The Plight of Farmland Birds
by David Goodwin
In May this year the RSPB along with other conservation groups unveiled a Government backed report entitled The Indirect Effect of Pesticides on Birds.
It tells a horror story to rival the tales of chemical use and abuse of the 50's and 60's. Many of the species of birds we once thought of as common are in decline in a big way.
In the last 25 years we have lost:
89% of Tree Sparrows
77% of Turtle Doves
76% of Bullfinch
73% of Spotted Flycatchers
73% of Song Thrushes
62% of Lapwings
61% of Reed Buntings
52% of Linnets
50%+ of Skylarks
43% of Swallows.
And while there are other reasons for the fall in numbers of some of the species, it is clear that the main one is Intensive Farming and the use of chemicals on the land.
Farmers claim to have cut down on the use of these chemicals but although the amount of chemicals used is much less, the ones they use now are many, many times stronger. The declines started in the 1970's but people only started to take note of them in the 90's. Not just birds are being effected, Mammals, like the Hare are becoming very rare in some parts of the country. Frogs and Toads, insects and flowers are also being effected. £3 Billion are paid in subsidies to farmers to farm intensively, the way forward seems to be a change in the Common Agricultural Policy, with more of this money going to Wildlife friendly methods.
One of these would be Organic Farming, but at the moment organically grown food costs about 40% more in the shops. But there is a demand for it as supermarkets are having to import organically grow vegetables. Hopefully as more farms switch over the price of the food will drop.
Many point a finger at predators, the Fox takes it's toll of ground nesting birds, a heated debate is going on about the spread of Magpies and their effect on the song bird population. Domestic Cats too take a heavy toll, it is estimated there are 9 Million cats in this country, if they all catch one bird a day! Think of the devastation they cause in a year! Birds Of Prey have mostly recovered from the decline of the 60's and many are happy to point a finger in their direction. Migrating birds are blown out of the sky by Continental "Sportsmen". But the facts cannot be escaped, since 1990 10,000 Kilometers of hedgerow have been grubbed up. 70% of the countryside is farmed intensively and 41% of Britains land is sprayed. The sprays kill insects needed by adult and young birds alike, Grey Partridge chicks are starving to death. Because as one crop is harvested another is put in its place there is no winter stubble and fallen seeds to see the birds through the winters.
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It isn't just the chemical threat that birds have got to deal with, they are being squeezed from all sides. Fishermen want a cull of Cormorants, the shooting fraternity want all birds of prey culled to save their precious Grouse, and Pigeon fanciers want a cull of Peregrines to save their birds. Need I go on ? I could as I have not touched on Egg Collectors and those people calling for the heads of Crows and Magpies. At the moment, the position of public enemy number one seems to be tied between Cormorants and Magpies.
On the subject of racing pigeons, is it the Peregrine Falcon that is totally to blame for them not going home? You can see ringed Pigeons among their less salubrious relatives in town centres, amongst feeding parties and on sea cliffs. I can just imagine a flock flying over Bempton Cliffs and on seeing the females on the rocks below some of them letting out a shout of "look at the Plumage on that" and then diving down to join them. After all isn't that where Feral and therefore racing Pigeons originated in the first place.
Someone suggested that the RSPB should look at itself, suggesting that by letting Birds Of Prey eat racing pigeons they are not protecting birds. I say to him Birds of Prey have been eating Pigeons since before Pigeon Fanciers were around, look again at the groups of Feral Pigeons and see how many of your precious birds prefer to take their chance out in the wild even with Peregrines around rather than be Cooped up. It has also been said that during a race as the birds pass the sea cliffs on which Peregrines wait they are tired and therefore easy prey. Is it fair to take a bird miles from its home and make it fly back until it is exhausted?
If the Government give in to all these people wanting to kill our birds where will it end? Gardeners, wanting Sparrows killed because they pull up yellow Crocuses, housewives wanting Blue Tits exterminated for pecking the tops off of milk bottles? The only bird I can think of that would be safe would be the Robin, because nobody ever has a bad word to say about Robins.
Dave Goodwin
Here is the link and i hope that it works
http://www.notts-rspb.org.uk/articles/farmland.html
