isleofronalog

This post is in response to a post I received in my Linkedin feed (Ardtornish Estate) and also on my Face Book feed (Lismore).

As I am restricted in the legth of my replies to Linkedin I thought best to make a post with a link to it, so it is not really the normal post but it is the real world here on Rona.

These posts are interesting and I am always amused when they come up as they seem to be talking about something new. In my life there is nothing new about protecting one species by killing another. The state of play to-day means that more and more of the predators that were routinely killed by Gamekeepers, Shepherds and Wildlife managers are no longer under threat as they are protected. In my opinion for sure that is a good thing for species that were brought to the brink of extinction (or so it was said), but a lot of species that were thought to be in danger were far from it. Pine Martens for one have been around in numbers all of my life and certainly do great damage out there in the mainland forests. There is not a huge amount of difference between a Pine Marten and a Mink.

What we are talking about here though is Mink, American Mink and here is the Isle of Rona story about Mink.

Having spent some of my life in the gamekeeping world I am acquaint with the tools and knowledge, kindly passed onto my by an older generation that although they were trappers they had a knowledge of the coutryside that you would struggle to find to-day. I am forever grateful.

22 years ago I came to Rona having left the world of Country Sports behind, I had some traps in my effects but had no use for them. I understood the commitment to a trap line and had no further need to do that. That was until the day that good friend Muriel Banks off of Yacht Super G spotted a Mink swimming the whole length of the harbour here. 16 years or so ago. We had chickens here at that time and we were well aware that Mink would make a mess of them, so we took extra precautions but whatever we did we did in vain, although the Mink are not very bright when it comes to traps. But they are as good as any of their breed in getting into the smallest of spaces and taking advantage of any lapse of security. In one hour they can and did wipe out our hens, very traumatic for Lorraine and deeply annoying, no eggs!!

We took them into the polytunnel in their secure box but ‘forgot’ one night to shut them in, second time it happened in the polytunnel it happened in broad daylight one afternoon.

So it happened we lost 4 lots of good hens. Pretty upsetting and very disappointing. So the trapping started. With Fenn mark 3/4 traps and boxes. A few cages were bought but with no other Mustelidae here it was safe to set traps that would kill any mink venturing in. We have had no by-catch.

These trap boxes developed into the type used by the RSPB in Orkney after one of their trappers came here to work. Which led to many interesting insider conversations about that project which unforunately he would not commit to paper as some incidents would be pretty damaging for the RSPB, I had no reason to disbelieve him.

At our peak we had 20 traps set around Rona, but mostly in specific areas where we would either be daily going to and from or not far away from points of work, so could check them as is the law. This is a thankless task as there are many days when blanks are more common than kills, but we did initially have good success, this being a reflection on how far the population had grown and expanded. One positive is that on daily visits you get a real sense of what is about, the regular movements of the deer and other interesting moments such as the Otter walking down the path oblivious to me coming up behind her on my ATV.

I would set all the traps in one area, Big Harbour first, then move them after a month to Dry Harbour, the East coast, down South and in the various pockets of forests.

Sadly I did not take many notes about size, sex or colours in the early days and I suspect my records amount to entries in my diaries.

Of course we had our fair share of young Mink, being very immature and easy to catch, but we also had some very big males and on one occasion two males were caught in two Mark 6 Fenns together in the same box, both dead.

I would only be guessing at numbers but around 50 were caught in one year at its peak but thereafter numbers varied around the 20 mark. Latterly we are down to single figures but I have no doubt that the Mink still operate here and in around one months time I will set my trap line yet again as the hungry months start to come in.

I understand I may not be allowed to use my old Fenn traps and have to go for DOC Traps (Very expensive), I do have some cage traps but do not find them as effective as my own Fenn set up.

I would like to think that I have made a difference to the avian population on Rona in my time. In my early days I would see nests of small birds torn apart and think that it was Hoodie Crows doing their dirty work but when I became aware of Mink and were first spotted on Rona everything fell into place. Although the crow family are smarter than most, some of the destroyed nests were in very odd places but not odd to a Mink.

