Uk Peregrine Population Limit? (1 Viewer)

[James Lowther]

Thanks CB. When explained properly, it makes perfect sense. [/B]I think even AM would agree that the sticker in question is inflammatory.

I wouldn't get your hopes up,

you know it's inflammatory
I know it's inflammatory
he knows it's inflammatory

but he'll argue it isn't til the cows come home

 

[Osprey_watcher]

Thanks CB. When explained properly, it makes perfect sense. I think even AM would agree that the sticker in question is inflammatory.

Wouldn't hold your breath waiting for an agreement if I were you.

 

[CBB]

Now come on gentlemen lets give the man his chance. You do agree don't you AM?

 

[Richard D]

I wonder how the RPRA would react if I produced a sticker that had on the left "Save Britsh Songbirds" and on the right "THE RPRA wants to be allowed to kill native birds"?

Richard

 

[colonelboris]

If I had a car sticker that read:
'618,000 people died last year under New Labour'
Would that be inflammatory? That's going on the average rate of deaths per 1,000 people, scaled up for a population of 60 million people. Just because a number is large, doesn't mean it's necessarily bad.

Also, according to the 'Cat Report 2005' by Whiskas, there are an estimated 9.2 million cats in the UK. If each cat in the UK were to take just ten small birds each per year, then they're just as bad as sparrowhawks.
Except domestic cats are introduced.

 

[MSA]

Save Our Doves? SOD has a much better ring to it.

Rob

I prefer "Keep Peregrines off our Pigeons" or "Keep POOP" for short.

I'm also going to make up a bumper sticker "Swerve for Pigeons" as it would appear that 954,617 die on our roads each year (calculated from the one I saw hit a few days ago x number of cars on road/daylight hours x 8.2%) and I'd like to get this up to the full million.

 

[colonelboris]

Save Our Doves? SOD has a much better ring to it.

Rob

What about Save Our Doves - Our Feathered Friends?

 

[James Lowther]

If I had a car sticker that read:
'618,000 people died last year under New Labour'
Would that be inflammatory?

If your sticker also said 'vote conservative' i'd say that was pretty inflammatory

don't get any ideas cameron!!!

 

[nirofo]

If I had a car sticker that read:
'618,000 people died last year under New Labour'
Would that be inflammatory? That's going on the average rate of deaths per 1,000 people, scaled up for a population of 60 million people. Just because a number is large, doesn't mean it's necessarily bad.

Also, according to the 'Cat Report 2005' by Whiskas, there are an estimated 9.2 million cats in the UK. If each cat in the UK were to take just ten small birds each per year, then they're just as bad as sparrowhawks.
Except domestic cats are introduced.

It has been quoted and published that domestic cats are resposible for the deaths on average of 100 birds per cat per year, ( this was a topic discussed on a Bird Forum thread a couple of years ago). if as you say there are now 9.2 million cats, that's an average of 920 million birds per year slaughtered by cats???

I think Sparrowhawks and other Raptor kills fade into insignificance by comparison.

Makes you think doesn't it!

nirofo.

 

[London Birder]

no tiddles on any free, free, free give away stickers from our esteemed friends at the RPRA, hmmmn, now why would that be?

maybe they're hoping that the rampant cat populous knocks out a few of those awfully inconsiderate raptors ... one things for sure, they'll certainly nab a pigeon.

 

[colonelboris]

I thought the racer that stopped at my in-laws for a few days was going to get cat-napped. Poor thing looked completely through.

 

[nirofo]

Quote: Anthony Morton, post 430.

"Just because you haven't personally seen it doesn't mean it's impossible for someone else to have seen 10 pigeons brought to one eyrie in one day. In this instance, the figure was quoted by Dr Andrew Dixon who has extensively studied the predation of Racing Pigeons by Peregrine Falcons, particularly in South Wales. I'm sure the ever-present 'valley boy' will have heard of him and may even know him and have helped him in his work. Therefore, the '10 per day' figure was NOT simply plucked out of the air by pigeon fanciers as you seem to imply, but rather arrived at by an acknowledged expert on Peregrine Falcons."

Just for a moment lets assume that the figure of 10 pigeons brought to the eyrie in one day is correct, if so what do you think the Peregrines are going to do with the 10 pigeons? Do you think that they will feed the possibly 4 young and themselves the whole 10 pigeons in one day and then go out again the next day and the next day etc, and repeat the whole procedure ad nauseum! Or, do you tend to think, as do most of the ornithologists who know anything about Raptors, that they have probably accumulated a cache of pigeons while the hunting was good and will proceed to feed the young and themselves for a number of days until the cache runs out. This is a well known scenario with a number of Raptor species including the Owls.

I personally have spent many hours in hides watching Peregrines, sometimes in extremely uncomfortable conditions. I have observed many prey species being brought into the nest, including Wheatear, Stonechat, Dunlin, Greenshank, Turnstone, Lapwing, Golden Plover, Moorhen, Sooty Shearwater, Fulmar, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Wood Pigeon and of course, Homing Pigeon. The maximum number of mixed species kills brought on any one day was 8, these included small bird prey items brought in by the male. On some days there were no pigeons among the prey items.

Lets have your personal opinion of this Anthony?

For reference to the feeding requirements of Peregrines during the breeding season and the rest of the year, please consult the esteemed work by Derek Ratcliffe entitled, The Peregrine Falcon.

