Black Isle raptor deaths

[big bad lindz]

Sad to hear of 5 birds of pray have been found dead in the Black Isle.

Although the cause of the deaths is not yet published finding 5 dead birds in the general area may have cause for the local farmers, estates & keepers to come under the spotlight for potential poisoning.

My question is, if say a farmer, land owner has put down some vermin control poison for rats & mice etc. (not for raptors) and before they actually die are caught and subsequently eaten by a bird of pray could the birds then die because of this??

[henry d]

Yes and they can continue to kill. BOP eats poisoned rat, BOP dies, BOP eaten by fox/other BOP they can also die.

[CharlieT]

As Henry says, single dose anticoagulants particularly pose a high risk to Raptors eating poisoned rodents and a moderate risk to mammals.

[islandgun]

I found out a neighbor to me had left a large container of rat poison open in his byre and was surprised at how much had gone missing, obviously not rats but the steady stream of house sparrows, how much of this goes on ? and what risk to others in the food chain

[Blackpowder]

Gamekeepers and the shooting fraternity always seem to get the blame for these incidents. I have an unproven theory that some BOP poison incidents have nothing to do with shooting and are not directed at BOP. I knew in years past, many sheep farmers and shepherds who hated carrion crows, 'hoodies' we call them in these parts. The deplorable practice of leaving out poisened baits is totallt non selective, baits laid for corvoids will kill anything which eats them. See Henry D s post about the chain which one dead bird or animal can set in motion.

 

Blackpowder