Wind Turbines and Birds of Prey!

With more and more money being spent on environmentally friendly energy sources and the current spotlight on nuclear energy after the terrible hapenings in Japan I came across this news article regarding birds of prey and wind turbines.

Wind turbines are nothing new but more and more are being set up on and off shore not just in the UK but Europe and America. Sadly these turbines don't help birds of prey and some of the larger species, whilst soaring birds of prey have been found to collide with the blades of the turbines causing instant death. Species included in this list have been as diverse as Golden Eagle, Red Kite and vultures like the rare Egyptian Vulture.

More information can be found on the net about the effects of wind turbines and birds of prey with some interesting views on why birds of prey collide with them.

Below are two links one relating to a news piece against wind turbines and another regarding an open letter sent to the Scottish National Heritage (SNH) regarding the effects of turbines.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/christopherbooker/7437040/Eco-friendly-but-not-to-eagles.html#

http://climaterealists.com/index.php?id=3836

BREAKING NEWS

Those of you who follow the terrible persecution birds of prey face in the UK may be aware of Natural England and the vast areas of land they manage which are also habitats for  extremely sensitive species like Hen Harrier and European Eagle Owl. You may also have read that Natural England have revoked all licences for raptor working groups which allows them to survey and protect this valuable habitat and the nesting sites of raptors. The Raptor working groups have for years worked tirelessly to protect and survey the birds of prey found in England until now, it is of no surprise that with the withdrawal such licences the fate of species like the two named above are in the balance.

Raptor Politics have covered all of the above in much more detail than I will here in this post and it can all be found on there website but the reason for this post is that they have breaking news regarding Natural England and there support or lack of  for raptor conservation.

I for one cannot wait to read this expose!

http://raptorpolitics.org.uk/?p=3923

Wildlife Extra - Four New Birds of Prey Stories

Just received the latest e-newsletter from Wildlife Extra, if your not signed up to it and you love reading news about the natural world then you should sign up they always have interesting stories not just based on birds of prey! This month though they have four stories relating to raptors and you can find the links below.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/red-kites-ireland2011.html#cr

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/bald-eagle-shot.html#cr

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/osprey-kielder200103.html#cr

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/eagle-electrocution.html#cr

Two New Pages Added!

I have just added two new pages to the right hand side of the tool bar. The first one covers talks and raptor awareness courses that I have started to run and the second page is dedicated to any books I have read or been recommended relating to birds of prey.

I have been carrying out the odd talk each year covering birds of prey and a variety of subjects and species, this led me to set up a Raptor Awareness Day for the Cheshire Wildlife Trust which was very well received. I also set up an Owl Prowl for Delamere Forest which looked at British Owls, this again was greatly received so I have decided to branch out a bit further with the courses and talks. You can keep upto date with them all and when they are taking place on the page.

The second page has been created to share books that either I have read or have been recommended relating to birds of prey. You can have your say on this page too, if you have read a book that you want to share with fellow raptor enthusiasts drop me a message and I'll place it on the page for everyone to enjoy.

Birds of Prey Are Back?

An interesting article from the BBC news team below, quite a balanced piece on the whole asking the question, are birds of prey back from the brink? The reason I say it is a balanced article is because for once they have seemed to speak to a broad spectrum of organisations in relation to raptor conservation with some interesting quotes.

Throughout the Victorian times birds of prey were under enormous pressure from direct and indirect persecution with as this article shows certain species being wiped out from original ranges, but with hard work and education certain species with the correct management have made a recovery. So have we done our job?

Some species have done incredibly well, Peregrine Falcons have made a great recovery but you are more likely to see them on a high rise building than a sea cliff or moorland, and Kestrels have had to adapt to hunting motorway verges rather than neighbouring farm land. The latter bird is in fact in a steady decline, these two examples show how raptors have had to adapt to human growth.

We have created these problems for birds of prey and have worked hard to correct the balance but there is still plenty of work to carry out, why are Kestrels in decline? Why does England only have 12 breeding pairs of Harriers? How do we manage the future of birds of prey to appease all parties interested?

You might say why get involved but we are involved and it would be irresponsible to drop things now and let nature sort itself and with comments like I have read from the Song Birds Survival Trust can we sit back when supposed conservation trust's are calling for cull's on birds and animals. I am yet to read a positive thing from the SBST, yes certain species of songbirds and farmland birds are in decline but to point the finger at other species with the view of controlling them is a bit narrow minded, groups like this need to have a more open view on managing conservation issues! At the moment they seem like wolves in sheep's clothing!

Take a look at the article below!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12634698

RSPB speaks out about Hen Harrier persecution!

The RSPB have taken a step forward in the fight on Hen Harrier by announcing the demise of Hen Harriers due to illegal persecution. New figures released in 2010 have shown a 20% decline in the last 6 years, take a look at the article below for some sad figures on the decline in Hen Harriers across the UK.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/273012-illegal-persecution-killing-britains-hen-harrier-population

Golden Eagle Snatches Lamb!

Take a look at a recent article in the Mail on Sunday regarding new evidence that shows a wild Golden Eagle carrying away a lamb. The article claims that this proves hill farmers worst fears and that there flocks are under threat from one of our most spectacular birds of prey.

Now for some truth, the Golden Eagle is more than capable of carrying and even killing a lamb but this photo does not prove whether the lamb was killed by this eagle. Eagles will feed on a variety of prey species including carrion and if the oppourtunity arises will make up a large part of there diet during the hard winter months. If anyone has ever seen a ewe around her lamb they may be aware how protective they are certainly towards predators. I'm sure there are many more factors that affect a hill farmers livestock before an eagle comes along, my view is that this lamb had probably died from other causes and the eagle took an easy meal which is what will happen more commonly on the hillside.

We have to remember the persecution birds of prey have suffered at the hands of ill informed people and the hard work and money put into helping educate and bring these birds back to our skies. An article like this with its one sided quotes/opinions and muddled facts only undoes the hard work done to help these birds.

I have been in touch with the Mail on Sunday with my views and thoughts on the article, if I get a reply I will publish it on the blog.

Take a look at the article below.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1361000/Golden-eagle-clutches-lamb-Isle-Mull-razor-sharp-talons.html