Findhorn Bay Wildlife Watch

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Winter Solstice Update 2019

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Winter Solstice 2019 marks the 4th anniversary of the submission of the Petition to Moray Council calling for a ban on shooting of wild birds in the Findhorn Bay Local Nature Reserve. 811 people living in close proximity to Findhorn Bay signed the petition and it was submitted to Moray Council on 21st December 2015. There has been a lot of water over the mudflats since then to say the least. The petition was eventually rejected almost 4 years later by Moray Council on 10th September 2019. This followed 3 failed attempts to mediate a resolution. So the refusal of a ban on shooting has happened even though the problem of the shooting of wild birds on Findhorn Bay remains a problem. Therefore, the many hundreds of local residents living around Findhorn Bay who called for a ban in 2015 have been utterly failed by Moray Council, who have failed to even regulate the shooting, let alone ban it altogether.

Unknown shooter in the Findhorn Bay Local Nature Reserve

From Friends of Findhorn Bay’s perspective, the shooting groups have been very clever in insisting that each of their groups (local and national) be represented at the various meetings that have taken place, rather than the shooting interest groups speaking with one voice, and Moray Council was remiss in allowing this. The reason being that on each occasion when there was a prospect of a voluntary agreement being reached, one shooting group would argue at the 11th hour, “but we did not agree to that”. And so the voluntary arrangements would never be adhered to in practice. Classic divide and rule tactics by the shooting groups, which Moray Council fell for.

The obvious ‘democratic deficit’ of so many shooting representatives being present, compared to just two people representing the entire local human population, and just one ornithologist representing the interests of the entire feathered population, should not be forgotten if there is ever a future negotiation on this issue.

Of course there are many differing opinions as to what should or should not be allowed in terms of human activities on Findhorn Bay. Of course Findhorn Bay is simply a microcosm of the differing world views that exist, regarding what humans should or should not be taking from the rest of nature.

What is abundantly clear is that humanity’s destructive tendencies, and our collective sense of entitlement to interfere with other species, with natural processes and with ecosystems all over the planet, has led to an already catastrophic decline in both the number of species and the overall numbers of animals, birds, amphibians and insects. The Worldwide Fund for Nature’s Living Planet Report 2018, is testament to this.

For anyone who is paying attention, it is very clear that our task now is to stop destroying what’s left, to maintain and enhance what’s left and to restore what can be restored. That’s if we as a species – and the millions of species with whom we share this planet – are to have any chance of a healthy future, or possibly of any kind of future.

For many species it is already too late, and so many, such as the IUCN Red-listed Curlew, are on the brink. Numbers have declined drastically on Findhorn Bay. Do we not, as the dominant species on the planet, and seeing very clearly what is happening to our planet, have a duty to act to the best of our abilities to protect the ecosystems that remain? A curlew may not be a permitted target for the shooters on Findhorn Bay, but they are of course impacted by the noise and disruption caused by the shooters. If we do not start thinking in terms of the health of entire ecosystems and not just in terms of the rights of humans, the future is looking very bleak indeed.

Waves O’Flight – A Gem by the Bay

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Pottery by Vera Bohlen

Congratulations to Vera Bohlen of Claysongs Ceramics studio at The Park Ecovillage in Findhorn, and to the entire group of artists and volunteers who have put together such a spectacular display of Findhorn Bay related artworks for the Waves O’Flight visual art exhibition, which forms part of the 2018 Findhorn Bay Arts Festival.

‘Waves O’Geese’ by Grace Ryagard

The Kinloss Church Annexe has been transformed with art, crafts and photography, plus a lovely exhibit about the many lichens on Findhorn Bay, put together by local lichen expert, Heather Paul, and a collection of Bay wildlife ‘finds’, gathered by local naturalist and outdoor educator, Dan Puplett.

Part of Heather Paul’s Lichens Exhibit

Some highlights from the exhibition are featured below… but you really have to see what’s on display there to experience its full immersive beauty and overall impact.

The centrepiece of the exhibition, the gigantic goose made from galvanised steel wire, taking flight over heaps of discarded plastic – plastic that has washed up on the shores of Findhorn Bay – is not to be missed.

The Waves O’Flight exhibition has only two more days to run – Sunday 30th September and Monday 1st October, from 11am – 4pm, so get there fast! The venue is Kinloss Church Annexe.

Also not to be missed – on Monday 1st October, there will be a special closing event from 6-9pm, featuring Clown Doctor Lesley Quilty and Eco-Poet Helen Moore, reading her beautiful poem about Findhorn Bay, as well as story telling, food, drinks, music… all by donation.

