Stop Proposals to Kill Robins
“A human being is a part of the whole, called by us Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest–a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole nature in its beauty.”
Albert Einstein
There is a proposal from Natural England , a public body that advises the government on the natural environment, to permit the killing of Robins and the removal and destruction of their nests and eggs. It also proposes similar action against pied wagtails, starlings, greylag geese and mallards. In Essence Natural England are proposing that it will be permissible for the nests and eggs of these wild birds to be destroyed without the granting of special licences. If you look carefully into the matter you will see that anyone will have the right to kill these wild birds and destroy their nests and eggs when and wherever: These birds will no longer be protected.
According to their website’s About Page the purpose of Natural England is ‘to protect and improve England’s natural environment and encourage people to enjoy and get involved in their surroundings.’
How does the killing of robins and other birds improve the natural environment? As you will see further down there may be more to this than meets the eye.
Before continuing please take the following actions.
Action you can take
Two petitions you can sign
Stop the Call for the killing of birds
Why is this important?
Some of these bird numbers are already in decline and we shouldn’t be worsening their situation. This is another example of humans thinking they can do what they want to the natural world for their own interests.
We can’t just decide to upset nature for some people’s narrow-minded opinions and this body that advises the government is not one that has nature’s interests at heart.
Please read More and Sign the petition:
https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/stop-the-call-for-the-killing-of-birds
Stop Natural England from giving people the right to kill robins and destroy their nests and eggs.
“Natural England is proposing that robins and other birds in England can be killed and their nests and their eggs destroyed. We must stop this proposal now!
According to the Guardian, “it appears that the country’s 6.7m pairs of robins are no longer the feathered friend of yesteryear. A consultation by Natural England, the body that advises the government on the natural environment, has made the case for allowing people to destroy the birds’ nests and remove their eggs, amid growing concerns that they threaten health and safety. Natural England is also looking at similar measures to permit “taking; damaging and destroying of nests and eggs” for pied wagtails and starlings.”
Read more and please sign the petition:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/877/675/729/dont-let-them-kill-the-birds-and-destroy-their-eggs/?z00m=21115572&redirectID=1359880261
Also
Contact Natural England and tell them what you think of their preposterous and inhumane proposal. Please be polite, though state your opinion in no uncertain terms
Telephone: 0845 600 3078
Email address: enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk
Natural England Head Office
Natural England
Foundry House
3 Millsands
Riverside Exchange
Sheffield
S3 8NH
Tel: 0845 600 3078
More contact information
http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/about_us/contact_us/default.aspx
Whatever next you might ask. The slaughter of badgers, a protected species, and now the killing of wild birds. Yes the killing of robins and other birds is not quite the same as the organised cull (killing) of badgers, however it is yet again another example of human interference with nature and the right of animals to live their lives as nature intended. What right have we to kill other animals whom we deem inconvenient.
This is so outrageous. Birds like all animals are a part of this world as are you and I and should be left alone.
The killing of animals deemed a nuisance is of course nothing new.
The eighteenth century saw the beginning of the war of attrition against the house sparrow. Bounties of one penny per dozen were paid to people to kill the birds. Locally organised sparrow clubs appeared and awards were given to those who killed the most birds. Over 5,0000 sparrows were killed in one year in just one parish alone. Between 1700 and 1930 it is estimated that over 100,000 000 sparrows died in this brutal way. In China under Mao Zedong people were encouraged also to kill sparrows. In 1958 Mao declared that tree sparrows were an enemy and launched a campaign to kill as many as possible. He estimated that killing one million sparrows would mean more food for 60,000 people. In Shangtung province alone 2.8 million sparrows were killed.*
Mao did not however calculate the effect the wanton killing of these creatures would have until the following year when rice crops failed. Apparently Mao had overlooked the fact that the sparrows fed upon the insects that otherwise spoiled the rice crops. The killing campaign was therefore abandoned. So you see killing wildlife may have an unexpected rebound effect as all animals are connected, all occupy a niche in the eco-system. Therefore such interference with nature is unethical not only because it is wrong to kill the other creatures with whom we share this world simply because they ‘re inconvenient, but doing so adversely effects the balance of nature.
Humans are destructive creatures are we not.
We can’t kill every animal because we think they’re an inconvenience. Many creatures are labelled vermin and people use this word to excuse killing them, often doing so without much thought. What does the word vermin mean anyway, why is one animal assigned the status of vermin while others are not. According to wikipedia vermin are pests or nuisance animals, especially those that threaten human society by spreading diseases or destroying crops and livestock. Well that says it all of course, if any animal is deemed a treat or inconvenience they are classed as vermin, an ugly word by association which is applied to a large number of creatures who are simply living their lives as nature intended.
