9dbuRo1cNYN3ccBrxmky8bIBkUbEEJfH8oTUARHzympchl6-YWwGHAPzT09Sv9KmW74Axg-Fw_SLbR1dQ4u7jKX8-TCY/s4000/20220716_101842.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsux-gGWF8zODi64oXkIsFyRG3CLN0TO8HU2N9mrT92RSTAcMBQVG4CNusdty1XRoEIhdKzdHwZCjtwyW1YeRELNN9XM_n9dbuRo1cNYN3ccBrxmky8bIBkUbEEJfH8oTUARHzympchl6-YWwGHAPzT09Sv9KmW74Axg-Fw_SLbR1dQ4u7jKX8-TCY/w144-h320/20220716_101842.jpg" width="144" /></a></div><br />My answer has been to get a dog, a black Labrador puppy who is ever cheerful and playful, she tries hard to please me and is totally disinterested in politics. I started to look for a Labrador puppy back in 2020 during the Covid lock down but prices were sky high, up to £3,000. The Scottish Labrador Club had given up its re-homing scheme as it was overwhelmed by demand. Then out of the blue the niece of a friend of Janet's had a litter of eight, unsold and not too expensive. Janet and my son Rob went down to Yorkshire to choose one and came back with two, one for him and one for me, Coco.<p></p><p>Bringing a puppy into the house is of course totally disruptive, demanding and delightful especially for an elderly Crofter and puppies become dogs,,,,,, big dogs in the case of Labs. An example of disruption,,,,,,,,I have just had to get up from the computer leave the warmth of the sitting room and let her out into the black, wet and windy night for a pee! </p><p>What am I going to do with an adult dog, at my age you may ask. If you have been paying attention to previous posts you'll be aware that I'm a deer stalker and have spent quite a lot of time hunting with professionals, they mostly have dogs to help find deer and to track any that may be wounded. I'll have to train her of course, basic obedience first then tracking, This should keep us both fit and companionable. </p><p>PS. One more benefit dogs need a walk before bed usually at about 10 pm so I miss the BBC News and what our government , the English National Party, have or have not been doing today. </p><p><br /></p>Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-75329692665153077172021-12-12T04:41:00.005-08:002021-12-12T04:49:08.716-08:00The foxes and the geese<p> Five years ago I planted a shelter belt of mainly broadleaves on the western boundary of the croft and have kept the grass under control with a mix of Roundup and strimming but I don't like using herbicide and strimming is hard work. So I thought , "geese can subsist on grass and two of them eat as much as a sheep but they don't eat trees." I ended up with six Embdens from three sources so plenty of genetic variation.</p><p>I've a good fence with and electrified wire on top to deter the deer and the geese are big and noisy so perhaps this will keep the foxes away. I was wrong two geese were taken and the survivors were very upset and frightened but they found their own solution to the fox problem.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWwfjPPOuM2X-J7HwFfgcSEpGkVYK4d-5Ne3pYItYLB3BG8f8I8HjH_j8_n1r56QzuZC0-L2G49efi7H0SYLegOBMtZSGMy52GBUD9OjX0_bi2OVl6JUWoTW8XxVEaWwHYpIK5vRgZrstj4tjfDIdnrDXZ4p-1zQNYm2fAiJjsLjJEGk5StYMUhkdQ=s4000" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="4000" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjWwfjPPOuM2X-J7HwFfgcSEpGkVYK4d-5Ne3pYItYLB3BG8f8I8HjH_j8_n1r56QzuZC0-L2G49efi7H0SYLegOBMtZSGMy52GBUD9OjX0_bi2OVl6JUWoTW8XxVEaWwHYpIK5vRgZrstj4tjfDIdnrDXZ4p-1zQNYm2fAiJjsLjJEGk5StYMUhkdQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div>Every afternoon at about 3.30 pm they take off and fly down to the little tidal lagoon below the croft where if a fox comes along they can jump in the water and be relatively safe. Next morning they fly back for breakfast; some mixed grains followed by a day grazing. They have either worked out this strategy for themselves or it's instinct and they're behaving more like wild geese.<p></p><p>I really don't understand why so many people think foxes are cute and cuddly creatures, they are wanton killers. Fifty years ago when I was lambing in Glen Isla on my early daily round of the hill I found 12 dead lambs strewn about their heads missing, they'd been killed for fun, by a fox. The next night the estate gamekeeper sat up with a rifle waiting for the fox to come back for more fun.... end of fox!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9XirkSrNCYdtNWXlFvkl4dO-SdKl2-C2n6NxVb0ZWvUVqUw_Q8H-BQcO1rwx2vpww1hcgBEE8siGCWn4QT7oYTEXkssEq1v-5Pez7-VPzz60pA3Gzlqx6-MjwQgUONezBlTqSw09q0C81KyJeX8Y_YlSgAbE9XU0AMXJqRbd7FZl_benG-Xo5jwRW=s4000" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="4000" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9XirkSrNCYdtNWXlFvkl4dO-SdKl2-C2n6NxVb0ZWvUVqUw_Q8H-BQcO1rwx2vpww1hcgBEE8siGCWn4QT7oYTEXkssEq1v-5Pez7-VPzz60pA3Gzlqx6-MjwQgUONezBlTqSw09q0C81KyJeX8Y_YlSgAbE9XU0AMXJqRbd7FZl_benG-Xo5jwRW=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Another solution, the end of the goose killers. <br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-53748407032888324752021-12-11T02:46:00.014-08:002021-12-12T04:44:00.041-08:00Deer stalking...... why do we do it?<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6o_nhYDmQbC5URtWOHNK1iv0nEvijMxVQBYFiiqWKIDcDtMmfuBlO7SJ2PW9GwvXXSSRA1_rENc6G1zhrnpRDWoEUEiGUmL5RrmAeG3v5uwzzsqa4yDsYZsDMZmCoZA88jfvx5vMpoSTkuLPhbwariZsRiIiaaH3devqFt17Jp2LzQHb2IOvv4041=s2048" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg6o_nhYDmQbC5URtWOHNK1iv0nEvijMxVQBYFiiqWKIDcDtMmfuBlO7SJ2PW9GwvXXSSRA1_rENc6G1zhrnpRDWoEUEiGUmL5RrmAeG3v5uwzzsqa4yDsYZsDMZmCoZA88jfvx5vMpoSTkuLPhbwariZsRiIiaaH3devqFt17Jp2LzQHb2IOvv4041=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br />Two weeks ago the French equivalent of "The Guardian", "Le Monde", published a lucid, well argued and well written article outlining the case for banning hunting in France ( I read "Le Monde" from time to time to keep up my French and I'm almost totally deaf so conversations are difficult.)<p></p><p> This was a totally one sided statement because it was the tactical and partisan case against hunting. But as a stalker it made me think about my own position; how could I justify what I do in the face of these arguments. Here we go; there were five main objections;</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Since the start of the hunting season this year in France eleven people have been killed by hunters, one while driving his car and one while gardening. This is probably the most powerful argument against hunting in France.</li><li>Hunting isn't a sport and can't be compared to football or skiing, calling hunting a sport might be a "category error".</li><li>The deliberate killing of protected species by a few hunters or gamekeepers eg., golden eagles and harriers is unsupportable.</li><li>Shooting causes pollution by lead and plastic.</li><li>Economic arguments in favour of hunting are at best weak.</li></ul><div>So I'll deal with each of these reasons for banning hunting and then tell you what I think might be an ethical pro-hunting argument.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Safety</b></div><div>Traditionally British shooters have safety drummed into them before they pick up their first lethal weapon; never point a firearm at any one or thing unless you intend to kill it, treat every gun as if it is loaded and cocked, always have a safe backstop behind your target ....and again.....treat every gun as if it is loaded and cocked !</div><div><br /></div><div>In the UK as in France hunting is done in areas of high population density; there are walkers, horse riders, car drivers , farm workers, foresters about so here in the UK the criteria for holding a firearm certificate are stringent as are the security arrangements for firearm and ammunition storage. Our system seems to work but there's no room for complacency.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Hunting isn't a sport</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Does it matter if hunting is or isn't a sport? why should being a sport make hunting more acceptable. It is actually a vital wildlife management activity, does it matter who does it, they should be trained, skilled and the killing is done humanely....... this is true of UK stalkers?</div><div><br /></div><div><b>It's a tradition</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Being traditional doesn't necessarily make a practice acceptable; bear baiting, sending little children up chimneys and Morris dancing come to mind. Industrial scale rearing and shooting of grouse and pheasants has been going on since the 19th century, now as practised by city gents in Edwardian fancy dress and big hats it's pretty indefensible especially when most of the birds end up as landfill.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rough shooting or walking up game birds with setters or pointers is much more acceptable to me and most of the birds are eaten after they are shot. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Killing protected species</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Every discovered case of killing eagles or harriers by gamekeepers is very well publicised, those who do it become social lepers but as yet do not seem to be punished in accordance with the severity of the offence. Perhaps some training for Magistrates is needed.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Shooting causes pollution </b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Lead and plastic rain down on the landscape but change is coming; copper rifle bullets and steel shot will replace the lead and I can remember when cartridge cases were made of cardboard, the least shooters can do is pick them up and take them home.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Weak economics</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Here in the N W Highlands tourism is the main source of rural income followed by farming and forestry and tourism is by far the largest source of employment. Beware of dodgy economic arguments. Might an older form of hunting in a wooded landscape be more acceptable to stalkers, wildlife managers and the public in general.</div><div><br /></div><div> <b>So you see it's difficult to refute such a strong case against stalking...... so why do I do it? </b></div><div><br /></div><div>Roe deer are active and begin to feed around first light, an hour before sunrise in summer when the new light is spilling over the landscape, the dawn chorus is still going strong , it's often warm windless and still</div><div>.... it is the best time of day. In winter it's more challenging, last week stalking roe on the hill in Glen Tanar it was snowing, sodden underfoot and there was a chilling wind but I still enjoyed it, shot a deer which was then butchered on the kitchen table and is now in the freezer. Every outing is a memorable adventure but not always an excellent set of meals when the deer don't turn up.</div><div><br /></div><div>We have too many deer in Scotland; in the 20th century the population of wild deer more than doubled as woodland cover increased and culling was largely limited to deer stalking estates. Too many deer are damaging to commercial forestry and biodiversity so they have to be culled.... deer stalking is deer population management and has to be done. If you are interested in taking this further follow the link <a href="https://www.gov.scot/publications/management-wild-deer-scotland/pages/5/">The management of deer in Scotland</a> . </div><div><br /></div><div>Please feel free to comment.</div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div><div><br /></div><p></p>Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-66231835823963905302021-11-14T01:31:00.002-08:002021-12-24T00:25:41.620-08:00Three encounters with otters<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">My first close encounter with an Ardnamurchan otter was twelve years ago in my workshop. I was using an angle grinder and listening to Radio 2 when a young otter appeared at the door, I switched everything off. ...... It sniffed the air and sauntered in, right up to the freezer sniffed around and then left and ambled down to the sea. It was young, hungry and naive. Then most recently I was walking home from the village shop at mid-day and the biggest dog otter I have ever seen crossed the road twenty metres in front of me.