The Wee Vine

At the minute around the coast of the British Isles, seabirds are starting to gather on their cliff side breeding grounds. If you’ve ever seen a seabird colony, you’ll know that these places are an overload on the senses. You often smell them before you see them and only after you’ve really looked at them do you break the mass of noise and activity down in to individual birds, each species with their different niche on the cliff side. These seabird cities are the British equivalent of the Serengeti with over 40% of all Europe’s seabirds breeding here. 5 million of the UK’s 8 million breeding seabirds live around the coast of Scotland so we have a big responsibility to protect them.

Their nest sites are protected as Special Protection Areas (SPA) or Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and we have a framework to protect their social, grooming congregations near the colony as SPA extensions but until recently we didn’t protect their foraging grounds. A lack of knowledge about where seabirds feed was often cited as the reason for this lack of progress on creating Marine Protected Areas (MPA) which is where a project that I worked on from 2011 – 2014 came in. This project is one of the world’s largest tracking and monitoring studies, it is still ongoing and is led by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). It has involved studying 8 species of seabirds from 34 colonies around the UK.

On the ground this involved me sleeping, breathing, walking, talking seabird for 4 months each summer on the beautiful Isle of Colonsay, off the West coast of Scotland. Every dry hour of light was spent using ropes and poles to peer over the edge of cliffs to catch birds using old techniques the St Kildan’s used to catch their dinner! As we wanted to recover tracking tags and not disturb the birds breeding season we used a much more softly softly approach which involved at least 12 hours labour for every tag we retrieved. These Global Positioning System (GPS) tags have only become small enough recently to be able to carry out this work. They work like the sat-nav in your car collecting data every 100 seconds to a 15 metre accuracy to find out where the birds have gone to feed. We’ve collected over 1570 of these GPS tags creating maps that look like a jumble of spaghetti coming out from our coastline!

We’ve found out some fascinating facts such as birds are travelling much further to forage than we ever expected. Birds such as guillemots and razorbills were tracked travelling from Fair Isle, North of Shetland all the way south to Dundee to feed, a return trip taking just a couple of days. Fair Isle had a string of particularly poor breeding seasons for seabirds, it’s a poor state of affairs when birds have to travel over 300km just to get food for their chicks. This isn’t thankfully the case around the British Isles, birds on Colonsay where I was based did foraging trips of just over 30 km to an area around the Corryvreckan whirlpool just north of Jura where fish are pushed closer to the surface. There were also differences between years with good breeding seasons on Fair Isle resulting in much shorter foraging trips. This tracking work has identified feeding hotspots and has allowed us to provide recommendations and advice on placement of MPA’s.

Tessa Coledale

1^st Carse Cubs, based in Kippen, was established at the end of August 2016.  We have grown from strength to strength in a very short space of time and have managed to pack a great deal into the last few terms.

We enjoyed hosting our Bonfire and Fireworks night on 1^st November, which was well attended and raised some funds for some very worthwhile, local causes.

The Cubs learnt First Aid and basic rescue skills from Trossachs Search and Rescue who brought their dogs along to stage a rescue of two of our young leaders, in Kippen woods which was great fun and taught the boys a lot.

Additionally, amongst other things, we had a trip to the Woodland Light Experience, have been having fun with indoor cricket, had a visit from John Coyle to learn all about bees, had a visit to Stirling Observatory and a shot at “Summer ice”, in the reading rooms and much, much more…..

On the 7^th & 8^th April we took 12 Cubs and a young leader on our first ever camp.  This took place at Beechwood Scout Hall, in Stirling and was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone who attended.  Activities included Kayaking, tent pitching, we played cricket, capture the flag and enjoyed several other activities too.  The boys had a brilliant time and everyone left happy (and exhausted)!

We are looking forward to taking a stall at Kippen Street Fayre and hope that you will stop by to visit our Cubs and leaders.

