Woodchat Shrike at Carnan Mor (John Bowler)

May continued with the theme of cold northerly winds, whilst occasional spells of heavy rain kept the grasslands wet. Many migrant birds were late arriving in the unusually cold conditions and the breeding season was extensively delayed for many species .

Corncrakes

After the first arrivals towards the end of April, the Corncrakes were slow to arrive with concentrations of calling birds in the few areas of taller cover. They did not return in any numbers until the third week of the month, when birds were reported more widely around the island. The annual night-time census will be completed in June and these will reveal how numbers compare this year with the count of 371 calling males in 2012.

Other birds

The first small Lapwing chicks were noted on 17th, a full 6 weeks later than last year, although there seemed to be good numbers of broods around the island at the end of the month. The first Redshank and Ringed Plover broods were also noted later than normal towards the end of the month, whilst Oystercatcher broods had appeared by the month-end. The first Greylag broods appeared from 8th, but numbers and brood size appear low so far. Just one brood of Stonechats was noted from 3 pairs around the island – a poor showing compared to last year, whilst the synchronised mass fledging of young Starlings which normally occurs in the last week of May, is still awaited in June. Seabirds were also slow to get down to nesting with the cool seas presumably hampering foraging. Numbers of auks, Fulmars and Kittiwakes were all well down at Ceann a’ Mhara and many birds had still not laid eggs by the month-end. Similarly, the Arctic Terns had not yet got down to laying eggs in their scattered colonies around the island.
Should anyone out walking find themselves being mobbed by waders or crowds of terns and gulls, please bid a hasty retreat. The eggs and young broods are very vulnerable to attack by gulls and crows, which can sneak in while the parent birds are busy trying to drive you away. Please also watch out for young birds crossing the roads at this time. Unlike in May 2012, a lack of warm SE winds meant that scarcer migrants from the continent were at a premium. Bird of the month was a splendid Woodchat Shrike which appeared at Carnan Mor (19th) in a small fall of migrants there that also included a Wood Warbler and a Garden Warbler. From further north, a Northern-race Eider was noted at Hough Bay (7th) and then at West Hynish (14th), whilst a late Iceland Gull at Balephuil (16th) and a Snow Bunting at Hough Bay (8th) both added to the wintry feel.A few southerly migrants did make it through from the mainland whenever the northerly winds eased off, including a drake Garganey at Ruaig (13th), 2 Golden Eagles briefly at Ben Hynish (3rd), a female Marsh Harrier at Loch Bhasapol (9th), a Little Gull at various sites (1st- 9th), a Turtle Dove at Balemartine (13th), up to 4 Cuckoos calling around the island and male Pied Flycatchers at Balephuil (8th and 20th). Tiree also shared in a record-breaking passage of Long-tailed Skuas up the west coast of Scotland with 9 birds recorded heading north off West Hynish (23rd), whilst there were 2 Pomarine Skuas in Gunna Sound (24th).

Passage of migrant waders on their way north to their Arctic breeding grounds, was intermittent in the unusual conditions, but included some 230 Whimbrel through, peaks of 1,400 Sanderling (29th), 610 Dunlin (7th), 180 Ringed Plover at Hough machair (11th), 213 Black-tailed Godwits (3rd), 3 Knot, 2 Grey Plovers at Baugh (7th), a Ruff at Loch a’ Phuill (10th) and 1800 Golden Plover at the Reef (1st), whilst a nice aggregation of waders at Loch a’ Phuill (30th) included 4 adult Little Stints, 1 Curlew Sandpiper and 1 Wood Sandpiper. A high total of some 500 Pale-bellied Brent passed through (to 20th) and 76 late Barnacle Goose remained at Cornaigmore (6th), whilst up to 24 Whooper Swans lingered through the month. Basking Sharks were very late returning in the cold conditions, with the first noted off Hynish (28th), six weeks later than in 2012.
Many thanks to those of you who have kept me posted with your latest observations. If anyone would like to report unusual sightings of birds or other wildlife on Tiree, please contact me at the address below:
John Bowler, Pairc na Coille, Balephuil, Tiree PA77 6UE. Tel: 220748

The following awards were made in May 2013:

• Tiree Regatta Club received £1,185.00 towards running a 3 day sailing course for kids with Stramash
• Tiree Young Farmers received £2,370.00 towards a trip to the Royal Highland Show to experience stock judging and to meet up with other Young Farmers groups.
• Tiree Agricultural Society received £1,800 towards the main attraction for Tiree Agricultural Show 2013
• Fèis Thiriodh & Tiree Music Festival received £710.00 towards Fèis na Fèise; tuition courses for advanced musicians that will run before the Tiree Music Festival 2013.
• Freestyle Park Working Group received £200.00 to bring a skate park designer to Tiree to complete a site survey and draw plans.
• Swimming Pool Steering Committee received £1,000 to cover the costs of travel, accommodation and office facilities while conducting a feasibility study on Tiree.
• Dance Directionz received £520.60 towards starting up a dance group for people aged between 5 and 18
• Rags to Riches received £1,508.00 towards the running of Rags to Riches.
• Tiree Music Festival & Tiree Agricultural Society received £2,980.00 towards the cost of bringing portable showers & toilets to Tiree Music Festival & Tiree Agricultural Show.
• Tiree Music Festival & Tiree Agricultural Society received £3,000 towards the cost of hiring tents and marquees for Tiree Music Festival & Tiree Agricultural Show.
• Tiree Rural Development received £4,200 towards installing a septic tank in Scarinish for motor home users.
• Tiree Resource Club received £7,225.00 towards the second year of the out-reach worker post and minibus project.

Various events were organised for the group, including a superb visit to the bird hide at Loch a Phuil led by Janet and John Bowler, where the group learned some of the calls of local birds and managed to view some birds through binoculars and telescopes.

PC Tanner excelled himself with his treasure hunt this year, which led to the capture of some of our leaders by rogue pirates!

The group loved the Tae Kwon Do session run by Billy Byfield, as well as the games organised by Will Wright and Derek Campbell. Outdoors, Derek and Will were amazed to find out that 18 Beaver Scouts could fit inside a 2-man tent!!

The day was rounded off with a tasty dinner provided by Monica and Lesley and a game of ‘Dangle the Dummy!’, which involved the group trying to catch a moving sweet with their teeth! The group all earned themselves their ‘Adventure’ badge for their efforts.

Many thanks to all the volunteers who made this day so successful, and we look forward to more exciting activities next session.

Our business has been on the market for the past two years and while we’ve had some strong interest, the economic climate has made it hard for us to find a suitable successor. We propose to close the shop on Saturday 24th October 2013 unless the business is sold before then.

While it has been a difficult and emotional decision to retire, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all our loyal customers for their support through our long and fulfilling career.

Ian & Fiona MacLeod

For all property enquiries please contact tiree.macleods@gmail.com or visit http://tireebusinessforsale.wordpress.com

“Last summer I visited the island of Tiree and saw first-hand the impact that an increasing number of ferocious storms and climate change is having and the threat to the unique machair habitat. Your article highlighted that machair is under threat from melting ice sheets and glaciers, and came hot on the heels of two related news stories last week. A new climate change and biodiversity report card showed that wildlife across Scotland is under pressure now from a variety of climate-induced changes. We also heard for the first time in three million years levels in the atmosphere of the principle greenhouse gas carbon dioxide had reached the symbolic 400ppm milestone and continue to rise.

Nature is telling us that climate change is having an effect right now and scientists are telling us what the future consequences will be for wildlife and for communities in Scotland. RSPB Scotland is working with crofters and partners in the Hebrides on its Machair LIFE+ project to ensure a viable future for both the resident crofting community and the fantastic wildlife their land use supports, such as the secretive corncrake. All this will be for nothing and future generations will be unable to visit machair as we know it if we don’t do more now to stop burning fossil fuels and emitting greenhouse gases.”

Emily Beament’s original article, entitled “Machair under threat from rise in level of seas”, The Herald May 15 2013, argued that Scotland’s sensitive machair meadows could be put at risk by flooding as scientists predict global warming could cause sea levels to rise more than previously expected over the next century.

The machair will be among the environments under threat according to new research into melting ice sheets and glaciers by scientists from the British Antarctic Survey and Bristol University, who are collaborating on the European Ice2sea programme. Professor David Vaughan, of the British Antarctic Survey, who is co-ordinating the programme, said:

“As the glaciers and ice sheets lose their ice, the water they once held has melted and flowed in to rivers and seas, increasing their volume and raising global sea levels. Current rates of sea level rise are already having impacts on the most vulnerable communities and ecosystems.”