</span></div><p></p><p>On Friday my neighbour Hamza turned up at lunchtime with a dead otter he'd found on the shore, it was </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZ6DmySxyvTPe2wHwV5EIrmRA-DAJukZ4_obQe1HdOp9Y23JiaXM1ReXt06IFRGALVDFCNTe2vg_WU3Xdon_8Ic-F30KgrTYDv7n7MammaCV1xEy7zhYT3x8OcWhCy9qYBI6z2QKwhFQ/s4000/20211104_124529.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="4000" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqZ6DmySxyvTPe2wHwV5EIrmRA-DAJukZ4_obQe1HdOp9Y23JiaXM1ReXt06IFRGALVDFCNTe2vg_WU3Xdon_8Ic-F30KgrTYDv7n7MammaCV1xEy7zhYT3x8OcWhCy9qYBI6z2QKwhFQ/s320/20211104_124529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>young, scarred by wounds and terribly emaciated. It had only recently left the protection of it's mother and family to look for territory of it's own and had met up with an adult like the big one I had seen on the road.<p></p><p>Otters are constantly on the look out for food and on the move within their territory, where they have fresh water bathing pools and resting places. Fiercely territorial, they have a well beaten path along the shore above the tide line marked with spraint to warn off any competition. A brief examination on the kitchen table showed this one to be battered, scarred and very thin; lack of food and infected wounds had probably killed it. Now it's in Hamza's garage freezer waiting to be sent off to Cardiff University for a thorough autopsy.</p><p><br /></p>Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-21149465149806358702021-09-20T05:59:00.005-07:002021-09-21T00:52:02.604-07:00The thrill of the chase<p> On Wednesday it was first light at about 6.00 am when we parked the truck, set off into the woods and the wind looking for roe deer. My guide Tony had been out scouting the area the previous evening when he had seen red and roe deer, he was confident and optimistic. We followed a well used deer track along a forest ride south east, the path was well used, there were tracks and scat; it looked as if we would have a successful morning.</p><p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckkybu-OUWo0R-msmizBDh6qrQIdGMIMRVA6MGymHb9cPNb6FoM4y0SLORp8wpWs3UxYPQDkXuYlmlx_bsk2ZR0QpI6Wm4jsM-565WGSEUGDfm_pz0Dz92k9YP3xzBixsJW0yRvhyvMQ/s640/deer-1246523_640.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgckkybu-OUWo0R-msmizBDh6qrQIdGMIMRVA6MGymHb9cPNb6FoM4y0SLORp8wpWs3UxYPQDkXuYlmlx_bsk2ZR0QpI6Wm4jsM-565WGSEUGDfm_pz0Dz92k9YP3xzBixsJW0yRvhyvMQ/s320/deer-1246523_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A buck round the next corner</td></tr></tbody></table>As the sun climbed over the hills I was becoming uncomfortably warm, you don't dress for warm early mornings in Scotland in September, we pressed on slowly, stopping often to scan the landscape with binoculars expecting a buck over every ridge and round every corner. Four hours later we hadn't seen a single deer.We headed back to the truck, stripped off our weatherproof clothing and tried again in another forest compartment, still nothing!<p></p><p>We had hunted past mature blocks of conifers where roe go for shelter and safety, around plantations of saplings where they feed and the occasional flush area of bright green grass and herbs. Why didn't we see anything at all? despite the obvious presence of<br /> many deer. I'm sure the deer knew we were there and they were just keeping their heads down because that gentle southerly breeze was swirling about in all directions where ever we went, they could smell us despite our largely upwind hunt, cautious foot work and constant scanning of the landscape. It's September and the bucks are probably exhausted after the rut, feeding at night and having a secure "lie in" in the tall timber in the morning.</p><p>We gave up, but I was elated; a combination of the constant anticipation of a buck round the next corner and an early morning walk at sunrise in good company when you might reasonably expect disappointment at the lack of action and something for the freezer. It's the," thrill of the chase " the excitement you feel when trying really hard to do something difficult and against the odds. </p><p><br /></p>Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-19416063082197869422021-05-12T11:46:00.002-07:002021-05-12T11:57:28.177-07:00Roe deer stalking at first light<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT46qe04Mcf-mekrOqg4vsFb6nunPehuW7fczp1mjXidZm28OpBKRT1PAzKtVVpFMOStgD1MMS6o5FB-Mx5_SVvmzwnFVUKNqU3gfBm7od2_dLi7tVklB7GP1KL8tS0TnQKwadlwnQlFQ/s640/forest-931706_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT46qe04Mcf-mekrOqg4vsFb6nunPehuW7fczp1mjXidZm28OpBKRT1PAzKtVVpFMOStgD1MMS6o5FB-Mx5_SVvmzwnFVUKNqU3gfBm7od2_dLi7tVklB7GP1KL8tS0TnQKwadlwnQlFQ/s320/forest-931706_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />It's the open season for hunting Roe bucks , it starts on April Fools day and ends on 31st October Halloween. So tomorrow morning out in the woods along the loch there'll be a stalker hoping to shoot one, perhaps for a trophy head, to top up the freezer or to keep the deer population under control or a combination of all three. I hope to be out there myself soon at first light around 4.30 am. Legally we can only shoot deer between one hour before sunrise and one hour after sunset, the lawyers definition of night.<p></p><p>Today in my newspaper, The Guardian, there was a report that the British Government is to accept the notion that animals are sentient. In other words most animals have cognitive ability and therefore feelings or sentience and we have a moral obligation to protect them from suffering. I totally agree with this. So.... why do I shoot wild animals? There is a number of reasons and if I'm honest with myself it's not entirely in order to conserve other species. Scotland's deer population has doubled in the last 50 years and in places this has had a devastating effect on biodiversity.</p><p>Also today there was a report of a wolf cull in Utah where the State government, in response to the appeals of ranchers are planning to kill 90% of the population because wolves are said kill a few lambs. As a result gangs of unlicensed hunters have been pursuing wolves on snowmobiles using gps and a range of high tech equipment to kill them. They sound more like armed hoodlums.</p><p> Is there any difference between my deer stalking and these "cowboy hunters". I think that there is, but you probably don't think it's a sufficient justification; but the wolves are the top predators they may kill a few lambs but they also keep the elk and deer populations in check and preserve biodiversity. If we had wolves here we might not be able to justify deer shooting so readily.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnhPlliamnoNIYUUmQG5ypeSp_tLlW_gAyLshyphenhyphenSig4vA-BcYat3aMzhMpgWCKOiZrgacDqLt4rlC-eK0P0L1aaojkt6Ml_uNmiVDcl1zby-Fq-g4bye72MGlNKuEr_n889RRvYBhUNog/s640/deer-1246523_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJnhPlliamnoNIYUUmQG5ypeSp_tLlW_gAyLshyphenhyphenSig4vA-BcYat3aMzhMpgWCKOiZrgacDqLt4rlC-eK0P0L1aaojkt6Ml_uNmiVDcl1zby-Fq-g4bye72MGlNKuEr_n889RRvYBhUNog/s320/deer-1246523_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />I have to admit that I love being out in the woods at dawn, it's an adventure and I get some satisfaction from shooting well and killing deer humanely and we eat the venison and I'm not really into trophy hunting. My project during covid lockdown has been to learn as much about deer as possible, their ecology, biology and behaviour, the law relating to stalking, gun safety and humane shooting. This weekend I'm off down to South Ayrshire to have this knowledge and my shooting ability assessed. If I'm knowledgeable enough, if I can identify our six deer species in a range of situations and shoot straight I'll be a awarded the Deer Stalking Certificate level 1. We''ll see....... it's one thing to get a one inch ( 1 moa) group at 100 yds on the range and quite another in simulated hunting conditions with a critical audience.<p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-58994792204059445452020-12-28T06:31:00.013-08:002021-03-26T03:44:53.668-07:00Deer stalking in Scotland........necessary and humane<p></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMY5Y6GJ2q9u6ZS7LKndfHfLR4WMZRzrGDxxR8mrCz5hkvp0PlD1dyYl4gOrNxgEWgAk2D7LJz__dH7Ywbc7PEy5xGce5rTk7rKpDkf147YrfGmFfWZ9xSN32MU8dFriwmtN3JQAhAKg/s640/red-2537247_640.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibMY5Y6GJ2q9u6ZS7LKndfHfLR4WMZRzrGDxxR8mrCz5hkvp0PlD1dyYl4gOrNxgEWgAk2D7LJz__dH7Ywbc7PEy5xGce5rTk7rKpDkf147YrfGmFfWZ9xSN32MU8dFriwmtN3JQAhAKg/s320/red-2537247_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red deer stag</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Just before the first Covid19 lockdown in March last year I posted a blog about Scotland having too many deer after a doubling of our deer population in the last 60 years <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8922954556426967855/1535252833200964734">Too many deer.... too few trees</a> . Since then before our latest lockdown I've been deer stalking ( hunting in N. America and Europe) for the first time in fifty years.. The last time was hunting moose in Abitibi, northern Quebec in the late 60s. Why? ..... well I thoroughly enjoyed the days in the bush, camping , canoeing and watching wildlife in the pre-dawn northwoods, it was a great adventure so I thought I'd give it a go again in Scotland.<p></p><p>There are two main types of deer in this country, red and roe, both are indigenous and have been here since the last ice age. There are non-natives too; fallow and sika but red and roe make up the vast majority. These wild deer belong to no one but that doesn't mean you can just go out and shoot them. In law they belong to the owner of the land where they are shot. So in practice they belong to estate owners, farmers and the State forestry organisation Forestry Scotland who can either keep the stalking rights for themselves or lease them to hunters.</p><p>The red deer by a<span>nd large live on the open mountains and are the larger of the two species, a mature male (stag) weighing in at around 200 kg live weight and around 100 kg as a carcass. The stalker can't carry a deer carcass on his back down a mountain side and several kilometres back to the larder so it becomes something of a logistics exercise and calls for back up.</span></p><p><span>Some estates still use ponies with the deer tied on their backs but in most places ponies have been replaced by eight wheeler go anywhere argocats. Unless you own the estate if you want to hunt red deer you'll be accompanied by a professional stalker and you'll have to pay perhaps £600 to shoot an average stag. The stalker will guide you to the stag after first seeing if you can shoot with a large bore rifle, on the range. He ( or she these days) will, after breakfast , get you as close to the quarry as possible to ensure a humane kill, then eviscerate the animal ( gralloch ) and get you and the deer safely down the mountain again.</span></p><p><span></span></p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsPOP6kduTYuZ_oZRK-fZ6s7uDCg1QnDFO6e1hKwrhuLA0frCp_YFjUEk9lSGvtPEgPQwA0ptPCYdjTO4seyEzyK8e_zsLnb75sLfCZUnp47XjBd0zZTb77ZV8lO99XFD3Up-4wntMto/s640/roe-deer-880581_640.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRsPOP6kduTYuZ_oZRK-fZ6s7uDCg1QnDFO6e1hKwrhuLA0frCp_YFjUEk9lSGvtPEgPQwA0ptPCYdjTO4seyEzyK8e_zsLnb75sLfCZUnp47XjBd0zZTb77ZV8lO99XFD3Up-4wntMto/s320/roe-deer-880581_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Young roe buck</td></tr></tbody></table><span><br />Roe stalking is different, You start before dawn or in mid-afternoon hunting slowly and quietly upwind along the forest edge where the roe are feeding. The bucks are stalked in summer from April to the end of October and the does from mid October until the end of March. If you have the stalking rights and you have the skill and experience you can hunt alone or as with the reds a professional can guide you. This might cost you from £80 to £180 per stalk depending on it being a buck or a doe and then there's usually extra for a trophy head . The roe carcass is much smaller than the red and can be packed out on the hunter's back in a rucksack lined with washable plastic after the gralloch. </span><p></p><p>Last week I had two morning stalks with a professional and two afternoon/ evening still hunts from a high seat about 12 feet above the ground as I have always wanted to try both methods. I was assured by Rab the stalker on the second day that walking was generally much more successful.