Sorry for any cross posting but while listening to the radio in the car the other day. I heard a brief comment from some government official that made me sit up and listen. Unfortunately I had missed most of the early part of the interview and only heard a brief reference to something called the
‘SRPBA’. 'The Scottish Rural Property and Business Association’, which I found out represents Scottish landowners. (Rich folk)
Old news maybe but it seems that these Scottish landowners want their government to allow gamekeepers to control the number of birds of prey in Scotland
and with close to £250million at stake the government have not actually said no!.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-13337442The comment that really caught my attention was regarding talks with English landowners and the possibility of culling birds of prey elsewhere in the UK. In particular
‘Buzzards’ can you believe.
I was of the opinion that although Buzzards may take the odd game bird chick, that their diet consisted mainly of small rodents, the odd bird, reptile, frog, even a snake on occasion, plus insects and earthworms. Carrion will also form a significant part of a buzzards diet in many areas, in the form of ever present corpses of rabbits, pheasants etc found in the road.
Not according to the ‘SRPBA’ it seems. They are totally convinced that grouse are at the top of the menu list of such species as the 'Common Buzzard'...
Shooting is really big business and it seems like the English landowner’s equivalent may also want a licensed cull here, soon after Scotland gets theirs.