A 'Do-gooders' opinion: The truth behind the unjust assault on Britains birds.

 A 'Do-gooders' opinion:

The truth behind the unjust assault on Britain's birds

The following words are my response to the disgraceful 'article' by Robin page, a pro-hunting ex Conservative and UKIP candidate who knows very little about British wildlife except how to kill it, it would seem. His lack of knowledge is displayed for all to see in a recent article in the Daily Mail where he demonises and scapegoats some of our avian species with no real evidence to support his claims, bar hearsay and anecdotal evidence. The article alone, entitled 'Do-gooders obsessed with increasing population of 'avian predators' are letting killer birds terrorise our countryside and attack our pets' has no place in an age where our media is meant to be responsible and factual. How the article got accepted is beyond me, and goes a long way to only damage the Daily Mail's reputation a trend which they, and every other newspaper, can barely afford. 

As one of the 'Do-gooders' the article speaks of, I want to come forward and lay out some truths amongst the web of lies spun in Robin Page's flawed article. His own ambitions to see these 'pests' wiped out supersede the very basics of bird ecology and behaviour. Writing, that is so unfairly damaging can set a species back further than some environmental factors, especially with regards to birds of prey which still suffer from widespread, unacceptable persecution here in the UK including the 'exceptionally unusual' disappearance of 3 male hen harrier in their last UK stronghold in Lancashire and the Ross-Shire massacre last year, in which the bodies of 12 poisoned raptors were found in Scotland. Although in general, raptor persecution is on a downward trend, 2013 showed record numbers of birds killed and if the statistics were to count the number of recovered poisoned baits that hadn't yet been consumed, the numbers would rise even higher once more. However, one quote in particular really made my blood boil:

"all manner of aggressive avian killers, such as buzzards, red kites and sparrowhawks". 

 I couldn't believe that such falsehoods were still believed by some in our society. Birds of Prey form a very important part of British ecosystems, especially in this day and age where the country is increasingly lacking in predatory species. Some predators were not lucky enough to survive the onslaught of man, such as the grey wolf, brown bear and Eurasian lynx and virtually all of our birds of prey shared the same fate in recent history. The role of raptors in Britain is important because they help keep a natural balance between predator and prey, a balance that is seen as a problem in this article because humanity has artificially already skewed the balance through destructive advancement. Yet it is our raptors that get the blame for this?

Common Buzzard

The profile of a the common buzzard (Buteo buteo) and red kite (Milvus milvus) alone are great indicators as to how these raptors live. They are not particularly strong birds, large wings and light body mass for soaring, and small feet and talons in relation to their body size demonstrate that these birds in particular struggle to actively hunt anything above the size of a rabbit, let alone the lambs and dogs red kites are described to take according to Page. Even though there is no evidence of such events taking place. The fact that a large portion of these birds diets include insects and carrion through scavenging is ignored, described by the uneducated as a myth. 

Do these birds take other birds chicks and prey items like squirrel? Of course they do, but I'll let you into a secret... its natural and completely normal. It's not pleasant, but it is a harsh reality of the natural world and something we should not be shy about. There is a reason classical 'prey' animals have a large number of young more than once a year. The article goes on to mention how the population of red kite has "increased by 805 per cent. Now in some areas such as the Thames Valley - where in 2012 experts said there were between 700 and 1000 breeding pairs - the bird is so numerous it's become a pest." If we put this in perspective though, in 1977 the population of red kites in Britain is thought to have fallen to a single female & if you believe that an estimate of 2000 breeding pairs is too much then it would be wise to make yourself aware of the species' population crash amongst many of its continental European strongholds. However, the problem of the kites increased bravery, the factor that dubs them as 'pests' lies down to once more, a human created issue. The kites were initially fed through soft release conditions during the start of the reintroduction programmes but even though the populations have stabilised the excessive feeding has continued by many. So once more Robin Page blames the wildlife for an issue we caused, who is really to blame? The Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) is another species labelled in the article as a problem, besides the fact that the sparrowhawk is a top indicator of ecosystem health, studies have shown that they have minimal impacts on songbird populations. 

The over-arching factor that really gets my back up on this subject though is the fact that all 3 of these birds of prey were hunted and brought to the very edge of extinction in the UK by the very same misguided ignorance that fills this article. When it comes to the Hen harrier, one of the UK's rarest and most threatened birds of prey, of which there are only an estimated 617 breeding pairs, complaints are made at wanting harrier numbers to soar, when in reality Page would see them abandoned because they are predators and have to eat to survive. Their survival is not an attack on the 'toffs' that own the land, but rather a mutual desire to see all of our native species thrive in their natural habitat, not too selfish or far fetched in reality.

Red kite over Woburn

He also mentions the problems faced by songbirds as a result by corvids as well as raptors. Besides the point that crows, by definition, are in fact songbirds there is little evidence suggesting their decimation of populations, as with raptors. however, with crows facing what I call 'The Vulture Complex' with regards to reputation it becomes clear that they are scapegoated as it is easy to pick on something you do not understand. Evidence of the impact of corvids actually points to the contrary. Studies by Corvid Research has shown that in 81% of corvid removal experiments, crows demonstrated very little/no impact on a variety of different bird groups, in regards to both productivity and abundance and the corvid with the worst reputation, the magpie, also demonstrated the lowest effect on bird productivity consistently. Research that is in tune with surveys carried out by the RSPB and the British Trust of Ornithology going back 35 years which showed that the presence of corvids such as magpies have no impact of songbird populations outside of the realms dictated by natural population control.

Magpie

Nature is the master of self regulation. Do these predatory species have an impact on other species? Of course they do. Is this impact negative? A resounding no. It is basic population dynamics and the relationship between predator and prey. Problems become apparent when humans enter the mix in a negative way, by either lowering the numbers of the predator or the prey, to alter the fragile curve that holds natural processes together. Maybe if we took the time to look after all of our species in the UK, including that of our songbirds who have predominantly been affected as a result of humanity (not predation) and our ever expanding empire, these words would be negated. In my opinion we should be focusing on the real issues that face our wild birds, such as the continued rapid loss of both habitat and food sources, or the significant impact of domestic cats that kill an estimated 55 million birds in the UK every year, or maybe even the need to protect our migratory species from ruthless slaughter over the Mediterranean, to name but a few.

I urge anyone reading this not to be taken in by the politically charged, biased opinion of an individual with little knowledge on the subject of which he speaks. The opinions of such people will set our environmental health back centuries in an effort to fulfil their own agenda, with no empathy or compassion for the animals we share our world with. I do not preach as an activist, just as a mere man who cares for wildlife and nature and who would see people stand up against the infectious minds that turn us against our planet. As a planet we have lost 50% of all animal species in the last 40 years. It is about time we stop making martyrs out of our wildlife and cease the persecution of the UK's nature for being... well, natural.