The power of birds of prey is illustrated well in this little article about what you might see in Yorkshire – 6 of the 14 species are raptors. Of course, the article does not say that North Yorkshire is known as the UK capital of illegal raptor persecution! The Red Kite above (ahem) is joined by a most exceptional Peregrine (not).
The text for the Hen Harrier has an interesting take on wildlife crime saying;
The hen harrier is one of the most endangered breeding birds of prey in the country. As it often feeds on small grouse and fowl, it tends to fall victim to protective gamekeepers. A small number of pairs now nest in the moorland of the Yorkshire Dales.
https://theyorkshirepress.co.uk/yorkshire/birdwatching-in-yorkshire/
Errr… good to see the main problem for this protected species correctly identified, but those ‘protective’ gamekeepers are criminals.
Was this article written by country people for country people by any chance? The standard of bird identification would make any townie blush!
[registration_form]
About the author…
“She studied for her BA (Hons) at the University of Bradford…
Other errors aside, surely basic English is a requirement for the above…
“Their fairly common on farmland and woodland feed on seeds, berries, leaves and insects. The sharp cry of the male pheasant means they are often heard before they are seen!”
The language pedant goes “their they’re there”.
The sheep at the top have decided that they don’t like sharing their supplemental feed with pheasants. They walk away from the pheasants with the beaks in their trough. There’s no allusions there. The real sheep do actually ignore the real trough when the local real pheasants come in to feed on the real supplemental stuff we put into the real trough for the real sheep.
Admittedly they are small sheep.
“Probably one of the most commonly sighted game birds in Yorkshire…” she could have gone on to say “because millions of the buggers are released so people can kill them for fun”
At least there is an acknowledgement that gamekeepers kill hen harriers (albeit ‘protectively!). I guess Lord Botham of Stinkpit would have made more of the numbers of ‘small grouse and fowl’ consumed by hen harriers and of the consequent holy obligation to ‘maintain the balance of nature’ by blasting the harriers out of the sky!
Another example of someone working outside their comfort zone! Liked the Peregrine, though. I remember in an early Robin Hood film, the falconers were flying Harris Hawks – doh!
It seems as if the page has disappeared or at least the link fails to work, probably for the best really.
Paul – it does seem to have gone. I wonder whether it will come back.