Robins under threat

[kitla]

For anyone that hasn't heard about this, Natural England wants to bring in a new
ruling that would allow birds including Robins and starlings to be killed and their
nests destroyed with a "common license". Its in the guise of health & safety but it
appears that the new leader of NE is a businessman rather than an environmentalist,
and used to be a property developer which makes the motives rather suspect.
It makes a mockery of all the efforts of environmentalist to protect our birds while
the numbers dwindle, signatures are even coming in from other countries.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/877/675/ ... 1358718505" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Anyone concerned about this please sign the petition and spread it around your
bird-loving friends!

[Gwenoakes]

Signed

Was only saying the other day I havent seen Starlings for ages and this year only two Robins, they havent already started have they? Makes you wonder what they will come up with next!

[kitla]

We have a few starlings in the garden but there seems less of them each year,
they're on the critical list now.

[Richard]

If they go on building the way they are and filling every bit of green with concrete, all will eventually disappear without any culling.
That's before we look at 100% Patio Gardens and not leaving some areas for overgrowth giving birds, insects and other creatures a chance of survival.

Not in my, maybe all Members lifetime's, mankind will understand that every creature has a purpose to other things, to us, or even to us via another creature or plant. Once those start to go, nature will turn on us - and that will be that!

Protecting creatures, plants and general nature is also protecting our families of the future.

The man's a prat !

Thanks for bringing this to our attention Kitla.

Richard

[Mo]

It sounds bad the way it is being reported.
But look at it the other way round. You sometimes see newspaper articles about people going to great lengths to preserve a birds nest. Not using their car.... because a bird nested somewhere. If a bird nested on a half finished building it might cost a fortune to delay (and the fledglings might still be eaten by a cat).
There never used to be laws stopping you carrying on as normal regardless of birds nests, and I think not all birds are protected now. Egg collecting was a schoolboy hobby. Now the CAP rules stop farmers cutting hedges in the nesting season, but I don't think that applies to gardens and if it does how many gardeners know that and who would enforce it anyway.
You sometimes see netting over hedges that need to be cut/removed later in the year, to stop birds nesting.

I've just looked for the article I remember reading about it. Discovered 2 things.
The consultation has already ended.
Reading the small print There are 3 ways people can do things that are normal forbidden because they harm wildlife. An individual Licence (apply each time) a Class Licence (apply before you use it first) General Licence (I think that states certain conditions where anyone can do a certain thing).

Always a balance, but I suspect people do what they want to anyway and hope no-one knows.

[kitla]

I believe its the 3rd type of licence, the General licence, that it causing the concern,
it is a licence to destroy the birds, eggs and nests without any controls on how or limit
to numbers, no evidence, permission or impact assessment required, The licence is already used but NE wants to add more species to it -
several geese, collared doves, mallard ducks, pied wagtails,robins, starlings and others.
The licence can be revoked if its used incorrectly, but as it gives free rein with no one
checking up I'm betting that rarely happens.
I'm aware the consultation has just ended, wildlife issues don't seem to be thought
of as important enough to bring to the publics notice, or more likely are kept as quiet
as possible to avoid backlash.
Mo a lot of these birds didn't need protecting years ago, think of the clouds of starlings
we used to see as children, what with all the development here & the awful mass
trapping in Europe they need all the support they can get now.

[urbanchicks]

I am amazed Springwatch haven't picked this up ,why do the Ne want to do this ,what are the criteria for destroying these birds?

Maggie

[kitla]

As I understand it, its a health and safety thing. If their nests are in places that
threaten h&s like in a flue or something, they can be moved or destroyed under a
general licence without having to apply for permission. However, as far as I can see having a "general" licence gives totally free rein without checking or reporting how or why its done. So developers with a General licence can basically destroy any of those bird's nests for any reason without questions asked. If I'm understanding this wrong
I'm very happy to be corrected.