</p><p>Now most of you are going to disapprove of this and I can understand why; these are beautiful animals and we don't need to kill them for meat or trophies. But as I argued last March we have too many deer and the population has to be managed by killing deer as humanely as possible. If you eat beef, pork, lamb and poultry these animals have to be killed too and it's often done less humanely after a life in inhumane conditions.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMj2d1rMaObtDkzkD37iWFzgPUWeVb5wtnSI4OEOoszz-X-HX2-rCFV7YDuRRV3GZYn07pIIZaaPY-akvb_VJUwtwaBnQAZ0Ox6UbxnFxyOq-uQGwWEkBBez3LSFC42mwedKBmnA_ldI/s4160/IMG_20201224_152806386.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAMj2d1rMaObtDkzkD37iWFzgPUWeVb5wtnSI4OEOoszz-X-HX2-rCFV7YDuRRV3GZYn07pIIZaaPY-akvb_VJUwtwaBnQAZ0Ox6UbxnFxyOq-uQGwWEkBBez3LSFC42mwedKBmnA_ldI/s320/IMG_20201224_152806386.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>The hunters I know give the highest priority to accurate shooting and quick humane killing. They also eat the venison and are not very interested in trophies. After all, it wasn't their efforts that grew the largest antlers it was a combination of environment and genetics.</p><p><b>An update; 26.03.2021</b></p><p>Since I posted the above in December last year there have been some important developments. A "Deer Working Group" has reported to the Scottish Government with a list of 99 recommendations for the future of deer management. The priority seems to be large reduction of the national deer population.</p><p>The current open season for red deer hinds runs from 22nd October until 15th February, it is when a large proportion of the females are culled. This is a huge potential animal welfare problem at both ends of the season. If shooting females runs into April for example large numbers of heavily pregnant hinds will be killed; they calve in June! This would also result the starvation and slow death of orphaned calves in the autumn and at the end of the winter.</p><p>Stags are currently shot between early July and 21st October, the Committee recommends year round shooting of stags which along with unregulated night-time shooting could mean more poaching but reducing the number of stags will have little effect on the overall population.</p><p>We do have too many deer and a smaller population would result in greater bio-diversity, fewer problems for foresters and a reduction in road accidents but there isn't a simple solution.</p><p style="text-align: center;">"There's simple solution to every human problem.</p><p style="text-align: center;"> It's neat, plausible and wrong!"</p><p style="text-align: center;"> H.L. Mencken</p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-78408160696576251092020-11-01T04:48:00.009-08:002020-11-02T23:29:34.785-08:00UK Government obsessions, incompetence and corruption - Covid19 economic and health disaster<p>This post is a letter to my cousin Ian in California (and my American friends ), we contact each other about once a month on family and other matters. It's to assure him that Americans aren't alone ,we have a parallel obsessive, incompetent and corrupt government that has allowed Covid19 to get out of control.</p><p><b>Ian,</b></p><p>The UK government has a Scientific Advisory Group on Emergencies (SAGE) it's composed of a wide range of people from a wide range of disciplines; scientific, economic, social science etc. Earlier this year SAGE advised a national lockdown to save lives and to prevent the National Health Service from being overwhelmed. The government didn't seem to take this seriously and was more concerned about the economic effects but by the third week of March the figures were so scary that a national lockdown was imposed to restrict the spread of the virus. It was the right decision but several weeks too late to avoid thousands of extra deaths.</p><p>On 23rd March we were confined to our homes ( except for essential workers) in May it seemed that the worst was over and by 10th May we were allowed out again. </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSI65G-oivHOTZFRmhZtdnnLVL1yTQZn5LEo_zBwHYxvjSEJgwnyDATUD8I4gYU_MJL2MLVGNAtkghGTTZacqEh0WFCF0SLxMANCQRbs9lZ_-x_ZkZeH2G1rGG4CkhAf_cVUhkCp-nuw/s640/london-709256_640.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSI65G-oivHOTZFRmhZtdnnLVL1yTQZn5LEo_zBwHYxvjSEJgwnyDATUD8I4gYU_MJL2MLVGNAtkghGTTZacqEh0WFCF0SLxMANCQRbs9lZ_-x_ZkZeH2G1rGG4CkhAf_cVUhkCp-nuw/w320-h180/london-709256_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />We learned a lot during and after lockdown but the government seem to have learning difficulties .<div><br /></div><div>They saw the problem as binary;"Save the economy or save lives" it's much more complex than that and you have to be aware that the Conservatives have two guiding principles;<p></p><p>First... All policies must ensure the continued upward flow of wealth and power to those who already have it. Second ....Libertarian-ism or freedom from government interference in our lives is of equal importance to the first notion above</p><p>As in the USA the loony right take this to extremes and there is a Neanderthal loony right who don't understand the idea of public good. This is a bit hard on Neanderthals who were rather nice caring people by comparison.</p><p>Testing and tracing was to help solve the complexity problem by allowing only those with the infection to be isolated for 14 days. We have a competent test and trace system at local government level but this was ignored and replaced by central command and control by government. That was in March this central control system is still not fit for purpose and is headed up by an old university friend of the Prime Minister with no experience or qualifications in the field. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8cb5ZfDlNcaucZo3YCPYFVJmyh93R0Nf6O5jTE_rLDzcKvIo2EA9mpAkHwIo8c4Ak8LP2hypPgjwAeDNxXQkMc1uBckQm83i3-MDBbBmCPGN6YFta0QX0ziOVTK-guoAV0haH7OO04g/s640/snack-2635035_640.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD8cb5ZfDlNcaucZo3YCPYFVJmyh93R0Nf6O5jTE_rLDzcKvIo2EA9mpAkHwIo8c4Ak8LP2hypPgjwAeDNxXQkMc1uBckQm83i3-MDBbBmCPGN6YFta0QX0ziOVTK-guoAV0haH7OO04g/s320/snack-2635035_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Restaurants, bars and clubs were closed during lockdown and the hospitality industry took a big hit. The solution was to subsidise eating out. £500m was spent on this, lots of people crowded into restaurants and obviously infections soared. A simple solution to a complex problem and as H.L.Mencken said, "there's a simple solution to every human problem; it's neat, plausible and wrong!"<p></p><p>Last night our feckless, out of his depth Prime Minister held a press conference to announce another lockdown, six weeks after SAGE first recommended it. This one will last until December and we all hope that the government might have learned from it's many mistakes before, during and after the last one. <i>viz</i></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><b>Make sure that care workers have adequate protective equipment</b></li><li><b>Test and trace needs to be de-centralised and fit for purpose</b></li><li><b>Don't send infected patients from hospital to care homes</b></li><li><b>Government needs to give clear, consistent advice and some leadership would help</b></li></ul><div>Of course you have an even bigger problem that brings another favourite quotation to mind, it's an army promotion reference, " men will follow this officer anywhere out of a sense of morbid curiosity" for officer read Trump. So good luck on 3rd November.</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>Stay safe,</div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><b>Tom</b></div><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-38008845244610963742020-10-28T03:58:00.005-07:002020-10-31T01:19:04.035-07:00 Scotland's native pinewoods........... an alternative to Munro Bagging for "crumblies"If like me you feel you are getting too old and slow for "Munro bagging", the obsessive pursuit of walking all of Scotland's 282 mountains over 914.4m (3,000 ft) there is an attractive alternative. You can visit and walk in the remnants of the ancient pinewoods of Scotland.<div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopZlZiWAPZUwS0ie9NjdhtQItp8U8GBG1E9P7UdfrFWmw3xnh2GNgmqa0ErPywT42HZK-h_cUjDu3oPIXJuXnYNLos6SqWQjyBUqk9bDUMzaWsR9F9WDiO6fI1e4WUd4d2zbDAkVEhW8/s4160/IMG_20201028_102643047.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopZlZiWAPZUwS0ie9NjdhtQItp8U8GBG1E9P7UdfrFWmw3xnh2GNgmqa0ErPywT42HZK-h_cUjDu3oPIXJuXnYNLos6SqWQjyBUqk9bDUMzaWsR9F9WDiO6fI1e4WUd4d2zbDAkVEhW8/w150-h200/IMG_20201028_102643047.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><br />These remnants were first surveyed, described and catalogued 60 years ago (Steven, H.M. Carlisle, A, <i>The Native Pinewoods of Scotland, </i>Oliver and Boyd, 1959.). Then in 1975 the woods, their distribution, wildlife, soils, history and management were comprehensively examined at a symposium in Aviemore.</div><div><br /></div><div>More recently, <i>The Ancient Pinewoods of Scotland </i>by Clifton Bain is in two formats, a coffee table book and a pocketbook with descriptions of 38 pinewood remnants with suggested walks, throughout the Highlands. </div><div><br /></div><div>Beware, take an Ordnance Survey 1:25000 map Bain's maps are a rather sketchy guide; or take an excellent, instinctive navigator as in the image below.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4qBGi65d3FvcYBVHrGJ-adHLxV_MeUuFlSTAXO8_Kf7OoFtb_mYZbuFIp0FLnFXvHxznPZlaw4oOLTx06rmp_HltVb2uatseiYkQBS65TK8ERUqFu4hn6GCh8epP_rsxHVWmTA9L4tM/s4160/IMG_20201007_143848204_BURST000_COVER.jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC4qBGi65d3FvcYBVHrGJ-adHLxV_MeUuFlSTAXO8_Kf7OoFtb_mYZbuFIp0FLnFXvHxznPZlaw4oOLTx06rmp_HltVb2uatseiYkQBS65TK8ERUqFu4hn6GCh8epP_rsxHVWmTA9L4tM/s320/IMG_20201007_143848204_BURST000_COVER.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glen Tanar pinewoods <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I am gradually working my way through the list, the latest visit was to Glen Tanar in the north east Cairngorms. The wood like most of the others has been changed over the centuries by felling, fire, flood and grazing but at the western boundary something like the original still survives under conservation management.</div><div><br /></div><div>To put the whole idea into some historical and ecological context find a copy of Jim Crumley's book, <i>The Great Wood, </i>or my post on a walk in Rothiemurchus Forest at; <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8922954556426967855/4090761231834512957">https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8922954556426967855/4090761231834512957</a></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-30607231734258378552020-09-21T03:10:00.012-07:002020-10-27T04:57:13.569-07:00Lynx re-introduction to Scotland ........ Kintyre and E. Aberdeenshire the most suitable landscapes.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6WRFfq1IKCP79KbpcpLGf6Ld8NcN8yBJ8JK3WToxKJ9CptGUi1mmBfvffCPtjy9lWU7-nqX93puZV11IW8GUqoTX3lDFKO6LmOKM-GiSmJmd7wI0wKjV2HVZzrNMUGDdCaLNFJe1oHU0/s640/baby-bobcat-2062843_640.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6WRFfq1IKCP79KbpcpLGf6Ld8NcN8yBJ8JK3WToxKJ9CptGUi1mmBfvffCPtjy9lWU7-nqX93puZV11IW8GUqoTX3lDFKO6LmOKM-GiSmJmd7wI0wKjV2HVZzrNMUGDdCaLNFJe1oHU0/s320/baby-bobcat-2062843_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lynx kitten<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Fifty years ago on a hot, still, blackfly and mosquito infested afternoon in northern Quebec I came across two lynx kittens sleeping in the sun on a big flat rock beside the Tonnancourt river. They were about two metres away. I watched them briefly and moved on, not wanting to disturb them. I didn't try to fish out my camera from the pack ....the moment was too precious for photos. </span><span style="text-align: left;">I still have a vivid recollection of the scene, it's better then any photograph and I've been a lynx enthusiast ever since.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Then five or so years ago I was really excited to read that the Lynx Trust was attempting to reintroduce lynx to the UK after an absence of 1,300 years. Kielder Forest in N. Northumberland, the biggest man made forest in Europe with it's tree cover, remoteness and abundant roe deer was assumed to be suitable habitat. The project failed to get started.