Response to GL by SBS

[chrismdd 787]

Spotted this on the Pigeonwatch forum which you may of seen already. Worth reading the response to DEFRA from this group and you may well want to join them.

https://www.songbird-survival.org.uk/news/sbs-submission-to-defras-general-licence-consultation?mc_cid=9c7cc4136d&mc_eid=1070f6677b&utm_campaign=9c7cc4136d-email_campaign_2019_05_15_10_36&utm_medium=email&utm_source=songbird+survival+mailing+list&utm_term=0_d2f73d13ed-9c7cc4136d-274118633

[Rez 4,957]

Love this bit. Bascailly coming from people or an organization that knows it’s shit when it comes to songbirds.

9. More recently, the Charity co-sponsored further corvid-related research, a PhD supervised by Professor Madden of Exeter University and Dr Sage of the GWCT, examining corvid predatory interactions (mainly magpies) with songbirds in the farmed landscape (Capstick, 2018). The Review section identified that 25% of reported songbird nest predation was attributable to corvids, with some species more prone to predation than others depending upon their nesting biology and breeding season, and that increased breeding success of such species can be achieved through targeted corvid removal; that some species may select sub-optimal nesting sites in order to avoid nesting close to magpie breeding territories possibly due to a ‘landscape of fear’ effect; and that during the peak of magpie breeding season, open-cup nests in magpie territories were more vulnerable to predation (simulated through the use of artificial nests as proxies for farmland hedgerow-nesting songbird species) (Capstick, 2018).