Here's a jolly little list I came across in the paper the other day .... it certainly brings up a few questions ... I can't say I can see much sense to all that. What on earth is the reason for killing robins, blackbirds and wrens ? Fantails? What's that all about ? Here's the whole article .... it's a bit dinky ...but if you want to look at bits closer up you can hold down the CTRL key and whizz the mousewheely thingy round. It works for me. There's all sorts of odd things ..why are Brent Geese the only geese in the "agriculture" section.I mean, there aren't many of them about in comparison to other species. Are house sparrows a real danger to aviation ? I doubt if goosanders are a serious threat to fisheries. I don't often see huge flocks of them darkening our skies. Most of it seems pretty random, and pretty senseless, but I'm sure the Hunting/Shooting/Poisoning brigade have a fine old time. I'm a trifle irked, to say the least. And the real joke is ... the body making all these rules is called " Natural England." Seems to me, as William Brown often said, seems to me that they're acting more like the hunting, shooting,poisoning,fishing, fox-shooting,badger-poisoning and horse-whipping brigade. Apart from that, though, everything's just dandy. After I'd written that, I thought I'd try to find the complete list ... and here it is, thanks to Jason Endfield ... it is not a happy read .... if you have a look at his blog, you'll find a lot more of it .... Natural England have confirmed that they issued licences to shoot at least 40 species of birds between 2015 and 2018. The list of species makes for shocking reading and includes such treasured birds as the Skylark, Blackbird, Great Tit, Red Kite, Moorhen, Mute Swan,Kestrel, Bullfinch, Peregrine Falcon, Golden Plover, Robin and Wren.
I received the grim news as a result of a Freedom Of Information request. Natural England say that these are all 'individual licences' permitting the 'lethal control (shooting)' of the said birds. The list doesn't even include any species listed on the CL12 'Air Safety Class' licence or General Licences GL04, GL05 and GL06, so the actual number of species targeted is likely to be much higher. I'd requested the information as part of my campaign to stop the cull of English Ravens and, in their response to my enquiry, Natural England have also confirmed that permission was granted to allow a total of 60 Ravens to be shot during the same period, 45 having been shot to date. The news that so many of our most treasured species of birds have been shot is appalling and fills me with dismay. I know many of you will feel the same. A significant number of the species for which shooting licences have been granted are classed as endangered and feature on the RSPB Red and Amber lists for birds of conservation concern, several including the Skylark, Curlew and Ringed Plover being in need of the most urgent conservation. While the specific reason for each of the licences being issued is not known, can there be any justification for shooting a Bullfinch? Or a Wren for heaven's sake? Who in their right mind requests permission to shoot a Skylark? And for what possible reason? The world, it seems, has finally gone mad. Here is the full list of species for which shooting licences have been issued:- Brent Goose, Greylag Goose, Black Headed Gull, Herring Gull, Greater Black Backed Gull, Lesser Black Back Gull, Curlew, Oyster Catcher, Buzzard, Raven, Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Grey Heron, Red Kite, Stock Dove, House Sparrow, Wren, Black Bird, Great Tit, Finch, Starling, Golden Plover, Cormorant, Goosander, Egyptian Goose, Moorhen, Mallard, Pink Footed Goose, Canada Goose, Wigeon, Mute Swan, Ruddy Duck, Bullfinch, Ringed Plover, Fantailed/White Dove Barnacle Goose, Robin, Coot, Sky Lark, Sparrow *Red List Species Highlighted In Red *Orange List Species Highlighted In Orange
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorThat's the author up there ... I was young and sprightly then. Archives
October 2022
|