</span></div><p>If you are going to re-introduce an extinct species to an area you have to meet two essential ecological criteria; you have to ensure that the introduced animals have a good chance of surviving and multiplying and that the population you take the animals from is not damaged. Just as importantly you need the support of all of the stakeholders, local and national. The Kielder proposal did not have this essential support.</p><p>So it was with some enthusiasm that I set off for Aberfoyle and a public consultation on the re-introduction of lynx to the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park near Loch Lomond. There was no doubting the enthusiasm of the organisers (Lynx Trust UK) and the dozen or so members of the public but the whole event was disappointing. ....... An introduction to put the case for lynx on this site would have been helpful along with scientific evidence of the suitability of the habitat;this didn't happen. The venue had dreadful acoustics and the Covid 19 social distancing didn't help.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknZV24_VfpYOAMvqUwpZSMCSw2nUaJIjBFI-2EhyEUymSH7JOeTl1N_Nc06wPnuKesdxUtmlZBFYOP305WA_TI3a5-Zf2OCjDX4WLdm3OSvV-Fqt1d0uL93RkmTxmgetz5T5U9FjQ_5E/s1920/lynx-4622931_1920.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="1920" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiknZV24_VfpYOAMvqUwpZSMCSw2nUaJIjBFI-2EhyEUymSH7JOeTl1N_Nc06wPnuKesdxUtmlZBFYOP305WA_TI3a5-Zf2OCjDX4WLdm3OSvV-Fqt1d0uL93RkmTxmgetz5T5U9FjQ_5E/s320/lynx-4622931_1920.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Meanwhile some recent research in Scotland on the suitability of three large forests ( including Kielder) has been recently published. This research used computer modelling of lynx population dynamics, ecological, behavioural and landscape factors to rapidly assess the suitability of large predator habitat for re-introductions. The work concluded that Scotland;'s landscape is suitable for lynx re-introductions and tested the suitability of three forested sites; the Kintyre Peninsula, N.E. Cairngorms (Aberdeenshire) and the Scottish component of Kielder Forest. Of the three Kielder was found to be the least suitable, Kintyre and E. Aberdeenshire were most likely to be successful, Queen Elizabeth Forest Park wasn't mentioned. <i><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Ovenden, T.S et al Biological Conservation, <b>234, 2019, </b>pp.140 - 153 </span></i><p></p><p>If the Lynx Trust are to be successful they need to take note of this research and to have the support of local stakeholders (farmers, landowners, foresters and the public) plus national organisations, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Forestry and to be aware of the research quoted above. As for "consultation" this needs to be done in a structured way, in a suitable venue with a representative set of stakeholders or it is just a box ticking exercise by the organisers i.e. "we've done the consultation", perhaps?... but not in a fully representative, objective and methodical way.</p><p>For an authoritative view on lynx re-introduction have a look at this.......</p><p><a href="https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/2019/07/could-we-reintroduce-lynx-to-scotland/" rel="nofollow">https://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/2019/07/could-we-reintroduce-lynx-to-scotland/</a><br /></p><p>and this........</p><p><a href="http://forest-ecology.com/publications/">http://forest-ecology.com/publications/</a></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgod0n9A1TYdprwAhoMRLv_xV_pJ_XzFphCQo-yci3EtBxmSm0kMfdezqnp3yeAH5w6zLqAD7WWTlh9VwvljLPwFZNWj_Vqmon2u3B4jyzD3reNdOC1jCSikB_hiUC6fHLr87znC2w2AJA/s640/sunset-1421010_640.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="415" data-original-width="640" height="416" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgod0n9A1TYdprwAhoMRLv_xV_pJ_XzFphCQo-yci3EtBxmSm0kMfdezqnp3yeAH5w6zLqAD7WWTlh9VwvljLPwFZNWj_Vqmon2u3B4jyzD3reNdOC1jCSikB_hiUC6fHLr87znC2w2AJA/w640-h416/sunset-1421010_640.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer sunset in Canadian lynx habitat <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-44411914956604967872020-08-25T03:41:00.038-07:002020-08-30T05:26:59.449-07:00Was Boris Johnson hiding in a former Youth Hostel on the Applecross Peninsula last week?<p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div> Last week the "Daily Mail" broke the story that our Prime Minister, Alexander Boris de Pfefell Johnson was hiding from the chaos his lack of competent governance has created in a cottage by the sea on the Applecross Peninsula. I may be wrong but it looks like the former Scottish Youth Hostels Association hostel "Lonbain" where I spent a summer in !962 as the voluntary seasonal warden.<p></p><p>Lonbain was the former village school halfway between Applecross and Arina , it was only accessible by boat or on foot. When the road round the peninsula was built a few years later the building was sold and converted to a holiday home.</p><p>In the early 60's there were still families living in "black houses", the Macbeth family were my nearest neighbours , the post man made his deliveries on a motor bike and we burned peat on the stove. Obviously it has to be quite luxurious now for A.B. de P. Johnson the incompetent, mendacious, narcissistic UK Prime Minister.</p><p>Perhaps he's had time to reflect on Abraham Lincoln's advice;</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-Aqp4zG346D_HXTs5D3TUVjkP6ZqAHA_mCLcdQJMzDLA2sITujkQbv9MKQUwPBTJqmx882IyjdOuSMEjA5X3KmHYOpoq7VBtSg6gShor4L9qOLmjCnU0OTvafL4RxA_HSg9pOt-zSjA/s640/fool-1476189_640.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq-Aqp4zG346D_HXTs5D3TUVjkP6ZqAHA_mCLcdQJMzDLA2sITujkQbv9MKQUwPBTJqmx882IyjdOuSMEjA5X3KmHYOpoq7VBtSg6gShor4L9qOLmjCnU0OTvafL4RxA_HSg9pOt-zSjA/w320-h213/fool-1476189_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>" You can fool all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time but you can't fool all of the people all of the time". <i> Abraham Lincoln</i><p></p><p>Johnson has fooled "some of the people some of the time " for example during his election as leader of the Tory party and then during election to govern the UK. The electorate chose to believe his lies and to disregard his previous incompetence as Mayor of London, Foreign Secretary and third rate journalist. As Mayor of London he had a string of deputies to do the job for him while he turned up for PR and photo opps.</p><p>He's still fooling some of the people all of the time but the majority of voters seem to be getting wiser, Those being fooled all of the time are mainly " golf club Tories"and Daily Mail readers. But he and his anarchist consigliere must realise by now that their inability to govern the country is apparent to the majority of rational voters. (Not all voters are rational, see Brexit)</p><p>If you know the Applecross Peninsula and if you stayed at Lonbain sixty years ago you might be able to confirm the the holiday home was Lonbain here's the link to the photo in the Daily Record.</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/boris-johnson-holidays-1200-week-22559974">https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/boris-johnson-holidays-1200-week-22559974</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p><p><br /></p>Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-2381286219390262612020-08-13T03:21:00.002-07:002020-08-13T04:20:20.003-07:00How will the Scottish government deal with UK government's no deal?..... Virtual meeting with our MP next week.....<p> One of the unexpected side effects of Covid19 lockdown here on the peninsula is that many of us have learned to use video conferencing. So, next week we have a ZOOM meeting with Kate Forbes our local MSP and Scottish Minister for finance.</p><p><br /></p><p><img border="0" height="368" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd90umqeRw-xe59fmCoeldqOHwfJop823QrcUCKwl4pyAvnMFSjpM3c__q6eXvEe7Sh_BbvWyciGXdtuORRLpz2tF6Eh67SjNziM0-Lq4ZiKdGayD3xRy8G0Nt6jYIMTXQV8U9BQilZNQ/w641-h368/sheep-3331688_640.jpg" width="641" /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">"Scottish farming will be in dire straits if we crash out of the EU without a deal and no deal seems more and more likely due to the incompetence and intransigence of our parliament in London. How does the Scottish Government plan to deal with it? ".......That's my question.</span></div><p>In recent years almost half of Scottish farm businesses have only made a trading surplus at the year end because of European Union farm support payments..... the Single Farm Payment (SFP). On 1st January 2021 that payment will disappear and so far there does not seem to be a credible alternative to replace it. Many farm businesses could go bust next year without the SFP.</p><p>Crofters are largely part-time , small scale stock keepers with sheep and cows. All but very few expect to make a living from crofting,they tend to be "multiple job holders or pensioners" they keep sheep because they always have done, they like it and they do receive the SFP which supplements their income. without the SFP many will find that their sheep keeping is a lot of work and loses money.</p><p>If you add up all of the costs (not including overheads including labour) I estimate that it cost roughly £50 for a Crofter to raise a lamb to the point of sale. Then there's £2 for transport to the mart and £3 to Auctioneer for selling the lamb; total costs £55. They average sale price is around £40 and could be much lower in 2021 if exports are disrupted by tariffs . </p><p>The SFP contributes on average £600 a year subsidy, £60 a head if you only have 10 ewes and a small croft to cover the loss per ewe of £15 and the Crofter's labour. It's an area payment so as stock numbers increase average income per head goes down for Crofters.</p><p>On large farms and estates because the SFP is an area payment it can be in the hundreds of thousands of pounds and makes a big contribution to the farmer's family school fees, skiing holidays, shooting, fishing, horses land and lifestyle. They will continue to do well as there are other benefits of large scale land ownership, in particular tax avoidance opportunities and government funded projects such as the "Renewable heat initiative" <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/8922954556426967855/2135266589617558731">The renewable heat initiative</a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudQHRUxdLuypCiI2CjlystUiiudz3MbfelcryBCzrZ1pajTtYEyIp0T8DNMZoJHfy26QDkgpvs7Xnhc0C7Kc-V9jVVBpJUwZyjRjhg-aO41gczIucfXjBECyw1T09Oy-U6yYtziOqf6M/s640/highland-cow-2741004_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="640" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudQHRUxdLuypCiI2CjlystUiiudz3MbfelcryBCzrZ1pajTtYEyIp0T8DNMZoJHfy26QDkgpvs7Xnhc0C7Kc-V9jVVBpJUwZyjRjhg-aO41gczIucfXjBECyw1T09Oy-U6yYtziOqf6M/w512-h308/highland-cow-2741004_640.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-20835337751467419002020-05-15T05:45:00.000-07:002020-05-23T23:56:35.465-07:00Led by donkeys ... Covid19 exposes the truth about incompetent leadership<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For the last four years I have been trying to work out how and why Donald Trump was elected President of the United States and why Boris A.B de P. Johnson persuaded more than half of voters that we should leave the EU and that they should elect him as Prime Minister of the UK. For four years I've been trying to discover how any rational intelligent voter could support either of these people? I've decided that voters don't make entirely rational decisions.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBL_DTKhzHd3tkVhvCIgHwTntz4ngHJQI90strC4oorMSzO80XQpXe2wsdCdp8Li3vjVML4_jt8aC1-o8uU35AGKVzy32IPek3c1bI0T57y8Fiimv1xWfnUMpR5dM3r_wdcIStcOSAJI/s1600/etretat-4506073_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBL_DTKhzHd3tkVhvCIgHwTntz4ngHJQI90strC4oorMSzO80XQpXe2wsdCdp8Li3vjVML4_jt8aC1-o8uU35AGKVzy32IPek3c1bI0T57y8Fiimv1xWfnUMpR5dM3r_wdcIStcOSAJI/s320/etretat-4506073_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Led by donkeys</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Today I was reminded of a famous officer promotion reference written by a commanding officer for a junior........ "Men will follow this officer anywhere; out of a sense of morbid curiosity".<br />
