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Page 24 of the Daily Mirror reports:
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Headline : MASSACRE OF THE SWANS
Up to 200 swans have been killed or seriously injured after flying into unmarked cables.
Animal rescue teams were called to the scene when train passengers spotted the birds lying in the fields.
Investigator Stephen Knight found 173 dead and 8 injured swans on Sunday spread over 1,000 acres at Monkton, near Ramsgate in Kent.
Many had lain for weeks without being spotted. One three-week old bird had a gangrenous wing which had to be amputated. the injured swans were taken to the Swans Sanctuary in Egham, Surrey, where Dot Beeson, 55, said: It was absolutely heartbraking. I have never come across anything so horrific."
Electricity firm Seeboard said it would be fitting markers, known as bird diverters, as soon as possible. But Mr Knight added: "Seeboard has behaved outrageously - 140 more swans could die before they put them up".
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Time and time again I see story's just like this one. I don't know what the answers would be to stop these type of deaths and injuries but I'm sure that collaboration between anyone that puts any type of structure that could hinders birds flight and local RSPB / Bird clubs would give an insight to the rights and wrongs of these structures. It would, at the ground level of any plans, alert the builders to the necessary steps to be taken to the fitting of whatever devices are necessary to stop this slaughter.
I don't know about you but a lot of these birds follow a set path when they fly and surely this could be monitored and placed on a data base. Once there, builders could be told that there could be a problem if they are to build on co-ordinates that correspond with certain types of bird behaviour such as Swan fly paths.
Every morning we have 3 Canadian Gees that fly a virtual relgiously held path past our house. They fly within a 50 yard corridor and always at the same height. I have seen Swans do this at countless sites. Is it too much to ask that we take note of these idiosyncrasies of the birding world.
What do you think?
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Headline : MASSACRE OF THE SWANS
Up to 200 swans have been killed or seriously injured after flying into unmarked cables.
Animal rescue teams were called to the scene when train passengers spotted the birds lying in the fields.
Investigator Stephen Knight found 173 dead and 8 injured swans on Sunday spread over 1,000 acres at Monkton, near Ramsgate in Kent.
Many had lain for weeks without being spotted. One three-week old bird had a gangrenous wing which had to be amputated. the injured swans were taken to the Swans Sanctuary in Egham, Surrey, where Dot Beeson, 55, said: It was absolutely heartbraking. I have never come across anything so horrific."
Electricity firm Seeboard said it would be fitting markers, known as bird diverters, as soon as possible. But Mr Knight added: "Seeboard has behaved outrageously - 140 more swans could die before they put them up".
************
Time and time again I see story's just like this one. I don't know what the answers would be to stop these type of deaths and injuries but I'm sure that collaboration between anyone that puts any type of structure that could hinders birds flight and local RSPB / Bird clubs would give an insight to the rights and wrongs of these structures. It would, at the ground level of any plans, alert the builders to the necessary steps to be taken to the fitting of whatever devices are necessary to stop this slaughter.
I don't know about you but a lot of these birds follow a set path when they fly and surely this could be monitored and placed on a data base. Once there, builders could be told that there could be a problem if they are to build on co-ordinates that correspond with certain types of bird behaviour such as Swan fly paths.
Every morning we have 3 Canadian Gees that fly a virtual relgiously held path past our house. They fly within a 50 yard corridor and always at the same height. I have seen Swans do this at countless sites. Is it too much to ask that we take note of these idiosyncrasies of the birding world.
What do you think?