In mid April, in unrelated correspondence between NTA and Marine Scotland (MS), it emerged that MS was expecting SPR’s consents application in the second half of 2014. This was manifestly wrong. In the ensuing correspondence between MS/NTA/SPR, David Walker (Iberdrola’s Development Director Offshore Business) advised NTA, on the 26th April as follows:-

Thank you for your email, our CEO has requested that I clarify on his behalf. We have separately responded to Marine Scotland on the same matter, however I can confirm that following the suspension of the Argyll Array development in 2012 we will review our future plans in late 2013 and therefore cannot advise any planned date for the consents application until that time when detailed scheduling will be reconsidered.

However, in last week’s Oban Times in an article headed “Major West Coast Offshore Wind Farm Developments Face Delays” an SPR spokesman stated;-

SPR is currently reviewing data…. These reviews are being completed with a view to submitting a planning application to the Scottish Government towards the end of 2015..

Consequently NTA reverted to David Walker to ask him if anything had changed since his 26th April clarification. He replied (20th May) as follows:-

Nothing has changed in the last 3 weeks since my email and any date for consents applications remains indeterminate.

This was to be the first ever Tiree Half Marathon, and the 8th edition of the Tiree 10k – the 2013 event was definitely the best yet. 13.1 miles for the Half Marathon, 6.2 miles for the 10k: over 200 people lined up on the beach ready to battle against the wind and rain, to overcome the tiredness and fatigue that was sure to come, to ignore the voices that said it couldn’t be done, and to get back to the finish line with every mile completed. Walkers, runners, kids, pram pushers; everybody raised their game and made it to the finish in what was the most challenging conditions we’ve had for this event. For this and many other reasons, it was the best year yet.

At the prize giving on Saturday night there was a real sense of achievement, magnified by the challenging weather conditions, and justified by the number of people who told me this was their first half marathon, or they beat their PB, or that it was simply the hardest thing they’ve ever done. With a winning Half Marathon time of 1hr13 it was a day of extremes from start to finish. The 10k event saw record entry numbers and a new course record. The kids event saw the fastest ever 2km time and some promising young runners. And the 10k Dance was one of the best nights I’ve seen on Tiree; great music, great atmosphere, and everyone up dancing right from the start.

So, thank you everyone who helped make it such a special weekend. In particular the event sponsors: Tiree Medical Practice, the Co-op, Active Schools, Scott Running, Chocolate & Charms and everyone who entered the events. And of course the excellent helpers who did such a great job to make the day run smoothly. Thank you everyone for being so considerate and supportive for all the runners who took part on the day.

“I had a brilliant time at the 10k and I am so glad I made the journey as I loved the race and breathtaking scenery.” – Suzanne Halliday

“I’ve gained so much from the running community in the last few years, and Tiree was an excellent example of sharing that love. I’ve told my husband that it’s an island we must visit.” – Deirdre Hoyle

“Just wanted to say how much I and my friends enjoyed the races at the weekend, definitely worth the long trip from Glasgow and Edinburgh! I got a new p.b. time and was so happy to do this in such a beautiful place.” – Clare McKinlay

“The weather might not have been great, but the atmosphere at the Tiree 10k and Half Marathon certainly was. The course was scenic, but challenging and despite the wind, sand, cattlegrids and off-road section I managed to run a personal best time. A particular high for me was how encouraging all the runners were of each other.” – Catherine Stewart, 1st lady, half marathon.

Next year’s event is on Saturday 3rd May 2014 – Bank Holiday weekend. If you’ve got any good photos please let me know. The finish times are up on the Tiree Fitness website – www.TireeFitness.co.uk and any comments or feedback please contact Will Wright.

The Trust will be organising a Community Groups Open Day on Saturday 15th June. If your community group or business would like to book a stall to promote your current project or use the opportunity to consult with the community, please get in touch with Jackie or Sam.

Swimming Pool Research Project

The swimming pool feasibility study is well underway; Louisa has been conducting a community consultation in the Business Centre as well as operating an online survey. To date there have been over 90 responses and these will form the basis of a projected business model for any pool development. The link for completing the survey is http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VG5XSYQ (please note the deadline for completing this survey is 28th April.) A number of similar projects have been approached to share their insights of developing and operating a community pool and there have been several responses so far. The research has sought views from a variety of on-island and off-island stakeholders and there has been some good feedback from these discussions. While there is a strong majority supporting a pool development on the island there are also some concerns regarding the long-term sustainability of such a facility. This is supported through the information from similar pools where all are running an annual loss (of varying degrees) despite receiving over 25,000 visits per year. Results of the swimming pool research project will be presented to the community at the community groups open day on 15th June.