I assume anyone referring to the Peregrine Falcon has studied this tome along with his/her own personal field experiences before making any serious comments.

nirofo.

 

[London Birder]

come, come nirofo ... the last people certain elements of the PF crowd want to hear from are people like yourself who've actually watched Peregrines and can actually claim to know something of their daily routines and life histories ...

 

[Collster]

that's the thing that always amazes me about Anthony,
that well really IS bottomless

you can out-argue, out-think, out-manoeuvre him

but you cannot out-last him

He can't be bargained with, can't be reasoned with! He doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear, and he absolutely will not stop. EVER! Until you are dead!
!!!

(or maybe just until everyone else has given up)

p.s. thanks to Tim, for putting meat on the bones of the basic ecology...

He's Anthony the Pigeonator and he'll be back :smoke: spouting the gospel of FART(FANCIERS AGAINST RAPTOR TERRORISM)

 

[Collster]

ANTHONY,you still havn't answered the questions, do that and i'll let you know if i was involved with that study?

 

[Collster]

Just for a moment lets assume that the figure of 10 pigeons brought to the eyrie in one day is correct, if so what do you think the Peregrines are going to do with the 10 pigeons? Do you think that they will feed the possibly 4 young and themselves the whole 10 pigeons in one day and then go out again the next day and the next day etc, and repeat the whole procedure ad nauseum! Or, do you tend to think, as do most of the ornithologists who know anything about Raptors, that they have probably accumulated a cache of pigeons while the hunting was good and will proceed to feed the young and themselves for a number of days until the cache runs out. This is a well known scenario with a number of Raptor species including the Owls.

I personally have spent many hours in hides watching Peregrines, sometimes in extremely uncomfortable conditions. I have observed many prey species being brought into the nest, including Wheatear, Stonechat, Dunlin, Greenshank, Turnstone, Lapwing, Golden Plover, Moorhen, Sooty Shearwater, Fulmar, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Wood Pigeon and of course, Homing Pigeon. The maximum number of mixed species kills brought on any one day was 8, these included small bird prey items brought in by the male. On some days there were no pigeons among the prey items.

Lets have your personal opinion of this Anthony?

For reference to the feeding requirements of Peregrines during the breeding season and the rest of the year, please consult the esteemed work by Derek Ratcliffe entitled, The Peregrine Falcon.

I assume anyone referring to the Peregrine Falcon has studied this tome along with his/her own personal field experiences before making any serious comments.

nirofo.[/QUOTE Perrys do stash kills away, but they are eaten as you say. Wether or not A DIXON saw ten RP being taken back on a single day has no real bearing on the number caught over the year.Perrys would have to be watched every day, i visit cliffs where they nest and spend winter ,believe me they are not festooned with pigeon feathers as would surely be the case if they are doing in ten a day.D Ratcliffe now sadly deceased was THE man, who certainly new his onions, bet he had a few RP rings too

 

[Chris Monk]

Birds of Prayer

PEREGRINE FALCONS SWOOP IN TO SET UP HOME IN CITY CATHEDRAL SPIRE
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08:50 - 20 July 2006
A Family of peregrine falcons have set up home in a cathedral spire in Aberdeen city centre and are helping keep the pigeon population in check.

The three birds - a male, female and a maturing chick - have made their nest at St Mary's Cathedral, in Huntly Street, to the delight of nearby residents.

They have been seen gracefully flying around the spires and feasting on unfortunate pigeons.

Scott Angus, who lives opposite the Catholic cathedral, first became aware of the birds when he heard a distinctive screeching sound as he lay in bed.

The 34-year-old software developer went outside to investigate and saw them flying overhead.

"Watching these birds is a great experience as it is not every day you can watch such natural beauty from your window," he said.

"They have a young chick which has just taken to flight. This is the first time I have seen any at the cathedral and I would like to think they are safe in the spire.

"People will hear them before they see them - it is the young bird that is making the screeching noise which is totally different to the sound seagulls make. The sound can be heard as far away as Rose Street."

Peregrine falcons are the fastest hunters in the world - they can free fall towards their prey at speeds of around 260mph.

They have suffered persecution from gamekeepers and landowners, and been a target for egg collectors.

However, better legal protection and control of pesticides, which indirectly poisoned birds, have helped the population to recover considerably from a low in the 1960s.

Adult birds are blue-grey and white in colour while immature birds have brown feathers.

They nest on crags or other rock faces, sea cliffs, offshore islands, quarries and on buildings in towns.

A spokeswoman for the Royal Society of the Protection of Birds Scotland said residents in Aberdeen should feel "honoured" to watch the birds.

"It is an unusual opportunity for people to see them up close and people should feel very fortunate," she added.

"It is not unheard of to see peregrine falcons in that sort of environment - there are some nesting in the Tate Modern Gallery and the BT Tower in London.

"These birds adapt to whatever environment they are in."

Staff at St Mary's Cathedral said last night they were unaware that the three birds had set up home in one of the building's spires.

Andrew Mann, a former priest at the cathedral, joked that they were clearly "birds of prayer".

 

[London Birder]

great news, though the ref to nesting on Tate Modern and BT Tower are erroneous.

 

[MSA]

great news, though the ref to nesting on Tate Modern and BT Tower are erroneous.

Article seems to suggest they're nesting in not on....shame if it's not true, I had a mental picture of revolving Peregrines eating pickled cows.

 

[London Birder]

not in, nor on (which would effectively be the same in both cases) ...