BIRDING THE LUNE ESTUARY THE FOREST OF BOWLAND AND BEYOND..............................................................................SCAUP CONDER POOL 5 MARCH PAUL ELLIS

Wednesday 1 April 2015

Failed The Driving Test!


Ban Driven Grouse Shooting

I've taken this link down and off my sidebar, it having attracted a little over a mere 22,000 signatures over a twelve month period, I'll just repeat that 'over a twelve month period'.

A write up about the petition ends....'This e-petition remains open to signatures and will be considered for debate by the Backbench Business Committee should it pass the 100,000 signature threshold'.

So 78,000 short of the threshold for debate to try to move forward on this ban for driven grouse shooting. Where are the 1.1 million RSPB subscribers signatures then....obviously not that many people care about whether driven grouse shooting is banned or not, perhaps more to the point don't want it banned, even more to the point probably engage in it, so presumably don't think it has any relevance to the Hen Harrier issue. 

There are by far too many who don't oppose game shooting in particular Red Grouse shooting which is what all this is about, after all there are enough of them and they're not as majestic and attractive as the Hen Harrier which is on the verge of extinction, and although the grouse is an attractive looking bird, they make a silly bloody cackling noise when they fly off, whilst the Hen Harrier has so much charisma as it flies around the moorlands....So what, one bird species is as good as any other....ain't it!

As for the RSPB, well the Royal Charter makes things a little more than difficult for them to oppose legal shooting for sporting purposes and they sit there quietly on the fence on the subject neither supporting or condemning the blood sport, as indeed do The National Trust who also own large swathes of upland land and do little shouting about it to join another silent witness The Wildlife Trusts, they appear to have no voice to shout with either. But I've always been an advocate for removing the 'R' in RSPB, throw out the charter and the royals too and into the bin.

So, the 'Ban Driven Grouse Shooing' petition is a resounding failure....I signed it, but where does the call 'We Will Win' stand now, at best it won't make it any louder, and there's no April Fool here either!

And yes you guessed it....

I'd sooner be birding....But unfortunately haven't been since last Friday, but tomorrow is looking reasonable for the movement north of migration. If you've seen a Wheatear, Sand Martin, Osprey, you can count yourself lucky, not all that many others have. 

And Finally....



I have to give Sharon W a plug for the excellent studies of the Stonechats in her latest work. 'Clik The Pik' it's even more excellent, and you can read the text too. It also brightens up an otherwise dark post albeit with a serious subject.

11 comments:

  1. The vast majority of those 1 million RSPB supporters know little about habitats or ecology Pete, just Blue Tits and Robins :-(

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  2. The RSPB weren't sitting on the fence quite so firmly this week, when Martin Harper their Conservation Director stated publicly that the RSPB think that a lot of game shooting actually benefits wildlife and gave stats to support that statement.
    The points that he raised made common sense and are undeniable.

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  3. Warren....Thanks as always for your contribution. I've yet to disagree with anything you said before on here, always simple and straight to the point.

    Derek....Good to see you looking in on Birds2blog. I'm not prepared to let the comments section of Birds2blog to become a discussion page but....

    Thanks for your comments re the RSPB stand here which you'll have to appreciate I don't understand. How killing a single bird - let alone thousands - can be beneficial to wildlife is beyond me. But now I'll go and read Mr Harper's statement to see if it changes my mind.

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  4. I made my comments as someone who every year takes part in monthly Hen Harrier winter roost counts here in North Kent and loves the sight of a male Hen Harrier on the wing. I am worried about their plight but think that the petition that you supported was misguided, with no chance of success.

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  5. I think Warren's probably right about many RSPB members - I'm interested to read Mr Harper's statement too to see if it makes any sense - on a lighter note what a lovely surprise to see the stonechat studies here - so pleased you like them - it means a lot that you do knowing how fond of them you are

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  6. Derek....Hope Mark Avery is reading all these kind of comments. The problem with Mark and thousands of others is that they only oppose shooting 'some' bird species but not others....ODD!

    Sharon....Thanks for your contribution. The Stonechat studies are excellent as already said.

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  7. I'm deeply saddened by what I'm reading here, Pete. In this day and age, how anyone can defend destroying any sort of creature for fun (I will not call it 'sport' as that implies an element of 'sporting chance' and fair competition which clearly there is not) I cannot understand. I'm even concerned about much of the culling that happens, particularly that done for economic, rather than ecological reasons.

    Please don't give up defending our wildlife.

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  8. There's an awful lot that I could say both in defence of, and against shooting, but I'll respect Pete's initial comment and simply say, at last the RSPB have seen the light.

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  9. For me it did not clearly explain that it was simply about banning DRIVEN grouse shooting and the 'intensive' management accompanying these high population levels. The wording of the petition was muddied and did not clearly state, to people who are not well-informed about the difference, that it did not oppose non-driven grouse shooting and therefore less intensive grouse moor management with theoretically less "pressure" to 'control vermin'. I personally would rather see a less-intensive grouse moor than driving up the M6 looking at the sheet erosion on the overgrazed Howgills. Need to get in touch about the 15 dogs, please, Pete at Cockersands. I'll email you in a minute. Thanks.

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  10. Hi Peter!ª!!. What beautiful illustration of stonechat.. Happy Easter :-)))

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  11. Richard/Derek/Pete/Ana....Thanks for your comments all noted including Derek's announcement about his defence of shooting.

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