1^st Carse Cubs meets during term times, on a Tuesday evening from 5:45 until 7:15pm.  During the winter months we tend to meet in Kippen Village Hall but with the days getting lighter, and hopefully with better weather on its way, we will be doing as much outdoors as possible, usually meeting up at the football pitch to enjoy the great outdoors.  We are currently at capacity and have a waiting list for those wishing to join.

We would like to thank the local community for their continued support.  If anyone has any skills or activities they’d like to share with our group please get in touch.

For more information please contact:

Derek Shanks, 1^st Carse Cubs Leader

Email:1stcarsecubs@mail.com

Tel: 01786 870046 or 07470 331622

Osteoarthritis is a painful, progressive disease.  Osteoarthritis involves the whole joint and results in joint inflammation, cartilage destruction and eventually bone changes.  Loss of cartilage within the joint results in bone on bone impingement which ultimately will cause irritation to the nerves and severe pain.  It is the most common cause of lameness in dogs and is thought to affect up to 1 in 5. Dogs can develop osteoarthritis due to an underlying cause e.g. developmental condition or a previous fracture and therefore it is often picked up in younger animals.  Cats tend to develop osteoarthritis due to ‘wear and tear’ on the joints.  It is estimated that 90% of cats over 12 years old have some degree of osteoarthritis.  Although the disease cannot be cured, much can be done to control the associated pain, slow the disease progression and improve your pets’ quality of life.

Clinical signs

Often owners will associate signs of osteoarthritis as just ‘getting old’ and not in discomfort.  In fact many signs of discomfort can be very subtle and include behavioural changes as well as physical changes.  Common clinical signs of osteoarthritis in dogs may be:

1. Stiffness
2. Struggling to rise, slow to lye down
3. Struggling to climb up/down stairs, get onto/off furniture, into/out of cars
4. Lameness
5. Slower on walks or reluctant to exercise or play
6. Changes in behaviour – more withdrawn, anxiety, fear responses, startling, aggression
7. Seeking coolness over comfort
8. Restless, panting, pacing
9. Painful when touched, reluctant to be groomed
10. Yelping/whimpering in pain

Cats often become quieter with pain.  Signs of osteoarthritis in cats may include: reluctance to jump up/down, sleeping more, going out less, overgrown claws, no longer using scratch post, not managing to use litter trays.

Treatment

Osteoarthritis requires a multimodal approach to treatment.  Most pets that are suffering with osteoarthritis will also develop secondary muscle pain due to postural change and weight shift. Treatment options may include:

Weight loss – extra fatty adipose tissue secretes chemicals which contribute to joint inflammation.  Extra weight on already painful joints will also increase wear and tear as well as discomfort.

Diet – prescription diets can be prescribed which are very high in omega 3 and have a natural anti-inflammatory action.

Exercise – regular short daily walks to maintain muscle mass.  Your vet can advice you on an appropriate exercise regime.

Joint supplements e.g. glucosamine, chondroitin, green lipped muscle.

Pain relief – many pets will use combinations of different drug types to keep your pet comfortable.

Acupuncture – an excellent treatment for muscular pain and can also help with other sources of pain.

Physiotherapy/Hydrotherapy – can help maintain muscle mass and mobility

Environmental changes e.g. using a ramp into the car

If you are concerned that your pet may be suffering from osteoarthritis please seek advice from your vet.

Sarah Mingay

‘Why?’  A common question in my life. It was my children’s favourite word for a while as they are young. Now their ‘Why?’ is more elaborate and a simple ‘because mummy says so’ no longer cuts it – nor should it. Their questions grow as they do and so do my questions as a mother.

‘Why?’ It’s a basic human question that drives our progress, our learning, our growth. Asking questions, discovering, and delving deep into understanding are all fundamentally human traits. We are hardwired to trial and error. Ever watch a young child learning to use a spoon? Hilarious and messy though it is, eventually a skill and understanding is gained. Remember learning to ride a bike or how to read?

