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The BBC is reporting today that following representations from our friends the gamekeepers,DEFRA is considering allowing the destruction of Buzzard nests in order to protect their pheasants .The RSPB is protesting,I'm so mad I can't write anymore,suffice to say should anyone tamper with our pairs nest there will be even more carrion for their young.

All based on this little snippet ...

"Defra said the 2011 National Gamekeepers Organisation survey found that three-quarters of gamekeepers (76%) believed buzzards had a harmful effect on pheasant shoots."

They BELIEVE it - not KNOW it. And then there's that clever bit of statistical trickery - 76% of them BELIEVE it. As we all know, that must make it right. There are other groups of people in the UK who would like to change laws because of their beliefs - and the gamekeepers are just as wrong as those groups.

If they get away with this, it's tantamount to a return to the Middle Ages.

Mike

Hmmm, either wild buzzards or dopey stupid sh1t for brains "game" birds for Lord Robbing Bastard (look it up he's the Lord of Kitley in Devon) to shoot at with his imbesselment fund managers?

I am really in two minds on this one.

I firmly believe that we have enough sence running this country NOT to ever let this to happen, but that really is just my usual optimism over experience.

so what if buzzards eat the pheasants! there are pheasants all over the place, put there by the shoot to breed so they can shoot them. surly lots of them also get eaten by foxes and dogs too. my mums friend lives on a large country estate where they keep pheasants for shooting and her dog regularly kills them. if if the gamekeepers want to shoot animals they should just have to accept that they will loose some to other predators, thats the circle of life! and they should leave the native wildlife well alone!

Hopefully this is an area where Scottish law will differ

Outrageous!

Anyway, don't buzzards prefer to eat carrion and worms?

Personally, I think they should also stop cars driving within 50 miles of any estate that has pheasants, cos I am sure that there are more roadkill than buzzards kill! Stupid birds are always either running or landing on the road in front of our car. I am sure common sense will rule...does it always in these things?

A pheasant is a bloody big catch for a buzzard... I seriously doubt that they make any meaningful impact on the population, but I guess old ideas die slowly.

Calmed down a bit now.Dunc's right in gthe 8 yrs we've been watching them nest 100yds from the house I've never seen one take a pheasant(we've always got a few of those around too).
I'm not going into a rant about wether or not people should spend their free time blasting away at some artificially reared, semi - tame, non-native species.What does concern me is that DEFRA would even consider this,as just the cosideration is all that's needed for the admittedly minority(but hardcore minority nevertheless) of the gamekeeper fraternity who think that all birds of prey are a threat to their livelyhood,and routinely lay poison for Golden Eagle ,Peregrine etc,to include Buzzards in their list of potential victims.

It's the baby pheasants they take.
They keep them in cages in the woods normally, obviously a buzzard can get in the top. The fences stop badgers and foxes etc.

Things seem to be stirring,not just the RSPB but the Hawk and Owl Trust and The Northern England Raptotor Study Groups are in strong opposition.
The DEFRA minister is Richard BenyonMP richard.benyon.mp@parliament.uk Don't just email death threats...it might also be worth pointing out the proposal is illegal,unethical,and,as Mike pointed out,based on somewhat dodgy scientific evidence...................oh yeah, and it's gonna cost £400,000 in public money................I wonder what your local MP thinks of that?

they're allowed to kill birds of prey like golden eagles?! i thought all our birds of prey were protected?!

i do not like these people.

plus they're spending public tax money on it!! just makes it so much worse! surly they wont be allowed to go ahead with it, id imagine they'll face a lot of opposition.

No no,they're not allowed to,but several HAVE been poisoned by gamekeepers,as have 3 peregrine on the Clee up here.

How about we start a petition, that we get rid of Game Wardens and anyone else that works in an occupation, that entails the rearing of animals for killing in the name of SPORT.