Police probe rare bird poisoning

[Kymba]

Read this on the BBC website Today

Police are investigating the suspected poisoning of one of the UK's rarest birds of prey.
The red kite, which had been radio tagged by RSPB Scotland, was found near Tomintoul, Moray, last month.
A post mortem examination found it had died from ingesting the highly toxic and illegal substance Carbofuran.
Grampian Police said it strongly suspected that the red kite had eaten bait laced with the chemical and intended to kill birds of prey.
The dead bird, which had originally come from the Black Isle, was found in dense woodland in the Cairngorm National Park in May.
It is believed its corpse had been lying dead at the site since April.

[eeyore]

its definitely unfortunate kym - but are you sure it was a red kite - the red kite is not one of britains rarest birds of prey - they are ubiquitous round here I saw 32 on the way to work today for example

are you sure it wasnt a black kite - which are much rarer

[Kymba]

Originally Posted by eeyore

its definitely unfortunate kym - but are you sure it was a red kite - the red kite is not one of britains rarest birds of prey - they are ubiquitous round here I saw 32 on the way to work today for example

are you sure it wasnt a black kite - which are much rarer

I Copied and pasted what was written on the web page.

[eeyore]

ah well probably just journalist hyperbole then

[Kymba]

Originally Posted by eeyore

ah well probably just journalist hyperbole then

Sent you the link in Pm

[eeyore]

they are rare in scotland but not especially in the uk as a whole - i guess the journo got confuzzled

[Helo]

Hi eeyore, although they are a common sight in the Chilterns, they are present only in small pockets in other parts of England thanks to successful reintroduction programmes, with many chicks being taken from the Chilterns to other parts of the country, the last one being Gateshead .

The red kite is listed as Amber, and the population is still very much monitored.

They are al

[eeyore]

true but the welsh population is bouyant - there are a fair number in rockingham - they have spread into the wessex downs , and they are now being sighted in devon - amber list maybe but not one of britains rarest raptors ( for instance they are commoner than goldie , seagle, osprey, montys, PG, snowy owl, black kite, hen harrier etc etc)

[Helo]

East Midlands have just over 70 breeding pairs (2006). I mentioned in a previous thread, young birds may be seen almost anywhere, as they can often go on 'walk abouts', returning to their natal area when at the breeding age. Having said that, a lot of young birds will stay close to their natal area, without moving very far at all.

The Chilterns have an estimated 300+ breeding pairs, as of 2005. As I'm sure you are aware, they are a Schedule I species, and afforded full legal protection.

[demicav]

Who the hell do these people think they are poisoning anything. As far as I'm aware Red Kites have been persecuted greatly over the years by irresponsible dim wits and it's thanks to the dedication of wildlife protection officers and volunteers that they survive to this day. Not only does it infuriate me that people would harm such a beautiful bird, I find it unbelievable that they think it's acceptable to introduce such a highly toxic chemical into the environment and ultimately into the food chain. Prison would be too good for them. The countryside needs to be protected in general, not polluted with poisons and damaged.

[galanthus]

My partner and I were out walking on some farmland and we came across a deep newly dug ditch containing dead birds and Rabbits. A passer by said the farmer poisons buzzards and foxes with them regularly. I rang environmental health who said they'd send a letter to the farmer indicating a further visit. I queried this as this gave the farmer a week to hide all evidence, this was policy apparently. 4 days later ditch filled in Mortified A follow up letter told us they'd found nothing but thanks for the infomation. Shocking

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by galanthus

My partner and I were out walking on some farmland and we came across a deep newly dug ditch containing dead birds and Rabbits. A passer by said the farmer poisons buzzards and foxes with them regularly. I rang environmental health who said they'd send a letter to the farmer indicating a further visit. I queried this as this gave the farmer a week to hide all evidence, this was policy apparently. 4 days later ditch filled in Mortified A follow up letter told us they'd found nothing but thanks for the infomation. Shocking

next time ring the rspb and talk to their investigations unit - they are much more effective at dealing with this kind of thing - also use a digital camera to collect evidence on the scene , and possibly (wearing gloves) abstract one of the bait carcases to be used as evidence too - though you naturally need to be careful as some toxins can be absorbed through the skin