Steering Group News

Two recent visits to the Findhorn Bay Local Nature Reserve by Richard Lochhead MSP on 21st January and John Finnie MSP on 5th February have helped to raise the profile of the campaign that is calling for a total ban on shooting in the Findhorn Bay Nature Reserve, with Richard Lochhead declaring the current situation “untenable” and John Finnie supporting a total ban.

There is still much work to be done to achieve a ban, as there are two hurdles to cross. The first is the fact that some key persons are stating that they prefer a byelaw that regulates the shooting rather than a ban. In other words, the way in which they intend to ‘regulate’ shooting will not address the core problems and the current situation will not change significantly. The second is the rolling out of endless excuses by Moray Councillors and civil servants who say that enacting a local byelaw is simple too costly and time consuming to pursue. These excuses have been in abundance since 2005! Budgetary constraints are an issue everywhere of course, but usually, where the political will exists to make something happen, it happens – so money is not really the core issue. This is why local residents need to make it clear that they will no longer tolerate shooting for sport in the Bay and that the Bay and the people living around it should be respected.

Here is a compilation of the current problems on the Bay, put together by a Kinloss resident who regularly walks in the Southern end of the Nature Reserve, often when the shooting is going on. If this catalogue of misfortune does not clearly show why a ban on shooting is the only sensible way forward, we are not sure what will…?

Two of our local Ward 8 Councillors, George Alexander and Aaron McLean, sit on the Moray Council Committee that will make the decision on 8th March whether to:-

1. Support a byelaw that bans shooting altogether,
2. Support the continuation of shooting with a byelaw that allows for a shooting permit system, or
3. Continue to do nothing at all.

So if you want to see change, it is very important to let Mr Alexander and Mr McLean  know in writing how you feel about the shooting.

Supporting the continuation of shooting with a shooting permit system could easily result in no change to the status quo. The usefulness or otherwise of such a permit system would depend entirely on where shooters are allowed to shoot, how many shooters are allowed at any given time, how many days per week they are allowed to shoot, and at what times of day. In the current proposal the possibility to restrict shooting to certain times and areas is ruled out and there will be no limit on the number of local shooters per day. Furthermore, with a shooting permit system there is no way to ensure the competence of any shooter who applies for a permit. Hence, there could easily be a continuation of the current incompetent shooting practices. These inexcusable activities are resulting in many injured and dying geese and goose carcasses being found around Findhorn Bay and in local neighbourhoods, not to mention a lot of noise disturbance to local people.

Anyone who has seen the 13th November proposal for a shooting permit system, submitted by the current Chair of the Findhorn Bay LNR Management Committee to Moray Council, will realise that his commitment is to support the minority wildfowling community, by maintaining the status quo as far as possible. This is not going to be acceptable to the non-shooting majority of users of the Nature Reserve, and it certainly will not be acceptable to the 800+ IV36 residents who signed the petition demanding a total ban on shooting!

Must a minority ‘sport’ be tolerated in a Nature Reserve, when it has such a negative impact on other potential Nature Reserve users and on the wildlife that lives there, purely because it has been happening for generations? This is one of the arguments levelled by the pro-shooters, and even by some leaders, but it is a flawed argument of course. We could cite many things that were done for generations, but which are outlawed today. As an example, it would be inconceivable for a right-thinking person to say that domestic violence should be tolerated simply because it has been ‘practiced for generations’.

We hope and trust that our local Councillors will do the right thing for Findhorn Bay.

 

The newly established citizens’ group, Friends of Findhorn Bay, called a public meeting in Kinloss on 14th December to share their vision for the Bay as a local, national and international resource. There was an overwhelming public response with an attendance of over 120 local residents from Kinloss, Findhorn, Forres and surrounding areas. The group, which has a fast growing membership, aimed to bring all interested parties together to discuss and explore the vision and aims of the group and the best way forward for the Findhorn Bay Local Nature Reserve.

So far 800 signatures of residents of Kinloss, Findhorn and Forres have been collected in just 29 days on a paper petition that is calling for a total ban on shooting in the Findhorn Bay Local Nature Reserve. At the public meeting, lead petitioner, Lisa Mead, highlighted the strength of public feeling that had been articulated during the collection of signatures.

A local piper welcomed the meeting attendees on arrival to a varied and pleasant evening of talks, film footage, poetry and open question time.  A presentation by local ornithologist Richard Somers Cocks  gave an indication of the variety and rarity of the wildlife of the Bay. He noted that a number of bird species that visit or inhabit Findhorn Bay are recorded as ’Near Threatened’ on the IUCN Red List, including the Long-Tailed Duck, Curlew Sandpiper, Oystercatcher, Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwit and the Knot. An enlightening presentation was given as to the relevant legislation that protects the Bay, at least in theory, and to the fact that Findhorn Bay is not only designated as a Local Nature Reserve, but also as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and as a RAMSAR site.

It was outlined that under Criterion 5 of the RAMSAR Sites Criteria, Findhorn Bay has international importance for bird migration, which could also be of value in terms of sensitive ecotourism. Both individual bird species and habitats are also protected under the EU Natura 2000 directive. Many wintering species, including waders, need the South East corner of the Bay to feed and roost. Gelda MacGregor, a Steering Group member of Friends of Findhorn Bay, noted in her talk that the RSPB rated it as “one of the best places for wildlife in the UK”. The RAMSAR site designation report states that “in the educational use of the Findhorn Bay its potential value is high”.

Some evocative film footage of the beauty of the Bay and the migrating geese was shown by Rev. Louis Bezuidenhout. Included was some disturbing footage of the shooting of Pink Footed geese, with one falling onto the B9011 Findhorn Bay Road at Kinloss. It narrowly missed being hit by a bus and fell close to where school children wait at the bus stop. The fallen goose staggered along to a ditch, repeatedly trying to fly, but failing. Other local residents have also related discoveries of injured birds dying a painful death.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELSab5vTN_g

Following the presentations there were animated discussions, with points of view expressed by a diverse audience, which included several local wildfowlers. All who shared expressed heartfelt interest in and concern for the future of the Bay. Frustrated residents of Kinloss and Findhorn complained of waking up to the sound of shotgun fire for almost six months of the year and of effectively being unable to access the Nature Reserve to walk or birdwatch when the shooters are present, which is often during the morning, daytime and evening.

The audience were made aware that Friends of Findhorn Bay is now open for membership and has a website, www.findhornbay.scot, where further information can be found and also a Facebook Group – Findhorn Bay Goose Watch – which can be joined. This Facebook Group has been set up primarily so that people with concerns about shooting on the Bay or incidents to report can have their voices heard.

For further information please email: nature@findhornbay.scot