A Question Of Balance?

[Guest The Big Fish]

With the British countryside being under ever increasing pressure from intensive farming practises and the threat that this pressure presents to our native bird species, especially species such as the Grey Partridge and Stone Curlew etc.

Does the panel think that now is the time to act to try and turn the tide in favour of these fantastic birds, by reducing the numbers of predator species, badgers and raptors included?

 

I am not suggesting an out and out cull of birds of prey, but perhaps a scheme where their numbers could be kept in check, by nest management or something along those lines. I also feel that now is the time to lift some of the protection for badgers, perhaps a quota scheme could be put into place to allow a certain number (dependent on the area and current population numbers) of badgers to be shot on the lamp with a reasonable calibre rifle.

[OldTrapCollector 376]

With the British countryside being under ever increasing pressure from intensive farming practises and the threat that this pressure presents to our native bird species, especially species such as the Grey Partridge and Stone Curlew etc.

Does the panel think that now is the time to act to try and turn the tide in favour of these fantastic birds, by reducing the numbers of predator species, badgers and raptors included?

 

I am not suggesting an out and out cull of birds of prey, but perhaps a scheme where their numbers could be kept in check, by nest management or something along those lines. I also feel that now is the time to lift some of the protection for badgers, perhaps a quota scheme could be put into place to allow a certain number (dependent on the area and current population numbers) of badgers to be shot on the lamp with a reasonable calibre rifle.

 

I agree totally with your post TBF but I also feel that it would be next to impossible to persuade the powers that be that a population regulation plan for those animals mentioned be employed.

 

Despite categoric proof that the removal of badgers is directly linked to a dramatic reduction in cases of bovine tuberculosis the Ministry have never (publicly) admitted it.

 

Who, for instance, would be able to direct which species, and how many per acre should be quota'd? I doubt that any one person or group would have the authority and non-biased opinion to do that properly.

 

It would be a pipedream but I feel that is what it will always be.

 

OTC

[Guest The Big Fish]

With the amount of money waisted by defra on things that dont realy matter, this could be thier chance to redeem themselves and set up a department of conservation, that deals with such matters.

Consultation bewtween various bodies, such as the Gamekeepers Association, Game Concervancy Trust and i hate to say it, but the RSPB amongst others, could prove to work.

 

Something will have to be done, either now or later. If it is the latter, the situation might be irreversable.

[highlander 0]

You can try and talk to these people till your blue in the face and nothing will happen. These organisations and even the government bodys wont help. This contry is f*cked people dont care about the countryside. All we can do is keep or chins up and keep fighting but or chants fall on deaf ears.

[Guest little_lloyd]

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[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

Have none of you whipper snappers read The Balance of Nature, by George Abbey. 1909 ?

 

It's on my book shelf, having been highly reccomended by the Lord High Squirrel Snapper himself

 

Good book!

[Guest little_lloyd]

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[waz77 15]

We have a lot of badgers round these parts,more than foxes and even more than rabbits most of the time, luckily we dont have too much trouble from them yet with disease etc but its only a matter of time i think.Also we dont have too many birds of prey except sparrowhawks,probably cos theres not many rabbits about.I do think there should be some control of both tho in areas where its needed.

[Guest little_lloyd]

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[proper job 1]

Big Fish, i for one agree with everything you say. i have a rough shoot of 200 acres, i walk it every morning inspecting my trap line, from the first of March through to the first of sept. i kill every legal predator that i can in that period. i have pheasants, grey partridge, skylarks, lapwing, curlew, snipe, barn owls, hares and i see or hear them every day, after that period i don't touch a thing but whilst those birds are nesting and rearing they need the help. all you need to do is tip the balance in their favour a little bit, i for one know that tb is a disease of overcrowding, and as badger numbers have climbed non stop since they were protected so has tb. i actually had a senior person within the rspb tell me that he had no doubt that badger numbers were partially responsible for the decline in lapwing numbers, in my opinion hedgehogs as well.

[Guest Ditch_Shitter]

i actually had a senior person within the rspb tell me that he had no doubt that badger numbers were partially responsible for the decline in lapwing numbers, in my opinion hedgehogs as well.

 

 

That's a hell of a good point, PJ! Frankly, one I'd never have considered before. But now I live in the middle of Badger Metropolis .....

 

Yeppers. Lapwings nest in the middles of fields and such. And I'm overly well aquainted with the way badgers will wander about a vast area of fields, sniffing out or just plain stumbling across what ever lies in their wake; And devouring or otherwise destroying it. A clutch of Lapwings eggs wouldn't stand a chance on a badgered stretch.

 

Funny. I've been here a year now. I'm watching the badgers explode around me. Pushing their territories and creating new setts as their offspring mature and move further out. I had a Black Tailed Godwit on my home field, when I got here. No sign of him yet. I know the Curlew nest here abouts - but always 'over there, somewhere'. Lapwing? Nope. Just checked my bird list. Ye know; I've never seen one here abouts! Yet it's pretty well perfect habitat for them. I wonder how much longer I'll enjoy the call of the Curlew, if these badgers just keep spreading their own nets?

 

Hedgehogs? Yep. Much the same; They get everywhere and eat everything. But I always figured they get into traps, the same as any other like sized Ground Vermin. Hard to keep them out. Thus I'd have thought they were as kept in control as any of the creeper, scurriers?

 

But badgers ....? Good point!