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Establishment fight back

Bedford Roughyed

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The RSPB is a politically motivated organisation. There was once an article in the Times where it was scaremongering about modern farming practices leading to a decline in the flocks of lapwings. It was trying to gather nationwide information and wanted members of the public to report instances of local decline.

 

I rang in to report the development of a fairly large flock on a restored landfill site. I was told that the RSPB wasn't interested in landfill site populations, just those on farmland.

 

It seemed to me that, essentially, the RSPB was looking for a stick for beating the farming industry.

 

It sounds like that was all about the scope of the survey. If it was a farmland survey then they wouldn't be interested in the populations on landfill sites, on mudflats, on nature reserves etc. 

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Most moors in Yorkshire are licensed to shoots. Such shoots buy new game birds and try to protect existing ones in the close-season by creating breeding nests and shooting foxes, crows, magpies etc. The shooting is only part of the hobby; training family pets to be gundogs is a major aspect. Yorkshire Water issues licences to shoots because they effectively help to maintain the moors at no cost.

 

It is not a particularly  cheap hobby, but many members are working class. Two of my former colleagues in local government were keen members of different shoots. Some days they shoot, other days they "beat" the grassland for their colleagues to shoot the disturbed birds. The total number of birds shot in a season is strictly policed by responsible shoots.

 

Whilst shooting game birds might be regarded as cruel, the shot birds are eaten and flock numbers are maintained. Without protection from the shoots, the birds would be rapidly depleted by predation. The mountain above the village where I lived in Wales was a well known shooting ground, run by local landed gentry. However,  the shoot was wound up  during the last war. Nowadays, there is not a single grouse on the mountain

 

There is a well known iron gravestone commemorating a gundog that was accidentally shot by his owner.

 

http://www.coflein.gov.uk/en/site/411521/details/THE+CARLO+MEMORIAL%3BTHE+DOG+STONE%3B+MYNYDD+VARTEG/

 

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/677788

 

The upland shoots in Yorkshire are mainly based around shooting red grouse. These aren't reared in captivity and introduced/released into the area of the shoot. Grouse are said to be unsuited to captive breeding programmes. Other birds are shot, of course, during upland shoots eg pheasant, partridge.

 

You are right about shooters being from a range of backgrounds, including the working classes, as well as the none working classes and well off people. It's pretty much like fishing in that respect.There is quite a corporate entertainment side to it these days also. 

 

I agree that there are habitats in this country which would not exist in current form without shoots, keepering etc and there is evidence that good standards of maintenance and keepering can increase the diversity of species of flora and fauna.

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JohnM

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The upland shoots in Yorkshire are mainly based around shooting red grouse. These aren't reared in captivity and introduced/released into the area of the shoot. Grouse are said to be unsuited to captive breeding programmes. Other birds are shot, of course, during upland shoots eg pheasant, partridge.

 

You are right about shooters being from a range of backgrounds, including the working classes, as well as the none working classes and well off people. It's pretty much like fishing in that respect.There is quite a corporate entertainment side to it these days also. 

 

I agree that there are habitats in this country which would not exist in current form without shoots, keepering etc and there is evidence that good standards of maintenance and keepering can increase the diversity of species of flora and fauna.

 

 

Very much the RSPB position, which is why they are pushing the idea of licencing as a way of maintaining standards and legality.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Bedford Roughyed

Bedford Roughyed

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We only shoot what we can eat -

 

http://raptorpersecutionscotland.wordpress.com/2014/11/10/they-forgot-the-birds/

With the best, thats a good bit of PR, though I would say the Bedford team, theres, like, you know, 13 blokes who can get together at the weekend to have a game together, which doesnt point to expansion of the game. Point, yeah go on!

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redjonn

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Would be good if someone defined "The Establishment".  It often seems to me that its used against someone that may have different views, may even have a different background but not always, but use it because it will get me more support because we all hate the establishment even if non of us have a common definition of it.