Posted by Lisa Mead

‘Wounded Goose’ by Debbie Raymont

Findhorn Bay, 1-5 by Eta Ingham Lawrie, Weaving with driftwood and shells

‘Wave Catcher’ by Christina Powell

Part of ‘My Little Path’ by Christina Powell

 

 

 

 

Shooting on Findhorn Bay: To Ban or Not to Ban? That is the Question

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In December 2015, Friends of Findhorn Bay submitted an 811 signature petition calling for a ban on all shooting in Findhorn Bay. Since then we have sat through two separate attempts at compromise talks instigated by Moray Council, both of which have ended in failure. The first mediated meeting, in June 2016, ended in an agreement to introduce very limited shooting restrictions, without a permit system. This was denounced by BASC, who refused to go along with it on the grounds that they had not been consulted and they found it too convoluted.

So back to square one and in 2016 enter Roy Dennis, the recently appointed Chair of the LNR committee, who agreed to take on the unenviable task of trying to find middle ground between the four shooting groups involved (that is BASC and SACS at national level, and FNDWA and FBSCA at local level). Mr Dennis also consulted representatives from FFB and local ornithologists and conservationists, since it’s not all about what the shooters want, is it? Out of these various meetings he crafted a shooting permit system, which included limits on numbers of visiting shooters, no shooting on Mondays as well as Sundays and no shooting in certain eastern areas of the Bay in December, January and February, for wildlife conservation reasons.

FFB went along with this proposal on the understanding that it was a one year trial only, simply in order to bring at least some improvement for the next season. However, we communicated to Mr Dennis that the voluntary system did not go far enough in terms of preventing, or at least limiting, early morning noise disturbance, or in limiting the overall number of shooters at any given time, among other things. Unfortunately, this time it was SACS which said that it would not go along with the permit system, because in its opinion the voluntary system went too far…

What this meant in practice is that only around 20 shooters applied for shooting permits online at http://fblnr.org/wildfowling/ for the 2017-18 shooting season. Hence, last season we endured the same intolerable situation as before, i.e. unregulated shooting at any time of the day or night in all areas of the Bay apart from the existing no shoot zone by Findhorn village. Local people continue to be woken up by shooters’ vehicles parking in the vicinity or their homes as early at 4am, followed by shotgun noise from around 5am, which disturbs and wakes people living in Kinloss and Findhorn… How can early morning noise disturbance like this be acceptable on any day of the week?

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Local residents are in effect being held to ransom by the disagreement amongst the shooting groups – what about local residents’ right to peaceful enjoyment of their homes and to be able to use their local nature reserve all year round? The reserve is supposed to be a public amenity after all, for the enjoyment of everyone. Not to mention for the benefit of wildlife and to aid conservation. The clue is in the name “nature reserve”, surely?

In June 2018, the Economic Development & Infrastructure Services Committee of Moray Council again recommended that ‘interested parties’ get together with an experienced mediator, to attempt to agree yet another voluntary agreement, because there is still no cash (for which read: no political will) for a legally binding byelaw to stop the shooting. Steering group members of Friends of Findhorn Bay will continue to attend these meetings (starting in September 2018) in order to make sure that the concerns of local residents are properly represented.

We, the residents of Kinloss, Findhorn and the other residential areas around the Bay must continue to make our voices heard and our wishes and needs clear. The Council is expecting these ‘interested parties’ to solve this intractable problem, which, after 40+ years of agro and two recent, failed, mediation attempts already behind us, appears to us to be a total abdication of their responsibility to you, the local residents, to find a workable solution from their position of authority. The Ward 8 Councillors are supposed to be representing YOU, the wider population, not just a small bunch of very vocal and pushy people, who get their kicks from killing wild birds, often leaving them injured or maimed or dead around the Bay, and regularly littering the Bay with their spent cartridges and wads.

Your Ward 8 Councillors details can be found here. Click on the photo to get the Councillor’s email address. Please drop them a line if you are affected by the shooting and let them know how you would like things to change. You can also let us know via our Contact Us page.

Winter Season Report 2017-18

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We hope you have had a restful and restorative holiday and a good start to a new turn around the sun. We want to sound a big thank you for your continued support this last year!

We have now entered the last phase of the voluntary shooting permit trial for Findhorn Bay for the current shooting season. Just to recap, this has been negotiated and put in place by the Findhorn Bay Local Nature Reserve (FBLNR) Management Committee. The shooting season started on 1st September 2017 and runs to 20th February 2018. For those who have not seen it, details of the current permit system, the areas where shooting is permitted etc, are on the FBLNR’s website fblnr.org.

The geese have seen surprise support from Moray Council this year: Moray Council have prohibited shooting on their land above the Mean High Water Mark – they erected signs at all the entry points to their land in the Southeast area of the bay. The map on the signs shows that this means shooting in the Southeast of the bay north of Kinloss Burn is only allowed from the mudflats.

In addition to this, from 1st December 2017, the FBLNR have posted new signs below the Moray Council signs, asking for no shooting from 1st December to 20th February in the Southwest corner of Findhorn Bay, in order to protect nationally important wading bird species while they feed before their breeding season.