I have no knowledge of the distribution of Mink in Scotland apaert froim the material on the internet but in coastal areas I suspect they are in huge numbers, they tried to eradicate them in the Outer Isles but I know from my contacts in Uist that they are still there, as an old Keeper once told me, there is no man alive that will kill the last Stoat, Weasel or Pine Marten.

On Rona we will continue to trap, thankfully we don’t have Pine Martens just Otters and they are not known for climbing trees but are opportunists and will snaffle birds eggs.

I will be very happy not to catch a Mink this winter but I will not think for one minute that we are Mink free.

Whilst out stalking one day on one of the Islands at the South of Rona I could not believe my eyes when in the middle of the day a young mink came out of the water on the Raasay side of the Island. I had the choice make no noise and note it, continue stalking maybe be successful or shoot the Mink. Not a big target but I chose to shoot the Mink.

We had a very vibrant Fulmar colony here at Dhu Chamas on Rona, also pockets of other species dotted around, Terns, Common Gulls and Black Backs of course. Over my time here the Dhu Chamas colonies disappeared. I guess having watched Black Back Gulls, Ravens, Hoodie Crows and Skuas feed heartily on these colonies for years their demise was a certainty, but add Mink to the mix and there is no question, Rona like all other areas is suffering with the weight of predators.

Add to that the fishing of Sand Eels and no wonder we have not got the numbers of Sea Birds that we ‘used’ to have, even in my Rona lifetime. It is shocking from the link above that even when numbers of Sand eels caught a decade ago suggested that something was wrong as the catch was less than half the traditional catch, they kept on fishing. Shocking.

I will never forget the year that the young gulls (I have a picture somewhere) numbering up to 100 came off the moor and made it to the waters edge waiting for their parents to feed them but unbeknown to them they had more or less been abandoned. They were by the water looking at the sea, naturally knowing the food should be there but it was not. It had been overfished in my opinion and the eels did not turn up. No different this year with my first showing of eels only yesterday whilst coming back from Portree. Maybe if the RSPB did more campaigning on this front instead of being obsessed with Grouse Moors and the shooting fraternity they would get my vote.

How did the Mink get here, they swam here from Raasay. The same as they swam to Raasay From Skye, perhaps they crossed the Skye Bridge (Pine Marten have been found dead on the Bridge!!) but I would guess they were on Skye long before the Bridge opened.

They were most likely on Rona before I got here.

Just a wee post to finish and to get up to date (although I did miss quite a few weeks and maybe I will look back and see if I can get them in somewhere).

So to-day the fog that rolled in last night is here, thicker, colder and damper. But I will go in for a swim shortly whatever the weather, it should be fun.

Hard to believe we were in swimming last night at 6pm in glorious sunshine, very warm and less than hour later we could not see the pontoon from the house. To-day going over to the cottages there was a fantastic showing with the dew/fog of millions of cobwebs. In turn it tells us that there is a very healthy insect world going on, these spiders must live on something, not only midgies!! This week with the heat the DragonFlies have been in squadrons, lots of bees, flies and of course midgies have burst onto the scene. Which begs the question given the Conservationists love to tell us we are the most nature depleted country in the world (a statememnt I truly hate), not here. I found out to-day the study of Spiders is Arachnology!!

To-day was a good day for inside work and I spent most of it at the laptop. But swimming beckoned.

A brief break in the weather we have had or are we in for something special this Autumn? Who knows but it could not be any worse than August. So here we are with my weekly update on Rona happenings.

Thick cold fog out there to-day which is the reason for multiple posts (on FB and Linkedin)

Back to full time work now that our latest helpers have left, well full time and more. There is much to do, even with our future sort of mapped out for us. Life goes on. The Island has to be kept in ship shape condition and that alone is a full time job without running back and fore to Portree. But it has been good to get a decent spell, catch up a lot and to look forward to the Rut which is just round the corner.

Our Dutch guests are first on the 21st of this month so the last stag I shot will be it until they arrive, then it will be doubly full time with my loyal helpers returning yet again for another season stalking.

So here is the gallery part one from last week:

A mixed bag for the first of the week, three trips to Portree, a few more yachts, no surprise with the good days. Fuel stocks were low so that was a priority to get the new strimmer, well the old one did well and it sort of was in bits so nothing for it but to buy a new one. Grey days gave way to bright days, swimming for the winter season started, ouch, cold, but good now. The deer are still hanging about our houses, the grass is good there of course. I wonder if the stag that was here during the rut last year will come back. Going to Portree regularly I was thinking I could offer these fishing buoys up to a fisherman if he/she would give a donation to say Donnie G’s kirk in Portree, now that would be good.

