Rod & Gun by Dan Kinney - FL Sat 31/12/11

[willie reynolds]

Rod & Gun (for Sat Dec 31st)
Would you enjoy watching a raptor killing a bird?
By Dan Kinney

I can well imagine that top civil servants are sitting cosily and smugly in their plush offices safe in the belief that all this broughaha will blow over and they can get back to their old ways of appointing well paid minions to present predictable reports rejecting all that we have heard from the people best placed to tell it as it is in the countryside.

Well, I suggest they think again. The letters I have received and published in this column are so good, so authentic and so vital to the welfare of the remaining indigenous wildlife in Northern Ireland that I propose to have them delivered to Environment Minister Alex Atwood, who I consider to be a well meaning fair minded man.

If he should reject them then we will have to think again. The bottom line is that no matter how well the highly paid `experts’ manage to muddy the waters, there is no escaping g the fact that the environment and its wildlife have suffered so grievously in the past 60 years that the danger of extinction in many cases is very real. And this after hundreds of millions of pounds have been channeled through undeserving causes which were doomed to failure from the start.

I intend to let the letters run for at least another fortnight so Mr Attwood won’t be hearing from me for some time.
You may have noticed in last week’s article that a friend of the RSPB implied that what we most needed was more raptors and predators to keep the wee birds healthy. The one remaining cock grouse on one of my moors must be very healthy for he has had lots of peregrines and hen harriers inquiring about his health for a considerable time. Another correspondent tells me he or she enjoys watching a raptor killing a bird.

Now read what a friend of the racing pigeon fraternity (he asked me not to give his name or address) says in his letter which I understand represents the views of the IrishNational Flying Club which represents pigeon fanciers throughout Ireland:
``We are writing in support of your article in Farming Life (December 10) regarding an increase in raptors which appears to have the support of the RSPB. This attitude is personified by Andy Crory, Nature Reserves officer of the Ulster Wildlife Trust ,who glorifies “raptors – lords of the air” in an article in the same issue of the News Letter.
``He considers they `represent some of the most exciting wildlife’ Does he find it “exciting” when a pit bull terrier savages a family pet or when a peregrine eats a racing pigeon alive?. Other correspondents have alluded to the disappearance of song birds and fledglings picked off by buzzards, harriers and sparrowhawks, not to mention grey crows and magpies.

``Do these people not realise that raptors are not vegetarians? It appears to be easy to get animals on a protected list but impossible to get them off it. Forty years ago, because of the indiscriminate use of insecticides on grain/grass seeds there was a marked decline in the numbers of peregrines and sparrowhawks. These raptors killed little birds which had ingested contaminated seeds and thus there was a build up of lethal insecticides in these predators and they subsequently died a lingering death.
`To protect the declining population of falcons and sparrowhawks, farmers were banned from using certain lethal insecticides and the birds were put on the protected list. Since then their numbers have multiplied to the extent that they are now a pest. An MLA in the News Letter (Oct 2010) claimed there were only 71 pairs of peregrines in Northern Ireland. I would respectively suggest this is a gross underrepresentation of the situation.

``Daily we have reports from pigeon racing members that not one but pairs of peregrines are attacking pigeons exercising above their lofts. Not only do they snatch individuals but the rest of the pigeons are so terrified that in their panic they fly into gates, hedges and aerial wires breaking legs and more seriously wings and have to be destroyed. When young birds in their first season are attacked, they scatter in all directions. Some return to the loft hours later; others days later and some never return.
``When a pigeon is downed by a sparrowhawk or peregrine, it is eaten alive beginning at the neck area and dies a slow death. If it escapes it arrives home with parts of its wings missing or with its neck partly eaten. The homing instinct in these birds is so strong that they will make every effort to get home. It is not unusual for an injured bird to die shortly after entering its loft.
``These attacks are now so frequent that in the autumn and winter, fanciers confine their pigeons to their lofts. Many fanciers have given up the sport of racing pigeons because of peregrine predation. Some of these people have been racing pigeons for over 40 years and, to them, their pigeons are every bit as much pets as the family dog or cat. They know each pigeon individually and if asked can recite its pedigree and its racing record.

``During World War II carrier pigeons were recognised as being the most reliable method of getting important messages back to the UK from France and Germany. A carrier pigeon from Glenarm was awarded the animal VC – the Dickens Medal for bringing home the news of the Normandy landings. The War Office even then recognised that peregrines had a predilection for pigeons and a bounty was placed on the peregrine.

`Birds racing are regularly attacked by peregrines. Hill walkers in the Mournes remove rings from the skeletons of eaten birds and return the rings to the N.I.P.A, IHU or INFC so that they can notify the owners. Peregrines and sparrowhawks are at the top of the food chain and have no natural enemies.
``Under the new Welfare laws, owners of livestock, including pigeons, are under legal obligations to look after animals in their care and protect them from cruelty. The pigeon racing fraternity urgently needs the regulations relating to the protection of peregrines and sparrowhawks to be amended so that individual loft owners, who can positively prove they have a major problem, can take preventative action.

``It is totally irresponsible of the RSPB and like organisations to encourage the increase in raptors without providing them with a food source. If a farmer imports a rare breed of animal he is expected to provide it with food – to release it to roam the countryside would be considered a crime. The release of raptors should be considered to be a similar offence.’’
An Ahoghill couple gave me their name and address but I think this might be the same lady who earlier asked m e on the phone not to reveal their names. They write: ``We are writing to support the concern about our diminishing wildlife because of raptors and predators. We live near Ahoghill and we are heart broken by the sparrowhawks. They visit our garden daily and sometime twice daily. Their main victim is the collared dove but if none of the doves is in sight they just kill whatever bird they get in contact with. Every time we go out all we see is a new pile of feathers.

