The Earn- the heron and a precious stone
One of the benefits and joys
of living in Strathearn is its wonderful choice of walks . Walks to suit all participants . Hill walkers can access the peaks above Loch Turret with ease whilst
those older members of the community can choose from a superb variety of pleasant but
non demanding rambles in some of
Scotland’s most beautiful
countryside . Recognised paths are clearly sign posted and rights of way are
protected under the auspices of the local Council . The last few decades have seen a network of long
distance walks and paths established across Scotland – the best known in all
probability being the West Highland Way
stretching from Milngavie ( pronounced Mul – guy !! ) just north of
Glasgow , all the way to Fort William at
the fooft of Ben Nevis , our highest peak .Local writer , publisher and out door
enthusiast Felicity Martin wrote recently in Facebook :
“ Super walk
today from St Fillans on Loch Earn in Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National
Park to Comrie. We were checking the route for the Three Saints Way, a pilgrim
route planned from Killin (and eventually Iona) to St Andrews. Today's walk
largely followed Day 6 of the Clan Ring, which I researched and wrote up
earlier in 2014 for Breadalbane Tourism Co-operative”
There are a number
of useful web sites which describe and
evaluate the many walks in and around Strathearn . The annual
Drovers Tryst ( pronounced Try-st not Trist ) lists the
many walking and social events
that this annual Crieff based
festival arranges in the month of October . The Walk Highland will list the suitability level for a
wide variety of walks in this area . Last but certainly not least is Martin Forsyth’s Crieff based Wandern Schottland which provides outdoor holidays for Germans
wishing to visit Scotland .
Web Sites
The Heron
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The heron has been
around the wilds of Scotland for many
centuries . In the far off Middle Ages
the bird came close to extinction
.Our ancestors regarded the heron as
a bird of sport and it was
pursued relentlessly by huntsmen
with hawk or falcon . This majestic bird was oft
regarded as a fine delicacy and many a laird of the day offered his
guests this bird on a plate . We know
from history that the
conservation policies of the Scottish Parliament were not the born of
the “ Green Revolution “ but existed a way back over four centuries ago . In 1600 ,at the
instigation of James VI ( James I of Great Britain ) , they passed an Act which stated :
“ The
slaughter of herons having been so frequent and common these diverse years
within the Carse of Gowrie , Fife , Strathearn and other places thereabout ,
that few or none are left in the said bounds . A small number have begun to
build their nests in the King’s park of Falkland and his Majesty being desirous
to have them increase and multiply has ordered that the slaughter of these
birds be forbidden in all the countryside adjacent . To this end , there is an
Order to inhibit all persons from shooting, slaying or taking any herons from
the bounds of Fife , Kinross shire , the
Carse of Gowrie , Strathearn from Comrie east upon the Earn and at Kilbuck (
Kinbuck ) east upon the Allan for a period
of three years after the date thereof . This under pain of imprisonment
for one year for the first offence and banishment from the country for the second fault “
“ The
slaughter of herons having been so frequent and common these diverse years
within the Carse of Gowrie , Fife , Strathearn and other places thereabout ,
that few or none are left in the said bounds . A small number have begun to
build their nests in the King’s park of Falkland and his Majesty being desirous
to have them increase and multiply has ordered that the slaughter of these
birds be forbidden in all the countryside adjacent . To this end , there is an
Order to inhibit all persons from shooting, slaying or taking any herons from
the bounds of Fife , Kinross shire , the
Carse of Gowrie , Strathearn from Comrie east upon the Earn and at Kilbuck (
Kinbuck ) east upon the Allan for a period
of three years after the date thereof . This under pain of imprisonment
for one year for the first offence and banishment from the country for the second fault “
James VI
This early act of
conservation may perhaps have
been responsible for saving this , so beautiful of birds . Herons currently abound throughout the Strath . The Earn , the Turret
and the Bennybeg Pond between Crieff and Muthill are popular haunts
for the heron and can be enjoyed
by each and everyone of us throughout the year . I do wonder perhaps
just how many locals of yesteryear
were indeed imprisoned or banished
for attacking our feathered
friend !
The Fresh Water Pearl Mussel
The rivers , burns and lochs of the Strath have provided excellent fishing for
trout , sea trout and salmon for countless generations . November saw a
run of sea trout ascend the Turret in
considerable numbers endeavouring to proceed
beyond the recently repaired weir
and fish ladder at the north end of MacRosty Park in Crieff . It has been a
number of years since this fascinating
spectacle of nature has been witnessed in this airt !