The rest of the week was more fuel, more delivering to various tanks over the Island, sun shining, swimming every evening, the colours in the Autumn light, stunning. Repairs of our first LongDog trailer, a weak point on the drawbar which Rona will find for sure. A new trailer, Ikea self build it turned out. But only a few bolts and a good hand from Fergus Auld from Raasay, we were on our way to the pier to load, thanks Tommy Corrigal for the lift onboard. Off to Portree for it, and taking my older sister back to Portree on a beautiful morning. Quite early to beat the traffic, Portree busy as usual. But once loaded, back to the Island with lots of sea birds and a Basking Shark, first of the season, on and in the water. I met up with David on the Raasay Rib who had not seen much in the way of (Big) wildlife but shortly after met up with I think another basking shark, but the scenery even without the wildlife was and is stunning. Ah well another flat out week doing the work of several men, these posts are only the half of what goes on here but not many see that.

Part two is the daylight. Because it is bright light at 5.30ish I cannot sleep past that. There is nothing for it but to get up and go out studying Rona’s Red Deer. Part of the job I really love. If you are going to manage deer you need to get to know them, get to know their places, their habits and who is who. A very small part of it is shooting the deer, the rest is fieldwork and the aftermath, that is when the real work starts. With the rut getting underway soon (Possibly sooner with this strange weather) it is in every deer managers interest to find out where their stags are. We have a strange situation here where when the stags mature they head off to Raasay, but they come back for the rut, stay a while then return to Raassay (maybe). Are they our stags or theirs? Who knows. But in the meantime there are many young stags on Rona and with our venison business they fit the bill.

Sorry about the pictures of the dead stags but that is the reality. This was an exciting two or three mornings, two with the rifle one with the ‘good’ camera, although I have to say the light was weird.

Down South I was struggling to find a candidate for venison, but spied a group of stags from where I had come from. They had been feeding obviously down on the coast and were making their way back to the tops to get some sun and to lie up away from the flies.

After a pretty long detour I stalked into where I thought the group were and when I popped my head up to the edge of the wee hill that I had come to there they were.

I selected this one and came forward, the shot was clean and out of the corner of my eye a Sea Eagle, barely 20 metres away took off. Quite a shock that not only had I stalked the stags, I had stalked the Sea Eagle too.

That was perhaps the easy bit and the hard work had just begun, I took off back to the bike and then had to find a route into the stag. The ground is so rough the only way out was to drag it, then lift it onto the bike. I thought my days of this were coming to a close but not so. Here I am 69 next month doing it all again, but you know what, I love it!!!!

Back to the larder, an hours skinning then feet up. A well earned breakfast was followed by (See Part one).

That evening the home deer were just outside the balcony on a beautiful summer’s evening, lovely to see. How can I shoot them when I love to see them, a difficult question, but it is on my shoulders to manage the herd on Rona and I try to do that well. That means culling and they provide the organic venison we need as protein and to sell.

The next morning I took the camera and found the three stags at Dry Harbour I had been looking for for a few weeks. Nice to see and to add to the numbers already counted to totals. It should be a good rut this September.

Here is the route last Saturday 6.7 km but the Red Line is the ATV retrieving the deer. A 2.23 hr stalk, possibly the red line was 20 minutes, not a long day but with lots more going on, long enough. Started at 6.41 from the bike.

More coming soon.

Here we are on Sunday night, reflecting on a busy week. Someone said that there was not a lot to do on Rona………..Aye right!!!!! This is part 1.

Here’s a mixed bag from the last week or so

I guess it is all about the weather and this horrible spell finally passing, but not for long. Lots going on, fuel was low so that was priority, you have to keep on top of stocks, if not, there will be issues later on in the year if foul weather continues. But swift action just now means we are looking good.

Amazing how the sun brings the yachties out and here is Roaring Meg, a non payer but once I finish this I will email Stornoway Harbour, where they are hiding out and suggest they pay up.