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The RSPB have its seems stopped tugging their forelocks to the landed gentry and have started to notice that birds of prey are suspicious by their absence over certain moorlands and woods.  They have also noticed that these amazing birds only eat rat poison on certain estates, or are accidently shot (I thought it was a badger m'lud), or only land on traps, etc.

 

The landowners it would seem have decided to fight back, led by Sir Botham (has he stopped flashing his bits on twitter yet?).  That he owns a shoot has no connection to his feelings on this subject...

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2805710/RSPB-spends-quarter-cash-saving-birds-Sir-Ian-Botham-leads-landowners-blast-charity.html

 

http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/ourwork/b/martinharper/archive/2014/10/24/say-it-ain-39-t-so-beefy.aspx#.VEnoXjVo6lk.twitter

 

The Charity Commission has rejected the complaints against the RSPB by the Countryside Alliance and the You Forgot The Birds pressure group for which Sir Beefy was the front man. We'll see what the You Forgot The Birds group do to remember the birds in the future, apart from shooting them that is....

 

http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/388840-complaints-against-the-rspb-rejected

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Bedford Roughyed

Bedford Roughyed

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http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jan/13/-sp-mystery-of-the-missing-hen-harriers

 

Since 2000, 20 gamekeepers have been found guilty of “raptor persecution” or poisoning offences on grouse moorland, including one who killed a hen harrier in Scotland. In 2013, the RSPB logged 238 reports of birds of prey being poisoned, shot or beaten to death. But convictions are vanishingly rare, especially in England. Even when a naturalist working for the government witnessed two hen harriers being shot out of the sky seven years ago, the Crown Prosecution Service brought no charges. The birds had been killed close to the royal estate of Sandringham in Norfolk and the only people known to have been shooting in the area that day were Prince Harry, his friend, William van Cutsem, and a Sandringham gamekeeper. The bodies were never found.

 

With the best, thats a good bit of PR, though I would say the Bedford team, theres, like, you know, 13 blokes who can get together at the weekend to have a game together, which doesnt point to expansion of the game. Point, yeah go on!

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Bedford Roughyed

Bedford Roughyed

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Super rich guy gets upset that the RSPB doesn't like birds being killed...

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3186414/It-s-class-war-Billionaire-opens-fire-RSPB-s-bid-protect-birds-prey-crackdown-grouse-moors.html

With the best, thats a good bit of PR, though I would say the Bedford team, theres, like, you know, 13 blokes who can get together at the weekend to have a game together, which doesnt point to expansion of the game. Point, yeah go on!

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Trojan

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I recall some time ago a spokesman for the grouse shooting fraternity stating quite seriously "if we don't shoot them they'll die"

“Few thought him even a starter.There were many who thought themselves smarter. But he ended PM, CH and OM. An Earl and a Knight of the Garter.”

Clement Attlee.

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Bedford Roughyed

Bedford Roughyed

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http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/aug/09/why-bird-lovers-took-aim-grouse-shooters?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

With the best, thats a good bit of PR, though I would say the Bedford team, theres, like, you know, 13 blokes who can get together at the weekend to have a game together, which doesnt point to expansion of the game. Point, yeah go on!

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gazza77

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Here's a bit of a grouse about some practices associated with upland shooting estates. The estate referred to in this article is not far from Hebden Bridge. The estate company has been prosecuted by Natural England in the past.

 

http://www.animalaid.org.uk/images/shooting/wallshawOutrage2015.pdf

It's also been alleged in the past that the reduced amount of blanket bog due to the burning of the peat is also causing issues with flooding in the Calder valley, as the rainwater is not absorbed on the hilltops as it used to be.

Please view my photos.

 

http://www.hughesphoto.co.uk/

 

Little Nook Farm - Caravan Club Certificated Location in the heart of the Pennines overlooking Hebden Bridge and the Calder Valley.

http://www.facebook.com/LittleNookFarm

 

Little Nook Cottage - 2-bed self-catering cottage in the heart of the Pennines overlooking Hebden Bridge and the Calder Valley.

Book now via airbnb

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