The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Can anyone advise on a policing/legal matter?

If a falconer flies a bird of prey at a cuckooo, fieldfare or even a hoopoe, is he/she scommitting a criminal offence? Should the police be notified? Would they respond?

The reason for my question is that I spoke to the owner of a harris hawk who described it as "the ultimate killing machine that would readily take any other bird from a wren to a partridge."

Are falconers exempt from protection of birds/ wildlife legislation?

In theory the answer is probably yes but it would be virtually impossible to prove. In the current climate it would be highly unlikely for the police to be able to respond immediately or to gain sufficient evidence to support a prosecution. It is an offence to kill, take or injure the majority of wild birds but can a falconer be held responsible what his bird kills - I somehow doubt it. However, for a definitive answer, I suggest you contact your local (Humberside) Police Wildlife Crime Officer.

Thanks, Stuart, for taking the trouble to provide those guidelines.

Just out of interest, I was recently talking to a friend of my sons who is a Falconer. He said when he lived in Wiltshire he used to fly Merlins and he was granted a licence (I presume from English Nature) to take Skylarks on Salisbury Plain!