Another letter fired off to the RSPB!

[rasbull]

I was reading the letter published in the Daily Mail, Wednesday 17th March by Mr W.Cowell. I have to say I totally agree with what he stated in his letter regarding the decline in the British song bird population due to increased Bird of Prey levels. The last few weeks have seen various articles in newspapers regarding the effect Birds of Prey are having. From the article discussing the demise of songbirds from the sparrow hawk to 75 starlings found dead within a small area of each other in an urban area, believed to be from a hawk attack. In my own garden I used to see many species of birds - chaffinch, blue tits, great tits, bullfinch, wrens. I used to have blue tits nesting each year without fail. My garden has not changed over the years, but there have been no nesting birds for more years than I care to remember. This is such a shame and despite the many factors which could be blamed for this, the fact remains the most likely cause is increased predatory activity. I look out of my window and where I used to see 1 kestrel, I now see 4 or 5 all flying in close proximity of each other. I keep racing pigeons and many are finding it increasingly difficult to let their birds out for their freedom without fear of a sparrow hawk or peregeine hunting their beloved birds. Fanciers all over the country are reporting increased attacks to the stage where they are becoming so disillusioned they are quitting the sport. One loft has reportedly had 29 birds killed this year alone!  The protection for Birds of Prey was put in place many, many years ago after persecution and rightly so. However, as the years have passed the balance has been re addressed and now the uncontrolled monitoring of allowing these birds to breed freely with no regulation is having a detrimental effect on the song birds, hunting and pigeon racing fraternities. I believe the general public are starting to notice the effect of the BOP protection and are fast seeing with their own eyes the consequences this protection is having. The RSPB claim to be protectors of all birds, can you tell me does the life of a chaffinch mean less than the life of a Sparrowhawk or Peregrine? Your organisation will go out of its way to promote and protect Birds of Prey. Who is standing up for the little guys? As I said earlier, people are starting to ask questions and soon your organisation is going to have to nail its colours to the mast - Either protector of all birds or just the ones whose face fits! I eagerly await your reply!

 

Thank You.

 

 

If anyone is yet to sign my petition please feel to do so and get as many people as you know to do so as well (links on my webiste at the bottom of the main page.) I have also setup the Facebook Action group and that is increasing in numbers each day. So far upto 89 members! Les Parkinson is mentioning the site in his column next week in the BHW. Also hoping to have a letter published in the BHW and Racing Pigeon.

 

Richard Shepherd

www.Rasbull-lofts.co.uk

[Mealy Cock]

Hi Richard, you sound a bit like me very proactive, I to have wrote else where

See my latest post, at least things are moving slowly but it’s a start, the more people get involved

The better, we just have to keep the ball rolling

[rasbull]

I totally agree mate. The amount of people who have spoken to me over the last week since the launch of the Facebook Action page who had no idea regarding the situation is unbelievable. I pointed out in work regarding the letters that were printed in the Daily Mail and people were in total agreement about the lack of song birds. We dont have to change the law, just open peoples eyes to what is going on. The sheer weight of numbers and opinion will do the rest! ;-)

 

Keep up the good work mate. If everyone did the same and just took 5 minutes to write a quick letter, we wouldn't be in the situation we currently find ourselves in for very long, thats for sure!

 

Richard Shepherd

www.Rasbull-lofts.co.uk

[Mealy Cock]

Hi Richard

 

Many years ago the RSPB claimed that Peregrine falcon did not eat racing pigeons

They tried their usual tactics of bull when writing back.

 

The letter was place in the Racing Pigeon paper; a fancier supplied 300 ring numbers from the foot of the Peregrines nest

They could not respond to that evidence, they are very arrogant people the RSPB and don't like to be proved wrong

 

But you can see from my posts I have caught them out with their own replies. With the advent of computers

And social net working sites more and more evidence can come to light about the dishonesty and the lengths the RSPB

Will go to for the protection of BOP at the expense of small birds and other wild life

[Guest Tooshy Boy]

RSPB TALK ONE LOAD CRAP ..DONT LISTEN TO ANYTHING THEY SAY THEY TELL LIES.////

[Guest Owen]

Well done Richard. That is a good letter. I have been e-mailing RSPB and asking all sorts of questions. I will publish the replies in due course. I live near Pontypool. And the mountains around here had a lot of birds from a wide variety of species about 20 years ago. The place is like a desert now. Bird wise that is. There are a fair few Meadow Pipits but not much else.

When I asked the RSPB, a guy called Knox, to explain, he could not.

Well done Mate

Owen

[rasbull]

This is the reply I had from my letter to the RSPB

 

Dear Richard,

 

Thank you for taking the time to contact us with your concerns.

 

Mr Cowell's note to the Daily Mail is clearly emotionally driven and

lacks any understanding of the science between predator/ prey

relationships.

