Bird of prey persecution crimewave reported

[JohnfromUK]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8320507/Bird-prey-persecution-crimewave-coronavirus-lockdown.html

If these reports are true, it is very wrong and very bad for the shooting community.

[bruno22rf]

Absolutely unacceptable behaviour no matter who the guilty party is - shooting fraternity or not. Not hard to see how it happens though as I have been asked to "bump off" Red Kites locally because "they chase and kill all the Songbirds" - peoples understanding of these birds in particular is woeful.

[Walker570]

There is absolutely no excuse for killing them.  I have a pair of buzzards in my 10 acre wood, they hunt the young rabbits and enjoy the occasional squirrel I leave for them. The wood is crawling with pheasants and two pairs of partridge.  The biggest danger to them is the huge number of badgers destroying everyhting in their path.

[Benthejockey]

Dodgy reporting again. The buzzard had a fractured wing and was full of shrapnel but they nursed it back to health and the kite had been shot 12 times. I'm not saying they weren't shot but the dodgy reporting makes me question what they were shot with. I'm not condoning it but legal shotgun licencees always get the blame when often it's a berk with an air gun. 

[Yellow Bear]

Big report on this from our old favourite the Biased broadcasting company, allegedly based on RSPB figures.

Did not read further than the usual clap trap of Keepers and big shooting estates.

[Vince Green]

1 hour ago, bruno22rf said:

Absolutely unacceptable behaviour no matter who the guilty party is - shooting fraternity or not. Not hard to see how it happens though as I have been asked to "bump off" Red Kites locally because "they chase and kill all the Songbirds" - peoples understanding of these birds in particular is woeful.

A couple of years back I commented to a lady I know who is a keen birdwatcher that it was good to see a red kite that was circling in the distance and she went into a rage saying exactly what you said they kill all the songbirds, they should never have been introduced, people meddle with things they don't understand. It was very uncharacteristic of her but if that's the view in the wider bird watching world in general it may explain who has a down on kites.  

[JDog]

RSPB and BBC. No thanks.

[Good shot?]

Although undoubtedly illegal and wrong in all respects, whoever is doing this would know that and you would expect that they would collect and dispose of the "evidence".

Likewise whoever is finding these birds and subsequently putting it in the media, I would question their motives and evidence also.

Sorry if I am being cynical. 

[Agriv8]

sorry missed this thread so copied  from My duplicate thread
 

Have a read 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52667502
 

Not intended to be a thread to manage or not manage raptors.

but could it just be that more people are at home taking walks in the countryside around them !

my local dog training walk is now akin to the m62 at 8am in the morning With people trying to keep 2m apart !. It used to be I would regularly meet 1 or 2 dog walkers and the odd runner. People also have large amounts of spare time to report this.

Next PacMan will be using snipets in his twitter feed.

I reiterate that I am all for preserving endangered birds even in managed moors and woods  but come on BBC please actually try and be a little objective !

Regards

Agriv8 

[spanj]

No substantive evidence just usual anti reporting tactics. I put a complaint in to the BBC this morning after reading the article. I know this is pointless but its necessary to register your displeasure otherwise they just go carry on regardless. I urge everybody else who feels the same way to put a formal complaint in too.

[CharlieT]

3 hours ago, Good shot? said:

Although undoubtedly illegal and wrong in all respects, whoever is doing this would know that and you would expect that they would collect and dispose of the "evidence".

Likewise whoever is finding these birds and subsequently putting it in the media, I would question their motives and evidence also.

Sorry if I am being cynical. 

Not cynical at all, I would suspect you are 100% spot on.

Funny how this hits the headlines days after the RSPB announce a dramatic drop in income due to C-19, the cynical amongst us may be minded to suggest this is nothing short of a "cheap" advertising campaign.

[lancer425]

2 hours ago, CharlieT said:

Not cynical at all, I would suspect you are 100% spot on.

Funny how this hits the headlines days after the RSPB announce a dramatic drop in income due to C-19, the cynical amongst us may be minded to suggest this is nothing short of a "cheap" advertising campaign.

It is the RSPB equivalent of The PACKHAMGATE mysterys. . They need the limelight.The Corona virus is hogging centre stage and these people  need that exposure.

[Scully]

5 hours ago, CharlieT said:

Not cynical at all, I would suspect you are 100% spot on.

Funny how this hits the headlines days after the RSPB announce a dramatic drop in income due to C-19, the cynical amongst us may be minded to suggest this is nothing short of a "cheap" advertising campaign.

Exactly. This virus is hitting charities hard, as will the looming recession. 

