Tiree 10k Dance

Trail West return to Tiree., travelling up from Glasgow especially for this night. You can get tickets during the day from An Talla. 10k Dance Tickets: £8 on the day from An Talla (0ver 14’s) The Tiree 10k is now in it’s 7th Year and has grown from 30 runners to over 200. Each year the event raises funds for various community groups as well as encouraging new people to get out and active. If you’ve not entered before then why not give it a go. I’ll see you on the start line!

Snow Bunting - Image courtesy of Graham Todd

April was dominated by high pressure with light northerly winds, much sunshine and very little rain. The generally cool temperatures and northerly winds held many migrant birds back with most arriving a little later than normal, whilst many residents such as Lapwings and Greylags also started breeding later.

Thousands of birds were on the move despite the head-winds and for many species, the island represents an important stop-over for refuelling on their spring migration to breeding sites further north. Some 250 Pale-bellied Brent Geese stopped to feed around the coast (from 1st), including birds that had been ringed at their wintering sites in Ireland and on staging areas in Iceland. Whooper Swan passage was noted on several dates as flocks passed north over the island or dropped in to stop for a day or two on the lochs.

More unusual was a movement of some 410 Pink-footed Geese that headed NW past Urvaig (13th), presumably pushed further south and west from their traditional mainland spring route by strong NE winds. Sadly, two Common Cranes seen flying NW over the west end of Coll on the same date appear to have just missed Tiree!

There were scattered flocks of up to 100 Black-tailed Godwits in their brick-red breeding dress feeding around the lochs all month including colour-ringed birds from The Wash in southern England and from breeding sites in SW Iceland. Golden Plover numbers built up on their main staging area at The Reef to at least 4,500 birds (17th) and were joined briefly by a lone Dotterel (18th), whilst at least 23 Whimbrel arrived (23rd).

The wintering Greenland geese departed en masse (14th), although there were 11 late Barnacle Geese at Rubha Chraiginis (30th), plus a scattering of up to 8 Pink-footed Geese and at least 15 Whooper Swans still around the island at the end of the month.

The rarest bird in April was a drake Eider of the Northern borealis race at Traigh Bhi (7th) showing the classics back sails and orange-tinged bill of birds from Western Greenland. If accepted, this will be the first record of this race from Argyll. Other rarities included two different drake Green-winged Teal at Loch a’ Phuill (16th and 27th), with a drake Garganey there on the latter date and a Green Sandpiper at Balephuil (27th). Up to two different 1st winter Glaucous Gulls and four different Iceland Gulls were seen on and off throughout the month, whilst up to three Short-eared Owls included singing males at two sites.

Other notable birds included an adult Golden Eagle at Moss (14th), a pair of Scaup at Loch a’ Phuill (19th), a Knot at Gott Bay (17th), a Coot at Loch an Eilein (10th-17th), two Woodpigeons at Balephuil (24th) with another at West Hynish (29th), two Lapland Buntings at Gott (5th), single male Snow Buntings at Baugh (10th-12th) and West Hynish (29th), three Siskins at Crossapol (21st), 5 scattered Goldfinches and a Lesser Redpoll at Balephuil (24th). Some 140 Redwings arrived (13th) and there was an unusual fall of 10 Blackcaps, 6 Chiffchaffs and a Goldcrest at Balephuil / Carnan Mor (24th), but many species were in short supply, with just one Greenland Wheatear (30th).

Further returning migrants were all a little later than normal but included 40+ White Wagtails (from 2nd), Willow Warbler (11th), Sand Martin (17th), Little Tern (17th), Sandwich Tern (17th) and Grasshopper Warbler (30th).

Lapwing chicks were observed from mid-month and were widespread by the month end, whilst Corncrakes returned from 17th with some 50 scattered males back by 30th. Despite the rather cold conditions, the very first Basking Sharks were reported back feeding around the island with large sharks noted off Milton (12th) and the Green (15th) – hopefully a sign of another busy summer here for these amazing creatures.

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, Isle of Tiree PA77 6UE. Tel: 220748

In November 2011 the Windfall Fund awarded TCB £4000, and along with additional financial help from ACHA, TCB were able to purchase and install a new roundabout, safety matting, spring riders and upgrade the swings.

TCB has since been awarded a further £10,000 and we will be looking to install more new equipment probably for the older children in the near future.There will be an open day in An Talla on the 19th of May to discuss possible additions.

On a recent beautiful sunny April day the playpark was a particularly popular venue for local children. Grateful thanks to The Windfall Fund & ACHA for their generous funding.

The controversial proposals to erect giant turbines close to Tiree are hitting delays and uncertainties.

