RSPB reserves - deadly places

[Mark R]

After paddling around Ramsey Island (belongs too the RSPB) yesterday, my wife went ashore onto the island whilst we played on the Bitches tidal rapid. I've wandered around the footpaths on this gorgeous island many times, but it was her first time.

Anyway...a lady popped up from the house by thhe quay and told her she couldn't leave the landing stage and access the island. The reason? Health and safety. Heather was told that she couldn't proceed until she'd had a 'Health and Safety' talk from a proper warden, unless she hurt herself walking and tried to sue the RSPB.

Heather had to sit on the quay for two hours...

Comments?


-----------Mark Rainsley

[Sue]

Last time I was there, about three years ago, admittedly, there appeared to be no restrictions, there was even a tea shop and the loos were worth a visit, too!

2 hours was a bit inconsiderate, wasn't it? What on earth were you doing to keep her waiting that long?

[Mark R]

This:




-----------Mark Rainsley

[conoroneill]

Last time we paddled around the island, we stopped for lunch at one of the beaches on the west side. Some of the group walked up a delapidated footpath to the top of the cliff and wandered around at the top. I think they even walked across to the house to use the eco-loo.

So the moral of the story is: don't start your walk at the harbour...

(I should probably add some disclaimer here.)

Besides, if they really cared about Health and Safety, couldn't they have just given her a leaflet instead of making her wait 2 hours...

[Jim]

Interesting thread, I first thought it might be about something else I just learned about but more of that later:

- In most places a landing stage would be considered a dangerous area, I would have thought it more likely you would be told not to use that than the island!

- As recent threads have alluded to, Bonxies are dangerous - they'll attack pretty much anything and regularly kill gulls bigger than themselves. I have no idea if Ramsey is somewhere they hang out.

- In nesting season pretty much all gulls are potential dive bombers. I've had several near misses with lesser black backed gulls and would have appreciated more advice on what to expect when crossing their nesting ground to get to the bunkhouse (this was on the instructions of a Warden, he rather casually mentioned that as there were chicks about the gulls might swoop at us...).

- I have friends who are ornithologists and despite years of dodging gulls they occasionally get blooded, even when wearing hats!

- My ornithologist friends were telling me yesterday that due to some wild claims about interbreeding with some rare duck in Spain, the RSPB has decided to sanction shooting of ruddy shellducks (I think) on some of it's reserves in Britain! They were opposed to this, particulalry on the grounds that some reserves on the list had rare species of their own and they were concerned that shooters might accidentally get them instead!

So yes, it looks as though bird reserves are fairly deadly places. Did Heather get a safety talk in the end? If so what hazards were actually pointed out?

JIM

[Mark R]

No, she didn't get her induction. And...I'm fairly sure that she can defend herself admirably against sudden seagull violence, that ever pervasive evil.

Regarding the landing quay - the woman grumbled about us landing boats there in the first place, due to...you guessed it...

It's probably a good job she didn't see Heather surfing the tide races around the island, she would have had kittens.


-----------Mark Rainsley
Edited by: guidebook at: 6/16/03 1:04 pm

[guy]

It sounds like a regular encounter for kayakers
(the get off my land bit, not the seagulls)
the usuall advise is to be polite but carry on

[conoroneill]

That's a good point - is there any real difference between ignoring a river owner who tells you to stop, and ignoring an RSPB warden on Ramsey Island?

[Mark R]

Only one of them is likely to be armed.


-----------Mark Rainsley