Defra plans to shoot buzzards

[seadogg]

It is planned to shoot buzzards and their nests in response to claims from the pheasant shooting industry that they kills pheasants. This is an outrageous reaction to the loss of a tiny proportion of the millions of Pheasants released for sport.

Have a look at;

http://www.rspb.org.u...-to-imprison-buzzards

If you feel strongly please write to your MP so that your feeling can be passed on.

[seadogg]

I dont disagree with you shoota on many points. I agree that the RSPB has its own agenda and I dont always approve of the way they spend my subs. In this case I think their resources are being used to counter a misuse of power by a government dept. A good point about corvids. On the North Yorkshire coast where I have my "patch" I sometimes wonder how the songbirds ever manage to raise their broods there are so many crows, magpies et al. Magpies have increase exponentially yet there is no official concern.

[237SJ]

If you have a field of crops you will be inundated with deer who can annihilate a field in no time at all. I went walking with my Dad one night (when Exmoor deer come out) and we counted 42 of them. You wouldn`t believe how fast they can destroy a field. You can build fences but they can jump and will always find a way through. Likewise, a fox will kill lambs as soon as look at them which is why farmers are good shots. You have to be.

[ladybirder]

I have recently come back from a holiday in the Yorkshire Dales and the local farmer just shrugged and told me that in his dale they take out magpies as a matter of course. That dale also had a reputation for poisoning any red kites unfortunate enough to pay a visit.
I would certainly stand up and be counted to protest about the buzzards. Wonderful creatures.

[237SJ]

Sorry, I must have taken a while typing. My post was in answer to gness.

[gness]

We still won`t agree 237 but thank you for your answer. I will store the info away. Always open to others opinions and experiences even if I am a tad bolshie.

[237SJ]

No probs :-) My family were farmers and it just isn`t possible to farm without having to do away with predators. That is the way it is. The only way to do away with predators is to factory farm and that is not good. I agree with the original post though. I think it is very wrong to cull Buzzards (my Dad`s farmer family would have disagreed with Defra`s thinking)

[gness]

My family were fishermen in S.W. Ireland. Otters could be a problem to them and many a heated argument ensued when I was home. Hiding Uncle M`s gun didn`t go down well.

[237SJ]

Funny you should say about the gun. I remember the police coming around to our house when I was really little because they heard my Dad had a shotgun. It was hidden behind the door in our spare room and I remember it but I think he must have not had a licence for it. I think he must have got away with it though. All farmers have guns. I remember going to a fair with a lot of male and female farmers. They were such crack shots the fairground guy was really unhappy because they won all his cuddly toy prizes.

[gness]

My Uncle would take a pot shot at foxes in the middle of the night. Never flaming well told us. Land of nod one minute and wrapped around the light fitting the next. As for a licence.... this was Ireland....a few pints for the guard was all.

[shoota]

There is a link here to the actual document setting out the parameters of the research which has prompted this RSPB hyperbole.
Click on the "Click here to download" and that brings up the DEFRA document.
http://www.basc.org.u...4232-8A2CE8567574A10D

[gness]

Not read all the details yet but looks like a Defra u-turn! Oh I really hope so!

[shoota]

Sorry G, this is the tender for the study on buzzard predation that has started the RSPB off on their scaremongering. The survey hasn't even started yet (starts early June), it goes on for several years and then conclusions will be drawn.
There simply are no plans to kill buzzards.
I did write a long and perfectly formed explanation of all this the other night only to find that Virgin internet had crashed and I lost the lot........
Hope you enjoyed your birthday.

[Baldric]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/...-environment-18186423

linked to this story

[gness]

Thank you both and a lovely birthday thank you.
Don`t want to skim read so haven`t had time to look at and read anything properly yet. Will do tonight.

[brenda]

Would it be possible for us to have a protect the buzzard AB petition ---

Am not sure how to do something like that myself.But willing to join.

[gness]

Have yet to read everything but have read a great deal on both sides.
Two defra proposals were: Permanent removal to a Falconry Centre. For heaven`s sake. A free wild bird?
Shooting the nest from below taking care to avoid injuring the bird. Oh Yes????
I will continue to keep up to date but my mind is firmly made up and I have doubled my subscription to the RSPB.

[Cetti]

brenda, you need to send a letter to your MP. I sent mine this afternoon, not an email, as they just get deleted, so it will be interesting to see just how he will reply. After seadogg's initial post from the RSPB I read the actual one from DEFRA as I wanted to get my facts straight before I wrote my letter - and it does say that all this destruction of nests etc is for estates in Northumberland, but I imagine if passed will spread to other areas of the country, namely the large gamekeeping areas like Yorkshire and down here in Dorset. We will wait and see just how this all pans out - or if it dies a death like a lot of things!

[shoota]

Even IF this study finds that the Buzzard predation is a significant problem it will not result in the widespread destruction of Buzzards or their nests. It is most likely that a licence will be issued to individual landowner/farmers to deal with a particular proven problem on their ground, much the same as the system in place to deal with Cormorant predation on fishing lakes: the landowner has to prove he has a problem, prove that other methods have been tried and failed and then he will be issued with a licence to take a specific number of Cormorants in any one year. It will not be a general licence such as that in place to allow the culling of corvids.
The number of birds thus disrupted will not be very large and nowhere is it suggested that they will be killed. There is an outside chance that eggs may be damaged if nests are shot out a little late in the year but a code of practice could be agreed on to minimise that.
There is a divergence of opinion within the RSPB as to whether their reaction is justified and a growing concern over the 'politicising' of their policies.
http://www.birdforum....3632d6f616cd&t=231000