[islandgun]

Yes,  attention seeking

[Konnie]

Maybe one of the shooting organisations  should point out to the press this is not a true reflection of shooting people as shooting of any kind has been stopped for quite some time now due to covid.

[CharlieT]

6 minutes ago, Konnie said:

Maybe one of the shooting organisations  should point out to the press this is not a true reflection of shooting people as shooting of any kind has been stopped for quite some time now due to covid.

They have.................

 

The Countryside Alliance has responded to a number of claims made by the RSPB in the press today.

 

Adrian Blackmore, Director of Shooting at the Countryside Alliance, has responded to a story pushed out by the RSPB which  has made sensationalist claims that it has been overrun with reports of birds of prey being illegally killed since lockdown began, and that the majority of incidents have been on, or close to, sporting estates managed for game bird shooting.

However, it has provided no figures or firm evidence with which to back up these serious claims of what it is calling a ‘persecution crimewave’. The three confirmed incidents that the RSPB has mentioned, which occurred over a three week period, were nowhere near any shooting estates, yet the RSPB has no qualms in linking this alleged ‘surge’ of incidents to shoots. In doing so, it is merely alienating itself further from those that do so much for wildlife and the environment, and with whom it should be actively seeking to work.

Sadly, the Charity’s dogged determination to damn the shooting community at every opportunity is making that increasingly unlikely.

Mr. Blackmore has written to the Daily Mail to outline the concerns raised above.

[Old farrier]

10 hours ago, Good shot? said:

Although undoubtedly illegal and wrong in all respects, whoever is doing this would know that and you would expect that they would collect and dispose of the "evidence".

Likewise whoever is finding these birds and subsequently putting it in the media, I would question their motives and evidence also.

Sorry if I am being cynical. 

Not cynical at all 

sheer coincidence that the alleged birds are landing on footpaths and public places to be found 

[Vince Green]

22 hours ago, Old farrier said:

Not cynical at all 

sheer coincidence that the alleged birds are landing on footpaths and public places to be found 

Found by animal rights activists out for walk by the sound of it...…………….Hmmmm?

even if I did find a dead hawk, which I never have, would I report it? I wouldn't know how to

one thing you can be absolutely sure of, if they were shot by a gamekeeper (and I doubt that very much) the carcass wouldn't be found lying around.

Edited May 16, 2020 by Vince Green

[aberisle]

I found a dead Sparrowhawk a few weeks ago it had been killed by Magpies also a couple of years ago there was a hell of a racket in one of the trees in my  garden from a group of Magpies the next morning there was a dead Buzzard and the foot of the tree it must have been killed by the Magpies the previous evening.

I wonder what Raptor persecution mob would say about that.....deny it ever happened or blame shooters?

[NatureBoy]

Slight lifting of the lock down and they are all  back on it seeking attention with there campaigning, accusations and chasing funding. So very convenient yet again. Same old MO. RSPB are still shut down so it's not there field workers "finding them". Strange they said they expected this to happen at the start of lock down to. Some very strange figures. They recon there has "probably" been 56 incidences of persecution on or around grouse moors and shoots reported to them since the start of lock down. An increase of 300/400%. Saying they have gone from 3/4  reports a week to 3/4 a day. Really!? If this is the case and with such high numbers if they have any real evidence we will be seen prosecutions and cases in court. I doubt it! The RSPB describes the countryside during lock down as being like the wild west. Crazy!    NB

[clangerman]

the government ignore shooting organisations but they can do something about this garbage they need to get of their backsides and spend some of OUR money protecting the reputation of shooters instead of making the right noises to keep us quiet it’s time we got SOMETHING more than hot air and excuses for our money and that goes for ALL of them 

[old man]

Sadly, the RSPB seem to resort to their usual vague publishing tactics, possibly to boost the dwindling coffers?

[Dave-G]

Perhaps the shooting org's could co-fund 'adverts' that challenge and point out the discrepancies that are put out there to demonise the public eye about shooting.

I say an advert because that would attract payment rather than just fit in with what media prefer to feed their readers.

[Farmboy91]

Having actually looked at the rspb website for the first time this evening I can see how easy it would be for someone not from the shooting community to see that and stake us with the blame. 

' RSPB data shows shooting is the most common way of killing birds of prey' 

Along with '67% of all those convicted since 1990 have been gamekeepers' stand out to me. Obviously with the exclusion of any facts. 

It's a shame we aren't as good as getting that emotive side across for what we do as they are. I love seeing raptors when I'm out, last December I watched a buzzard take a pigeon then pull it apart at the top of the garden, leaving a small pile of feathers, I felt pretty privileged to watch this while I was doing the washing-up.