<br />
Like the soldiers in the reference voters aren't entirely rational, they want to believe the optimistic stories they are told, from half truths to downright lies and even knowledge of a potential leader's mendacity, incompetence and indolence doesn't put them off.<br />
<br />
George Packer, in <i>The Atlantic,</i> explains how the Covid19 virus has manged to exploit chronic underlying conditions;" political corruption, a sclerotic bureaucracy and heartless economy "and to show up the USA as a,"failed state". Every American concerned about the future of USA should read it, Trump is not going to make America great again.<br />
<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/06/underlying-conditions/610261/">We are living in a failed state, George Packer.</a><br />
<br />
Andy Beckett in, <i>The Guardian , explains how t</i>oday in the UK we have the highest Corona-virus death rate in Europe exposing a similar range of fault lines in Britain and why exaggerated wilful optimism of the snake oil salesman is about to collide with reality. Johnson is just not up to the job of governing the country ; his complacency, misplaced sense of his own exceptionalism, old Etonian privilege and lack of attention to detail has been exposed by the pandemic. At least those who voted for him are having their sense of morbid curiosity satisfied.<br />
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/15/boris-johnson-votewinning-optimism-reality-ronald-reagan-half-truths">Vote winning optimism and half truths are about to collide with reality, Andy Beckett</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-88472270318596369162020-05-12T03:08:00.000-07:002020-05-17T08:57:56.696-07:00Lock down week 7; at last the adults are in charge...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiESyJGivFTP59AmGXwfbi2KPcgYIVu-EhZyWVnlFlrTkGC56c6_iWKi-EVS7dr407zR-Gvhxou54nr29vRIeRwM2pZG6mQDjclO_Coi65oo2CLgrQafxfxnhCFunlDwdcG4CQ5NssNbVI/s1600/IMG_20200509_115624169.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="434" data-original-width="1600" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiESyJGivFTP59AmGXwfbi2KPcgYIVu-EhZyWVnlFlrTkGC56c6_iWKi-EVS7dr407zR-Gvhxou54nr29vRIeRwM2pZG6mQDjclO_Coi65oo2CLgrQafxfxnhCFunlDwdcG4CQ5NssNbVI/s400/IMG_20200509_115624169.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
On Saturday Tobermory was still and quiet; we were still keeping our distance there were no visitors, no cruise ships, I had the ferry, "Loch Tarbert" to myself again and the inshore fishing boats were tied up in harbour. The economy is in stasis but we are all trying to stay safe.<br />
<br />
Back in February The UK government bumbled along complacently despite what was happening in the rest of the World and warnings from health experts here, rather like the Trump administration in the US. We lost the initiative by acting too late.<br />
<br />
We are now in week 7 of "lock down" and have the highest Covid19 death rate in Europe, over 40,000. The government is keen to open up the economy to get people back to work and on Sunday 10th May the UK Prime Minister (Boris Alexander de Pefeffel Johnson) presented us with a road map showing how his government would deal with the next phase and open up the economy. I don't think any of us are any wiser or safer.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqc9DYK2Mj8pzuCJDbFwMEJP-eFNELkrQWH8LGuW6EMb2Va037uzuPA6sX5_hqTWnx_onnmJ3yulKG7lOPDLYApPtgGgTuuDFHCfHFGPcyYXv8SHdgTBip5yPSn6ENl-hsNx3jyLy1EX8/s1600/IMG_20200509_115314798_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqc9DYK2Mj8pzuCJDbFwMEJP-eFNELkrQWH8LGuW6EMb2Va037uzuPA6sX5_hqTWnx_onnmJ3yulKG7lOPDLYApPtgGgTuuDFHCfHFGPcyYXv8SHdgTBip5yPSn6ENl-hsNx3jyLy1EX8/s320/IMG_20200509_115314798_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inshore fishing boats tied up in harbour</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Johnson's prescription could be seen as an attempt to shift responsibility from his government on to us as individuals by exhorting us to, "Be alert" what ever that means in this situation.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile... nurses and doctors still don't have the personal protective equipment they need and we don't seem to have an effective testing and tracing system.<br />
<br />
In Scotland our devolved government has it's own policy....... no change, we stay at home and only essential workers go to work. There are some adults in charge at last!<br />
<br />
The first priority of any government has to be the safety and health of it's citizens ( subjects in our case) the economy although vitally important has to take second place. Unlike in the USA where the Trump administration with the pandemic not yet under control and heading for over 100,000 deaths seems to favour the economy over it's citizens safety. Trump isn't alone in passing the buck; it also looks as if Vladimir Putin is shuffling off responsibility for Russia's Covid19 problems on to the country's regional governors.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>
Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-46205498124524453232020-05-06T01:16:00.001-07:002020-05-06T10:59:54.430-07:00Did you enjoy your Dinosaur eggs for breakfast?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cepSeDdpG_IcKnXmCTA3OTU8QJkow0yEoCconmQ2t-Hi6tcPUimxBPjvRt79EX9WY2Rao-fqT-5fkJJ1trvb5w5DrGPsTUFbxUzw8uCdubF168ba771vIqxp9rWpPWnxkOocbFSU2jw/s1600/IMG_20200506_084503234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9cepSeDdpG_IcKnXmCTA3OTU8QJkow0yEoCconmQ2t-Hi6tcPUimxBPjvRt79EX9WY2Rao-fqT-5fkJJ1trvb5w5DrGPsTUFbxUzw8uCdubF168ba771vIqxp9rWpPWnxkOocbFSU2jw/s400/IMG_20200506_084503234.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First find a mouse</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hens (chickens in the USA) are highly intelligent, they can negotiate complex mazes in return for rewards, they learn quickly, for example they expect me to be out there in the late afternoon to feed them some grain and as soon as they see me around that time they come running like cartoon chickens.<br />
<br />
Genetically hens are highly diverse, visit a local poultry show and you will see 30 or 40 different breeds because of there dinosaur ancestry.<br />
<br />
Research shows that my hens are evolved from and are the most closely related to ancient feathered dinosaurs. They have more microchromosomes and a more diverse genome than any other bird species, just like the feathered dinosaurs.<br />
<br />
This morning I watched what looked like a small bit of dinosaur behaviour; a hen swallowing a mouse whole. Luckily I had my camera phone with me and my birds are extremely tame. Poultry will eat almost anything they find palatable, whole grain, insects, earthworms, grass and this morning mice.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYKYovno6asbWzCM9EDKKZWRTwpStS8SF0sTISKdYV-Dao7Ax1mP9JNbk3PLEvxXcxAmidfGtBj8NgbBVbSbeXAoJw_WEyN_QDy78NAdPJSEpPk-YMkIDk1IOiodIa5-bPQVl6UpFzBc/s1600/IMG_20200506_084518091_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYKYovno6asbWzCM9EDKKZWRTwpStS8SF0sTISKdYV-Dao7Ax1mP9JNbk3PLEvxXcxAmidfGtBj8NgbBVbSbeXAoJw_WEyN_QDy78NAdPJSEpPk-YMkIDk1IOiodIa5-bPQVl6UpFzBc/s320/IMG_20200506_084518091_BURST000_COVER_TOP.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then swallow it whole- headfirst of course</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If you enjoyed an egg for breakfast this morning that was laid by free range hens perhaps it was mouse in the hen's diet that made it taste so good.<br />
<br />
This mouse was supplied by Mimi the cat she leaves them outside (most of the time) as gifts for me.<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-8475750570244889252020-04-01T02:29:00.000-07:002020-04-01T05:28:51.796-07:00Wildlife watching from "Ranger Hamza's" sitting room window.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheeHt5D37OYXgJ3BETXtBJCXgAgYy5zb4JxhQeEtJjEeqwT7UKY9-bIpB0tUtiXnUQRPSLu91kmJS9vVRbmcBKahvUTmVNrITSi8AGU2r8IR0nJTVtNN0C406X66tYbleRNVOERoe9Id4/s1600/goat-2632143_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="640" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheeHt5D37OYXgJ3BETXtBJCXgAgYy5zb4JxhQeEtJjEeqwT7UKY9-bIpB0tUtiXnUQRPSLu91kmJS9vVRbmcBKahvUTmVNrITSi8AGU2r8IR0nJTVtNN0C406X66tYbleRNVOERoe9Id4/s400/goat-2632143_640.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild goats where they should be... not in town</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's quiet out there with very few people about and wild animals are moving into urban spaces.<br />
<br />
Today's "Guardian" newspaper has a photo of a gang of marauding goats taking over Llandudno in N.Wales.......<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/mar/31/llandudno-goats-herd-running-riot-coronavirus-lockdown">wild goats in town.</a><br />
<br />
<span style="color: blue;">I have just had a text from my brother in N.Wales , he says this is a true story, not a Grauniad April 1st spoof . </span><br />
<span style="color: blue;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue;">Llandudno is now a,"Goats town". His pun not mine.</span><br />
<br />
Closer to home, my neighbour Hamza (aka "Ranger Hamza" of BBC Ceebeebies) is locked down at home watching and filming wildlife from his sitting room window.<br />
<br />
Fortunately he's not alone, he has a" live in "pine marten in his loft. You do know when there's a pine marten in the roof they make lots of noise.....a sound like a corpse being dragged across the ceiling, just before they go off to work in the evening.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/hamzayassinphotography/photos/a.167055510115366/1613626398791596/?type=3&theater">https://www.facebook.com/hamzayassinphotography/photos/a.167055510115366/1613626398791596/?type=3&theater</a><br />
<br />
She visits Hamza on her way out in the evening ( pine martens are single mothers) he tells me that it took 5 minutes to set up the camera and two hours for her to come out. You can meet her on Hamza's Facebook page by following the link above.<br />
<br />
From his window Hamza has a view from the tidal lagoon just outside, south down the Sound of Mull to Ben Tallaidh and east to the top of Ben Hiant. Working from home he has been able to watch and film:......<br />
<br />
White tailed sea eagles Otters<br />
Red kite Mink<br />
Whooper swans Dolphins<br />
Red breasted mergansers Seal<br />
Wigeon<br />
Teal<br />
Hoodie crows <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEKU1_5URZK4da3X2PEJ1HR22AcaB2dR_kNUq26VnllBYQvXutfK7FxAiNj17TYY7Rkr_CBJgg1fxaKLuvkH4sO1QXXPyeBeXYCROHZgzcDAgUmRW7hGSklA05XALqzJkcOPYqwYti3A/s1600/BB3P0232.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLEKU1_5URZK4da3X2PEJ1HR22AcaB2dR_kNUq26VnllBYQvXutfK7FxAiNj17TYY7Rkr_CBJgg1fxaKLuvkH4sO1QXXPyeBeXYCROHZgzcDAgUmRW7hGSklA05XALqzJkcOPYqwYti3A/s400/BB3P0232.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Evening on the Sound of Mull and Hamza's pine marten is off to work<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><br /></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Carrion crow<br />
Water rail<br />
Sparrow hawk<br />
Buzzard<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-42560689456954608782020-03-29T02:50:00.000-07:002020-03-31T01:17:29.215-07:00Coronavirus caravanners not welcome<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPl4p2tDt22EUNXw8uIL4Wj1-rpNKSQalwWvxnq2kf7_Fnfp3v0qNuTmJMI36LZHFPJoSOlhlcOYWKb2ZW54z2k2DDJYii0WnIr5rbnTeayzGCy6FTlGvnLBR_NewVysmDg5j9zVNCEo/s1600/IMG_20200328_125927430_BURST000_COVER+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGPl4p2tDt22EUNXw8uIL4Wj1-rpNKSQalwWvxnq2kf7_Fnfp3v0qNuTmJMI36LZHFPJoSOlhlcOYWKb2ZW54z2k2DDJYii0WnIr5rbnTeayzGCy6FTlGvnLBR_NewVysmDg5j9zVNCEo/s400/IMG_20200328_125927430_BURST000_COVER+%25281%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For one passenger and no cars</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We've been doing self-isolation in the UK for a week now, it's felt like a string of Church of Scotland Sundays.<br />
<br />
