More great news from Natural England

[Cumbrian]

The great news for Southern sheep farmers and others, incl. all manner of bird and animal life that comes within their reach, is that the idiots at Natural England have licensed so-called conservationists to re-introduce sea eagles on the Isle of Wight. These giant, absolutely alpha predator birds are already causing widespread death and destruction in Scotland, including in their prey lambs and their smaller(!) cousins the golden eagles. I am really looking forward to welcoming them all over Hampshire. One of the alleged aims is to  improve tourism. Is there no end to the stupidity of this quango?  (Apologies if this wonderful news has already been reported; it was news to me this evening.)

[oldypigeonpopper]

hello, there is a report on  April 15 farmers guardian web site,  

[Cumbrian]

Missed that I'm afraid. Perhaps others who are not farmers also did so. My source is the Daily Telegraph. Seems like bad news is filtering down.

[panoma1]

Coincidentally there's a nice photograph in the news (Sky) today of a Sea Eagle carrying off a lamb in Scotland.......

[Pigeon Shredder.]

Have seen that CP has now taking on the Scottish fraternity, today's The Herald quotes him saying, 'Scotland needs to transform its hypocritical attitude to birds'.

Can anyone throw more light on this one.

[panoma1]

Isn't it strange how NE seem to give the animal protectionists/rewilders consents to do the majority of things they apply for? Whatever the negatives people raise during " consultations" ..........whereas they ignore positives and prevent Wildfowlers from doing things they have traditionally done for decades by denying them consents, using the "precautionary principle" to justify their refusal?............They obvoiously mistake protectionists and rewilders for real conservationists!

Edited May 11, 2019 by panoma1

[Old farrier]

They really never did there homework on the sea eagle they introduced it to a island 22 miles by 12 

with no salmon rivers and no clear sea ( due to the tidal flow ) 

the eagle has a range of ? 

 

[mick miller]

I strongly believe the extremists have been infiltrating all levels of government and non-governmental advisory bodies, for some time. Look at some of the people at DEFRA, former members, Natural England etc. We in the shooting communities and the shooting organisations are well behind the curve on this.

[Swarovski]

4 hours ago, panoma1 said:

Coincidentally there's a nice photograph in the news (Sky) today of a Sea Eagle carrying off a lamb in Scotland.......

Was it carrying any mint sauce aswell 😁

[Walker570]

4 hours ago, panoma1 said:

Coincidentally there's a nice photograph in the news (Sky) today of a Sea Eagle carrying off a lamb in Scotland.......

In the Telegraph as well with a good report.

[Dave-G]

Seems they might have found a way to commence killing off sheep farming in the UK. 

[ClemFandango]

13 hours ago, panoma1 said:

Isn't it strange how NE seem to give the animal protectionists/rewilders consents to do anything they apply for? Whatever the negatives people raise during " consultations" ..........whereas they ignore positives and prevent Wildfowlers from doing things they have traditionally done for decades by denying them consents, using the "precautionary principle" to justify their refusal?............They obvoiously mistake protectionists and rewilders for real conservationists!

While I agree with the sentiment, that's not entirely  true. The licence application to reintroduce Lynx by the Lynx trust UK was refused last year.  

There will be a lot of other licence applications refused, we just don't hear about them.

[panoma1]

2 hours ago, ClemFandango said:

While I agree with the sentiment, that's not entirely  true. The licence application to reintroduce Lynx by the Lynx trust UK was refused last year.  

There will be a lot of other licence applications refused, we just don't hear about them.

Point taken and I have adjusted my posting accordingly!.....now I believe it is entirely true! Lol!

[Uilleachan]

https://naturalengland.blog.gov.uk/2019/04/02/natural-england-issues-licence-to-release-white-tailed-eagles/

NE are not considering licence applications, it's already done. They've issued a licence.  

Wouldn't say there's much to worry about in the south as they'll have no competition. Pressure comes when there's a high population density and competition from other large apex raptors, eg golden eagles. Sea eagles prefer others to do the killing/catching, they specialise in robbing. So if there's fish and sea birds locally, that's where the sea eagles will be. If not there won't be any sea eagles, they won't hang around. 

Different story in places like Mull, high sea bird densities existing cheek by jowl with hill farming, yet where I am we have them and golden eagles but without the livestock issues reported from elsewhere. 

[islandgun]

13 hours ago, Old farrier said:

They really never did there homework on the sea eagle they introduced it to a island 22 miles by 12 

with no salmon rivers and no clear sea ( due to the tidal flow ) 

the eagle has a range of ? 

 

Cornwall !  .. I watched a sea eagle trying to take one of my ducks, it swooped down and the duck "ducked" under the water.. Greylags are very spooked by sea eagles, so i presume they are fond of greys. [now that would be a sight worth seeing, an eagle taking a goose] I think pheasant might figure in their diet down there

55 minutes ago, Uilleachan said:

https://naturalengland.blog.gov.uk/2019/04/02/natural-england-issues-licence-to-release-white-tailed-eagles/

NE are not considering licence applications, it's already done. They've issued a licence.  

Wouldn't say there's much to worry about in the south as they'll have no competition. Pressure comes when there's a high population density and competition from other large apex raptors, eg golden eagles. Sea eagles prefer others to do the killing/catching, they specialise in robbing. So if there's fish and sea birds locally, that's where the sea eagles will be. If not there won't be any sea eagles, they won't hang around. 

Different story in places like Mull, high sea bird densities existing cheek by jowl with hill farming, yet where I am we have them and golden eagles but without the livestock issues reported from elsewhere. 

