And Now for Something Stoatily Different –

Invasion Species Has Last Orders Called

I am a huge fan of the Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton and so when I heard about the plan to rid South Georgia site of one of his great adventures and his final resting place, one of the sea bird world’s most important nesting sites I was very happy. The rats and mice were accidentally introduced by whalers over the last two centuries. Now the world’s biggest project to eradicate a dangerous invasive species has been declared a success, as the remote island of South Georgia is now clear of the rats and mice that had devastated its wildlife for nearly 250 years. Rats and mice were inadvertently introduced to the island, off the southern tip of South America and close to Antarctica, by ships that stopped there, usually on whaling expeditions. The effect on native bird populations was dramatic. Unused to predators, they laid their eggs on the ground or in burrows, easily accessible to the rodents.

Pop Goes the Weasel

Now on Orkney the authorities have allocated more than £7 million to a campaign to eradicate stoats from Orkney. There is a five-year plan for a cull on the islands, north of the Scottish mainland, where the animals have thrived since they were first spotted in 2010. Now stoats, members of the weasel family, are the perennial bad guys of the animal world raiding nests and killing young. Stoats eat rabbits, voles, mice, hares and birds. Naturalists say they threaten indigenous species such as a unique Orkney vole, as well as many rare and endangered ground-nesting birds, including hen harriers. In fact the Orkneys are the most important home of these rare birds. The project begins in October this year and the project team will set 20,000  humane traps and lay bait for the stoats.  They will even use dogs to sniff out the rodents and to check on lorries and boats which might inadvertently bring the beasties onto the islands. Biosecurity is the watchword of the year.

Take a Gander

But here at James Pirie ‘customer service’ and ‘customer satisfaction’ are the watchwords for every year. And on the horizon I see not a whaler, but the hull of Father’s Day on Sunday June 19th. It gives you a while to choose a great gift, but for the whisky drinkers why not take a gander at the five star rated half price Royal Scot Crystal - Skye - box of 2 Large Tumblers in a neat presentation box.

https://www.jamespirie.com/fathers-day-gifts/skye-box-of-2-large-tumblers.html

Or at a slightly different end of the price spectrum the whimsical Highland Cow mug for just a tenner. It’s adorable and just the right level of playfulness for a Father’s Day gift. Buy him a couple, spoil him.

https://www.jamespirie.com/highland-cow-mug.html