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World Owl Trust - objections to the FERA Eagle Owl Risk assessment (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Mike Price
- Start date
RobLucking
Well-known member
I'd never heard of the World Owl Trust so I looked them up on the internet. They're based in Cumbria and their about us page reads:
'Our conservation programmes protect populations of endangered owls until their habitat has been restored. This is the purpose of our Owl Centre. If we succeed in breeding from the birds we hold they can be reintroduced back into to the wild. This has already been achieved for the European Eagle Owl and British Barn Owl.'
No wonder they're concerned!
'Our conservation programmes protect populations of endangered owls until their habitat has been restored. This is the purpose of our Owl Centre. If we succeed in breeding from the birds we hold they can be reintroduced back into to the wild. This has already been achieved for the European Eagle Owl and British Barn Owl.'
No wonder they're concerned!
Steve Dudley
aka The Toadsnatcher
A very interesting (misleading?) statement here by the WOT.
Re. 'British Barn Owl', the breeding and release of captive-bred Barn Owls was outlawed when Barn Owl was added to Schedule 9 of the WCA after a study undertaken by the BTO and RSPB concluded that ‘it was very unlikely the release of captive-bred Barn Owls was boosting the wild population at all. So even if thousands of Barn Owls are being released each year, very few live long enough to breed, so their effect on the population is negligible’.
Reference - Cayford, J.T. & Percival, S.M. 1992. Barn Owl captive breeding and release in Britain. New Scientist 1807: 29–33.
And Eagle Owl is classed as a non-native species in Britain so doesn't have a population to restore, and since it has not been recorded naturally since the last ice age it doesn't have a British habitat type.
Reference - Melling, Tim., Dudley, Steve & Doherty, Paul. 2008. The Eagle Owl in Britain. British Birds 101: 478-490.
So just what have they achieved for Eagle Owl and Barn Owl?
Re. 'British Barn Owl', the breeding and release of captive-bred Barn Owls was outlawed when Barn Owl was added to Schedule 9 of the WCA after a study undertaken by the BTO and RSPB concluded that ‘it was very unlikely the release of captive-bred Barn Owls was boosting the wild population at all. So even if thousands of Barn Owls are being released each year, very few live long enough to breed, so their effect on the population is negligible’.
Reference - Cayford, J.T. & Percival, S.M. 1992. Barn Owl captive breeding and release in Britain. New Scientist 1807: 29–33.
And Eagle Owl is classed as a non-native species in Britain so doesn't have a population to restore, and since it has not been recorded naturally since the last ice age it doesn't have a British habitat type.
Reference - Melling, Tim., Dudley, Steve & Doherty, Paul. 2008. The Eagle Owl in Britain. British Birds 101: 478-490.
So just what have they achieved for Eagle Owl and Barn Owl?
Isurus
Well-known member
:eek!:
Not sure if I'm more intrigued by this or their recipe link for chocolate owl pellets.
The world owl trust is a superb place to visit if your into owls, i have been there three times. Tony Warburton began it years ago and it has been based at Muncaster Castle, Ravenglass Cumbria since the late 80's. Tony Warburton has probably done as much as any one in the U.K conserving Barn Owls. The WOT is also invoved in projects abroad. You can buy Tony's book, The World Owl Trust Story for an inspirational read.
Cheers Keith.
Cheers Keith.
Tony Warburton
New member
Well, well, well. So Rob Lucker has never heard ot the World Owl Trust - Perhaps he should get out more! The WOT is a membership organisation with over 2,000 members and is acknowledged as the world's leading global owl conservation with such as Lord Forteviot, Prof. David Bellamy, Bill Oddie and Terry Nutkins amongst its patrons. Its Hon. President (me) was inducted into the Owl Hall of Fame in Houston, USA after being selected as the 2007 International Champion of Owls by a panel of some of the most respected names in owl research in the world; which has representatives working for it in 13 different countries; created the world's first ever Owl Conservation Breeding Centre open to the general public in order to spread the word of owl conservation and study the biology of species about which little was known; whose Director (me again) was Chair of the UK Owl Taxon Advisory Group for ten years; Manages the Philippine Owl Conservation Programme for the Philippine Government; and in 2007 sponsored the Proceedings of the Fourth World Owl Conference in Groningen, Holland, at which we presented a paper on our Philippine Owl Conservation Programme (these proceedings just published for your reference!). Rob, you also have 'selective reading syndrome' - why not read the full context of what we said about the release of captive-bred Eagle Owls and Barn Owls. Yes, the Trust did release captive-bred Barn Owls until this was banned - over 1,600 of them in fact - and this resulted in many populations being restored or being reinforced in many areas of Britain, as well as being instrumental in many landowners creating wildlife corridors and nesting sites for 'their' owls. This habitat creation is still on-going as are our nest box schemes. We have also helped to fund similar work for Barn Owl Groups throughout England and have given literally thousands of lectures and presentations to organisations throughout the UK, plus schools as well as 'hands on conservation instruction at our headquarters at Muncaster Castle. Can I ask what you have done? For the correct facts about our work with Eagle Owls. I suggest you go back on our website and read 'WOT in Action'/Reports - and while you are at it, try reading about our work in Nepal and Israel, for instance - the latter including a live webcam on an Israeli Barn owl nest available to everyone via our website. There will be two such sites this season. Don't worry about buying our book. Send me your address and I'll send you one free - providing you agree to apologise for your misguided and snidey remarks on this site after you've read it!