Why, you may be asking yourselves, is this minister asking the question ‘why?’ Faith is also about asking questions, seeking answers, and wrestling with understanding. Faith, a little like learning to walk, cannot be learned from a set of instructions out of a book. While watching others can help us develop in faith, it is always a personal journey that NEVER ends.

I believe one of the most profound aspects of my walk of faith is that I am always on the GO being surprised and challenged. The firm foundation remains in Jesus, God with us on earth, but my relationship grows and develops every moment of every day. What a blessing that while God is the same yesterday, today and forever – God’s interaction with me is always calling me to grow and learn, never be satisfied with where I am and what has been before.

Why do I believe? The stories of Jesus in the Bible, the lives of the saints of the Church, the Spirit of God have touched my life and my heart, challenged me follow a way that leads to a fuller life here and now, knowing that the promise of eternal life awaits where joy will not end. God’s love has reached out to me in hardships, wonderment, relationships, words, silence, music, beauty, and while there are questions and doubts stirring within me there is always faith that God is with me, loving me as I journey in faith. I may never know the answers to every question, and that drives me crazy some days, however I know that seeking and searching are a gift from God who loves me.

Kippen Parish Church would love to welcome you to worship with us on Sundays when we gather at 11.15 am (except during July and August which is at 11 am).  All ages always welcome. Look out for Messy Church events on Sunday afternoons about once a month. Next Messy Church is in Aberfoyle Church Hall on 30^th April from 2-4pm (look out for posters). Messy Church is organised fun and fellowship for all ages supported by people from several Carse churches. The afternoon includes singing, crafts, food, Bible stories, and prayers. Please look out for notices in the local paper, social media and noticeboards for further details about events at Kippen Parish Church and around the area churches.

The church also has an active Guild who meet from autumn to spring time and weekly coffee gathering (Wednesday 10.30-11.30 am) that meets after the Otago exercise class (Wednesday, 9.45 am, cost £2). We are also grateful to the community support of concerts and fundraising events that have taken place in Kippen Kirk.

As your parish minister, I am grateful to have found our way to this little slice of heaven on earth.

Blessings, Ellen

Rev. Ellen Larson Davidson
Minister of Kippen linked with Norrieston
Church of Scotland
Reg Charities: SC004286 (Kip) & SC028719 (Nor)

tel: 01786 871 249
elarsondavidson@churchofscotland.org.uk

Stirling It’s YOUR call to prevent crime

Crimestoppers Scotland is urging members of Stirling’s local communities to contact the charity anonymously about crime concerns.

The campaign which launches 3^rd April will highlight the difference a call to Crimestoppers can make to people living in areas where crime can be problematic and people may not want to give information to Police or other law enforcement.

Contacting Crimestoppers really does make a difference. In 2015/16 Crimestoppers Scotland passed on 10,000 public calls to Police Scotland and other authorities. This meant: 477 criminals were arrested and charged – 35 guns, knives and ammunition were removed and £605,692 in the value of street drugs seized.

Angela Parker, National Manager for Crimestoppers in Scotland said:

‘For various reasons, people may not want to speak to the Police or Law Enforcement, so independent charity Crimestoppers can pass on information to protect callers’ identities. Our message to Stirling’s residents is that you can do something about it, you can prevent crime, so let’s make Stirling safer, together.’

Crimestoppers bus adverts and social media will highlight how easy it is to make a call. Community partners across Stirling will also be equipped with the charity’s calling cards, banners and digital resources to share.

The campaign will also see each of Stirling’s seven secondary schools being equipped with free Fearless.org resources. (Fearless.org is the charity’s youth programme that provides a safe online site to give information about crime anonymously.)

Crimestoppers is an independent charity which helps the police to solve crimes, making communities safer. It does this by operating the 24/7 telephone number 0800 555 111 which people can ring to pass on information about crimes anonymously. They can also use our ‘giving information’ form via our website http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org.