Life as a Pit Pony!

Today, Fallin Bing is a haven for wildlife (as seen in previous blog posts) but at the height of the coal mining industry it looked very different with Polmaise coal shafts 3 and 4 buzzing with the activity of men mining the land for coal!

The coal mine at Fallin was open from the early 20^th Century to 1987 when it closed on the 15^th of July, 2 years after the miners’ strike (1984-85). To work in the mine was dangerous not only for the people but also for the ponies (known as ‘pit ponies’) that were used to haul the coal to the surface. In Britain the ponies were first used in coal mines in the mid-18^th Century. At the peak of the practice of using pit-ponies to move coal in the 1910’s there were over 70,000 ponies being used in Britain! The ponies that were most commonly used were Shetland ponies due to their smaller size. There are many tales about the cheeky pony’s chewing tobacco as well as stealing the miners piece and tea. Life was hard for the ponies as most of their days were spent underground and they only saw daylight during the holiday fairs. A working day would involve 8 hours hard labour and they would move about 30 tons of coal.

A pit pony hard at work (image taken from 'The Adventures of the Tank blog).

In Fallin, the ponies were used for much of the work up till the end of the 1920’s. At Fallin the stables were underground, there were 28 stalls in pit number 3 and 34 stalls in pit number 4.

There were many dangers in the mines for the ponies such as walking over loose coal and stones. A broken leg by a fall would result in being put down usually by the Blacksmith using a dumbbell (a metal tube with a spring release which when hit with a hammer released a bullet with enough force to kill the pony), or the fall itself could result in death. Another danger underground was posed by the coal carts running loose. To halt this, miners used an early breaking system called the ‘snibbles’ where a metal rod would be inserted through the wheel spokes which slowed and then eventually stopped the cart.

A Pony being fed by a miner (image taken from GETTY images)

The ponies were very wise and could often tell that there was imminent danger of rock fall as they would dig their heels in and refuse to move. This probably helped save many miners from accidents and almost certain death!

There are still coal mines in operation today buy most of this hard labour is now carried out with machinery allowing the ponies the freedom of the fields!

The amazing wildlife at Fallin Bing

Last week, Paul and I went to visit the bing to get some photos and video footage of some of the wildlife that use the site. As soon as we got to the site we could see lots of butterflies and bees flying around but also hundreds and hundreds of 6 spot burnet moths (Zygaena filipendulae). There were so many of them that you had to be really careful were you stood and some flowers were almost drooping with the weight of them!

Creeping thistle covered with feeding 6 spot burnet moths with some Red soldier beetles.

6 spot burnet moths all over a Spear thistle

The 6 spot burnet moth is the most common of Britain’s day flying moths and can be seen flying from June to August. Caterpillars of the moth feed on Common bird’s foot trefoil which is plentiful at the bing. The adults feed on the flowers of a variety of species including Vipers bugloss, thistles, knapweed and scabious.

There were also hundreds of Red soldier beetles (Rhagonycha fulva) all over the Bing. These beetles are predatory and they also feed on plant pollen. They are typically found on Umbellifers such as Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) but are also found on thistles (as seen in the photo above).
 

There were lots of Red soldier beetles mating on this Hogweed

This year appears to be a really good year for 6 spot burnet moths, Red soldier beetles and also some other species of butterfly and bumblebees. Visit Fallin today to explore the bing and see what cool bugs are around!

Story board of the history of coal mining at Fallin

The coal mining history of Fallin village is really interesting as 110 years ago there were only a few cottages and today there is a thriving community. We want to show the community of Fallin how amazing their village is and how important the Bing is as part of their history and for the wildlife and people that use it today.

Paul Gunn (TCV Natural Communities Trainee) has been out to the library at Fallin designing a new story board on the history of coal mining at Fallin along with the work we have been doing at the site through the All Our Stories project and what management the people of Fallin want to see happening at the Bing. The board will be on view for a few weeks so go along and see it and let us know what you think! The opening times of the library can be found at: http://www.stirling.gov.uk/services/community-life-and-leisure/libraries-and-archives/libraries-general-information/list-of-libraries/fallin-library

The story board up at Fallin library

With this fantastic weather we have been having Paul also visited the Bing for this amazing shot of several 6-spot burnet moths feeding at Vipers bugloss!

 

6 spot burnet moths have been seen at Fallin bing in great numbers this year.

 

Sharing stories of Fallin

Throughout this project we will be asking people from the local community and volunteers helping out during the site visits to share their stories and thoughts about Fallin Bing. We have been asking people various questions, for example ‘What was it like to grow up in Fallin’, ‘Do you remember the coal mining industry, what was it like?’ and ‘What do you think of the Bing today’.

So far we have stories from the Polmaise Community Council event from the 1^st of June and also a Stirling Ranger and also from someone who used to work in the coal mines! We have filmed people telling us their stories and have also done voice recordings for those who didn’t want to get filmed.

Paul Gunn (TCV Natural Communities trainee) filming on top of Fallin Bing

TCV Natural Talent Apprentice Niall Currie has been surveying Fallin Bing for invertebrates using pitfall traps and sweeping the vegetation with a sweep net. We have filmed him at Fallin using his sweep net and talking to us about some of the bugs he has collected. We also got him to speak about the work he has been doing at the site.

Niall Currie (TCV Natural Talent apprentice) sweeping vegetation for invertebrates in the wildflower meadow at Fallin Bing

As well as filming people we have also been filming the view from the top of the Bing and also some of the wildlife that can be found living there. From the top of the Bing you can see all around the village of Fallin including Stirling castle, the Wallace Monument, the Ochils, Grangemouth and Cowie.

We still have lots of filming to do so if you see us out and about on the Bing please come and speak to us. If you have anything you want to share we can either film you telling your story or get an audio recording of it.