RSPB flooded with reports of birds of prey being killed
By Paul Homewood
h/t Jonathan Scott
Strange how they have never been bothered about all of the birds pf prey killed by wind turbines!
The RSPB has been “overrun” with reports of birds of prey being illegally killed since lockdown began.
Police have been called out to investigate multiple cases of raptors being shot, trapped or suspected of having been poisoned, with the charity saying most incidents were on or close to sporting estates managed for game bird shooting.
The RSPB has logged at least 56 potential offences – more than one a day on average – since lockdown began on 23 March, including 15 confirmed shot birds of prey and 24 birds submitted for further postmortem analysis after suspected illegal killing.
Birds targeted in the last six weeks include hen harriers, peregrine falcons, red kites, goshawks, buzzards and a barn owl.
On 29 March, a buzzard was found with its wing fractured by gunshot at Shipton, near York. The buzzard was rehabilitated by a local wildlife expert and recovered. Over the Easter weekend, a red kite was found shot dead near Leeds with 12 shotgun pellets in its body.
The following weekend, the naturalist and broadcaster Iolo Williams recovered a red kite in Powys which had been shot dead. Two further red kites were also reported shot in the area.
In Scotland, the police are investigating several raptor persecution cases and reports of the use of illegal traps on grouse moors.
Mark Thomas, head of UK investigations for the RSPB, said: “Since lockdown began, the RSPB has been overrun with reports of birds of prey being targeted. It is clear that criminals on some sporting estates, both in the uplands and lowlands, have used the wider closure of the countryside as an opportunity to ramp up their efforts to kill birds of prey.
“Spring is the time when birds of prey are most visible and therefore vulnerable, as they put on courtship displays, build nests and find food ready to breed. The criminal actions are targeted and malicious in nature, taking out birds before they have the opportunity to breed, often in areas where they have previously faced persecution.”
Supt Nick Lyall, the head of a national police and policy group tasked with tackling raptor persecution, said he was “sickened” by the number of cases in recent weeks.
“Lockdown has been seen as a green light by those involved in raptor persecution offences to continue committing crimes, presumably in the belief that there are fewer people around to catch them doing so,” he said. “I remain grateful to everyone involved in investigating these crimes, and thankfully in the vast majority of the cases I am aware of, it looks like some really good lines of inquiry are taking place which should lead to arrests and interviews.”
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NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
I find that very concerning. As I’m going out to enjoy our new “freedoms” today (staying 2mts away from everyone else, naturally), I will be keeping a close lookout for buzzards and red kites – the most common round here.
Driving along the A40 from Worcestershire and on down to Wallingford yesterday, there were dozens and dozens of red kites to be seen. They are like vermin in Oxfordshire.
Ever since their reintroduction to the Chilterns in the 1990s, their numbers have multiplied rapidly and they have spread steadily eastwards every year. Maybe it’s because there are few wind turbines in the area. Erecting a few might help to cull the things.
Wallingford is in R.A.F Benson’s air space which has to be kept clear of wind turbines. I am also in that air space. Children at local schools are banned from eating in the playground because Red Kites attack them.
I have never seen evidence of a red kite attacking a human of any size. There are so many old wives tales doing the rounds. I’d like evidence to support the myth ‘Red Kites attack them’. Never been observed as red kites are not very strong or aggressive despite their appearance. Their principle food is earth worms. Now if it was seagulls … that’s a possibility as we have recorded evidence of their aggression. Sounds like more hysteria over fake claims from our uneducated educators. Next thing our idiot schools will start teaching that people can change the climate … No, no-one can be stupid enough to believe that!
Do we know how many birds are killed by wind turbines?
I wrote to two senior personnel at the RSPB last year on the matter of wind turbine killing of birds but, unsurprisingly, have not yet received a reply.
Regards,
John.
Lots! And bats. University of Vancouver did a study.
A thousand birds a day in California?
There’s no mention of whether there is an increase in the stealing and killing of sheep in the countryside. But food is less important than wildlife and the Grauniad would not be interested in what happens on farms.
I think the RSPB has some sort of financial tie with wind farm companies. We have a wind farm close to our village. before it was erected the local branch of the RSPB objected to it, but were overruled by national RSPB officers..
