dad Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 went on to the farm saturday 9.30 am watched the drilling for half an hour, no activity so decided to go to cafe for breakfast and look at some of our other perms, nothing about so decided to return to first farm, driving through gates noticed a dead buzzard lying on the track, i got out and picked it up and it was still warm, i didnt pluck but i fluffed all the feathers up all over it and could see no sign of blood or injury there was a small amount of blood on its feet and talons fro a recent kill i assumed, apart from that the bird looked a picture of health eyes bright and clear breast plump in fact perfect. on 6th october it was posted on here raptors and lead poison and i posted that i had found 2 dead buzzards this year already and i thought somebody was shooting them untill the lead theory came up, now with this 3rd bird being so perfect would lead poisoning be so quick that the bird wouldnt have time to get emaciated.one other thing all 3 birds were within 25yds of each other over 8 months which is strange as this part of the farm borders a private residence the owner of this is a shooting man and i dont think he would be stupid enough to shoot them and leave them where they fell, there are a pair of telegraph wires that run along the top of that boundary hedge with poles, pigeons and starlings often sit on them is it possible that bigger birds could get a shock from the wires or the terminals on the posts i think a buzzard is more likely to sit on the post. if it was electrocuted would there be any signs. there wasnt any blood not even in the mouth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neutron619 Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 (edited) Depends on the type of cables really, but you'd either expect, in order of increasing magnitude of shock: point burn marks from current passing through the bird signs of burns with crackled / blistered skin (AC tends to flow over the surface of objects, rather than through them) severe charring of the whole animal with only some feathers remaining intact no evidence at all because the bird had been completely vapourised. The effect of electricity on creatures really depends on the voltage, the current and the amount of time for which it's applied. Are you sure there were no signs of external injury? Of course, if the cables are actual telegraph cables (i.e. telephone transmission wires) then all of the above is meaningless - most creatures will survive a 50 volt shock, though I suppose a 50V DC hit from an overhead cable might conceivably cause cardiac arrest in a small creature like a buzzard. Humans have died from less, where current has been applied internally (i.e. through punctured skin, across the heart). I suppose it's possible that if the bird had landed on the wires, then come into contact with something that was earthed - i.e. a tree - and been killed because current had flowed through it to the ground, but you'll be the only one who can make that judgement as you're the only person who's seen the spot it happened. Edited October 19, 2015 by neutron619 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stonepark Posted October 19, 2015 Report Share Posted October 19, 2015 Pass to wildlife officer at police as suspicious, let them autopsy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shotguneddy Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 Some gamekeeper probably Poisoned it seems to be a lot of talk of that recently they make out there flying off with young pheasants. Big deal everything's got to eat. Xxxxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjimmer Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 A chap who walks his dogs next door, picked up several dead rabbits, and I took one to use as bait for foxes. After a week, nothing had touched it, not even corvids. Maggots appeared, so flies were not put off. I then noticed that most of the local buzzards are no longer to be seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsonicnat Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 Get Rid of it, We will all be punished for that, Papers and do gooders will be screaming and pointing the finger.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesj Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 I could have hit the cables and the impact killed. I've seen it happen, but not buzzards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 Some gamekeeper probably Poisoned it seems to be a lot of talk of that recently they make out there flying off with young pheasants. Big deal everything's got to eat. Xxxxx Oh dear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 Some gamekeeper probably Poisoned it seems to be a lot of talk of that recently they make out there flying off with young pheasants. Big deal everything's got to eat. Xxxxx Wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesj Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 Oh dear. Wow! You should know by now that anything found dead must have been poisoned by a gamekeeper! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matone Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 I sense some mischief makers are amongst us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesj Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 I sense some mischief makers are amongst us. But at least it was said with kisses Xxxxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted October 20, 2015 Report Share Posted October 20, 2015 You should know by now that anything found dead must have been poisoned by a gamekeeper! Of course...silly me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sako751sg Posted October 21, 2015 Report Share Posted October 21, 2015 Some gamekeeper probably Poisoned it seems to be a lot of talk of that recently they make out there flying off with young pheasants. Big deal everything's got to eat. Xxxxx I think you are right. I went a walk last month and a looked at some parks of barley that one estate grow with 3 keepers and the barley was going all brown as though it was dieing and pretty sure some kind of poisoning was going on or else maybe it was all the lead from all the cartridges that they blast at the raptors and stuff that was doing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted October 21, 2015 Report Share Posted October 21, 2015 That is very polite. I sense some mischief makers are amongst us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDog Posted October 21, 2015 Report Share Posted October 21, 2015 I sense some mischief makers are amongst us. Who are you referring to, Shotgun Edith? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dad Posted October 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2015 i spoke to the farmer he had seen 2 of them he said maybe they had been feeding on rats and mice round the buildings were he uses a bit of poison i go to the farm at least 3 times a week and have never seen any dead vermin lying around or any buzzards round the buildings surely if it had injested poison from vermin carcasses it would have taken time to die and lost condition. this bird was externaly perfect and dead no more than an hour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted October 21, 2015 Report Share Posted October 21, 2015 i spoke to the farmer he had seen 2 of them he said maybe they had been feeding on rats and mice round the buildings were he uses a bit of poison i go to the farm at least 3 times a week and have never seen any dead vermin lying around or any buzzards round the buildings surely if it had injested poison from vermin carcasses it would have taken time to die and lost condition. this bird was externaly perfect and dead no more than an hour You're just speculating. Unless you take the carcass to be tested there is no alternative other than to speculate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentalmac Posted October 21, 2015 Report Share Posted October 21, 2015 I think you are right. I went a walk last month and a looked at some parks of barley that one estate grow with 3 keepers and the barley was going all brown as though it was dieing and pretty sure some kind of poisoning was going on or else maybe it was all the lead from all the cartridges that they blast at the raptors and stuff that was doing it. Classic post :-). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dad Posted October 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted October 21, 2015 i agree with you scully but i would hate for them to say lead poison just be bad press for us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully Posted October 21, 2015 Report Share Posted October 21, 2015 Fair enough, in which case just kick it into the gutter and forget about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted October 21, 2015 Report Share Posted October 21, 2015 Its pointless speculating about the cause of death of a buzzard, or anything else. Only an autopsy will give you the truth. If a bird gets hit by a car (not run over), it shows surprisingly little damage and the same goes for those that hit overhead wires. Some things even die of natural causes. There are a number of things that could have killed this bird and anyone suggesting its gamekeepers deliberately poisoning them is being mischievous at best and at worst irresponsible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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