Frankly the greatest pest/vermin on the planet is of course human beings – concerning the spread of disease man is right up there in front. All animals spread disease even your cat or dog. However, humans excel in this respect as they spread disease deliberately. Back in the 1950s rabbits were purposely infected with myxamatosis, an awful lingering and painful death. During that time the countryside was littered with dead and dying rabbits.
The health and safety excuse for killing wild birds referred to earlier is rather weak.
Here is most likely the real reason why the Tories will be only too happy to kill robins and other wild birds:
…what is one of the biggest problems facing property developers when they attempt to develop brownfield sites for residential housing?
Yes, you’ve guessed it – nesting birds:
All wild birds, their nests and young are protected throughout England and Wales by the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 (as amended). It is illegal to kill, injure or take any wild bird, or damage or destroy the nest or eggs of breeding birds.
If nests, whether completed or in the process of being built, are found on site, any works with the potential to damage or destroy the nest, eggs or young birds, must stop until the birds have completed breeding.
Birds may nest on machinery or scaffolding and other temporary site structures. If this happens the equipment cannot be used until the birds have finished nesting and such areas may need to be sealed off to prevent disturbance.
Breaking the law can lead to fines of up to £5000 per offence and potential prison sentences of up to six months. Vehicles implicated in an offence can be compounded and both the company, and/or the individual(s) concerned, can be held liable.
Obviously, removing the protection of eggs and nests of nesting birds would save developers a lot of time and money.
Read More:
Here’s the real reason the Tories are allowing the destruction of robin eggs and nests
http://tompride.wordpress.com/2014/05/18/heres-the-real-reason-the-tories-are-allowing-the-destruction-of-robin-eggs-and-nests/
Also see
How Natural England are lying about their plans to allow destruction of robin nests
http://tompride.wordpress.com/2014/05/19/how-natural-england-are-lying-about-their-plans-to-allow-destruction-of-robin-nests/
Looks like it is business as usual for the Tories, yet again a proposal that is all about greed and profit for the few at the expense of the many including wild birds. Don’t let them get away with it. Please take the actions above.
References*
The Beauty in The Beast: Britain’s Favourite Creatures and the People Who Love Them by Hugh Warwick
Rantings From a Virtual Soapbox 
Coupling the two ideas…natural and killing…seems unnatural. That, in addition to the notion of “improving” the natural environment, suggests there might be some mighty peculiar thinking going on with these folks. Seems to me we’ve been “killing and improving” for centuries and what we’ve actually done is harm and destroy.
Shared on FB.
Couldn’t agree more, time we stopped interfering with nature and leave the other animals with whom we share this world in peace, to live their lives unmolested and unexploited. You are correct the thinking behind these ideas is peculiar in the extreme. Thanks for sharing on FB
We now know that it is the destructive greed of developers and their friends in parliament. All to be sacrificed on the alter of greed.
However I would like to knowt what is the RSPB doing about PROTECTING our songbirds??z. They have done nothing. No Protection, whatsoever, not even a supportive comment! Why are they allowed to have so much influence when they do not do what they were set up to do and gained their royal charter for.
I support you wholeheartedly in what you are doing and I intend to start a petition to expose the RSPB, their lies, their hidden policies and their self appointed dominance with Natural England over our wildlife. They have to be stopped and we must claim our countryside back to protect our wildlife from these ‘conservationists’ with their own self interest agendas
Thank you for your comment. I was not aware of the situation regarding RSPB and song birds and will look into this, sadly there is just so much going on concerning the manipulation of our countryside and its natural inhabitants and more and more it appears that those who are supposed to protect it are doing little to prevent it its destruction.
Do let me know when you have started your petition.
As you say it is all about greed, the greed of the few at the expense of our countryside and it has to stop. It is time that human self serving exploitation and interference with nature and the other animals with whom we share this world came to an end.
Thank you for your support. I am contacting a number of people to let them know about the intended petition also and will be starting it shortly, most certainly before the spring and the intended slaughter. The slaughter of the pied wagtail has already happened.
Their flocks have not diminished, they have suddenly gone, unnaturally!
I do have a website http://www.protectingsongbirds.com .Albeit needing updating and improving but everything stated in my website is a fact; from the RSPB paying Scottish crofters to feed live new born lambs to eagles, to the intended decimation of bird sanctuaries along the East Anglian coast where live our rare bitterns, tern colonies, many other rare birds etc by importing sea eagles to feed off these rare bird sanctuaries.These white tailed sea eagles were being imported from Poland by the RSPB and Natural England. I and with the help of journalists in Anglia TV, Prince Charles and many of his friends were able to stop these appalling proposals and intended wildlife crimes before they became a devastating reality.