The Countryside Alliance has already put out serious criticisms of these accusations. The incidents named took place nowhere near managed grouse moors — indeed the one in Wales is perfectly obviously nowhere near a managed moor as there aren’t any in Wales.
The RSPB has sadly transformed itself from being a body interested in the general conservation of birds into a campaigning body to stop shooting on grouse moors and other estates. It is now effectively a political campaigning body.
There is another story today about the disastrous fires on RSPB owned moors, mainly due to their refusal to manage them properly.
https://www.c4pmc.co.uk/post/rspb-failures-lead-to-endangered-birds-burning-to-death?utm_campaign=1409501_15%2F05%2F2020&utm_medium=dotmailer&utm_source=Countryside%20Alliance&dm_i=44G9,U7KT,1MJHD0,3OAVJ,1
Aplogies for the length of the link.
unfortunately the bigger charities have become part of the blob. their main purpose now is self promotion and self aggrandisement (huge salaries, huge offices and administration) ….. and political campaigning in line with the rest of the lefty guardian reading metropolitan blob. Hence for the RSPB, doesnt matter if birds are killed in their thousands by wind turbines because green is good. and global warming is bad. Now which major state broadcasting organisation does this remind me of?
No driven grouse moors in Wales? I suggest you open Google Earth and have a look. It will take a only few seconds to spot some. Begin at Wrexham and move west. See how many you can count.
Here is a proper observation, not RSPB nonsense. From somebody who looks at things.
The kites and buzzards have/had no roadkill to feed on due to lack of traffic. Deprived of their normal food source they turned to the pheasant chicks.
The gamekeepers were not happy so shot the things. I watched it happen.
Good natural food, road kill: birds like red kites have evolved over thousands of years to eat it……………!
As usual, when there is a blanket ban on control, whatever is totally protected will multiply until……..
I’m rather keen on hedgehogs but in the last few places that I have lived, not a single one to be seen. However, badgers! Infested with them. I wonder why??!!
I sent a letter terminating my membership to the chairman or president at the time after one article of green bullsh*t too far. He did have the good grace to respond quoting the IPCC as a source.
Robin Page has pointed out that a Red Kite needs 800lbs of meat per year and in places where they are large numbers they will go after pheasants and lambs as well. My neighbour is keen on ‘rewilding’ and thinks the presence of Red Kites around Oxted is good. But then bemoans the lack of Yellowhammers etc. I don’t think he can see that there might be a connection there.
Red kites have never been seen predating on in flight birds. red kites have never been seen killing a lamb. kites are carrion feeders. If there’s a dead carcass they’ll feed on it if the crows let them. They wont have killed it. So many myths, so many myths. Ask for the evidence – actual recordings and sworn Court statements. not random claims by activists and old wives.Ive been observing kites since their introduction into the Chilterns 20yrs ago. They nest on my land. Ive never seen one kill anything (regrettably as i’d love them to clear bunnies). They are carrion and worm feeders. All these wild claims and NO_ONE shows any evidence. Stop repeating old wives tales. Next you’ll claim to have seen CO2!
The claim that a Kite needs 800lbs of meat a day is obvious Bullpoo. That’s 2.2lb a day! The largest full-grown kites weigh less than 3lb! They physically couldnt eat that much meat! 80lb a year might be believable!
Quite. A quite ludicrous assertion. Try 40 lbs a year and you might be a tad closer!
bobn is correct of course. If you want to know what has caused the demise of yellowhammers, look no further than industrial farming. The UK’s wheat fields yield an average of about 12 times what Medieval farmers managed. Of course this makes food cheap and plentiful. It also means there are few to no weeds, no aphids, no lost grain, and few to none of the birds that rely on them. In theory these amazing yields ought to lead to land being set aside for nature. Instead the fields are set aside for new developments of characterless box houses with two cars on each driveway!
Standard RSPB reply to blame “industrial farming” but never produce the evidence re habit and food source. JIT seems to be unaware of population growth since medieval times and strangely the larger the population the greater the demand for like food.
800lb meat per kite, must be one hell of a kite.
Kite Flying perhaps?
Climate activists are destroying our countryside for political reasons. it requires a group of bird lovers to issue a writ aginst the windfarfarms and subpoena the RSPB to give evidence.