``The wildlife here has diminished so much that it will soon become extinct. Two months ago there were about 50 collared doves here; now there are 10 and the numbers of small birds have gone down. There used to be plenty of thrushes about here, now they are nowhere to be seen. We saw them with our own eyes being slaughtered by sparrowhawks.
`` What about the pigeon fanciers who pay hundreds of pounds for show birds and when they let them out of the loft are killed by predators? Also, consider the men who rear game birds. These birds should be out running free every day but owners are afraid to let them out because of this vermin flying overhead, ready to attack.
``My parents were born in 1902 and 1904 and started farming at the age of 14 and continued until nearly 80. They had chickens of all breeds, large and small and hatched their own.. They told me they never once lost birds to predators, So, what does that tell you? There were no sparrowhawks in the country at that time. Foxes, too, need to be controlled for they are walking into farmyards during the daytime.

``We hope that the views expressed in these letters will be listened to as country folk are fed up with these slaughterings. We hope that the law will be changed and that all predators will be controlled and that no more killers will be released.’’
Now for the person who says he or she enjoys watching a raptor killing a bird. Signing himself or herself as DF, the person writes: ``I can assure you that you do not speak for all the anglers, farmers and shooters in this fine country -a country which, by the virtue of two world wars, gives you the freedom to speak your mind, openly and in your case with no one to answer your constant bilge.
`` Your constant talk of raptors ripping little birds apart, tearing their guts out, birds dying of stress because a peregine swooped by. What next, raptors attacking these birds , attacking adults and humans. What utter rubbish you spout.

``You fail in your many articles to tell about the many birds which you blow to pieces with a shotgun, ripping their heads if they are too close or you use a heavy shot, pigeon racers 'pulling heads' because his birds were not making good times, birds which have flown into power lines, wind turbines and vehicles - never to return, but blame the raptor, gundogs which are kicked and punched daily because they may have not picked-up a bird which has run and gone to ground, cattle and sheep which are pickled weekly by shooters who just don't know how to walk-up a hedgerow and shoot a bolting rabbit.

``I enjoy watching a raptor killing a bird. I enjoy watching a Hunt running through the hazel glens of Tyrone but I don’t enjoy reading your constant rubbish about birds 'murdering' other birds.’’

R McMurray write: “Thanks for your stand in Farming Life (December 10) for the ground nesting birds. Yes, sorry to say the RSPB and others cannot see the damage you and I see. Grey crows, magpies etc are horrible killers with mink, foxes and cats as well. I declared war on magpies, many years ago with the Larsen trap which is a great job. Last year the bird count from UFA was 38 varieties.

“On December 7, 2010 I recorded all these birds while looking through the kitchen window on the one day: blue tit, coal tit, great tit, long tit, chaffinch, greenfinch, wagtail, robin, dunnock, goldcrest, sparrow, reed bunting, blackbird, starling.”
Incidentally, Mr McMurray tells me there is still a black fox in the Ballyward area.

Alec Martin of Bangor writes: “I look forward each week to read about your battle with the `do-gooders’ who don’t have a clue about the real world. The RSPB and others have lost the plot. Why on earth are they spending millions on breeding raptors? Do they never think of what they live on.

“I have bird feeders outside my living room window, about 30 feet from where I sit, and recently a sparrowhawk has been using it as a picnic table and to see what little birds it can grab out of there.

“On coming out after breakfast one morning some time ago I noticed a sheep heavy in lamb and on her back about a quarter of a mile off. I set off to get her on her feet but the magpies got to her first and had the eyes picked out of her, so I headed home for the gun to put the sheep out of her misery. On return two great black backs had ripped open her stomach and pulled out two lambs.
“My brother farms at Greyabbey. He keeps a lot of sheep and they lamb indoors. On several occasions when ewes were lambing out, foxes had ripped open sheep that had gone on their backs. In the 40’s, a friend of mine bred canaries. He had a yard rented in Donaghadee were he kept and fattened pigs. In these old buildings swallows, house martins and swifts nested and we used to put canary rings on the chicks and get them back when the birds returned the next year.

“When I was 12 I got a Hector airgun I was told to shoot rats with it. Later my father gave me a single shot .22 rifle. I got quite good with a Tilley lamp in one hand and a rifle in the other. Because ammunition was hard to get I made a homemade bayonet which was very effective around the corn stacks. A plane crash landed on our back hill and the men sent to guard it saw me killing rats with this weapon and they started with their bayonets. They got the odd rat which really got them excited.

“I shot quite a few foxes from the deck of the combine harvester as they would sit until the last second. I remember cutting corn one night in a field near Mount Stewart. The field had a tower silo in it and I saw a fox several times and as we got near the silo the fox bolted and ended up in the combine. Picking it out of the shakers was no fun.”

Victor Steele writes: ``I have read your articles on birds of prey and want to give you my experiences. We have a small holding at Glarryford and an out farm at Finvoy. We used to have around 20 rabbits on our farm at Glarryford and then the Buzzards arrived and now there is not a rabbit to be seen.

``On our farm at Finvoy there were always a number of hares to be seen. For over 60 years there were always hares, even though sometimes they were hunted by greyhounds. Now, buzzards have arrived and there is not a hare to be seen. I assume they take the young hares and so the hare population dies out.

`` Why on earth are buzzards protected when all they do is destroy other forms of wildlife. Hares are also protected and I will be extremely sorry if they disappear like the corncrake.’’

As I said at the outset, I will, in due course, be forwarding all the letters I have received to the Environment Minister, including that of DF. If you do not wish me to do that then drop me a line saying so. If anglers or other fieldsports enthusiasts or farmers want to air their views then let me know by letter or email as soon as possible.
I simply have not had space to give any of the letters on the Lampers but I will get round to it eventually.
Ends