 

The problems our songbirds face arise from factors lower down the food

chain, not higher up it.

 

A wood, containing a fragmented population of trees where the sunlight

can penetrate the canopy will support a greater number and diversity of

nectaring plants. In turn, these plants will support a greater number of

invertebrates on which most of our songbirds feed their young. It

follows that if songbird populations are thriving, birds of prey will

also do so.

 

If this wood is left unmanaged and scrub is allowed to develop, this

quickly denies sunlight to the woodland floor. This reduces the

biodiversity of the flora, which in turn negatively affects the number

of invertebrates. As a result, songbird population decline because they

cannot find sufficient food with which to feed their young.

 

If prey numbers fall, it is always the predator that dies out first,

because prey is scarcer and thus more difficult to catch. As an example,

a wood may support 1,000,000 caterpillars which in turn may support 50

pairs of Great Tits. This would perhaps only support one pair of

Sparrowhawks. In the scenario that the wood is left unmanaged, the

number of invertebrates may fall by a half, the number of Great Tits by

a higher factor and the Sparrowhawks may disappear completely from the

wood.

 

The presence of Sparrowhawks in any area is an indicator that local

songbird populations are healthy. To blame Sparrowhawks for the decline

in songbird populations is both unscientific and simplistic. If

Sparrowhawks were absent from an area, this really would be cause for

concern - the key to ensuring the biodiverse state of our songbird

population lies in appropriate habitat management. This is why we have

such a large Advisory Department, assisting landowners with free advice

on appropriate management techniques which will benefit all species -

not just predators.

 

I hope this clarifies the science between predator/ prey relationships,

but if you have any further questions, please do get in touch.

 

Best wishes,

 

Darren

 

Darren Oakley-Martin

[rasbull]

And this is my reply:-

 

 

Thank you taking the time to reply.

 

However, I feel you have completely missed the point of my letter. I don't

for one second believe there is a shortage of anything the wild birds eat

which is causing there decline. My own garden for instance has not changed

for 20 years, yet gone are the days of a garden full of Blue Tits,

Chaffinches, Wrens and Sparrows. The bird table remains as does the nest

box. Every year without fail I used to have Blue Tits nesting. When I was

growing up I didn't know what a Sparrowhawk was, now it or should I say

they, are seen in and around my garden daily. The nuts, bird seed and

nesting opportunities remain, the only thing that has changed is the

sightings of the sparrowhawk and destinct lack of songbirds. It may be

simplistic as you put it, but it equally doesn't take a genius to work out

why the birds have disappeared!

 

The national newspapers have carried various stories of late all saying the

same thing. So I can't be the only one who is noticing a change in the

garden population. I believe a debate carried in one National newspaper,

claimed 3-1 in favor of the protection being removed from these birds.

Famous people have also noticed the decline as Marco Pierre White pointed

out in an article in the Independent newspaper.

 

Can you confirm what level the birds of prey are currently at giving details

of nesting pairs at present  throughout the UK and also for the last 20

years, as certain people within the RSPB are claiming the birds are rare and

in need of protecting, yet others are equally claiming they are in abundance

and indeed thriving. It may be simplistic but I would be willing to bet the

number of pairs have increased yearly while the other species of songbird

has declined.

 

You claim Mr Cowell's letter was emotionally driven, but this is an ex

member of the RSPB who has become seriously disillusioned at the way the

RSPB is being run and the agenda they are carrying. If this is as you put

it, is lacking understanding I think you plainly treat your members with

contempt. It is clear for all to see that Mr Cowell's letter was written

from the heart, and aimed at an organisation who claim to be protectors of

all birds but when the truth surfaces this is just a front.

 

If nature is nature, can I ask why birds of prey have been introduced into

towns and cities where people can have a coffee while they watch a webcam

displaying BOP nests and the feeding of chicks with other such birds. I am

not aware of any such places which carry live feeds into Blue Tit nests

watching them feed there babies? I could be wrong though, maybe you would be

good enough to inform me on this. I eagerly await your reply.

 

Thank you

 

Richard Shepherd

www.Rasbull-lofts.co.uk

[chichichi]

Richard the bird you should be referring to is the goshawk these are doing terrible damage down here in the valleys.. they were unheard of 5 years ago.. 2 authorities started a breeding programme and now they are going out of control.. they kill everything,, last week a friend witnessed a goshawk killing and eating a heron,, they will kill every thing upto a heron,, they are a killing machine which will be the downfall of racing pigeons if not controlled.. there are many thousands of pairs breeding now..

 

welldone richard,,

 

ant

[Mealy Cock]

Boy the RSPB must read the same book or they have to be brain washed to work for them

 

Well put letter Richard, my letter has not been answered yet.