Angry Farmer

[Deerhunter]

Originally Posted by muldonach

I count myself as a similar sort of countryside user to James and whilst it may surprise many I will agree with the points raised above - we have plenty of badgers and lambs but I cannot recall anyone complaining of badgers killing lambs.

My reading is more anecdotal than scientific but both MacNally and Tomkies did prolonged observation on eagles and both found that whilst lamb appeared at many eyries this was mainly in the form of carrion although some live predation definitely occurred.

I rather think that the individual farmer mentioned here overstated any case he may actually have as regards badger damage. In my own experience it amounts to nothing more than a bit of digging here and there.

Regards
mac

Hello

I have definitely known Badgers to kill lambs. In fact I have seen it. It quite rare though.

In my experience the little bit of digging is often major excavation with hedges often completely undermined and large parts of fields destroyed.

But we have only been farming here for 600 years so what do we know :-0

[muldonach]

Originally Posted by Deerhunter

Hello

I have definitely known Badgers to kill lambs. In fact I have seen it. It quite rare though.

In my experience the little bit of digging is often major excavation with hedges often completely undermined and large parts of fields destroyed.

But we have only been farming here for 600 years so what do we know :-0

Hi DH

I guess its swings and roundabouts and I am a long way from Exmoor, it is also fair to add that on much of my ground putting a fence post in involves a jackhammer or breaker equipped digger so its not surprising that the digging in the fields is not on a large scale. The diggings get a bit more extensive in the peat mosses but they are so wet that the excavations are limited to the dry bankings which are few and far between.

The post you quoted was not meant to imply that the same conditions applied over the entire UK.

Cheers
mac

[FUDGEY]

Originally Posted by BloomingMarvellous

I'm Female FUDGEY.

It all makes sense now hahaha

[Jez]

Originally Posted by BloomingMarvellous

That's the Problem Ron1863, we'll never know because of human intervention.

What like, housing estates? Yes a lot of people feed birds but what harm is that having on birds by doing so? Teasel, Catsear, Goatsbeard, Great burnet, Field scabious, Common sorrel, Opium Poppy, Lesser Knapweed, Devils bit Scabious, Greater hawkbits and Sunflowers are beneficial food plants for birds which can be grown in garden where natural habitat has been lost and save on carbon emissions where other wise you have to go out and buy food, if these are your concerns!? I can't see no reason why every garden can't become a great habitat for wildlife!

[Doggle Avaddit]

Originally Posted by muldonach

I cannot really see anything wrong with what you are doing and I don't think you should be discouraged through the over-aggressive approach of someone who does not agree with you. Nor should you be discouraged that not everyone on the forum is in agreement either.

Putting a handful of peanuts down, on land where you have permission to be, to keep the badgers rooting around where you can see and photograph them will do no harm that I can see.

An objection to artificial feeding of wild animals and birds arises when and if it is on such a scale that the wildlife comes to depend on it and/or local populations are raised to levels which cannot be naturally sustained. A half pint of peanuts hardly registers on that scale.

Regards
mac

I suspect the farmer is angry about a lot more than just a handful of peanuts, this is just not making sense. The problem is he is not here to tell us about it.

[james bennet]

Originally Posted by BloomingMarvellous

I stopped feeding the Birds Hedgehoggy about 3 weeks ago, but when I did feed them It was just scraps, scraps of this and scraps of that, nothing really enticing, apart from my home made bread.

If you didn't think it was enticing, why bother feeding it at all?

I'm sorry but I'm having real trouble trying to understand why you feel you can criticise people for feeding birds in their garden when you admit to doing exactly the same thing? Hypocrisy hardly covers it.

Good luck with the badger survey Fudgey, you're doing a great job! Who'd have thought that half a pint of peanuts would create an artificially increased badger poplation? Makes me want to go out and chuck peanuts all over the place!

It seems that additional feeding for survey work to inform conservation is a big no-no, chucking tonnes of grain across the land to support a bloated and non-indigenous pheasant population is perfectly acceptable! Only on WAB!

[sunnydale]

Crikey, has this thread made it to a 4th page???

[BloomingMarvellous]

James Bennet, I'm only doing what my Mother did and what her Mother did and what generations of Mothers have done. I don't have a big Feeding Station with lots of enticing Nuts and stuff to Lure unsuspecting Birds into my garden for a possible photo opportunity. Birds come into my garden because their used to something a little bit different. It's only recently that Bird Stations ( I much prefer the term Bird Table ) have become popular as well as the variety of Nuts and stuff that you can also buy. The Problem I have Is how the Birds do become dependent on us, and they do.

I stopped feeding the Birds around a Month ago because of Rats but the Birds still came, the Doves would sit in the tree for most of the day, the Robins would let me know that they we're hungry with their daily calling and the Blackbirds and Blue tits and Dunnocks have all hung around.

FUDGEY didn't give us the whole story to his tale when he first started this thread and I'm know Mind Reader.

I had my say earlier and was willing to leave It as just that, but now you've come along I thought you deserved an answer.

I Observe people and there behaviour and I also watch animals and their behaviour, you should try it sometime, you'll learn a great deal.

Read the first post again James Bennet, and that's all I have to say on the matter unless you want to take this further.

[tcvarlh]

Originally Posted by FUDGEY

It all makes sense now hahaha

There is no call for you to make sexist remarks, none whatsoever!

[NickCantle]

Why is every thread in this place being dominated by hostility!!!! It's driving me barmy!

This used to be a nice place, with friendly conflict, not personal.