A serious question

7 Apr 2012

Dramatic fall in number of Scotland's poisoned birds of prey
Good news of coarse, but I am confused and wonder if anyone can shed some light please.
Last year saw a sharp fall in the number of illegally poisoned birds of prey in Scotland, in advance of tough new laws making landowners liable for persecution by their gamekeepers.
The latest map of poisoning locations released by the Scottish government on Wednesday showed that there were 10 incidents in 2011 involving 16 dead birds of prey, roughly half the 22 incidents recorded the year before, which involved 28 deaths by poisoning.
The drop in the number of killings last year, which involved seven buzzards, four red kites, two peregrine falcons, two sparrowhawks and one golden eagle, has raised hopes that a concerted campaign by police, wildlife agencies, Scottish ministers and landowners has begun making an impact.

I wonder how you poison a bird of prey that, to the best of my knowledge, does not eat carrion

8 Apr 2012

seeing as how virtually all meat eating species,including humans,in our murky past,will take a free meal,why do you assume that sparrowhawks don't?

8 Apr 2012

Quote by annejohn
seeing as how virtually all meat eating species,including humans,in our murky past,will take a free meal,why do you assume that sparrowhawks don't?

Because I have always been told that they do not eat carrion. Never seen one on a carcase either
After much searching I may have found my answer
Sparrowhawks are not Carrion feeders... like Buzzard's & Red Kite's for example, or Crows and Jackdaws. Sparrowhawks would not come down to a roadkill for example. The Red Kite has survived around people for centuries, simply by scavenging off food scraps people would throw out.
In medieval times the Red Kite was known as a "Shite hawk". They earned this reputation because they would cruise the muddy streets of towns and villages and remove any scraps thrown out of the front doors of people's houses ( no putting the wheelie bin out in those days) while at the same time shitting on the housewives clean washing as they flew past...!!! That's how the name "shite hawk" originated...
You cannot lure down a Sparrowhawk by simply putting out a carcass picked up from the road.
So why I hear you ask... have I seen pictures of such things...? If a Sparrowhawk has come down to a carcass, which is rare, this Sparrowhawk is usually at the end of it's days...
It would usually be a very sick juvenile that had lost the ability to hunt for itself completely and out of desperation has chosen to eat carrion.
So what's wrong with that.. am I not doing the bird a favour...? No..! the Sparrowhawk that has chosen to eat carrion, by the time it is eating carrion is so low that death is imminent anyway and regardless of taking carrion it will die anyway.

8 Apr 2012

i am told they do eat eggs blue which can also be poisoned ?

8 Apr 2012

Quote by Lizaleanrob
i am told they do eat eggs blue which can also be poisoned ?

Thank you rob, I had no idea of that :thumbup:

8 Apr 2012

on the plus side i think its great news.
these birds are fantastic and each time ive been walking in scotland and other countries to see them in the air is just a wonderful sight.

8 Apr 2012

Quote by tyracer
on the plus side i think its great news.
these birds are fantastic and each time ive been walking in scotland and other countries to see them in the air is just a wonderful sight.

:thumbup: