isleofronalog

Off and On Rona This Week

We had a wee trip over to see friends in Shieldaig, part of that was to visit kishorn boat yard to see the engineers there and also to have a look at a new Woodland Trust forest where the local’s were wondering what ‘The Road to Nowhere’ was actually for. More of that later. But in the meantime we remembered Calum the stag, this was a couple of years back and he looked terrible then but the reason I have posted this is that I saw a photo of him on FB and he looked really Bad, I hope I can find it and enlarge on why stags that reach this stage would be better culled rather than fed digestives, crisps and the odd applecore. Found the photo.

The photographer who took this photo is an ex- employee of Nature Scot and he was very disappointed to see this stag wandering about the layby, with no teeth and looking the worse for wear. I understand he is not being culled as he is a tourist attraction? On the same week this photo was taken two deer controllers were spotted heading out to the hills (at the end of March which is outrageous/leave the deer in peace boys? ) on Neighbouring Nature Scot Beinn Eighe nature reserve. Although this layby where Calum stops may be on the border between them and the National Trust. Either of them should do the decent thing.

Back to Rona and we were out on the boat and spotted the first of the Kayaker groups to visit in the season, these guys were camping on Raasay and we suspected they would arrive on Rona soon.

More maintenance after the boat run and a feel at the bottom of the outboards in the water told me the anodes did not exist anymore. So ashore it came and I replaced them quickly before the tide came back in. This boat fairly goes through the anodes and that is part of its problem, the hull is suffering from erosion and I imagine it will not last much longer. But it is no shame to it, it has been a very good boat for the Island, one of the best investments.

Grabbing an hour the next day I planted up 100 Scots Pine in the extended block put up by Grant our new lad, beside the path. To give a bigger plantation, interestingly there is not much regeneration in this 10 year old or so fenced block./ But therein lies the rub, the soil on Rona is very poor, compacted and very difficult for trees to get down to the iron pan to get the minerals they need to grow.

Just to reinforce that last statement here is a wee family of Red Deer on Rona enjoying the sun on a cool day, surviving on very poor moor. Deer and sheep are about the only animals that will return good protein in such poor conditions, they have adapted very well to living on this type of ground especially with the re-generation readily available but it is interesting again to see Red Deer out on this ‘poor’ ground and often in the bogs picking away at the plants they like selecting.

Another maintenance excercise, the wind turbines were serviced by Bryn who was here helping for two months last year. But it was post winter and I thought it a good idea on a calm day to check the Big Harbour one out. It was Grant’s firszt time servicing them so we took them down and I showed him the various parts to grease and replace. He quickly did the service and put the turbine back up. It is now 21 years old and as good as the day it came with little in the way of replacement parts. Well done the late Ken Proven for building such a simple design.

And sure enough at the end of the day the kayakers rocked up, taking on water and venison. The leader whose name escapes me has been coming with groups to Rona these last 20 years. Not just for the venison.

Rona Portree/Portree Rona April 27th

Still in April, a lot of catching up to do I see!!

Here is Tufty, a young calf cast out by her mother last year. We think her mother had no milk for her and as they do when that happens they push the calf away. I have seen what I suspect is her mother pushing her away as do the rest of the group here, but she survives. Stunted, but we will see how she gets on. I bought a bag of feed for her this winter as she has become something of a pet. Not a good idea, but there does not seem to be much growth going on. Anyway she also gobbles up the vegetable peelings we put out for her.

Another of our locals, our single Collared Dove. There were two but the Sparrowhawk hit this ones mate and killed it at the back door of the Lodge many years ago, since then this single Dove returns every year to same place. I do not know where it spends its winter but I read that they are non migratory. But he/she is always here in the Spring, I guess looking for its Mate. The Raptors have a heavy impact on the birds of Rona.

Moving on from the wildlife, it is all about maintenance at this time of year, pre-season. These batteries have had a few replacements as you can see, mostly they are original Hawker batteries, the best of British, they have lasted well beyond their expected life cycle. But the time comes when they need replacement and it is not a job we look forward to. Apart from the cost (electric car owners beware). These are the cottage generator shed ones and have not had too hard a life, possibly resulting in a longer life with smaller occupancy. But getting the same quality to-day has proven difficult in the past.

