Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2000 06:36:31 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Scott Crabtree Subject: Re: What a difference on the other side of the pond MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Seems to me that what the folks in the UK should focus on is promoting BIGGER raptors...maybe that will take care of the real problem - cats! Scott Crabtree Baltimore Mike Callahan wrote: > Hello MDOSPREYers, > > Below is a copy of a message from a Raptor Listserve that I participate > in. It was sent by a chap from England. How different it is at the other > side of the big pond. > > I have been to Scotland a number of times birding and visiting family and > was surprised the British environmental attitude, outlook and conditions. > I expected them to be ahead of if not at least level with us when it > came to environmental protection, considering their history of > eradication of the forests, birds and wildlife though out their long rich > history. How can people from such a civilized part of the world believe > that it is the raptors that have caused the songbird demise, when they > only keep songbird populations in check? Unfortunately the "kill > raptors" state of mind still exists in the US as well. Look at our > Western US where in some areas you still see dead raptors tied hanging > upside on fence lines. During my 1995 visit to Scotland, I constantly > looked for them and saw only 4 raptors/3 species. So if their raptors > population is so high, I certainly never saw evidence of this. For the > relative size of the island you would expect a visible presence. > > I say we start a campaign to trap, quarantine and send as many European > Starlings and English House Sparrows back to England where they came from > and help our songbird population. Now I will step back down from the > soapbox and go birding. Hope to see you in the field! > > Naturally, > Mike Callahan > > Here's an article that appeared in the press over here, I thought you > might find interesting, let me know what you think! > > SOME of Britain's once common- birds, such as starlings, sparrows and > song thrushes, are nose-diving in numbers so fast they could soon be > endangered, > > according to figures published this week. > > A joint survey by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and the > British Trust for Ornithology, in partnership with the Joint Nature > Conservation Comittee, claims several species are at their Lowest ever > levels and predicts that "further population declines inevitable". > > ' Three-quarters of the species are below > > figures set by the Government, and some have halved in population in the > past decade. > > The devastating news has prompted calls for action from concerned > pressure group the Songbird Survival Action Group, which blames the > RSPB's preoccupation with raptor schemes for contributing to the problem. > > IT BELIEVES Britain's uncontrolled bird of prey population is taking a > heavy toll of songbird numbers and would like to see raptor control > introduced into specific areas to monitor its effect on other bird > numbers. > > "We are concerned that the RSPB's love of raptors has overshadowed the > fact that they are eating millions of other birds every year," said SSAG > spokesman Keith Pullman. > > "We are looking for the kind of balance we had between the World Wars and > just after when gamekeepers kept them back in numbers. If they aren't > managed, everything else suffers. > > "The RSPB does a terrific amount of good work, but it can't see that > unless we can control the number of raptors, then the chances of a > recovery in the smaller bird population is pretty remote. > > "We are saying take off the protection and allow licences to responsible > people to control them and see what happens. Gamekeepers should be > allowed to take the common birds of prey when they are creating a > problem, to keep them in check." > > THE latest RSPB statistics show that skylarks are 52 per cent down on > figures for 1970, corn buntings are 85 per cent down and tree sparrows 87 > per cent down. > > starlings and house sparrows now candidates > > for the red list, so low has their population fallen, along with > lapwings, marsh and willow tits. > > In England and Wale's, Iapwing numbers have fallen by 50 per cent in ten > years along with UK ' numbers of capercaillie and black grouse, while > Scottish chough numbers declined 37 per cent ' in 12 years. > > The wryneck and red-backed shrike are still near extinction, and the > bittern is still highly threatened. Chief among what the RSPB calls its > "spectacular conservation successes" are birds of prey, with red kites, > marsh harriers and ospreys all more than double the number they were in > 1970, while merlins are up 50 per cent in ten years and white-tailed > eagles are on target. > > Since 1970, numbers of sparrow hawks have increased up by 162 per cent > and buzzards by 224 per cent. Magpies are up 113 per cent and carrion > crows 120 per cent. > > House sparrows have dropped in number by 58 per cent, song thrushes by 55 > per cent, starlings by 58 per cent and redpolls by 92 per cent. > > According to the Songbird Survival Action Group, there are currently > around 30,000 sparrow hawks in Britain and all need to take three > sparrow-sized birds every day to survive. > > Best wishes, > Paul Risley, > Lancs, > England > > ======================================================================= > To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com > with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey > ======================================================================= ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================