public ignorance (1 Viewer)

[On-Firecrest]

I read this letter in the east anglian daily times yesterday and it is the funniest anti raptor thing i have ever seen.

'Sir,
... Myself and others have complained that our garden birds are disappearing to make fodder for hawks. Amongst other birds taken are swallows and i expect, swifts. From full lines in the past and two birds in the spring i now have no swallows.
Ecology is being messed up by the clever people who wish to preserve (unnaturally) these predator breeds of birds of all kinds.
We now have bluetongue in cattle because, in my opinion, our swallows and swifts no longer have homes and no longer clear our skies of all the insects they catch-cause and effect.'

Some people just don't understand biology, but the point that really annoys me is that it was printed below a huge picture of a swallow and inside the only text box on the page and as for connecting a cattle virus with quote-'predator breeds' is laughable.

 

[Sandra (Taylor)]

[QUOTE= From full lines in the past and two birds in the spring i now have no swallows.


"Full lines" of swifts?? Does he mean on wires? Never seen a swift sitting anywhere!

Sandra

 

[On-Firecrest]

i think the writer meant swallows. i also think he forgot that they migrate south which is probably why he hasnt seen any recently and as for clearing the skies of insects...

 

[Henry B]

Wonder who they complained to. ?

 

[Gingling]

Wow! 8-P

That person needs to read about the vultures of India in regards to cattle problems involving birds.


JR.Inghram

 

[JRE]

Prey numbers control predator numbers - not the other way round.
Have a look at Songbird Survival - public ignorance at its highest.
Songbird Survival, who call themselves -
Ornithologists
Conservationists
Lovers of the countryside
Gardeners and farmers
Concerned RSPB members
Town and country people throughout Great Britain who are deeply concerned about the effects of increasing predation on songbird populations
are effectively claiming a considerably greater amount of bird knowledge than the RSPB.

 

[Cudyll Bach]

I wonder who is behind this little group? Some interesting links on their page.

http://www.songbird-survival.org.uk/links/

 

[Farnboro John]

This is not ignorance. This is directed malice. It is supposed to make an impression on the ignorant.

John

 

[Marmot]

I read this letter in the east anglian daily times yesterday and it is the funniest anti raptor thing i have ever seen.

'Sir,
... Myself and others have complained that our garden birds are disappearing to make fodder for hawks. Amongst other birds taken are swallows and i expect, swifts. From full lines in the past and two birds in the spring i now have no swallows.
Ecology is being messed up by the clever people who wish to preserve (unnaturally) these predator breeds of birds of all kinds.
We now have bluetongue in cattle because, in my opinion, our swallows and swifts no longer have homes and no longer clear our skies of all the insects they catch-cause and effect.'

Some people just don't understand biology, but the point that really annoys me is that it was printed below a huge picture of a swallow and inside the only text box on the page and as for connecting a cattle virus with quote-'predator breeds' is laughable.

Well are you going to put them right on this one, I take it that no one in the editorial department informed them about the habits of Swallows etc.

I would love to see this persons face when they read it.

 

[Helenelizabeth2]

I wonder who is behind this little group? Some interesting links on their page.

http://www.songbird-survival.org.uk/links/

The events page is interesting too.

http://www.songbird-survival.org.uk/events/

Definitely the right-wing, landowning, hunting, shooting, fishing brigade, I reckon. Their complete anonymity is the most interesting thing about them - there isn't even a name on the contact us page.

 

[JRE]

I wonder who is behind this little group? Some interesting links on their page.

http://www.songbird-survival.org.uk/links/

They have a link to the BTO and RSPB. Yet they try to pick apart statements made by these organisations (see my link)?

 

[Gingling]

Interesting stuff .

Did they do any monitoring of long term rodent population trends during the field tests in the areas of interest?


JR.

 

[robam]

Hi Steve,

I read this story to and could not believe it. Some people have not got a clue, talking of people not having a clue, by the stats the songbird survival people say: 34,500 hawks take 107 million birds per annum. 10 million cats take only 55 million birds per annum (utter rubbish), but a staggering 250 million prey items a year, how can they defend a cat and say hawks are to blame for songbird decline. Perhaps they are looking for something else to blast out of sky, knowing they will never be able to shoot cats.

Rob

 

[gareth_blockley]

I read a similar story in the local paper for honiton, devon over the weekend. These people are obviously very misdirected on ecology and 'the circle of life'. It's these kind of attitudes that lead to persecution of birds of prey and the like in the first place and i am surprised the editors of newspapers even allow these stories and letters to be published, it just leads to more misguided people!

 

[luke]

i have come across that songbird survival group before and they are nothing but pigeon fanciers wanting to get rid of predators. Thats just my opinion anyway.

 

[redeyedvideo]

The events page is interesting too.

http://www.songbird-survival.org.uk/events/

Definitely the right-wing, landowning, hunting, shooting, fishing brigade, I reckon.

I was trying to keep out of this one after the complete slating I got for bringing up a similar subject a little while ago, but here goes anyway. Here's a letter they sent to parliament presumably in 2006;

12 December 2007

Dear Minister

Freedom of Information Act – The Release and Captive Breeding of Avian Predator Species in the UK Countryside

We refer to the following species of avian raptors:

The Red Kite (Milvus milvus)
The White Tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla)
The Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
The Goshawk (Accipter gentilis)
The Golden Eagle (Aquila Chrysaetos)
The Lanner (Falco biamicus)
The Merlin (Falco columbarius)
The Peregrine (Falco peregrinus)
The Harris’ Hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus)

The ongoing release of adult/juvenile raptors of the species listed above into many areas of the UK is of interest to our members. Under the Freedom of Information Act we would therefore address the following questions to you: etc, etc.



The Common Buzzard? The Lanner? The Merlin? The Harris Hawk? Since when have they been released into many areas of he UK?

Red Kite, White-tailed & Golden Eagles & even Peregrine are hardly predators of songbirds are they? I take it they included the scientific names to make out they know what they are talking about, which they clearly don't. I presume Robin Page is something to do with this, it sounds like his usual drivel.

 

[Boomer]

Hi Dave J,

Thanks for the post (even after the "complete slating" you got.) Some of the best reading on BF are on issues that result in "complete slatings." I find the posts on a lot of these topics to be informative and, in most cases, clear the cobwebs out of my grey matter. If not for posts like your "complete slating" one, BF would not be the great site that it is. Please continue to post ALL of your facts, thoughts, and opinions. I, for one, appreciate all input and viewpoints. How else can we expect to see the full "picture"? Thanks again.

Boomer

 

[redeyedvideo]

Hi Dave J,

Please continue to post ALL of your facts, thoughts, and opinions. I, for one, appreciate all input and viewpoints. How else can we expect to see the full "picture"? Thanks again.

Boomer

Thank you! I don't think I'd get away with posting ALL my thoughts especially the mood I'm in now after dipping American Buff-bellied Pipit today. :C