just a few of the emails going between myself and Derby Council regarding the nest at the Cathedral. best to start at the bottom of the thread and read back to the top. still no response to my email reply on 20th May! saying that, i probably wont get one
Hi Jonathan
Thank you for your quick response, although I do not agree with everything you have said.
Again this is only my opinion but birds of prey are wild animals and belong in the wild where they could hunt and quite easily survive on wild animals such as rats, mice and other wild birds, rather than being enticed into city centres where they are living off pigeon fanciers pets! You make mention of allowing children to learn about the species! I wonder how aware these children are of what racing pigeons did during the war, to not only save the lives of our ansestors but also help to us achieve everything that we have! I am afraid that you have been miss informed regarding only very old or very young birds being attacked and caught, as on two occasions I have noted race rubber rings in the nest, and I can assure you that only the healthiest, fittest pigeons go to the racepoint due to the competitivness of our sport. Your comments of over 40 different species of birds being found in the nest is a real concern, by saving and increasing the numbers of these birds of prey it is surely going to have a devistating effect on our song bird population and what are the councils plans for when these birds become extinct?
And finally I agree that your camera's do not show graphic images of birds being caught, but they certainly do broadcast images of our beloved pets being ripped to pieces in the nest.
I am truly disgusted by your scheme and by what you are doing and based on what I have read on one of our pigeon chat sites regarding this topic, so are all the reasonable pigeon men out there.
I have every intention of going to the press with these issues as in my opinion by trying to save one species of bird by bringing them out of the wild and into city centres, you are slowly destroying much more than you realise.
Thanking you
Kind Regards
Craig Edwards
----- Original Message -----
From: Wallis, Jonathan <Jonathan.Wallis@derby.gov.uk>
To: Craig Edwards
Cc: Customer Services <customerservices@derby.gov.uk>
Sent: Wed May 20 16:56:46 2009
Subject: RE: Peregrine cathedral
*** Before reading or acting on this e-mail, or opening any attachment, please read Derby City Council's disclaimer and confidentiality statement at the end of this e-mail ***
Dear Craig
Thank you for emailing to express your concerns. I can understand your obvious frustrations when you see racing birds that have been specially bred being taken by a wild bird of prey. Whilst some may be active racers, I’m told that most are likely to be old birds or young inexperienced individuals which can be picked off far more easily than strong, fit racers.
Our site does not openly display graphic images of any bird being attacked – only the nest and ledges where prey items are brought back to. Sometimes photos of the birds approaching Derby Cathedral are generally shown. We would not wish to suggest that peregrine falcons do not take racing pigeons at all – yes, rings are seen on the nest cameras from time to time, and this is unfortunate. But you do need to know that over forty different species of bird have so far been taken as prey, including a number of species that many birdwatchers would be delighted to see on a nature reserve. But even though woodcock, golden plover and lapwing are taken in some numbers, neither we, our local ornithological society, our Wildlife Trust nor the RSPB have expressed concerns or made any argument for removing birds of prey from our cities, or for removing the webcameras. Whether the cameras were there or not, peregrine falcons are wild birds and will still hunt, and we cannot change that, nor by our support or interest in them are we promoting animal cruelty. In fact we welcome the return of peregrines to their former haunts and see their expansion into some urban areas as a sign of an increasingly healthy environment after the disaster of 50 years ago when the species nearly became extinct.
Of course, we do appreciate that tens of thousands of pigeon fanciers up and down the country do put in hours of long hard work into their pigeons. But I’m sure that most are reasonable men and women, and do recognize the many and varied natural and man-made hazards that the birds from their lofts inevitably face. With less than two thousand pairs of peregrines believed to be breeding across the whole UK, and only a handful of nests with webcameras on them, many tens of thousands of adults and schoolchildren are able to get an insight into the lives of a wild bird of prey which would not otherwise be possible and are able to learn a range of valuable conservation and educational lessons.
I appreciate the time you’ve taken to express your concerns, and I hope my reply helps explain our position.
Best wishes
Jonathan Wallis
Jonathan Wallis | Acting Head of Museums | Regeneration and Community | External Tel. 01332 641920 Internal Tel. (424)1920| Minicom 01332 256666 | Derby City Council, Derby Museums and Art Gallery, The Strand, Derby DE1 1BS | www.derby.gov.uk <blocked::http://www.derby.gov.uk/>
Derby City Council - committed to being an Excellent Council
________________________________
From: Customer Services
Sent: 20 May 2009 10:37
To: 'Craig Edwards'
Subject: RE: Peregrine cathedral
Dear Craig
Thank you for contacting us. I am forwarding your email for the attention of the management of our Natural History Museum.
Best Regards
Ruth Haywood
Customer Services
________________________________
From: Craig Edwards
Sent: 19 May 2009 14:19
To: Customer Services
Subject: Peregrine cathedral
TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN
I would like to submit an official complaint with regards to your Peregrine web cam on the ledge at the cathedral. I am absolutely disgusted in what I have seen today. it is unacceptable for you to display openly how these birds attack and kill racing pigeons! Two of the pigeons brought back to the nest today clearly have race rings on their legs! As far as I am concerned this promotes cruelty to animals and who ever thought of this idea should think long and hard about what they are doing. It is a disgrace and I am sure that pigeon fanciers up and down the country who put hours of long hard work/money into their pigeons would really appreciate your scheme.
Kind regards,
Craig Edwards
