BIRDING THE LUNE ESTUARY THE FOREST OF BOWLAND AND BEYOND......................................................MEDITTERANEAN GULLS CONDER POOL PETE WOODRUFF

Wednesday 23 May 2012

Read On....


Buzzard Gary Jones

I've found out about something today that shocked me to the roots and should you too, any right thinking person - and in particular any right thinking birder - should act in every way possible to halt what is set to become a three year project entitled, wait for it....The Development of Management Techniques to Reduce the Predation of Pheasant Poults by Buzzards, a trial area is to be in Northhumberland where it is claimed shoots have suffered significant losses accountable to the Buzzard. 

Its pretty hard for me to get my head round the fact that this project is funded to the tune of a truly obscene £375,000 of tax payers money. And how about this for one of the sickening methods proposed to be used and named as a 'non-lethal technique' whereby the nest is to be destructed during construction in order to displace the birds by using squirrel drey-poking poles, or shotgun from below to force the pair to move on to breed elsewhere, or possibly not at all that year.

The ultimate irony here being, that the Buzzard has reached a point where its population has stabilised since its persecution years, and that our government has sanctioned this project of destruction beggars belief.

So now we have it that, not content with wiping out the Hen Harrier, landowners and shoot managers have colluded with their friends in high places to bring about this trial project behind a smoke screen called 'research' on its way to also riding their land of another raptor called the Buzzard but which they prefer to see as 'vermin'.

But theres more irony in all of this in that, the proposed nest destruction to be used in this project is the very same nest destruction used illegally by gamekeepers who continue to persecute other species such as the Goshawk, yet here we have DEFRA giving the green light to use the very same tactics whilst apparently pretending its OK in this case to label it 'non-lethal'.

All of this awful business needs to be stopped, yet heres more irony in that, as a birding blog, and as a blogger I feel I'm not at liberty to publish names and addresses I have at my disposal, but what I do know - and what I am at liberty to publish - is that the BTO are a part of the 'Project Advisory Group' so why not let them know your feelings about the nest destruction proposal, and ask them what their views are on it whilst you're a it. 

And by the way shouldn't all we 'birders' be getting in touch with our MP's too, apart from the subject matter, isn't £375,000 a lot of 'our' money to hand over to the landowners and shooting fraternity in order to prop up their profits.  

7 comments:

  1. Hi Pete Certainly a lot of monies whilst being told we are all in this together ha ha ??.JWB.

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  2. Shared this on facebook, think we need to join together and let everyone know how we feel Pete!

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  3. If the BTO are anything to do with that Pete, my memembership will be cancelled immediately, i'll find out!

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  4. Thanks for showing an interest in this everyone.

    Why don't you tell us which part of the PDF you think we should take particular note of Pete.

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  5. Yes, I'd like to know the part of the PDF to which you are referring Pete.

    This cannot be allowed. We have to work together to ensure that this cannot happen.

    What astonishes me is that money has been invested to re-introduce Red Kites, who scavenge just as the buzzards do, but now, buzzards are 'getting it in the neck' just so the greedy gamekeepers can provide innocent birds to get shot by tosspots who think that killing an innocent animal is entertainment.

    Buzzards are only just recovering from all the years of persecution.

    What is the point of re-introducing the kites? In a few years, they'll become a pest (by these idiot's rationale). Humans make me sick.

    Angry? You bet.

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  6. I've responded on the other thread

    Thanks

    Pete

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