The village shop / post office is doing a sterling job supplying the basics but I had to go to Tobermory yesterday for fresh fruit and veg. On a normal Saturday morning at this time of year a dozen or so villagers are waiting for the ferry. Yesterday I was on my own.... I had the ferry to myself for the 35 minute journey both there and back.<br />
<br />
In Tobermory the Co-op supermarket was allowing 6 or 7 people inside at a time to protect staff and customers, the main street was almost deserted and people were careful to maintain two metres separation from each other.<br />
<br />
Yesterday we had had a total of 33 confirmed cases of Covid19 in the Highland Region; not surprising that it's relatively low, we have probably the lowest population density in the UK, 9 persons per square kilometre and even fewer here on the peninsula.<br />
<br />
I'm told there are 700 inhabitants between the lighthouse and Salen, the next village, 30 km away. If the peninsula is on average 5 km wide that's roughly 150 sq km, 4.5 persons per sq km, about the same as Lapland.<br />
<br />
<span style="color: red;"><b>It you think I'm wrong feel free to comment, it's something for you to do in quarantine.</b></span><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjys4l5t4EolVbtPG1yJ0Lz6GS_tVHJ8rnVaVXur8hzTdG4geuiOnZiXa8Iax5FwRH4syV-Ayuvmh3Vnbr8FiESCAN3A7ddBj73MQibUrWmTR_HF00WGUE1fh1Zz-vjCaWZ6VT0eTxcLWU/s1600/IMG_20200328_110223281_HDR+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjys4l5t4EolVbtPG1yJ0Lz6GS_tVHJ8rnVaVXur8hzTdG4geuiOnZiXa8Iax5FwRH4syV-Ayuvmh3Vnbr8FiESCAN3A7ddBj73MQibUrWmTR_HF00WGUE1fh1Zz-vjCaWZ6VT0eTxcLWU/s400/IMG_20200328_110223281_HDR+%25281%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Queuing for the supermarket</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Having distance between us is normal compared with the London Underground, Glasgow and New York. London has almost 4,000 people per sq km. So perhaps it's easier to keep 2 metres apart when we meet here.<br />
<br />
Last week after the movement restrictions were announced we had a lemming like migration of motor caravans from the South, refugees from Covid-19, mainly with white haired, bearded drivers like myself, in the "vulnerable" Over 70, crumbly" category. They were not welcome;.. think about it..,.,.<br />
<br />
In normal times our health services here in the Highlands are overstretched because of distance and scarcity of resources. If one of these people had a heart attack or symptoms of Covid-19 that could occupy the ambulance service or the helicopter for at least half a day. Our nearest major hospital is in Inverness and it looks after people from here to Shetland. N. Shetland is nearer to Oslo then Aberdeen by the way.<br />
<br />
Tourism is the main source of income in the Highlands and everyone is welcome in normal times. But not at the moment.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>P.S. </b><br />
<br />
I should have added that there were no cars on the ferry. Currently only the vehicles of Isle of Mull residents are allowed on to the island except for those of essential workers and for the delivery of essential supplies. You may be asked to show your driver's licence as this has your permanent residential address. The same applies to all of the islands and the Ardnamurchan Peninsula at Corran Ferry.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-15352528332009647342020-03-17T07:28:00.001-07:002020-12-28T06:38:29.449-08:00Too many deer......too few trees<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdWbP_N9u-AwXXry5VT0QYAFmYAU0YX4UZgAeHlXIL72vP6hF6NfIScGPnIrB3su6c760Tciakf1sXBmNidITezO-5KFAUYTj0ybJL4hbwAg1wucho8be-vSofRagPrGlgKlJJnn8MwM/s1600/red-2537250_640.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAdWbP_N9u-AwXXry5VT0QYAFmYAU0YX4UZgAeHlXIL72vP6hF6NfIScGPnIrB3su6c760Tciakf1sXBmNidITezO-5KFAUYTj0ybJL4hbwAg1wucho8be-vSofRagPrGlgKlJJnn8MwM/s400/red-2537250_640.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No trees too many Red deer </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If I look down from my bedroom window in the small hours of a moonlit winter's night there are large grey shapes mooching around in the field that runs down to the sea.<br />
<br />
During most of the year these red deer are cautious and keep away but tonight they are hungry, perhaps even starving. They have come down from the hill jumping barbed wire fences, browsing and trampling my newly planted trees.<a href="http://www.craigardcroft.com/2016/">The night visitors</a><br />
<br />
Until two or three years ago there was only a small population of deer at the west end of the peninsula but without effective culling there's been a population boom as in the rest of Scotland.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKmFw4jMFnvcYLI5huCdqm4mqK0M-b4LRZmv3xiTXtSGJhlTMHB8fgo2gNdTEfvTGP5R0qGoIza_o0NRNYzRVMbq1xSDjsETSy69Fs0gGKX5SCMVjQHKQiTT6y-3wjkmaVxwMDkJSHYY/s1600/IMG_20200317_091500231_HDR.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfKmFw4jMFnvcYLI5huCdqm4mqK0M-b4LRZmv3xiTXtSGJhlTMHB8fgo2gNdTEfvTGP5R0qGoIza_o0NRNYzRVMbq1xSDjsETSy69Fs0gGKX5SCMVjQHKQiTT6y-3wjkmaVxwMDkJSHYY/s400/IMG_20200317_091500231_HDR.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A deer trail down from the hill<br />
follow the black lines and you'll find the deer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's been estimated that since the 1960s Scotland's deer (red and roe deer) population has doubled and we now have more red deer than at any time since the end of the last ice age. Until recently trees could be planted here (on the west end of the peninsula) without a two metre high fence to keep deer out.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
Fencing costs are well over £3,000 per hectare, more than the trees, the planting , site preparation and subsequent maintenance. The Scottish Government's planting target is !0,000 ha each year until 2020 then 15,000 ha after that. Fencing will cost £300 million a year for the next four years then £450 million each year afterwards.<br />
<br />
There is an alternative to fencing............. In Glen Feshie fifteen years ago the Red Deer Commission, the government body that oversaw deer management in Scotland at the time, began a huge cull after widespread destruction of native plants, trees and the arctic-alpine nesting habitat of the Dotterel ,one of Scotland's rarest breeding birds. A team of stalkers using helicopters and high powered rifles reduced deer numbers from 1,500 to 400 in a year. The results were dramatic.<a href="http://www.richardbaynes.com/?page_id=125">Glen Feshie - Zero tolerance for deer</a><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RSfPWGX0qxWizdKPEQirF7dJLJ6rTx1O_pBiKaSKQvdGOJy4AzoR_JrGyh9hE89-waQBrE2LVH44uqCFz2fhdAA2-ADPq3UW9QmiDv0YKX3RkMkq7YygWEqYBsKatXlJXIJKHDGkiTI/s1600/IMG_20200317_091835819.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3RSfPWGX0qxWizdKPEQirF7dJLJ6rTx1O_pBiKaSKQvdGOJy4AzoR_JrGyh9hE89-waQBrE2LVH44uqCFz2fhdAA2-ADPq3UW9QmiDv0YKX3RkMkq7YygWEqYBsKatXlJXIJKHDGkiTI/s400/IMG_20200317_091835819.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deer hair on a barbed wire fence</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
When I visited Glen Feshie three years later there was widespread regeneration of native scots pines, the arctic alpine flora was flourishing and so were the dotterels. There was still a population of red deer, just fewer, giving a genuine hunting experience for the hunters. As opposed to the "canned hunting" available on many Highland estates where the hunting is more like the ritual slaughter of animals that have been hand fed in winter . The hunters are transported up on to the hill, they seem to have forgotten how to walk and hunt.<br />
<br />
Where new woods are being planted fewer than 10 deer per square kilometre means that we can probably do without fences, damage is minimised.<br />
<br />
Halving our deer population would mean; reducing the cost of planting, by up to half, more natural regeneration, more CO2 sequestered and a more authentic experience for hunters. The great cull doesn't mean just hunting; wolves could be re-introduced in the highlands. More on that next time......<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyi_eVqgqIP-ybLsoY3j_0XQN2y2OXaTV4AFLwm3RLGDJBWc-QlQc2Qy1zfpXqfG5Z-5NcvtyuRsYhOOdNTKkgKVH9byMX7uBGAq0p_7DQMg883c9xmO5YBWapGzWoCPjxvzPuIAOSkUw/s1600/IMG_20200317_091316687_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyi_eVqgqIP-ybLsoY3j_0XQN2y2OXaTV4AFLwm3RLGDJBWc-QlQc2Qy1zfpXqfG5Z-5NcvtyuRsYhOOdNTKkgKVH9byMX7uBGAq0p_7DQMg883c9xmO5YBWapGzWoCPjxvzPuIAOSkUw/s400/IMG_20200317_091316687_HDR.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rags are soaked in diesel, it's supposed to deter the deer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-3136691390730372012020-01-11T06:42:00.004-08:002020-01-11T12:15:23.169-08:00Extinction Rebellion classed with violent extremists.... UK Terrorism police<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3EJD4QSR6kJjBZyp_DDA4ClzNJhYYksxgJebUgttzf_XwVSVGI3bfhrcKy5sLMwK06qbtkK2ihYe2DJr2p1RtGjOCxTCDo760tAjvTD6Xm9_SpfFxkYGJCEqTTUDb2eQW1LMsVCyfFk/s1600/joel-de-vriend-o0sZHtfp4N8-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3EJD4QSR6kJjBZyp_DDA4ClzNJhYYksxgJebUgttzf_XwVSVGI3bfhrcKy5sLMwK06qbtkK2ihYe2DJr2p1RtGjOCxTCDo760tAjvTD6Xm9_SpfFxkYGJCEqTTUDb2eQW1LMsVCyfFk/s400/joel-de-vriend-o0sZHtfp4N8-unsplash.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
The UK terrorist police think I'm a potentially violent extremist despite my white hair, hearing aids, poor eyesight, poorer memory, dodgy knee and the occasional corn on my right foot. Why?...<br />
<br />
Because I support the aims and activities of<span style="color: blue;"><b> <a href="https://rebellion.earth/">Extinction Rebellion</a> </b></span>along with many other crumblies and their grand children. Who wouldn't, given the evidence on climate change and government inaction?...<br />
<br />
Anti-terrorism police have produced a guide to recognising children and adults with, "anti-establishment" views and philosophy who might be keen to take part in non-violent protests in order to pressure government to introduce effective climate change mitigation measures, it's obviously aimed at XR.<br />
<br />
So XR have been included in the secret policeman's handbook along with Neo-nazi and violent islamist organisations. Once you recognise these people you are asked to report them to the appropriate authorities. It looks like the thin end of a very authoritarian wedge.<br />
<br />
How could anyone consider me "anti-establishment? Possibly because I think of our new Prime Minister as a mendacious, indolent, incompetent narcissist but this is a perfectly reasonable assessment and a view held by over half of the population.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1swuWiB9UufklMNCakT6dA5bJNZAb62fc4kSKj3gjlLPh_mPo8oyDuwr76ZfTEAUWYcFedQZnroX7lgDhj6La-5AoeWEuul3N_6b3GTeY2kefgXCDJY8-xD5ioFq0xiUcyVZyzz8kY8/s1600/john-cameron-Liwkbcx7W1M-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif1swuWiB9UufklMNCakT6dA5bJNZAb62fc4kSKj3gjlLPh_mPo8oyDuwr76ZfTEAUWYcFedQZnroX7lgDhj6La-5AoeWEuul3N_6b3GTeY2kefgXCDJY8-xD5ioFq0xiUcyVZyzz8kY8/s400/john-cameron-Liwkbcx7W1M-unsplash.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A peaceful protester outnumbered by not very secret policemen</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
The cops haven't kicked my door in yet perhaps because their project has been widely revealed and criticised in today's newspapers.<br />
<br />
In a rapid about turn they have said that they do not now regard XR members as violent extremists and their guidebook is to be recalled.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-56854506922275547762020-01-10T10:58:00.000-08:002020-01-11T14:23:35.240-08:00National Parks were the best idea the USA ever had.....Why is the Trump administration being allowed to destroy them <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I have always been lucky, my mother once told me...." If you fell in the harbour you'd come out dry with your boots full of fish".<br />
<br />
