Comments on: Happy Birthday Swan Island!

By: jt

jt — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:36:56 +0000

Hi Dude, Your reactions to the Swans and the calming peace they bring, is exactly what they do for me also. The therapeutic value they brought to me 6 years ago when my life was at a particularly low ebb was immense. As time passed I found a deep closeness to nature and realised the spiritual value to taking the time and making the effort to understand the value of all life.
We are so busy looking after our own species and trashing the environment we all share. I think more thought should be put into caring for all the other natural things which enrich all our lives.
As a species I think we are so wrapped up in consumerism and the complexities of life, that we have almost lost the ability to chill out and be at one with nature and all it’s beauty and diversity. Nairn is a great place and should be talked up, you’re analysis of certain critics is spot on. I hope the Swans will always be here for you and all others who get joy and peace from them. My Best wishes jt.

By: the dude

the dude — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:32:23 +0000

My Turn to be Antagonistic.
Eight Cygnets Bill Eight and they are all beautiful.
Just think how many people this family of Swans has made happy.
They are brilliant the way they glide over the water.
So what if you find it not 100% natural.
The other 99.99999% of the population who look at them just think wow to get this close to nature is beautiful.
I certainly did I did not run back to my computer to see if the little girl feeding the cygnets was doing any harm.
I just sat there coming out of my self pity watching the excitement on the little girls face as she fed the swans.
Sorry Bill but some people just take things a little to far.
Have you never thought of playing golf or fishing or maybe go for a couple of beers.
As for your comments about zoos, Well all I can say is I love going to the zoo but I enjoyed JT’s swans better
Chill Bill have a beer

By: the dude

the dude — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:07:40 +0000

Hi JT
Thanks for your comments, most of my sadness was not so much from Nairn as from the inner turmoil caused by this holiday.
I have such good memories of Nairn as a youngster it was a fabulous place, it still is.
However reading all the blogs and the online news papers over the last year sent me hurling back in time.
I just can’t explain.
Anyway I had hyped it up so much to the family that it could never have lived up to my hype.
So when the big argument happened I felt the whole world was against me.
I had spoiled the only two weeks we get to spend a year together.
I stormed out off the river feeling sorry for myself and came across the swans.
As I approached the rivers edge they sailed over to me.
The first thing that struck me was how many cygnets there were, normally only four survive.
As I sat there watching them I calmed down, they saved me as I was so depressed I do not know what I had in mind, but the swans were beautiful and trusting and calmed me enough to go back to the caravan and to drive home without further misshaps.
So as I said there is always someone out there willing to criticise, willing to stir things up for the hell of it, just to get a rise.
I do not know if Brian will allow me to swear but where I come from we call them shit stirrers “ Sorry Brian”
All we can do is rise above them and ignore them, they are looking for a rise a reaction and the best thing we can do is not give them it
“not good for the blogs I know”
Just like Jake He appears to have latched onto my comments to slag a councillor which is the last thing I want.
All I wanted to do was let you guys know that there has been big changes in your town and not always for the best, but from what I can see there are at least two.
YOUR Swans and your belly dancing Provost.
Cheers
The Dude
PS sorry for my first Blog it was writen out of frustration

By: jt

jt — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:13:04 +0000

I very much appreciate all the positive comments regarding my efforts with the Swans island etc.
The Dude obviously knows Nairn and some of the critics pretty well according to his comment.

A bit off topic but I’m sorry you had such a bad holiday experience and I can understand why. Maybe someday Nairn will free itself of the wreckers and small minded back stabbing critics, and get some real civic leadership to take the town forward. Nairn has a natural nucleus of a great seaside town, and should listen to all suggestions even if they are from newcomers. All too often people are slapped down if they put forward suggestions that dont suit people with rigid mindsets. Some Nairn critics are only interested in talking things to a standstill and nothing ever actually gets done. Some of us are the exception.

By: Brian Turner

Brian Turner — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:31:06 +0000

Any attempt to help local wildlife is laudable.

By: Burst yer bubble

Burst yer bubble — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:14:35 +0000

The Swans were coping perfectly well before Joe came along to be the self-proclaimed riverside ecological(amateur expert) dictator. Yes there were failures but that’s nature.

By: the dude @hotmail.com

the dude @hotmail.com — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 06:51:14 +0000

JT
Good for you the swans look happy to me and it was one of the very few things we enjoyed on our recent visit to Nairn.
No matter what you do there is always a critic.
Having spent so many wonderful holidays there as a kid I still read all the online papers and blogs and it will come as no suprise that is is always the same people who critisize everything.
Keep it up JT

By: jt

jt — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 21:56:34 +0000

Bill, I read the Telegraph article you supplied and noted that it was aimed mainly at people feeding birds in their gardens. I also noted the comments of Chris Packham, the naturalist who is also a vice-president of the RSPB, said:
“I understand where they are coming from: bread is not the best thing to feed birds but I would be reluctant to tell people to stop.
“One of my formative memories was being taken to a lake near Arundel when I was about four.

“I remember feeding the ducks. There was an extraordinary variety of shapes and colours. It was amazing.
“If you are serious about feeding a bird you really have to put your hand in your pocket these days.”

I think if i was a politician Bill the first thing i would do is get rid of all the so called experts and consultants etc, that cost us a fortune and do little for the real world.
I would much rather take the advice of people on the ground at the sharp end and in the real world.
The proof of the feeding is in the Swans for all to see. I said the river was not ideal, but then my flat roofed house is not ideal either, but we all have to make the best of what we’ve got. The swans tried to lay eggs in the river for several years only to be flooded by the tide. They obviously thought the river was a good place to nest and I merely obliged by raising the island. The river food supply during the rearing time is ideal for the Swans so the location of the nesting island makes pretty good sense as has been proved.In my(expert)amateur opinion, I think our Swans are doing exceptionally well with a variety of foods, and their offspring will fly from here in about 6 weeks time with enough reserves to help them through their first winter no matter how severe that might be.
The idea of creating the island was to avoid Swan and cygnet deaths, this was based on experience not on experts, and so far it has worked.

By: Brian Turner

Brian Turner — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:26:35 +0000

Good call, Jingle – I’ll make sure I’m careful on that.

By: Jingle

Jingle — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:24:38 +0000

If I were you Brian,I would be very carefull about transporting plants,alien species,etc about the countryside.The New Fisheries Act prohibits this.