The River Earn flows
from Loch Earn in and easterly direction till it joins The Tay below
Perth . It is comparatively short ( 46
miles /74 Km ) in length and is fast
flowing and unnavigable . It is
noted for its salmon and sea trout and gives seasonal sport to locals and
visitors alike . Apart from the
fish , it is home to the unique fresh
water pearl mussel .This mollusc is historically fascinating . It is said that
the real reason that the Romans invaded Britain was the rumour that the islands
abounded is that in pearls and that
Julius Caesar who had a predilection for these gems, led the way
for that very reason ! Caesar himself worshipped and paid tribute to the gods . It was to Venus in her temple that the mighty emperor dedicated his own breast plate in her honour
. This piece of armour was embellished by British fresh water pearls .
British ? Scottish ? Strathearn ? Sadly
, we shall never know ! What we do know , however , is that Scotland was that
part of these isles which was the most
prolific in producing these comparatively rare shell fish . Pearl fishing has
been for decades – nay centuries – been carried out on both the Tay and the Earn here in
Perthshire . James VI of Scotland was instrumental in reviving this industry which
had in the earlier part of the 17th Century . The writer , John
Monipennie , wrote, in 1612 :
”
In most of the rivers in Scotland besides the marvellous plenty of salmon and
other fishes gotten there, there is a shell fish called the horse mussel , of a
great quantity , wherein are engendered innumerable fair, beautiful and
delectable pearls , convenient for the pleasure of man and profitable for the
use of phisicke . Some of them are so fair and polished that they may be equal
to any oriental pearls ; and generally by the providence of Almighty God , when
dearth and scarcity of victuals are in the land , then the fishes are most
plentiful taken for the support of the people “ .
The king responded to this writing by presenting the Privy Council with a
missive regarding the protection and
harvesting of the mussel . This was passed as an Act on the 30th January
1621 and its preamble stated :
“ For as
much as the fishing and seeking of pearls in the waters of this Kingdom ( a
commodity which being rightly used would prove honourable to the country and
beneficial to his Majesty )has been these diverse years neglected or used at
such inconvenient and unseasonable times as has done more harm by the spoiling
of the breed and quality of the pearls than benefit by taking thereof and
whereas the King , His Majesty has the
undoubted right to all pearls breeding
in waters as to the metal and precious
stones found in this land within his Majesty’s
dominions “ .
The Act fixed the time
for pearl fishing to be in July and August as in these months the pearls
were considered to be at their most
perfect both in colour and in quantity .
Initially only the rivers in the North
of Scotland were covered by the Act but on the 26th February 1662 , another Act was passed which included the Tay and the Earn . It cannot
be said that the industry was ever very profitable although
many fairly good pearl of
their kind have been taken from time
to time in the Earn near Crieff .One especially fine example was
found in September 1864 and was exhibited locally for a time.
Current Danger To The Mussel
The freshwater pearl mussel, already critically endangered, is
facing a potentially terminal threat from another foreign invader. American
signal crayfish released into the wild have spread through the nation’s rivers
in recent decades and now directly threaten the remaining colonies of the rare
molluscs. Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), the government’s countryside
protection agency, says crayfish are now just 20 miles away from a prime colony
of freshwater pearl mussels in the Tay. Anglers are being encouraged to protect
the mussel beds from being destroyed. The Tay Fisheries Board is urging
fishermen and other river users to avoid anything which could help spread the
crayfish, such as eggs which have attached to fishing gear. They also stress
the need to kill any adult crayfish found and never return them to the water.
The warning follows SNH-supervised experiments which have
demonstrated that crayfish will attack colonies when they eventually invade
mussel habitat. Scottish Natural Heritage’s freshwater adviser, Dr Colin Bean,
said they now had evidence of a “mortal” threat to the mussel beds.
“Upstream
in the River Earn, there are crayfish around Comrie,” he said. “You get mussels
as far down as Perth. They haven’t clashed yet on the Tay, but there is a
threat given how fast they spread. It’s not far away.”
Scotland is home to half the world’s population of freshwater
pearl mussels. They have been harvested close to extinction on the off-chance
they might contain a pearl, and are sensitive to pollution.The precise location
of surviving colonies is publicised as little as possible to give the mussel
numbers a chance to recover.
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