Findhorn Bay is a small nature reserve, and apart from tens of thousands of migrating geese, it is home to swans, osprey, various kinds of duck, and protected waders like the curlew. The shooting disturbs all creatures around the bay who live here, whether permanently or temporarily.

Sadly, shooting has continued beyond the times, days and areas agreed, or even permitted. Prohibited or protected areas have been ignored by a number of shooters and police had to be called, and shooting on Sundays was also recorded.

Only about 18 permits have been applied for. While BASC (British Association for Shooting & Conservation) supported it, local shooting associations and SACS (the Scottish Association for Country Sports) have opposed the voluntary agreement under the flimsy excuse that applicants’ data would not be safe with the FBLNR, even stating that the FBLNR secretary was biased against shooters. None of this is true. Throughout the negotiations the FBLNR has done its best to hear and take into account both sides impartially.

Most early mornings at least one member of the FFB Steering Committee went out onto the bay to observe shooters’ placing and behaviour, to take photos, and to report on rubbish left behind by them. During the 2016-17 shooting season over 1400 empty cartridges and wads were collected – all plastic and metal which would otherwise have been washed out to the sea and endangered marine life, as unfortunately it continues to do this season.

As oceans have enough plastic to deal with already, it is important that we prevent more of it from being washed into the bay, which it will be with each next spring tide, even if left on the foreshore. This year our key rubbish collection volunteer has been unable to collect the cartridges and wads, so we encourage everyone to take a bag with them when walking around the bay and collect any cartridges, wads or other rubbish they find.

It would be extremely useful if the bags with wads and cartridges could be passed on to the FFB Steering Group (contact us via: findhornbayfriends@gmail.com) together with the date and location collected, so that we can record how much rubbish there is still being left lying around. As well as records of shooting activity, especially on agreed no-shoot days and any other incidents, records of rubbish left behind by shooters is useful to know for our report to the Council.

If collecting it is physically hard to do but you have a camera, or maybe even just on your ‘phone, it is helpful to photograph any rubbish you see and send this in an email with time/date/location to your Moray Council councillors (click on the names for their email addresses), and Richard Lochhead, MSP: Richard.Lochhead.msp@parliament.scot.

The rubbish left behind by shooters is a silent but nonetheless powerfully negative side-effect of their activities, just as the noise and danger from their shooting badly affects animals and humans.

At the end of October residents distributed 500 flyers to households around the bay asking for support with monitoring the voluntary agreement, with information on who to contact, with councillors’ publicly available email addresses (see above), and the police number for such cases (101).

It seems continued diligent work will be necessary for a positive outcome – either a stringent bylaw, or an outright ban on shooting here. Any kind of help you can give is most welcome.

On a very positive note, 4th November saw us having a tea and cake gathering in the newly built Pavillion in the Southeast area of the bay, which is accessible across the small bridge just north of Kinloss. It was wonderful to see so many of you there connecting with others who they had not met before and all of whom want the very best for the wildlife around the bay.

Again, thank you for your support and please look out for our future events.

If you would like to help in any way please get in touch at: findhornbayfriends@gmail.com!

Friends of Findhorn Bay Steering Group

Voluntary Shooting Scheme Introduced

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A shooting permit system has been put in place for Findhorn Bay by the Findhorn Bay Local Nature Reserve (FBLNR) Management Committee for the forthcoming shooting season, which started on 1st September 2017 and runs to 20th February 2018. Details of the permit system, the areas where shooting is permitted and how to apply for a permit are on FBLNR’s website:

The permit system is the result of many months of negotiations led by Roy Dennis, Chair of the FBLNR Management Committee. Local and national shooting groups participated in the negotiations, as well as local ornithologists and conservationists, and members of the citizens group, Friends of Findhorn Bay (FFB). FFB represents the views of more than 800 local people who signed a formal petition to Moray Council in late 2015, asking for an outright ban on the shooting of geese and ducks on the Bay.

Lisa Mead, lead petitioner and steering group member of FFB said, “This is a step in the right direction, which FFB went along with in the hope that it will bring some relief to the dire situation on Findhorn Bay during the next shooting season. Since Moray Council had no appetite to pass a byelaw to ban the shooting, we have sought to find middle ground. We argued for 3 days per week with no shooting at all, in addition to Sundays, which is already a no shooting day in Scotland. Unfortunately, we have ended up with only one extra day of no shooting, on Mondays. We will go along with this for the coming season, however we feel it is still unfair to local residents, especially those living in Kinloss, who will still be woken up extremely early in the morning by shotgun fire, 5 days per week for 6 months of the year. I don’t think the people who shoot here have any idea how upset local people are by their actions. There are many hundreds of people who just don’t want any shooting here at all.”

Adrian Hutchins, convener of FFB added, “I very much hope that the voluntary permit arrangements will bring some improvement to the situation, however we have said all along that what is needed is a local byelaw to regulate or ideally ban the shooting. That still needs to be put in place and so we urge the Council to face their responsibilities and get on with passing a byelaw.”