These two organisations control our countryside and wildlife and they still want yet more power. They have to be stopped. Their power has to be diminished before more devastation.
If you care to look at my website, we have to point out that we can not keep importing and breeding top predatory birds of prey without decimating our small bird populations and mammals. We have to find a balance so all can have a place in our eco system but over-predation, as we all know, leads to extinction
Thanks for your blog
Alexandra
I have always been mistrusting of so called conservation and though I am largely uninformed about the situation you describe I can well believe its validity. You are right we cannot import or continue breeding predatory birds or other interference with the natural scheme of things.
This is not about conservation more like manipulation. I looked at your interesting website and I am indeed quite surprised as to the extent of such manipulation, any interference with nature has disastrous affects in my opinion. Very shocked about the crofters feeding live lambs to eagles.
I think most of us live in ignorance as to the extent of man’s interference with our countryside and its inhabitants and tend to trust organisations such as the RSPB. There is so much Interference by the minority with their self serving agendas that it is difficult to keep track of it all. The recent and continued culling of badgers of course springs to mind as does the introduction of the grey squirrel in the late 19th century and the deliberate infection of rabbits in the 1950s with myxomatosis nearly wiping out the rabbit population.
There are few real wild places here in the UK. In my ignorance I once thought, with the exception of sheep, that the Yorkshire Dales and moors were natural environments rather than countryside manipulated for the benefit of grouse shooting by those who take some perverse pleasure in killing these tiny birds.
Please do let me know about the petition by posting a message here.
Your website was very informative. Thank you also for the information page concerning the feeding of garden birds. Very useful.
In our garden we mostly have sparrows, with the exception of one robin and a regular blackbird who comes in the spring, we see no other birds. I have seen sparrows taken by birds of prey directly from our garden even though it is tiny and rather enclosed.
Thanks. I will let you know what is happening. If you can incorporate any info into your blog that could be helpful. I will keep you posted however.
Your support is really appreciated as one is really up against a media too afraid to criticise the RSPB and will not report any adverse information about the RSPB. with the BBC being the worst. The slaughter of our small birds and mammals and songbirds is so bad now, our country being completely saturated with birds of prey. They all eat birds and small mammals, voles, hares rabbits etc
When next driving or walking in the countryside, count how many birds of prey, which will be sparrow hawks, buzzards, red kites and peregrine falcons (the deadliest of all birds of prey) you see in a couple of miles. Our wildlife and small bird life can not support such over-predation.
This is not conservation These people are raptorphiles with no care for the consequences of such over-predation. In not too long from now the land of the RSPB who likes to tell the whole world how to look after song birds, will have slaughtered all their songbirds by over-predation by their obsession with raptors.
Alexandra
Yes will include in a blog entry links to your petition, your website and other supporting information. In one way or another there is far to much leeway given to personal agendas here in the UK. Will keep an eye open for birds of prey, as I say I have had birds taken from my garden.
Please let your readers know that a very effective way of protecting your smaller birds in your garden is to create a feeding area, where the feeders are close to and possibly under a large shrubs, so the birds can feed and go for cover easily.
When creating the feeding area also put in the grounds 6ft bamboo canes (the ones one uses for supporting plants) about 18inches apart. You will need a couple of dozen to be effective, depending on how large the area is.
By putting these long canes into the feeding area this will stop, sparrow hawks, buzzards, gos hawks, red kites and peregrine falcons from descending on the small birds and taking them.
They get their prey by first going over the garden and then coming in quickly for the kill.
They have to spread their wings to descend so need space and the bamboo canes impede this, so they are unable to descend on the prey because the gap between the poles is too small for large birds to come down but ideal for small birds. The small birds soon get used to the poles and quite enjoy their acrobatics and hopping from one pole to another.
Even if your garden is small the same method can be used. Make sure you have tall poles to stop the descent of the birds of prey. It can also be done in a courtyard by using plant pots with soil and putting in the canes. Spread them around your court yard.
I first devised this method having observed the birds of prey and how they get their prey. I then realised this was the way to stop the killing and it has.
Please let me know via this blog if you have any questions.
Happy feeding!
Alexandra
Thank you for the above information which is very helpful and which I will pass on. As I have mentioned I have had birds of prey take sparrows from my garden. I live in a semi-rural area though with a busy A road, not the sort of place to expect birds of prey to be stalking garden birds.