Tom Bowser - A sky full of kites a rewilding story

Tom Bowser grew up on his parents farm, Argaty, in Stirlingshire. After university he worked as a teacher and then as a journalist before returning to Argaty in 2009. In 2017 he took over the running of the conservation project Argaty Red Kites and in 2018 launched the Argaty Red Squirrels project.

Gordon Buchanan is one of Britains most popular wildlife film makers and presenters. His documentaries include The Bear Family and Me and BBC TVs Into the Wild.

First published in 2021 by

Birlinn Limited

West Newington House

10 Newington Road

Edinburgh

EH9 1QS

www.birlinn.co.uk

Copyright Tom Bowser 2021

Foreword copyright Gordon Buchanan 2021

Line illustrations copyright Lynn Bowser 2021

All photographs in the plate section courtesy of Lynn Bowser unless otherwise stated

David Attenboroughs Tweet of the Day (BBC Radio 4, 26 December 2013) on p. 247 is published by arrangement with the BBC ( BBC 2013)

All rights reserved

The moral right of Tom Bowser to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright,

Designs and Patents Act 1988

ISBN 978 1 78885 285 2

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form without the express written permission of the publisher

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Typeset by Initial Typesetting Services, Edinburgh

Printed and bound by Clays Ltd, Elcograf S.p.A.

To my wife and best friend, Sarah, and our daughter, Rowan, who brings us both so much joy. May your skies always be filled with kites.

Gled

Noun

The common kite, Milvus milvus. Often used with the epithet greedy

Fig. of persons: one of a greedy disposition, one who preys upon his fellow-men, a rapacious person; a plunderer

Dictionary of the Scots Language

I often think of the wild Scotland there once was. As the last ice age retreated, nature began to strike its own beautiful balance in myriad forms of life. Plants, mammals, fish, insects, birds, all growing, scurrying, splashing, buzzing and flapping their own beat to the same tune. A diverse orchestra of life. From the bottom of the deepest lochs to the highest mountain tops, the land was rich, alive. Wild things were unimpaired, conforming only to the rules of nature.

Its easy for us to forget that such times existed, but this was what our land was like 12,000 years ago, when it had no name and few people. But over time humans thrived and brought change, and that change has often resulted in loss. Loss of habitats, of species, but also the loss of natural rhythms and the straining of our connections with the wild world.

However, the foreword to this wonderfully uplifting book is not the place to self-flagellate. We humans, after all, are an incredible species. Admittedly, a species that seems flawed and may have lost its way, but as youll read in these pages, instances of redemption and salvation do exist.

In todays uncertain world, we must not let loss in the natural world overshadow the gains that have been made and continue to be made. We must always celebrate how remarkable people are helping to heal the wounds that have been inflicted. Tom Bowser and his family are just that kind of people. When red kites first appeared at their Stirlingshire farm two and a half decades ago, Im sure that no one especially twelve-year-old Tom realised that those dancing flames in the sky would be a symbol of change, and ultimately of hope.

I come from farming stock myself and have that perennial bond with the natural world that runs deep in families who have worked close to the land for generations. I am aware of the potential there is to prosper and to fail. Farmers, crofters and estate owners are the custodians of the land. But what does that mean in the twenty-first century? For me, a custodian of the land should be aware of the past, have both feet in the present and an eye firmly set to the future. Caring for the land is, of course, about hard work, passion and dedication, but most importantly its about vision the vision to perceive a future in which the balance of nature can be made more even and fairer for all that rely on what it provides, not just for humans.

As you will read, the decision made a quarter of a century ago, when Tom had his first sight of red kites in the skies over his home, was to welcome change, to nurture and celebrate life. That decision has transformed not only the trees, the fields and skies above Argaty: it has transformed the lives of the people who share that special place with these remarkable birds.

Gordon Buchanan

May 2021

As a child, the sounds I knew better than any others were those of my parents footsteps on the stairs of our house. My mothers soft and gentle, two words that aptly describe her personality. My fathers the complete opposite. He is a tall man and moves as tall men do: powerfully, with purpose.

My father was always in a hurry, always rushing from one task to another. In certain seasons he would return late more often than not. Sitting up in bed, Id fight sleep and listen out for him so Id know hed made it back safely. It was in these years that I became expert at understanding his step. From the speed, I could tell whether he had finished work or was merely stopping in. From the tone, I knew a lot too. If it sounded flat he was tired, if it was light he was okay.

Often a spring in his step signified something else: good news. I was sitting on my bed one afternoon in 1996 when I heard him running up the stairs, taking them two at a time, telling us to come outside. Quickly.

It was that strange, indefinable time of the year when summer is fading but autumn has yet to truly arrive. I was twelve, about to turn thirteen, and would, Im sure, have been very much aggrieved to be torn away from whatever occupied me that day and frogmarched out of the house.

My mother and sister were already waiting as I followed Dad downstairs. He hadnt even taken his wellies off. Crosshatched clumps of mud had fallen from the soles, leaving a trail all the way through the house.

What is it? Mum asked as he hurried us into our boots.

There are red kites circling over the woods.

Red kites? Were we really being summoned to look at people flying kites?

We followed him into the yard, stood between the orange brick buildings with their leaking gutters and mossy slate roofs, and scanned the skyline. I could make out nothing unusual.

What... I began to ask.

And then a noise filled the air. A long, shrill shriek akin to a shepherd whistling a dog, a sound so loud it would carry for miles. From somewhere in the distance there came another call. Then another sounded, and this one was nearer.