The road conditions are not great, Lewisian Gneiss is very hard if not the hardest. So things suffer but it does help if grease is packed into brand new bearings whewn they are fitted!!!!

The internet is always needing tweeks and the bothy/free WiFi was playing up. A bit of a mystery to me but I get it working with help from Ian Bolas and Marc Smith of Hebnet.

Ewen has been struggling with trips and no wonder, the weather in August was surely the worst ever.

Finally a dram on a poor day after a job is welcome, plus an optic in the larder will maybe stop the ‘House’ drams I pour up there during the stalking.

Happy Days.

So here is an update of where we are. Weather grim, fire has been on, not many yachts, pissing rain, gales every other day, August has been a nightmare. We think it is winter!!!

So here is an update of where we are, a wee gallery of the last 8 days:

I do not know how to caption the gallery but here is the story.

The last 8 days have been difficult in so many ways, there is news coming but not just quite yet. Suffice to say we are working away getting ready for a full September, with stalking guests and so much more. Interesting times ahead. Last week was difficult trying to find some shootable stags but I got two in the end, butchered them and now heading off tomorrow to our outlet, Skye Wholesale (Maggies Fruit and Veg). Maggie has done incredibly well selling all of our products, we hope to continue filling her freezers.

Weather apart, life goes on, firewood needs stocked up, a rotting birch was an ideal candidate for felling. Despite no sun the heather has turned purple, nice to see, hopefully we will get some sunny days to warm it up a bit.

Portree visits are on a winter footing, grabbing a break in the weather, always dicey when it can blow up quick, but luckily last week I got home just as the SW wind decided to ramp it up to 20mph.

There are a couple of hardy yachts in here tonight, numbers are well down, ah well another great British summer.

For the first time for 4 weeks we could sit out on the balcony and havbe a GnT, life is not that bad.

I have been meaning to post this link for some time now but events have taken over. A familiar theme on Rona.

Here we have two very good friends whom we have known since more or less day one of my stay on Rona and thereafter when Lorraine arrived. Eddie Rebbek and Jim McCune. Sadly now Rona would be a destination maybe out of reach as it was a pretty epic trip back in the day, the first stumbling block would have been ‘The Mishnish Hotel’ in Tobermory, owned by the MacLeod family for a long time. Also way back in the day when I went to school in Tobermory with some of the family, 1965.

My Father who was Post Master there then was a guest there courtesay of the Post Office for many months. Before we moved (during the Seaman’s Strike I remember!!!) I am sure he enjoyed it as much as Eddie and Jim have.

It was my Grandchildren looking through my photobooks that prompted me to remember this article in the Press and Journal, our local paper.

Just having hasd a trawl through my photos on the Mac here and having come across a visit from 2013. Happy Days. Sun shining , good company including our other very good friends Laurie and Alasdair of off Yacht Runrig during this visit although, Laurie owned a Maxi 1100 called Yacht Rona. Since sold as is Runrig, new owners, new adventures.

Here is the link to the article, enjoy: Eddie and Jim

People say what will you do when you leave Rona, well here is a thing, gather up all the Rona photos and history, keep the blog going posting it all. So look out.

Here are a few my Older Sister Margaret sent lately, she promises more. I have tons too.

Don’t know if you can read it and I have asked for a better copy, but here is a (innacurate) article on Rona when it went up for sale.

Another article from Margaret’s collection, I should say here that she was here before me as a cook up at the Qinetic Base (back then BUTEC) but left just as I arrived in the South. But thankfully she kept these articles, always interesting to read about Peter Clayton’s time here.

Then there was Donald and Fiona MaCalman who were here for a number of years and were well liked locally having their time during Donald Matheson’s fish farm days in Dhu Chamas. The only Qinetic (BUTEC) guy I know there is Mike Webster who was up North for much of my days here until it closed.

They were here when the Lodge was renovated and here we have the builders taking a break, a lot of work back in the day.

Then there was me, living alone here for three years then Lorraine joined me, Jeez was I that thin!!!!

This last photo must have been in the very early days just after Raymond and Mary left, happy days knocking it into shape.

Everyone loved Choppy and Lady, they used to take the visitors to Church Cave and other destinations. They were very happy dogs.

All for now but I am sure there are more to come