Forty years ago I was lucky to be given a Winston Churchill Scholarship to visit the USA to find out about the development of sustainable agriculture. I travelled from coast to coast meeting academics, farmers and environmentalists. I took a small tent and at weekends I camped and hiked in National Parks from the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia to Colorado and Californian Sierras.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfxqXP_B9o_NmCo2UjNxYNzxZgdQ6rZfNkiotYev2lw_4aSDM0hxz-16MMzLCpX4fu6KYcotMInA68Cp_pNMb0N17jaQC1VsZQsrrj8MLT60YCNmYYTpEBdXm7HB_Dj6JAPGaC4LKPlY/s1600/half-dome-768806_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOfxqXP_B9o_NmCo2UjNxYNzxZgdQ6rZfNkiotYev2lw_4aSDM0hxz-16MMzLCpX4fu6KYcotMInA68Cp_pNMb0N17jaQC1VsZQsrrj8MLT60YCNmYYTpEBdXm7HB_Dj6JAPGaC4LKPlY/s400/half-dome-768806_640.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Half Dome Yosemite NP</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The National Parks were beautiful, well managed, well protected and looking as if John Muir's vision would last forever. However, commercial developments, road building and tourist facilities encroached up to and within park boundaries. It seemed they were in danger of being sacrificed to commercial tourism......outdoor versions of Disneyland. I also formed a lasting impression that without national parks the US might have very little left of conservation value, outside perhaps of Alaska.<br />
<br />
<br />
Why are you Americans allowing the Trump administration to dismantle the National Park Service, hand political leadership to anti-public land sycophants , natural resources to mining, ranching and other industries while allowing widespread misuse of the parks during government shutdowns?<br />
<br />
Since that first visit in 1983 we took our children camping, canoeing and walking in US national and state parks from S. California to the Boundary Waters, the White Mountains, the Appalachians and upstate New York.<br />
<br />
Later without the children we drove south from British Columbia into Washington State from pristine forests, lakes and mountains into a scene of utter devastation south of the border forests had been laid waste and rivers polluted with run off from soil erosion. No one stops there anymore the highway was littered with abandoned gas stations and wrecked vehicles. Don't let this happen within your National Parks. To keep up to date with developments click on the link below.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/29/this-land-is-your-land-email-signup">This land is your land, get regular updates here</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-86723917737546981482019-11-27T04:21:00.004-08:002019-12-02T01:05:30.526-08:00Climate change denying Trolls are still at it despite the scientific consensus<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Each morning I read the online version of The Guardian (UK equivalent of the Washington Post and France's Le Monde)) and The Times, to get a balanced view of the world.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqgLEqm2dxd7lsJLBNV2ISTRMk8q7ais-Konxs1C59s5S1qk2T-RUMDgCIbeklfWjivno1kMSq7B3KA6HedAF0gAPWycLkcHp-g4VsPBCVy9MkqOQkLXoaxRwghw_8K4OSsFBE4WCaoM/s1600/patrick-hendry-6xeDIZgoPaw-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVqgLEqm2dxd7lsJLBNV2ISTRMk8q7ais-Konxs1C59s5S1qk2T-RUMDgCIbeklfWjivno1kMSq7B3KA6HedAF0gAPWycLkcHp-g4VsPBCVy9MkqOQkLXoaxRwghw_8K4OSsFBE4WCaoM/s400/patrick-hendry-6xeDIZgoPaw-unsplash.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo: Patrick Hendry, Unsplash</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Today's Times ran a report by the United Nations on global greenhouse gas emissions and how they have reached a record high. Our global annual output of greenhouse gases is 53.5 bn tonnes and is set to be 59 bn tonnes by 2030. The "Paris Agreement" was for 40bn tonnes by 2030 to limit global warming to 2C and avoid catastrophic climate change.<br />
<br />
At the end of the piece there was an unbroken run of 12 comments all denying the report's findings, claiming that climate change is a myth or attacking the integrity of the journalist who wrote it. This is classic climate change denial strategy as begun by ExxonMobil in the early 70s and modelled on the tobacco industry attempts to keep us smoking; despite lung cancer.<br />
<br />
The primary tactic of environmental scepticism is........ "deny the evidence and deny the environmental problem"....... Then the deniers manufacture uncertainty by calling on us not to rush to judgement by claiming that more facts are needed.<br />
<br />
Have a look at today's Times article then read the comments below it and judge for yourself, does it look like organised scepticism of Troll factories supported by individual contrarians who may be afraid, angry or just scientifically illiterate.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/environment-energy/climate_change/ndc-global-outlook-report-2019.html">UNDP Global Outlook Report 2019</a><br />
<br />
I can't give you a link to the Times article because there is a paywall around their website, you'll have to buy a copy I'm afraid.<br />
<br />
For an appraisal of the history and denial strategy of contrarians have a look at this link....<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.climaterealityproject.org/blog/climate-denial-machine-how-fossil-fuel-industry-blocks-climate-action">How the fossil fuel industry blocks climate change action.</a><br />
<br />
The comments in the Times are true to form<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>It's not true, it's a myth</li>
<li>The evidence is widely disputed</li>
<li>This is a conspiracy</li>
<li>The journalist lacks integrity he / she is just recycling PR material<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</li>
</ul>
<div>
It has to be mostly paid for Trolls writing this , who else would spend their day churning out the same old stuff? Their output falls into three categories:</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQCbiUiTZY5xOtbhMIIeuXDOHQjUt6juBJzKd5zAHK6WMU4MfifLv8aB8_aFogExJRS729ePm_6jORZG5o_71OhS15ZHy7cFwhABkC0rqEcPxNfK-mTLkJNwwcvawLBgLdog6obJn89I/s1600/dominik-vanyi-Mk2ls9UBO2E-unsplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJQCbiUiTZY5xOtbhMIIeuXDOHQjUt6juBJzKd5zAHK6WMU4MfifLv8aB8_aFogExJRS729ePm_6jORZG5o_71OhS15ZHy7cFwhABkC0rqEcPxNfK-mTLkJNwwcvawLBgLdog6obJn89I/s400/dominik-vanyi-Mk2ls9UBO2E-unsplash.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's not just "big oil" coal mining is still expanding</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><u>Lying</u></b><br />
Generally you can find "outright denial" or conscious denial in the face of the facts or events, this is lying (See; D. Trump).<br />
<br />
<b><u>Bullshit</u></b><br />
Instead of outright denial, the denier can choose to interpret the facts of climate change in order to distract. For example the accumulation of Co2 in the atmosphere is due to rising temperatures. not <i>vice versa. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<b><u>Deceit</u></b><br />
Deniers can accept the facts of climate change then proceed to present them as something else altogether by minimising or dismissing the need to act when the facts say that we should. Most of us are guilty.<br />
<br />
For example, I take the train on European journeys instead of flying and kid myself that I am doing my bit. The emergence of Extinction Rebellion has made more of us think about our response to climate change, self-deceit is becoming increasingly untenable in the face of a moral imperative. <br />
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
<i><br /></i>
</div>
Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-65285314407424279812019-11-14T07:14:00.002-08:002019-11-16T10:08:17.008-08:00Travels with a donkey......La Route Stevenson<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lcTFIXFR91ZuYM0NQ7bzN6EA-RaCCJIF5U0JRpq5qK-tTyfKgluttYvUbF8aQhL_MVdYUUJKGWQzl35pBf3OoaYMfOnnAGbiOQUfJinFl4EqZdArXcdJZKnqxU9AA9IddOrRMAyBF90/s1600/IMG_20191116_075712487.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lcTFIXFR91ZuYM0NQ7bzN6EA-RaCCJIF5U0JRpq5qK-tTyfKgluttYvUbF8aQhL_MVdYUUJKGWQzl35pBf3OoaYMfOnnAGbiOQUfJinFl4EqZdArXcdJZKnqxU9AA9IddOrRMAyBF90/s400/IMG_20191116_075712487.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise over the Morven Peninsula 15/11/19</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It's the 14th November and already this month I have filled the water butt with a hosepipe for the livestock three times. It's been unusually dry for three weeks, at a time when we are normally deluged., the sun is shining in a cloudless sky and it's 4 degrees outside.<br />
<br />
Thoughts turn to summer 2020, France and a walking holiday but this time with a difference.....I want to take donkey.<br />
<a href="http://www.craigardcroft.com/2018/04/a-long-walk-in-pyrenees.html">A long walk in the Pyrenees without a donkey</a><br />
<br />
Robert Louis Stevenson is perhaps most famous for his novels Treasure Island and Kidnapped. He may be less well known as a pioneer travel and outdoor writer. "Travels with a donkey in the Cevennes", written in 1879 was one of his first outdoor books, an account of his 120 mile walk with the donkey Modestine from Le Puy to St. Jean du Gard through the Cevennes.<br />
<br />
Modestine was his essential pack animal because he didn't travel light his heavy extra large sleeping <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KF1Ocp-S5wuN81Ks69y1Z1y-V6tKWG14a-pOcBsFS81dbMH9fJJV-tC2WUEhMjD-aXoI3vtMBln2WKhq8AsKCwA-z48zKdJLljirHrzebzR6Tr72pryxCpxOoYzy51fBdKnrOsqvc5k/s1600/image+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5KF1Ocp-S5wuN81Ks69y1Z1y-V6tKWG14a-pOcBsFS81dbMH9fJJV-tC2WUEhMjD-aXoI3vtMBln2WKhq8AsKCwA-z48zKdJLljirHrzebzR6Tr72pryxCpxOoYzy51fBdKnrOsqvc5k/s400/image+%25281%2529.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">RLS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
bag was made of sheepskins, he took wine, brandy, a leg of mutton and a revolver he really needed a donkey. We don't really need one, we travel light and unarmed, overnight baggage can go by courier van to the next stopover. I just like the idea of an asinine companion.<br />
<br />
RLS cursed Modestine roundly every day and he goaded her with a stick; she was too slow and stubborn, he didn't realise that she was on heat for at least part of the time. In 2020 a hired donkey should, I hope be more amenable as long as the donkey driver follows some basic rules. Don't overload her, don't creep up on her from behind especially when she is eating corn, don't try to stroke her face her shoulder or neck are are preferable.<br />
<br />
At the end of their trek in St. Jean du Gard RLS was sad to see her go when he sold her and described her thus....<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
She was patient, elegant in form, the colour of an ideal mouse, and inimitably small.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Her faults were those of her age and sex; her virtues were her own.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYoB1t1qVFpoVzY09Tl6j1RbUI2Rc-Ldcts0_kQ7YEqahHQYwPI3BymZ3Nt_nrY-uiIm9XCdathVR-j1aJWUGhZd6t1wIPJGQCqP2FN5AV9BKnd0HNG1qIStZHb0V0LaaID-FIyWhh_U/s1600/IMG_20191114_143502802.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisYoB1t1qVFpoVzY09Tl6j1RbUI2Rc-Ldcts0_kQ7YEqahHQYwPI3BymZ3Nt_nrY-uiIm9XCdathVR-j1aJWUGhZd6t1wIPJGQCqP2FN5AV9BKnd0HNG1qIStZHb0V0LaaID-FIyWhh_U/s400/IMG_20191114_143502802.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
My walking companion an experienced horsewoman is more practical than me and thinks that a donkey may be more trouble than it's worth. I'll have to work on this.<br />
<br />
"The Route Stevenson" the GR 7 follows Stevenson's route closely and the original book, only 176 pages in the copy that I have , could be used as a guide but my map reading is never brilliant so I've bought the french Topo Guide, it's detailed and the maps are excellent...... we'll take both!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
While planning I also have to bear in mind that I am now a "crumbly" (over 75 years) and I think we should do one half in the early summer and if we do the second half... in the autumn. The stages will be shorter than those of the GR7, the accommodation comfortable and the baggage goes by van. This is as a result of my biting off more than I could chew on the GR10 in 2018.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The best Gites d'Etapes are fine but mountain huts are out and in some places hotels and inns will be used. It has taken me a rather long time to realise that it's worth paying for a good bed with en-suite bathroom. Food is normally excellent everywhere except in mountain huts.<br />