As we know, Scottish Power Renewables (SPR) now will not submit planning applications until the latter half of 2014. Tiree folk have to accept at face value the company’s explanation that this is due to ‘environmental issues’. However, there may be other factors at work to put brakes on SPR’s plans. Citi Group, the global investment bank, warned that investors would be cautious until after the Scottish referendum on independence. These ECONOMIC UNCERTAINTIES were more recently compounded by market worries about the exposure of Scottish Power and its parent company, Iberdrola, to Spanish banks. Spain’s economic crisis is mounting by the day. The issue of the withdrawal of Doosan, the Korean manufacturer who planned to develop offshore turbines in Scotland, was clarified by the company as the result of ‘…the overall economic conditions in Europe’. In other words, the wind energy industry is feeling the windchills of all the economic woes!

TRANSMISSION HEADACHES

A recent SPR update stated it was minded not to place a huge converter station on Tiree. Last week the Oban Times reported that SPR were exploring options via Mull. SPR reasoned that if offshore cabling risked being dredged up it could take months to fix it!

This happened near Tiree two years ago and it took five months to get power transmission back to normal. If this is such a real risk it makes one wonder why the Tiree Array is being proposed in the first place! SPR itself is not allowed to build or own the kind of high voltage equipment needed for these jobs. The transmission network will be constructed by an Offshore Transmission Operator (an OFTO) appointed by OFGEM the energy industry regulator. Had things been on track for Tiree, the OFTO tendering process for the Tiree Array should have been started by now. There is no sign yet of this happening.

The Moray Array made its first moves on this process last November, and it is hoping to submit for planning in 2012. It would appear to the layman, then, that transmission problems for SPR continue to mount and may be contributing to their own planning application delay. NTA has asked for clarification on this from OFGEM and SPR.

EUROPEAN UNION

The issue of the Tiree Array is now at the heart of Europe! NTA made a presentation to an EU symposium on offshore windfarm environmental issues, including the Blue Carbon question and potential destruction of wildlife, flagged up by NTA itself.

These also may have contributed to SPR’s problems. The meeting was attended by folk from the Scottish Government and Marine Scotland, the planning agency.

WHAT YOU WILL SEE IF THE ARRAY IS BUILT

Regrettably, the Tiree Trust has withdrawn from a previously agreed joint approach with NTA to this question of visuals and the selection of viewpoints on the island. Because of delays, SPR will pursue this issue next year. Last November Marine Scotland announced that it was ‘currently reviewing its licence manual and the consultants working on this will include visual impact.’ This shift on visual impact will replace and update current guidelines and when these are published NTA will consult with the various statutory bodies involved. We’ve told SPR we’ll be doing so. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT THE CONSULTATION PERIOD FOR THE ON-SHORE MAPPING SCENARIO CLOSES ON FRIDAY 27 AUGUST. ALSO BE AWARE THAT CONSTANT UPDATES ON ALL THESE ISSUES AND MORE ARE AVAILABLE ON NTA’S WEBSITE AT www.no-tiree-array.org.uk

More than 7,900 Scottish producers will receive their share of £22 million of European funding in the next few weeks.

Payments for the 2011 Scottish Beef Calf Scheme (SBCS) will start to arrive in bank accounts, with 95 per cent of recipients expected to receive their payment by the end of April, subject to necessary validation checks. Payment information is available to view on Rural Payments Online.

Claims were received from 7,902 producers for around 434,000 animals, an increase of 10,000 from last year. Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead said:

“These payments will provide timely support to the rural economy and deliver great benefit for our livestock sector. They form part of an important support framework which is always vital, and never more so than in the current economic climate.
“I am also pleased to confirm that the Scottish Government has been successful in ensuring this funding continues at current levels through the introduction of the Scottish Beef Scheme in January 2012, which replaces the SBCS. This will provide much needed ongoing support to Scotland’s livestock farmers until new CAP regulations come into force.”

This year’s payment rate is set at £102.44 for each of the first ten eligible animals, and £51.22 for the remainder. The payments are entirely EU funded. The Scottish Beef Calf Scheme is a direct support scheme aimed at specialist beef producers breeding beef calves from suckler cows. Suckler herds form the backbone of quality beef production in Scotland and provide environmental benefits in fragile areas. The new Scottish Beef Scheme was introduced in January 2012 following discussions held as part of the CAP review. It replaces the SBCS and allows funding to be targeted towards smaller herds through reweighted payment levels where the first ten eligible animals will receive three times the rate of any subsequent eligible animal. There is no limit to the number of claims which can be made.

The full week of classes and evening events will now take place from July 9-13.

The school is not available again due to on-going maintenance, which means An Talla, a popular choice for many, will again be the all-day festival site. Evening highlights include a Gaelic/English play ‘Angus – Weaver of grass ’ by the Horse and Bamboo Theatre Company and a talk by Iona Brown from Crossapol on what makes Tiree Gaelic special. Another standout is the ‘Muse Cruise’ to Barra on the Thursday – the Minch’s first floating session!

“We were struggling, but the response was heart-warming,” Fèis chair Dr John Holiday told An Tirisdeach. “Now we’ve got some great tutors lined up, plenty of variety and real quality. I can feel a good Fèis coming on!”