In April there was a lot of time spent sorting out the Dry Hasrtbour power supply. We had intended for years to instal Solar and that might still happen but not by me as I head to my retirement years. But in the meantime we replaced all the wiring in the Dry Harbour shed, with a new board and more up to date equipment, thank you Hugh Piggot of Scoraig Wind for his invaluable help, as always.

It was a good job that had been in the plan for a while and it makes life so much easier with internet access to the Victron Cerbo unit, showing us exactly what is going on.

The weather I see during this week of the 16th April was not the best with some rain but we were moving into late Spring so no surprise to have April Showers.

During the last real gale we were watching the windows flexing when all of a sudden there was a loud bang and clattewr as something came off anmd shot across the roof, I found the chimney can next day away in the forest. It was a Chinese Hat type, temporary cowal fitted after a gale two years ago, so it did well. But we had ordered a new one and it is always a pleasure to go on the roof (at my age!!)

Job with a good view from the office, I see a yacht in the background perhaps the non payer ‘Yacht Lotus’, his excuse I remember was that it said on the buoy £15 per night so as he did not stay on it all night he felt he did not have to pay. We do hope he enjoys his round Britain trip on the cheap.

Well it is nearly the end of the month, another one under the belt and ther season for visitors to the cottages fast approaching. The moorings are in the signs are nearly up, the cottages nearly ready and we are totally relaxed (aye right).

Looking back it has been a busy month off and on the Island as Grant and Stacey get going with the spring work allowing us to head off to the annual deer meetings. More later. In the meantime here is the story this month so far.

The trouble with feeding deer is that they get impatient. Here’s ‘Tufty’ looking into the house first thing this morning, more or less saying hurry up, I’m hungry!!! He’s looking for the peelings, applecores and a few cobs for breakfast.

I am going to be a wee bit lazy to-day and re-post my facebook posts of to-day so excuse the different fonts and differences, the content ois the same:

“A month of two halves, March. It is the time of year when the pressure should be off, holiday time, but no. Holiday time first then meetings, lots of them. With the Wildlife Management Bill going through Holyrood plus the next disaster coming from the Greens/SNP, the Managing Deer for climate and nature consultation. The usual Deer meetings this year took on a more important meaning. First it was off to Glenquioch for a ‘Finding the Common Ground Meeting, the next week the Association of Deer Management Groups AGM and finally the Scottish Gamekeepers Association Deer working group meeting. The SGA AGM I missed due to illness. All good, well attended meetings with very good content and discussion. It is a strategy of ther Scottish Government not to involve any of the people attending these meetings directly in their discussions apart from NGO/non government organisations. Why is that? Because they only want to hear what they want to hear in the Scottish Government nowadays. For me they should have those voices from the hills and glens who work in this field every day on their Committees/discussion groups.”

For the rest of the month, here is part of the story.

A wee boat trip a week ago, round the shore out to the Gap, plenty winter flotsam on the shores to be picked.

Seaflower was out of the water in Stornoway getting a refit of windows and a spruce up, so Tommy stepped up and took us back to Rona with our new fitness regime, a Reebok Treadmill!!!much to Tommy’s amusement.

We were lucky to stay on Skye in between trips to and from the many meetings and got to quite liking Earlish at the North end, Mike and Lorraine who have helped us many times in the past were our hosts, a highly recommended Bed and Breakfast.

Finally we came back to Rona last Saturday with Calum Stiven his partner Cat and the dog. He was over to sort out the Applenet system and confuse me with internet speak. But it was good to get some direction from him.

Good to be home now and preparing for the season, the last three weeks have seen many miles travelling about the country attending meetings. I cannot stress how much under threat the rural industries are from urban based politicians with no real life experience outside politics, who are being influenced by an anti shooting and an anti farming agenda.

I have just had an email from our American cousin Tom Opre, film maker and author of ‘The Last keeper” he has asked me if this line is correct from the Deer Consultation recommendations take from the John Muir Trust, he cannot believe it:

This will not end well.

