# General > Doanalsin's Diary >  Fit's in 'e Groat 'e day

## Nwicker60

John O' Journal headlines for August 2
A CALL has been made for the RSPB to do more to protect ground-nesting birds in Caithness.  It comes as concern has been expressed about the marked decline in birds such as lapwings, curlews and redshanks.  A study, which has been carried out in the far north, found an 80% to 90% drop in the number of breeding pairs of lapwings in the last 23 years.  The situation is worrying farmers, the local NFU and bird-watchers who are alarmed at the decline.

A DONATION of over £1.2 million by a retired pharmaceutical executive, has made possible the creation of a new football ground in Halkirk.  Andrew Sinclair took the wraps off the £500,000 Morrison Park on Wednesday night, marking the first of three ambitious projects that Halkirk Community Sports Foundation hopes to achieve over the next few years.

A THRUMSTER man has described as "extraordinary" getting caught up in what is believed to be a tornado on Tuesday night.  David Stark was at Wester between 6.30pm and 7 pm when the wind suddenly whipped up and started to tear up dry peat.  At the time, the sky was very dark and he saw ground water being sucked up into the air.

A YOUNG university student from Strathy is to undertake a gruelling 12-mile obstacle course to raise money in memory of her father.  Jayne Paterson is now a fourth-year law student at Glasgow University, but in 2008, at the age of 15, she lost her father, Simon, due to a sudden heart-related illness.  Mr Paterson was 60 at the time and had been suffering frrom prostate cancer for 10 years so Jayne has decided to do the Tough Mudder Challenge and raise money for Prostate Cancer UK.

URGENT action is needed to upgrade a malfuctioning signalling system on the far north railway line as services between Inverness and Caithness continue to be affected despite repeated attempts to fix the problem.  The North Line Action Group is becoming increasingly concerned by the disruption to services due to communication interference between drivers and signalmen.

EACH Wick gala is different from the last, but organisers have described this year's event as one of the most special held in years.  After the success of the opening night parade when £9000 was raised, the event has gone from strength to strength as the number of people participating this year has also increased.

PLANS to build an overhead power line through Caithness to collect electricity from tidal generation sites along the north coast, are to to on public display.  Scottish Hydro Electric Tranmission is seeking feedback on its plans for the connection which will serve two planned tidal generation sites in the Pentland Firth.

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