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Are these people Birders ? (1 Viewer)

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It always amazes me how some folk can call themselves bird lovers yet make a distinction between what is a 'good' bird and what can be classed as vermin! They are NOT bird lovers...just narrow minded obsessives who really need to get a life!

GILL
 
i think you will get more sense out of a brick wall than these idiots!

shooting starlings and sparrows? - eh? - they are hardly calssed as game, and not really pests. might start my own forum: how many gun toting idiots i can knock out in a single session!! - grrr...
 
Hi,

Although I don't agree with the sentiments on the page - I think there is something of an issue here you might not comprehend. Non-native house sparrows and starlings have a terrible effect on native cavity nesters in the US, Purple Martins being one of those cavity nesters (I think there is no confirmed natural nesting colony of Purple Martins east of the Rockies, they all rely on Man-made nest boxes). These people help preserve the populations of PM in the east of the country and are for obvious reasons not big fans of house sparrows or starlings that damage their breeding colonies - that is probably why you are reading some of the posts you are with regard to House Sparrows.

Luke
 
Luke et al

what I find so disgusting is the fact that these 'bird lovers' seem to enjoy and revel in the killing of the birds. One wonders just how far they would go in order to protect a single species, even killing species that are natural to the location ?

There is killing and killing IMOHO but to enjoy it SUX or am I missing something??
 
I am in complete sypathy that the Sparrows are ousting native species, introductions can be a pest, but cull humanely if it has to be done at all.
But as for torturing birds, these people are just plain sicko's
 
Hi Steve and Nigel,

I was just pointing out the issue and giving it some context. Of course you are going to get weirdos on all sites - reading through the threads some people have stated that they don't agree with the language or methods that some of these people are using.

I'm not a scientist but personally I'd question whether culling animals, either introduced species - House Sparrows, Starlings, Mute Swans or native ones - White-tailed Deer, BH Cowbird actually produces any real widespread benefits for the birds people are trying to protect. The example I know best in the US is Kirtland's Warbler - although they started by culling BH Cowbirds in the 1970's (they still do) and brood parasitism was massively down it seemed to have little effect on the Kitland's population. Things only changed when the Mack Lake controlled burn got out of hand and produced nearly 24,000 acres of habitat as opposed to the 200-acre burn they had planned. That discussion is probably a whole new thread that I don't want to get into though!

Luke
 
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i see steve's point - ok, people will always shoot birds, but boasting about it is wrong. can you imagine if slaughter house workers came home and rattled of how they killed hundreds of cattle that day while having dinner with the family? - pest controllers wont boast on forums about what they kill on forums either for heavens sake!!!
 
These are not birders nor people interested in wildlife as a whole, they are single species obsessives who have a totally blinkered outlook. The glee shown in their kill rates is quite stomach turning to any decent human being.
Maybe we should post over there that we saw a Purple Martin last year (some did) and shot it after we saw it disturbing a house sparrow nest. I wonder how they would react?
Ben
 
Totally agree with Steve, read the purple martin forum bit and it was nauseating....
 
Looks as if these ignorant people have lost sight of what birds and wildlife are all about with their one track obsession. Gloating over the killing of any wild creature that is only following an instinct to survive is the saddest part of it all, the torture thread was the product of a very sick mind.
 
christineredgate said:
Just hope they do not show their faces on BF!!.

I disagree. I think it would be an interesting debate to hear the flip side on Birdforum. I'm not sure how I would feel if my garden was over-run by inroduced or feral birds (fortunately the only ones I get are collared doves, very occasionally!!), to the expense of my regulars. There seems to be some debate as to whether or not the Starlings and Sparrows are a perceived or actual threat to native birds, and also as to whether a cull is an effective way of controlling the introduced population. It's an emotive issue but there are always two sides to an argument - I would be interested to hear the alternative view.

For the record, there is no way I would engage in such activity and I strongly disapprove of the postings in which those involved derived cruel enjoyment from the killing of birds or considered it a sport. Also, I have Starlings nesting under my eaves for the first time this year - they're noisy wee gits!!
 
Hi all,

I hate to seem like I am standing up for these people as I really don't agree with their methods or the way they seem to revel in killing off the sparrows - however I have seen plenty of BF members who have supported culling of corvids to promote songbird populations, culling of Cormorant (so their day out fishing is better) and culling of Ruddy Duck to protect White-headed Duck who aren't labelled scum or something similar. The question of introduced species and how to deal (or not) with them is an interesting one - perhaps less of an issue in the UK but certainly an issue here.

Luke.
 
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