I have never heard of an Eagle taking livestock here, could imagine it happening though perhaps when lambs are first put out on the hill,  possibly deer foals

Edited May 11, 2019 by islandgun

[Uilleachan]

1 hour ago, islandgun said:

I have never heard of an Eagle taking livestock here, could imagine it happening though perhaps when lambs are first put out on the hill,  possibly deer foals

.... and the western isles has the highest density of eagles in the UK. 

Eagles have a bad reputation, attitudes are changing though and at least some people I know who'd once have shot them given the chance, now directly profit from them, or their kids do. Pal of mine, if he shoots a runty hind or poor stag lays it out under his B&B website linked webcam, posting the edited highlights to his B&B Facebook page. I'll post a link when it's back up and running later this year.

There's no doubt some lamb snatching goes on, but they're not the main culprit when it comes to livestock losses. The other side of me thinks, you take the subsidy, you take your chance. That said, a sea eagle would need to be pretty desperate to take a lamb, as they don't have much meat to them. Here's a photo of a sea eagle next to a stag for scale:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-43307984  

If sea eagles dined on lamb a pair would need 10 or 12 a day during the nesting season and if that was happening we'd know all about it. Then again if I lived on the isle of wight I'd start keeping the kids and pets in 

[ClemFandango]

23 hours ago, panoma1 said:

Point taken and I have adjusted my posting accordingly!.....now I believe it is entirely true! Lol!

Nicely done.

w

20 hours ago, Uilleachan said:

.... and the western isles has the highest density of eagles in the UK. 

Eagles have a bad reputation, attitudes are changing though and at least some people I know who'd once have shot them given the chance, now directly profit from them, or their kids do. Pal of mine, if he shoots a runty hind or poor stag lays it out under his B&B website linked webcam, posting the edited highlights to his B&B Facebook page. I'll post a link when it's back up and running later this year.

There's no doubt some lamb snatching goes on, but they're not the main culprit when it comes to livestock losses. The other side of me thinks, you take the subsidy, you take your chance. That said, a sea eagle would need to be pretty desperate to take a lamb, as they don't have much meat to them. Here's a photo of a sea eagle next to a stag for scale:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-43307984  

If sea eagles dined on lamb a pair would need 10 or 12 a day during the nesting season and if that was happening we'd know all about it. Then again if I lived on the isle of wight I'd start keeping the kids and pets in 

Good post, interesting reading. 

[Old farrier]

20 hours ago, Uilleachan said:

.... and the western isles has the highest density of eagles in the UK. 

Eagles have a bad reputation, attitudes are changing though and at least some people I know who'd once have shot them given the chance, now directly profit from them, or their kids do. Pal of mine, if he shoots a runty hind or poor stag lays it out under his B&B website linked webcam, posting the edited highlights to his B&B Facebook page. I'll post a link when it's back up and running later this year.

There's no doubt some lamb snatching goes on, but they're not the main culprit when it comes to livestock losses. The other side of me thinks, you take the subsidy, you take your chance. That said, a sea eagle would need to be pretty desperate to take a lamb, as they don't have much meat to them. Here's a photo of a sea eagle next to a stag for scale:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-43307984  

If sea eagles dined on lamb a pair would need 10 or 12 a day during the nesting season and if that was happening we'd know all about it. Then again if I lived on the isle of wight I'd start keeping the kids and pets in 

Very good post 

thanks for the link

and the live stock owners on the island should have little to worry about 

As apparently there only releasing 12 pairs of them although no one is sure of the release program and weather there is a plan for feeding  them 

[harkom]

On 11/05/2019 at 06:18, mick miller said:

I strongly believe the extremists have been infiltrating all levels of government and non-governmental advisory bodies, for some time. Look at some of the people at DEFRA, former members, Natural England etc. We in the shooting communities and the shooting organisations are well behind the curve on this.

You have Hit the Nail ... bang on the head.

[islandgun]

Following my earlier post, here is a FB page this morning. from a neighbouring crofter.  his own text and photo. as you can see not a new born lamb

 

Sea eagle strikes in the same field less than a week apart,two dead lambs ,one of them killed tonight less than 50 metres from a house.If this was a dog it would be shot and the owner prosecuted and made to pay compensation unlike the do gooders that release these birds all over the country,a big problem when they start to attack the heavier populated lower ground fields

 

[B725]

The people that re-release bird's and animals run about saying look what we have done ain't it good but they don't care one bit about other's as is doesn't effect them pefering to say its just nature doing what it does. 

[mossy835]

i shoot on a big farm they have over 1,000 sheep, soon as the young  are born some are attact by birds.

[Mice!]

On ‎11‎/‎05‎/‎2019 at 12:54, Uilleachan said:

If sea eagles dined on lamb a pair would need 10 or 12 a day during the nesting season and if that was happening we'd know all about it. Then again if I lived on the isle of wight I'd start keeping the kids and pets in 

Think i saw that picture somewhere else? Still made me think wow! That's a big bird.

If they would need 10-12 lambs a day what are they actually eating??

I've held a young bald eagle and thought she was big, but looks like a parrot compared with that sea eagle.

[davewh100]

On 12/05/2019 at 13:50, B725 said:

The people that re-release bird's and animals run about saying look what we have done ain't it good but they don't care one bit about other's as is doesn't effect them pefering to say its just nature doing what it does. 

+1

[old man]

2 hours ago, davewh100 said:

+1

Called the Packham defence?