We have worried about exercising too vigorously since the time of the Ancient Greeks. The messenger Pheidippides ran 150 miles in two days when the Persians invaded at Marathon in 490 BC. When he reached the finishing line he gasped, “We have won” – and died on the spot. In 1909 a group of eminent doctors wrote to The Times saying that, “school and cross-country races exceeding one mile in distance were wholly unsuitable for boys under the age of nineteen, as the continued strain involved is apt to cause permanent injury to the heart and other organs.” And when the 52 year old running guru Jim Fixx died of a heart attack in 1984 while out for his morning jog – well, that proved it. (except that he lived nine years longer than his dad). And yet, doctors still want you to work up a sweat five times a week! What’s going on? The short answer to the so-called ‘exercise paradox’ is that pushing yourself  is slightly dangerous – while you’re doing it. While you’re exercising your risk of dying from a heart attack just about doubles. That’s still a small number if you’re young or female; a slightly larger number if you’re older or male. But, when you stop, the body’s metabolism and hormone levels change for the next two days in a profoundly healthy way. So you end up much better off. Sudden death during exercise happens, even in young people who reckon they’re healthy. Let’s not pretend it doesn’t exist. But it’s incredibly rare – one study on American nurses put the risk at one death for every 36 million hours of exercise. And almost all of those who collapse have something wrong with their hearts. This is why there has recently been such a lot of talk about screening young players as they do in Italy. Since 1982 it has been compulsory there for all kids taking part in sport to have a medical examination and an ECG, an electrical test on the heart. About 2% need further tests, and some of these are no doubt disappointed to be told to stop playing completely. But there has been a 90% fall in the number of sudden deaths during exercise in Italy and the pressure is building to introduce it here.

Here’s the trick. Don’t push yourself. Build it up slowly. Be careful when you get over 50. And listen to your body – stop if it hurts. It is important to be aware of what your body is telling you. One study found that almost half of all athletes who died during exercise had had symptoms, like chest pain, in the previous weeks. And you don’t have to push yourself to the limit to get huge health benefits. The chances of sudden cardiac death for a middle aged man like me during a 30 minute brisk walk is tiny, compared to my haring after a fit teenager during an all-ages shinty game. Despite all these warnings, exercise is great for your health. Researchers in Seattle looked at the 145 people who had died suddenly in one year in the city. Those who exercised vigorously were two thirds less likely to die than those who were couch potatoes. And doesn’t all that running knacker your knees? Well, no actually. A study in California followed middle aged runners for 20 years. At the end 32% of the non runners had knee arthritis and only 20% of the runners. But different sports do mean different risks. There were 14 injuries reported by 1000 runners in one study over a year, 64 by football players and 96 by rugby players. 1 in 600 horse riders are injured every year, particularly novice riders. Horse riding in Australia was found to be the third most dangerous sport after motor racing and power boating.

So, exercising is much better for you than not exercising. Some pastimes are safer than others. And if you’re a middle aged man like me – be sensible!

The National Youth Worker of the Year Awards 2012 were organised by YouthLink Scotland and took place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Glasgow on 15th March where the outstanding service, contribution and performance by managers, youth workers, peer educators, teams and individuals working within the youth work sector across Scotland was recognised and celebrated.

More than 320 youth workers, managers, sponsors and invited guests attended the event hosted by BBC Scotland’s Glenn Campbell. The Minister for Children and Young People, Aileen Campbell MSP, also attended and addressed the event. Commenting on the Awards, Jim Sweeney – Chief Executive of YouthLink Scotland who organised the event – said “The National Youth Worker of the Year Awards 2012 has been a fantastic success and I congratulate all of our winners. Competition was particularly strong this year. All of the finalists and winners have shown a truly outstanding commitment to innovative youth work that helps to improve the lives of young people in Scotland and the communities that they live in.”

The Minster for Children and Young People, Aileen Campbell, added “On behalf of the Scottish Government, I’d like to congratulate this year’s Youth Worker of the Year Award winners on receiving the recognition they so rightly deserve. As a Government, we place great value on the role youth work can play in improving young people’s life chances while also contributing to local communities.”

The Tiree Community Development Trust told An Tirisdeach “We are absolutely delighted that Sophie has won the youth worker of the year award. She is an extremely hard working and enthusiastic youth worker and is a wonderful asset to the Isle of Tiree. She is a truly deserving winner.”

Huge congratulations to Will Wright who has just heard that he has qualified for Team GB for the Long Distance Triathlon World Championships in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, in July.

His qualification is based on his results from last year – winning the Scottish Triathlon Championships and gaining a Bronze at the European Triathlon Championships.
The event consists of a 4km swim, 120km bike and 30km run. Part of the challenge will be racing in the heat.

An excited Will, who runs Tiree Fitness here on Tiree, told An Tirisdeach “Having qualified for the team I feel really motivated to get out and train hard, wearing the Team GB colours definitely adds incentive to push as hard as possible and race that much faster”. He has promised to post updates on the Tiree Fitness website so that people can keep track of how the training is going and perhaps join him at some of the training sessions.