Tragic death of Kingfisher

[wizzo]

I was just watching the early morning news today and I was very disturbrd to see that one of our local Kingfishers had been caught up in some discarded fishing line. It had apparently struggled, desperately, for over an hour, to free itself and broken it's wing in the process. By the time it was rescued, it was too late and the bird died shortly afterwards. It was a tragically sad sight and a reminder to all of us, to be aware and vigilant when out and about, to clear up any discarded fishing line and hooks that we might come accross. I always chop up any line that I find, so that Seagulls etc don't get harmed when feeding at the rubbish tips. I know that it's not always possible to retrieve line that has been caught in trees or high shrubs, but surely, a phone call to the local water authority or enviroment agency would solve this. Maybe I'm being naive? This has certainly taken the edge off of my day, today - Wizzo

[posie]

Oh Wizzo, that's a very sad story, the fear and panic that the poor bird went through.You say it struggled for an hour, was somebody there then, couldn't somebody do something? I have found lots of rubbish lately that foxes have pulled out of dustbins and carried over my fields and left there, having obviously eaten the tasty contents. I then see the bigger birds pecking at it before I get to it to pick it up. I wish people would make their rubbish Fox-proof. Anyway, Wizzo, we do what we can, don't we but fishing line is not always easy to see, but the people who put it there must have known it was there. Perhaps they don't realise the danger to wildlife, or maybe they are too lazy to do what they should, or maybe they Just Don't Care.......Posie

[wizzo]

Hi Posie. I gather that the bird was in a pretty unaccessible place. This is generally what happens. Anglers like to cast under trees on the far bank, or, fly fisherman, when backcasting, get their lines caught in the trees or bushes behind. It woud be nice to be able to get some signs put up, where anglers park for instance, that makes them aware of the dangers to wildlife of being careless when casting. As you say Posie, I think ignorance is a lot to do with it. I believe the majority of anglers would think twice if they knew the possible consequences of leaving line hanging in trees etc. They are usually interested in wildlife and birdwatching. There are those however, that just cut off their hooks and line and drop them where are. They leave bait lying around together with their litter. I've confronted these types on numourous occasions, and I think they may be a lost cause. They are totally aware of what they are doing and are just too lazy or thick to take any notice. I'd take their licence if I could and ban them for ten years! In Dorset, where we go quite often, there is a well known area that produces very good catches of Mackerel. It is not unusual for anglers to catch 100 fish in a day! The bins in the area can often be full of dead fish! 'Anglers', rather than put the fish back, prefer to throw the fish away or even bury them under the shingle. That's the mentality of a few of these people that we're are dealing with. depressing ain't it mate?