Songbirds

Speech delivered on Wed 9th Sep 2009

Congratulations to Jamie for securing this debate.

And I declare a farming interest -as well as having been the Environment Director of NFUS, Trustee for Borders Forest Trust, RSPB member, life-long lover of Birds.

We are lucky in Scotland to have such a diverse species of birds, whether our seabirds or almost unique Red Grouse, Dotterels and Golden Plover of the higher ground. Such a diversity is due to the unspoilt and well managed farmland that we do have in Scotland. On my family hill farm, Sundhope in Yarrow, we are lucky to have a decent Black Grouse Lek, and have farmed and entered projects with the like of Tweed foundation, RSPB, Borders Forest trust, Southern Uplands Partnership , in order to encourage the Lek to survive, as well as Salmon and many other birds that have benefited. And I have witnessed changes in bird behaviour in my life - Oystercatchers and Cormorants now common inland were once never far from the sea shore -so there are natural changes we must be aware of too.

And I have to mention Hugh Broad, an old NFU colleague in the Garden of Scotland near Gifford in East Lothian has managed his LEAF farm in a way that positively helps the environment and stays as a economically viable arable unit.

So, yes farming with the natural habitat in mind is important and is being done well, but there are other factors.

The first point is the impact upon bird numbers by predators. I recognise that there is division amongst bird enthusiasts as to the actual quantifiable risk associated with predation from other birds such as magpies, crows and some raptors, but certainly from my own experience predation does have a significant negative impact on the population

of birds. And Jamie McGrigor's motion uses the key phrase of balanced biodiversity which reflects exactly how it should be and as such some control can take place humanely which will reduce this problem.

No-one's talking about a mass cull of Corvids, a crow is too wise for this to be a threat anyway, but rather an attempt to balance the scales. I realise that this view won't be popular with many, but at the same time I believe that organisations like Songbird Survival are right to welcome further research into the relationship between predator and prey species. Its not just songbirds that are under threat --- I personally have seen a change in Crow predation, with healthy lambs being mobbed, there is nothing worse than coming upon a lamb with eyes, backside and tongue pulled out whilst still alive. One lamb I remember was half way out of its mother - heartbreaking.

I would also like to mention a word of caution in releasing predators at the top of the ecosystem triangle, whether winged or four legged, and bear in mind the effect they will have on the whole environment.

There's no doubt Songbird population decline and development are inextricably linked too. Can local authorities not put conditions on planning applications that will ensure there are greenspaces to accommodate wild birds. The proposed Overburn's quarry near Biggar may see many tonnes of gravel extracted from the Clydeside over 15 years. This type of development will surely see an inevitable decline in songbird populations. Yes of course environmental reclamation will take place at the end of the 15 years, but the damage will already be done and it will take years to rebuild the wildlife population.

Therefore we need sympathetic planning and to make most of the green space we do have - I also commend the work of the RSPB and the Scottish Ornithologists Club, both of which I actively help with the Voluntary farm alliance and the south east Scottish Bird atlas respectively. I welcome Jamie's motion but would only correct it by mentioning the biodiverse land of South Scotland and the work of all the aforementioned.