Birds of Prey: the hunters become the hunted

[BoldHighlander]

Over 22,000 people have signed the RSPB's petition to campaign for better control over wildlife crime, which was handed to the Scottish Government - but more still needs to be done, according Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre.

In the last ten years, around 300 birds of prey have been illegally poisoned and another 100 have been killed by nest destruction, shooting or trapping.

And Loch Lomond Bird of Prey Centre is determined to raise awareness about the issue among the public, to protect beautiful birds, such as the golden eagle, which is now classed as a "rare" breed.

see more at:
http://programmes.stv.tv/the-hour/ne...me-the-hunted/

[Jock Scot]

The law is the law, of that there is no doubt, but the RSPB, who have done fine work in the past are being rather economical with the truth.Sadly, because of this, entrenched positions are and have been taken which I am sorry to say will help no one in the end and least of all, the birds.

[Lallans]

I've seen accounts of nesting sites in the UK having to be protected from egg collectors by round the clock human and video surveilance, and here in Canada I've heard tales of men being stopped boarding local ferries with a sawwhet owl in each pocket (these are tiny birds who so trust in their natural camouflage that they can actually be picked up once you see them, and there is an island in Lake Ontario where their winter sites get mapped out so they are actually easy to find). When the highly endangered preregrine falcon shows up nesting in a taller building in small towns near where I live, it is almost inevitable that someone will steal the nestlings to sell in the middle east or, more frequently, kill the the adults for the sheer pleasure of bugging people. And stuffed owls and eagles became so popular here, at one point, that ownership of their feathers was made illegal in Canada. So I do have the idea that birds of prey are generally endangered even after free run chickens were no longer common- but (and it took a long time to get here didn't it? ) I take it the previous two posts are referring to some sort of gameskeepers vs twitchers thing going on in the UK? Shooters vs somebody? Or what?

[BoldHighlander]

- but (and it took a long time to get here didn't it? ) I take it the previous two posts are referring to some sort of gameskeepers vs twitchers thing going on in the UK? Shooters vs somebody? Or what?

Actually I posted it as I thought others might find it of interest & I find these birds so magnificent.

I'll leave the politics to those more in know of the situation than I

[BoldHighlander]

The law is the law, of that there is no doubt, but the RSPB, who have done fine work in the past are being rather economical with the truth.Sadly, because of this, entrenched positions are and have been taken which I am sorry to say will help no one in the end and least of all, the birds.

Jock, I'd like to know more of the whole story, if you wouldn't mind.

[Jock Scot]

Jock, I'd like to know more of the whole story, if you wouldn't mind.

Oh crumbs, it would takes pages to explain properly and that would be only my point of view! But briefly. The RSPB over the last 50 years, or so, has successfully helped to right some of the ornithological wrongs of Victorian style shooting excesses, egg collectors, pesticides(DDT for one), habitat destruction and general ignorance, of that there is no doubt. Illegal egg collecting still happens, a few people in the shooting world do kill protected birds and they are breaking the law by doing so, chemicals are still widely used, habitat is still being destroyed, but we are all wiser now and considerable efforts are made by all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds to preserve our wildlife in general and birds in particular.

Now whether we like these activities or not, shooting, modern agriculture, housing development, new roads,factories or whatever, they are a fact of life. The RSPB however, are still singing the same old song that they used 50 years ago and give no credit to anyone but themselves for righting some of the wrongs of the past. Frankly and without going into huge detail, it is getting rather tiresome.

I will give you but one example, the motor car. It is probably the the biggest killer, by far, of our wildlife, politically the RSPB dare not criticise that, so they have a go at the occasional rogue gamekeeper who is political small fry, but the RSPB try to make huge media capital from this minority within a minority with their half truths.Yet the majority of that profession are doing so much to encourage and nurture wildlife. I may add, and before anyone says it. No, not everything gamekeepers preserve, is there to be shot! I could go on..........!

[BoldHighlander]

Thanks Jock for that snapshot look at the situation, I appreciate it.

[auld argonian]

Doing the occasional bit of wildlife rescue and rehab, I can tell you that we have sites in Chicago where the odd species of bird, migratory and otherwise, nest and it's a well kept secret shared only by the people who are in a "need to know" situation. Sawwhet owls are one of those species...they're here but where is not made public knowledge.

We have a very successful program of re-establishing peregrines in the city and a few weeks ago I was delighted to be standing on a busy corner when one of the falcons nabbed a pigeon about ten feet off of the ground in full view of roughly fifty passers-by. You never saws such a reaction! This particular clutch of falcons actually nests on the Federal Prison Building in Downtown Chicago so they're VERY safe...ain't no one climbing up after these eggs. Here's a site with a picture of this concrete cliff:

http://www.bop.gov/locations/institutions/ccc/index.jsp

One of the strangest things, from my perspective, is the number of raptors who get hit by trains...just seems SO unlikely but it's happened many times in these parts and some of my colleagues get called to collect and patch up some severely hurt birds.

I never cease to be amazed at the number of clowns who would even THINK of doing any harm to these birds but I guess that some people are just short on principles. I do take Jock's point about how the established institutions tend to think in the past and pre-empt anybody with a more "real world" approach...I've experienced this first hand around here.

In the end we can only do the best we can do...

Best

AA

[BoldHighlander]

We have a very successful program of re-establishing peregrines in the city and a few weeks ago I was delighted to be standing on a busy corner when one of the falcons nabbed a pigeon about ten feet off of the ground in full view of roughly fifty passers-by. You never saws such a reaction!

Ha!Ha! Cool!

One of the strangest things, from my perspective, is the number of raptors who get hit by trains...just seems SO unlikely but it's happened many times in these parts and some of my colleagues get called to collect and patch up some severely hurt birds.

That's interesting, but in some ways not surprising after what I witnessed one time on I-5 out here. I was heading home, it was very foggy out, and I could see in the opposite lanes a dead critter of some sort lying in the fast lane. Just as a semi-truck came out of the fog a bald eagle swooped down, grabbed the road kill, & swooped back up not six feet from the semi's windshield!!
After seeing the drivers expression I can't help but think he had an urgent need to change his underwear!

Makes me wonder if some of your injured raptors are going after "road kill" as a train comes through?

In the end we can only do the best we can do...

Amen!

[kid icarus]

i love the falcons in chicago. i saw one land right behind our apartment about 5 minutes before i was due to have a pipe lesson...almost missed the start cos it was so cool to be looking at a falcon less than 10 feet away. i also took a picture of one with my now dead cellphone in uptown when i was waiting for the bus. it was tearing apart the remains of a pigeon and paid no mind to me as i came up on it to take a picture...they are AWESOME! just thought i'd share. ;)