<a href="http://www.craigardcroft.com/2018/09/">A summer in the Pyrenees</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.craigardcroft.com/2019/03/a-very-rough-guide-to-alpine-mountain.html">Alpine hut etiquette</a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-47536975860607014842019-10-30T08:04:00.000-07:002019-10-31T01:18:46.404-07:00Environmental ethics in the age of fake news, oligarchy and moral relativism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHGM6lm3fC5LstquSLNkSYcB6Z8mnEX2_GkR_ltrqfQiXMQx4IM1kMwSza4Asg8ztvXL7j_nFHfl8U1kyuPVFewEOrnAr6cwgIkQX73e3fv61Yz9JFQrP-crXft8xS0udGr184TghphU/s1600/the-thinker-692959_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHGM6lm3fC5LstquSLNkSYcB6Z8mnEX2_GkR_ltrqfQiXMQx4IM1kMwSza4Asg8ztvXL7j_nFHfl8U1kyuPVFewEOrnAr6cwgIkQX73e3fv61Yz9JFQrP-crXft8xS0udGr184TghphU/s320/the-thinker-692959_640.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Thirty years ago when The United States lead the world in the field of environmental ethics I had the opportunity to do a Masters degree in "Environmental Values".<br />
<br />
Now with the world turned upside down and the USA having won the race to the bottom in valuing the environment, I wonder if it was worth the effort.<br />
<br />
Back in 1989 I was a working farm manager with a science degree and an interest in the environment. It seemed to me that we knew the technical solutions to many of our environmental problems and that these problems were the unforeseen side effects of new technology, technologies which had been used without sufficient precaution. Studying environmental values might lead me to understand why we were so careless with the natural world. I was still rather naive and idealistic in my forties.<br />
<br />
My first seminar in a philosophy department was a shock. The vocabulary often required resort to a dictionary, there were long and pregnant silences while people thought about the questions posed. It was a strange world, far from a science tutorial where we mainly dissected and critiqued scientific papers in front of the Prof. Gradually I got the idea, which was to discuss how the various theories of ethics could and might be applied to the natural world.<br />
<br />
First we had to decide if non-humans; animals, ecosystems, mountains rivers etc could actually be moral subjects because to be a moral subject you had to have intrinsic value and only humans could have intrinsic value according to the 18th century Scots philosopher and sceptic David Hume<br />
<br />
We discussed the application of utilitarianism to the environment and it's underpinning of 20th century environment policy, animal welfare and even animal rights. Then Kant and, " The Golden Rule" which in it's crudest terms says you ought to do as you would be done unto. More up to date was the american philosopher John Rawls and his notion of the ," Veil of ignorance"; he argued that policy ought to be made by policymakers assuming that they were completely ignorant of their own position, socially, culturally and financially in order to be completely fair.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjQuSFBqa21vOztdzyPkzr8NqJsTf3Ypm6YA6Ya2qXiEhuKnow9GXMouUQ_A4zBFZUr9lmkEFKNA60F8dOm73TQMY0Pfyr1hV2Lwz2rCLcU_UeBGmlvS6hvYDJp9MLbwuedItIliEpto/s1600/IMG_20191030_162052452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixjQuSFBqa21vOztdzyPkzr8NqJsTf3Ypm6YA6Ya2qXiEhuKnow9GXMouUQ_A4zBFZUr9lmkEFKNA60F8dOm73TQMY0Pfyr1hV2Lwz2rCLcU_UeBGmlvS6hvYDJp9MLbwuedItIliEpto/s320/IMG_20191030_162052452.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
What appealed to me most was , <i>The Land Ethic", </i>first outlined by Aldo Leopold in his 1949 collection of essays, <i>A Sand County Almanac". </i>Leopold appealed to me probably because he was a scientist, manager and wonderful writer. His ethos was ecologically based, he rejected the human centred approach of utilitarianism and argued that we need a new relationship with land, animals, plants and ecosystems. The real philosophers concentrated on arguing that there was no real philosophical foundation to his ethic it was basically romantic ecology. I think that's why it appealed to me and the US National Park Service who underpinned their management for three decades with Leopold's ethic.<br />
<br />
At the end of two years studying I felt that some of my questions had been answered but far more had been raised. The important thing is that we were discussing our values and the environment and how we might save and preserve ecosystems, species, rivers and mountains.<br />
<br />
I can't imagine that happening in today's White House or No. 10 Downing Street where politicians and the people who fund them are taking us to "hell in a handcart" . As for the Masters course, it's long gone.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-13970158507156474282019-10-30T06:24:00.000-07:002019-11-04T01:01:22.428-08:00Good news on global warming and climate change.... if we plant more trees!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The <i style="font-weight: bold;">American Association for the Advancement of Science, </i>gave us some good news in the July edition of it's journal, <i style="font-weight: bold;">Science.</i><br />
<br />
<i style="font-weight: bold;"></i>Global mapping of the earth's tree growing potential has shown we could restore 4.4 billion hectares (10.6 billion acres) of woodland worldwide, outside of existing forests and agricultural land. <i>The global tree restoration potential, </i>Bastin <i>et.al., Science, </i><b>365</b>, No. 6448, pp. 76-79<br />
<br />
This would increase the global forest area by more than 25 per cent storing over 200 giga tonnes of carbon over it's lifetime and 25 percent of the current pool of atmospheric carbon. <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/365/6448/76">Read the abstract here</a><br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBP6yHyHySPdoP6F9PIMHfU6-arWjW1FIJ-c7rHFcdcg49RLJ-dFnQttO7cmG3es4aC4mr9HLazQx4H9k6gxnmmLhpb60nYYsADVW1-grfofVj2D4lzYuVGBw755MlozjVIYWATKyYk8s/s1600/IMG_20190224_133922136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBP6yHyHySPdoP6F9PIMHfU6-arWjW1FIJ-c7rHFcdcg49RLJ-dFnQttO7cmG3es4aC4mr9HLazQx4H9k6gxnmmLhpb60nYYsADVW1-grfofVj2D4lzYuVGBw755MlozjVIYWATKyYk8s/s320/IMG_20190224_133922136.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A remnant of the Caledonian Pine Forest</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In Scotland , in 2017, we had a review of our national forest strategy 2019 - 2029. About 18 per cent of our land area is covered by trees and a further 12 per cent is capable of growing trees without taking any prime farmland. This compares with an average 37 per cent tree cover in the countries of the European Union .<br />
<br />
The Scottish government has set a planting target of 15,000 ha per annum until 2024/25. Two thirds of our forests are privately owned and one third is owned by the government through Forestry Scotland formerly the Forestry Commission. <a href="https://www.gov.scot/publications/scotlands-forestry-strategy-20192029/pages/4/">Scotland's Forestry Strategy 2019 -2029</a><br />
<br />
The Scottish "Crofting Counties" cover some 750,000 hectares of land, crofts are smallholdings where the farming family earns most of the household income off the croft and many of them would welcome the opportunity to plant trees.<br />
<br />
It costs around £5,000 per hectare to fence, plant and establish trees, large landowners have the resources to do this and at the end of the day are presented with a valuable capital asset because the whole cost is grant aided by the taxpayer. It is not the capital cost itself that deters Crofters from planting it is their lack of capital to pay for the project over two or three years until the grant is paid. they cannot afford to do it.<br />
<br />
If the Scottish government are serious about their ambitious planting targets they need to introduce bridging loans for smaller forestry projects. Once the trees are fenced and planted the loan would be recovered from the grant. Investment in trees would no longer be only available to the wealthy as socialism for rich landowners.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtYmE4XlIcqH9X-pnQUVud4QbpnEp2qC0p6elZTbxErlDdHoGAWTXZxyo8fQiMj2Ty68MlYuxVba324YLqPvIbFNzXFK81wHKge-3FOgHsgKnTfdx-X8hDIrEQeSIfpS0YGkID2XSWEg/s1600/scotland-3930248_640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="640" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtYmE4XlIcqH9X-pnQUVud4QbpnEp2qC0p6elZTbxErlDdHoGAWTXZxyo8fQiMj2Ty68MlYuxVba324YLqPvIbFNzXFK81wHKge-3FOgHsgKnTfdx-X8hDIrEQeSIfpS0YGkID2XSWEg/s400/scotland-3930248_640.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scotland: Too many deer... too few trees</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Deer fencing comprises up to 50% of the cost of tree establishment, without fencing the trees are rapidly destroyed by marauding deer, we have an estimated 350 - 400,000 red deer in the highlands. Without them or with much lower numbers tree planting would be much cheaper and natural regeneration possible in many areas.<br />
<br />
<b>NB.</b><br />
Please bear in mind that this report in the journal <b><i>Science </i></b>is based on real science using rigorous methodology, peer review and the results published in a prestigious journal of international standing.<br />
<br />
It is not the deluded Twitter ramblings of a climate change denying politician or the propaganda of a so called, "think tank" paid for by business corporations or oligarchs ( you know who they are).<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8922954556426967855.post-56368364997826265672019-10-04T10:23:00.000-07:002019-10-04T10:25:11.480-07:00The Roadkill Cafe and the Field guide to flattened fauna<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjTcCU7XyJ9e7r9Vnmxkq_1cQkZPYCDoDGPpMveFk0m9ZO8F1qY2zHjcKKx-y_VNTu-y2hvAKMyv2xAB4kXhKFR8chtkCLgDBiZprU8TP9ToMHzYdKxTQl14DGLmpj7ELRSPuUA4Tma0/s1600/IMG_20191004_141038063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjTcCU7XyJ9e7r9Vnmxkq_1cQkZPYCDoDGPpMveFk0m9ZO8F1qY2zHjcKKx-y_VNTu-y2hvAKMyv2xAB4kXhKFR8chtkCLgDBiZprU8TP9ToMHzYdKxTQl14DGLmpj7ELRSPuUA4Tma0/s400/IMG_20191004_141038063.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
In February I wrote about the now annual dinner of our old guys expedition group, "Crispy Grey Squirrel at the Roadkill Cafe". The squirrels I had in the freezer have gone along with the pheasants, I inadvertently switched off the freezer while working in the workshop. Now with only three weeks to go I need replacements urgently.<br />
<br />
Many years ago I discovered a unique field guide in the Minneapolis airport bookshop. .....<i><b>Flattened Fauna, A field guide to common animals of roads, streets and highways.</b></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
The author describes 36 reptile, avian and mammal remains after compression, mainly by really big trucks. He he says that the animals are most sincerely dead, so dead that even the flies have lost interest.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_4IAm7b_FgU_-CaDP7O-18cN3A6eFxlVWVN81Aga_IdZsYaOCWy9_EBH8Lpkvm9tfM3BbFtKsLHLg-BjRFNLkZuApoT9cQNmuBt-VhSyZKZ1Js_V5spW5S1BE7mDFKrBYdEggymuup8/s1600/IMG_20191004_180314815+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_4IAm7b_FgU_-CaDP7O-18cN3A6eFxlVWVN81Aga_IdZsYaOCWy9_EBH8Lpkvm9tfM3BbFtKsLHLg-BjRFNLkZuApoT9cQNmuBt-VhSyZKZ1Js_V5spW5S1BE7mDFKrBYdEggymuup8/s320/IMG_20191004_180314815+%25281%2529.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Grey squirrels are very flat except for the long bushy tail which is usually the only identifying characteristic as it waves in the slipstream of passing trucks so it's not really suitable for cooking.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
I won't be scouring the roads of Northumberland ( we don't have grey squirrels here) and hope that my squirrel trapping friends can supply a fresher non flattened, humanely despatched corpse.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
Tom Brysonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17979099665965088868noreply@blogger.com0