Steve asks what the WOT has done for Barn Owls. Answer, first drawn attention to the serious decline of the species in the UK, and carried out the first-ever county by county assessment of the species (in the monograph 'The Barn Owl' (Poyser 1982) the data of which we handed over to Colin Shawyer for his review of 'The Barn Owl in Britain' 1985, and acknowledged by him in the book; Gave a presentation at the Hawk Trust AGM in London in 1982 which resulted them adding 'and Owl' to their title and initiate the afore-mentioned report by Colin; Sat on the DEFRA Barn Owl Working Group for three years until it was wound up despite our protests; Created the national 'Save an Owl for £1' Campaign in 2009 which creates wildlife corridors, restores hedgerows and erects (and funds) nest boxes throughout the UK. We have the Barn Owl as our logo and have studied the species intimately since 1965. So I'll ask you the same question as I asked Rob Lucker - what have you done for the Barn Owl?
We have studied the Eagle Owl in the UK and Finland for over 30 years and drawn attention to its decline in Europe and Scandinavia in the 1970's - 1980's - these presentations being given daily at our headquarters in Cumbria, reaching c.90,000 visitors per year. Our studies have enabled us to produce the factual report you are now attempting to decry - so now the million- dollar question - "what have you done for the Eagle Owl"? Oh yes, now I remember, you mentioned something about it on the film 'Return of the Eagle Owl' didn't you? Remind me of what happened next!
Tony Warburton
Steve asks what the WOT has done for Barn Owls. Answer, first drawn attention to the serious decline of the species in the UK, and carried out the first-ever county by county assessment of the species (in the monograph 'The Barn Owl' (Poyser 1982) the data of which we handed over to Colin Shawyer for his review of 'The Barn Owl in Britain' 1985, and acknowledged by him in the book; Gave a presentation at the Hawk Trust AGM in London in 1982 which resulted them adding 'and Owl' to their title and initiate the afore-mentioned report by Colin; Sat on the DEFRA Barn Owl Working Group for three years until it was wound up despite our protests; Created the national 'Save an Owl for £1' Campaign in 2009 which creates wildlife corridors, restores hedgerows and erects (and funds) nest boxes throughout the UK. We have the Barn Owl as our logo and have studied the species intimately since 1965. So I'll ask you the same question as I asked Rob Lucker - what have you done for the Barn Owl?
We have studied the Eagle Owl in the UK and Finland for over 30 years and drawn attention to its decline in Europe and Scandinavia in the 1970's - 1980's - these presentations being given daily at our headquarters in Cumbria, reaching c.90,000 visitors per year. Our studies have enabled us to produce the factual report you are now attempting to decry - so now the million- dollar question - "what have you done for the Eagle Owl"? Oh yes, now I remember, you mentioned something about it on the film 'Return of the Eagle Owl' didn't you? Remind me of what happened next!
Tony Warburton
Chris-Leeds
Well-known member
Nicely put Tony. People should open their minds a little more and pay close attention before spouting off.
Indeed Tony and WOT were one of the first organisations to write about our (then) dwindling Barn Owl populations. They are known for World Owl conservation and have been involved with such projects as the spectacled owls, to name but one.
As for what they have done for Barn Owls..unbelievable, look up a certain book which was written called 'The Barn Owl' and published by Poyser
As for what they have done for Barn Owls..unbelievable, look up a certain book which was written called 'The Barn Owl' and published by Poyser