This week has been grim, wet and windy but nothung unusual. Pretty much steady gales as expected at this time. So when a sunny calm day happens what do you do. Well the most logical thing is to go and do all the outside jobs but on this occasion we decided the day had to be enjoyed. So after the basic tasks were completed and we took delivery of 30 round deer posts for our new planting block delivered by MV Seaflower we skipped lunch and headed out to the Gap. The stretch of water between us and Raasay.

The first wildlife we ‘bumped’ into was an Otter, quickly followed by a mature Sea Eagle directly above where the otter has scurried into the sea, whilst watching out for Mr Otter a Great Northern Diver popped up. She quickly swam away towards the Island at the mouth of Acarseid Mhor where the Stag and family that live there were out enjoying the sun.

Grant was reminding me about the Bamboo that is growing 100 metrees up from the shore on pretty poor ground, time for some action there.

There were a few deer on the tops but the next exciting moment was when we came upon a flock of Purple Sandpipers, very tame they say, well these were incredibly so.

Further along the coast Grant spotted a good old stag relaxing in the sun, quickly followed by a group on Eilean Garbh.

In this group our old friend, broken antler was the Boss. He had been rutting in the parks at Rona Lodge all October with some spectacular fights when young stags came sniffing about. He had obviously broken his antler off before he reached us as Grant picked it up over the winter a long way from Big Harbour.

So far we had seen a good number of deer on Rona, fingers crossed they will stay as we need the venison, our sales are going through the roof. Passing the Islands in the gap, seals were in numbers, Curlews, Oyster catchers and all the usual gulls, seabirds were knocking about. Good numbers for the time of year. We crossed to Eilean Tighe, checked out the Sea Eagles nest, there was not a lot of life there or any of the other nests but plenty eagles about.

We crossed to the Golden Eagles eyrie above the wooden shed on the top West side of Raasay (now needing felt). Where we saw another haul out of seals, plenty of them about at the moment.

There after we headed down to Fladda, to check on the Sea Eagles nest and have a quick check at Erlet and John Cater’s properties, we were happy to report no damage or problems. The usual windblown stuff and a few deer knockong about. Grant and Stacey had not been before so were fascinated with Fladda, it is a lovely wee jewel of an Island. On landing at the ladder in North Harbour we came across this old boy.

He was a right bag of bones, we felt he was looking weak and when he eventually moved off it was with difficulty, stiff and old, definitely a candidate for culling. Bit like myself.

Very skinny and stiff. After I came home and downloaded the pictures I was sure I had seen this stag before, with his distinctive antlers I was convinced he was what we called ‘TV screen.’ This was a stag that visited, I can see from my records in 2016. Of course his headgear has changed and is now what they would call ‘Going Back’. I remember he arrived and was very active that October on or around the 21st, on sunny warm days when we had had a late rut. A fine stag then, if it is him, amazing he has survived for so long. Apart from his age and he must be I reckon 12 to 15 years old, I wonder if he had a bad beating this last rut.

Since we butchered all our October stags this last year I can say I am amazed that the carcasses suffer so much damage and bruising in that month. Holes in the skin and holes with puncture woundswell into the meat, broken ribs are common, necks with puncture wounds and bruised all over are quite common too.

He has such a distinctive head I am sure this is him in 2016. I bet he can tell a few tales, he will be well travelled.

The sun was out on Fladda, we had a look at the geological dykes and the Sandstone, an impressive geology destination, popular with many over the years.

One last photo of the cottages with Dun Caan in the background, one day I will get up there.

Back up Loch a Sgurr, impressed with the light on the rocks, more stags plus a couple of hinds now on Eilean Tighe and sea eagles floating in the air, there were plenty about.

Another highlight before we berthed, a Redshank in the back bay, lovely to see but only one, hoping for two. Stardust Boat trips were in with a full boat of happy visitors, the sun fairly brings them out.

Finally, a hind and calf above the pontoon enjoying the sun deep in the heather, check out the calf’s ears.