three local incidents regarding birds (1 Viewer)

[kennethwfd]

I post this, because recently, three incidents make me think how we need to be vigilant in the UK.

Incident 1. I used to work in a nursing home, well gardening and maintenance. Management objected to swallows using the outbuildings for nesting, and would I block any holes where they were gaining access. I love swallows, would feel privileged if I had a barn or similar and they chose to nest there. Well, I "forgot" about this, and was glad to move on and not be the one to carry out this job

two. Another customer had the builders in. I don't think any eggs or fledglings were involved, but they removed all the house martin nests. The house martins have never returned to nest at that site

Three. Locally at Keyhaven, the resident pair of swans have their cygnets every year. Two years ago, they hatched six, and very quickly brought them to the stream leading up to Sturt pond, where many derived pleasure from their presence. Here was a wild bird bringing young within a few feet of humans. Then it was as if they had jumped off the planet.

I learned that they had been attacked by two dogs working as a team. Only three cygnets survived, and after this, they have never brought their cygnets to this location until they are big enough to stand a reasonable chance of defending themselves. No wonder they see any dog as a threat

 

[Robin Edwards]

Vigilent - yes I agree.

In a world where a guy who let's his dog off the lead in Richmond Park and it runs riot chasing the red deer. The youtube video goes viral and the story makes the national news, not because of the shame the guy should feel but because millions have found it funny. It's the world we live in.

Where I live we have a 16th century tudor dovecote owned by the National Trust. Designed to attract pigeons and doves and yet the NT wanted to prevent the birds from entering the building because the mess would be distasteful to occassional Sunday visitors and would cost to remove. The chicken wire around the roof louvres blocked entrance for the Doves but it also prevented the Barn Owls from using the building year round following annual breeding in living memory.

We have to be vigilant because so many show so much ignorance.

 

[kennethwfd]

its not just ignorance but refusal to accept facts and what is law, that it is illegal to interfere with wild birds or their nesting sites. Try and politely point this out and you will be on the receiving end of threats and insults. When someone employed by a leading animal charity cannot distinguish between a hen and a cockerel one quotes a certain West Country person "These are the Scilly Isles - we're ruled by idiots"

Another issue is the disturbance caused to ground nesting birds within the New Forest national park, dogs have been blamed, even the suggestion that all dogs should be on leads within the Forest. no investigation has been done into the dramatic increase in the number of cyclists who wrongly think they have the right to roam as do walkers and horse riders.

The rules are quite clear, there is a designated network of cycle trails, and cyclists can be fined for not keeping to them. Well, a member of staff has been quoted in print as saying we will direct them to the nearest cycle track, but that is all. Again try and tell these people they are off the proper trail and may well disturb nesting birds.... some people only seem to know two words - and one's off!

 

[Peewit]

Hi Kenneth

I have my own grievances about dogs too (on the same level as cats with birds) that people let them run riot these days and they scare all wildllife in their midst.

Sorry to hear about the Cygnets. It is sad to hear that.

I have a lovely little reserve close to me (Putnoe Local Nature Reserve) and it drives me mad to see that people regard it as a giant dog toilet. The dogs bark and howl the place down. :C

Along with the acute Oak disease (NNR problems), there are Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers there and I hope to see one in the future once more when the trees have filled out a little bit once more.

I wish dogs would be banned from the NNR area full stop! :C

 

[kennethwfd]

Dog fouling is a hot topic in my local paper, one correspondent pointed out in the USA dogs are automatically banned from any nature reserve. Agree, and by the way I am a dog owner.

Cats are in effect wild animals and natural hunters, you can't train them, I could never be cruel to a cat, but would not keep one or encourage one because they hunt birds. Incidentally, there is a feral cat population, people simply dump all kinds of animals, the latest news is of numbers of guinea pigs, the problem with these animals is that they breed like the proverbial rabbit, a while back the RSPCA were called to a flat with no less than 500 gerbils, the result of keeping a few without seperating them