Windfall Fund

The Windfall Fund is now welcoming enquiries so please get in touch with a member of the Trust Team for an enquiry form or for more information. Please get in touch as soon as you have an idea for a project and don’t leave it to the last minute. Our LDO’s Jackie and Sam are also on hand to assist with match funding information and applications.

“The First Minister-in-waiting (waiting like Godot but for a far longer period, I hope), told of her childhood on the island of Tiree, a place where a puffin is less a thing of beauty, more an hors d’oeuvre before dining on a fillet of grey seal pup”. Mr Reilly continued by sayng “oddly the doughty fechter doesn’t speak Gaelic, she merely “respects it”. Rather disrespectfully, monolingual Hebrideans who speak that ancient tongue feel blessed that they cannot comprehend a single word the woman says. Unfortunately, those of us cursed with an understanding of English are doomed to endure more angst-ridden outpourings from London-Labour’s outreach agent. Previously, I’d thought that Lamont’s ignorance of Gaelic was down to laziness but, if Alasdair Allan, the Scottish Government minister for learning is to be believed, television is the bane of learning a foreign language. If this is true, one must presume that The Woodentops, Bill and Ben and, yes, the biggest culprit, Noddy, shoulder the blame for Johann’s inability to converse with her archipelagodwelling neighbours.”

As you will know, your Editor is not from Tiree, he is not a Gaelic speaker, he’s not even a Scot!!! He does, however, find the ramblings of Mr Reilly to be offensive, and would love to hear feedback from An Tirisdeach readers.

You’re used, by now, to me banging on about walking, drinking and eating. Advising you to stop doing the things you like and start doing things you don’t fancy! But it’s not always been clear what you should do today – and what you can leave to next New Year.Now, thanks to a new study, we can put your resolutions into some sort of order.

The Global Burden of Disease is a world-wide study sponsored by the World Health Organisation which has been running for twenty years. Lots of experts, from California to China, have now got together to crunch data from thousands of studies and produce the latest edition.

Part of their work was to produce a ranking of the things that make us unhealthy in different parts of the world. The really unhealthy things are at the top of the chart: the ones that don’t matter so much are towards the bottom. There are some surprises too: eating enough fruit is, by quite some way, more important than giving up deep-fried pizza. Different regions have different priorities too – obviously malaria is a big problem in the Congo, less so in Crossapol. So this list is the one that applies to us in Europe. Of course, changing habits is hard. It’s difficult – although not impossible – to lose weight. It takes a lot of will power to quit smoking. But I’ve marked the more ‘do-able’ ones with an asterisk. Good luck!

1. smoking (it’s never, ever, too late to stop) – by far the biggest reason we get sick

2. high blood pressure (easy to get checked and usually easy to treat)*

3. being overweight

4. drinking too much alcohol *

5. not taking enough exercise (recommended – at least half an hour a day of brisk walking) *

6. too much sugar in your blood – people with actual diabetes and even those with slightly high levels (again, easy to get checked) *

7. eating too little fruit *

8. too much cholesterol in your blood (a simple blood test) *

9. not eating enough nuts (recommended – a handful a day) *

10. too much salt in your diet (fairly painless to cut down) *

11. air pollution (hopefully not often a problem on Tiree!)

12. too much processed meat – bacon, sausages, burgers (once or twice a week is fine) *

13. eating too few vegetables *

14. drug abuse – cannabis, morphine and drug injections

15. eating too little oily fish (recommended – twice a week) *

16. not eating enough whole grains – brown rice, pasta, wholemeal bread *

17. low back pain at work

18. not eating enough fibre *

19. not eating enough polyunsaturated fats (nuts, seeds, fish, some margarines) *

20. osteoporosis (can be checked with a scan) *

21. exposure to lead (no longer much of a problem in this country)

22. violence from your partner

23. eating too much trans fatty acids (found in greasy fried fast food) *

24. injuries at work

25. sexual abuse as a child

Remember – get things in proportion. The ‘biggies’ are at the top. So whether you smoke is much, much more important than whether you eat lots of brown rice.