The Lincolnshire Bird Club

Whilst spending a day in the garden at Rippingale my wife found the corpse of a Woodcock. Perfect condition apart from a hole in the neck suggesting that it had been shot and then crashed in the garden. A garden tick but a dad one!

Ian

dad should have read sad! Sorry.

A few years ago, I found a dead woodie on the pavement outside Grimsby central library. I took it to a taxidermist in Alford.

It's a species I suspect might also be vulnerable to collision with wind turbine, though I have no evidence.

Woodcock have far less to fear from wind turbines than from shooters who blast large numbers out of the sky.

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Regards,

Andy.

Quite right Andy. A late autumn shoot near Louth a few years ago bagged over 200 birds in one day!

John

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Lincolnshire Birds https://www.flickr.com/photos/120340949 ... 8078912016
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Contact: recorder_north@lincsbirdclub.co.uk

It is well beyond time for Woodcock to be taken of shootings quarry list and disturbing that it still remains. There is a Woodcock club of which you can only be a member by taking 2 birds with both barrels and much prized in the shooting fraternity.. Therefore I doubt this will ever be considered until as usual 11.59..

Which prompts the question: should the LBC have a campaigning role?

The club is second to none when it comes to recording the birdlife of the county - but, as far as I know (and I may be wrong), it is next to silent when it comes to speaking out on safeguarding species and protecting habitat .

Perhaps this might be an agenda item for a forthcoming meeting.

It would be a sad day if there are no birds left to record.

Hear,Hear.
Pete

Sounds like a positive suggestion.. The whole wild fowling list needs some sensible and fair attention.. Snipe, Golden Plover, Pochard, Pintail, Goldeneye and Shoveler, you'd think it was still 1850..

But for sure it would be good if the LBC could get sensibly active about the desperate situation of the Woodcock. Has to be worthy of discussion, can we vote to get it put on the agenda...?

Woodcock shooting is certainly rising up the agenda following the recent publication of the results of the 2013 BTO Woodcock breeding survey. Here is an interesting article on the issue.

https://wadertales.wordpress.com/2015/1 ... -woodcock/

A head of steam is building for a delay in the Woodcock shooting season to try and avoid local breeders being wiped out. Sadly too late in the eastern part of Lincs as the map in the link shows, they've gone. A number of LBC members took part in the survey and I applaud their active engagement which has contributed towards a scientific basis for changing the law. The GWCT are calling for more research but apparently urging voluntary restraint from shooting Woodcock until November.

If anyone has practical ideas about how we could work with the Lincs shooting community to at least try delaying Woodcock shooting by a month it would be good to hear them. Does anyone know if Lincs shoots are already following such a policy?

Not sure that an outright ban is worth chasing when Hen Harrier's need our support more, but are they really getting it?

Phil,
I can say that for the past three years there has been an outright ban on shooting Woodcock on ALL shoots leased from the Forestry Commission. In the Market Rasen, Limewoods and Bourne area this is a considerable number of shoots over many hectares of woodland. In addition I know of two major shoots (40 days +) in the north of the county that have imposed a voluntary ban so this has to be a step in the right direction.
Stuart

Cheers for the link Phil..
Good to know they are getting some attention.. and good to hear of some shoots starting to change their approach.

How can we condemn what happens in Malta and Cyprus (with turtle doves etc) when shooting is widespread in the UK?

In my opinion, well-resourced organisations such as the RSPB, the wildlife trusts and Natural England (plus local authorities) are off the pace on a whole of range of bird/wildlife protection issues. They seem reluctant to put their heads over the parapet on controversial issues.

Perhaps, the LBC could take up the cudgels - at least within the county.

Incidentally, does anyone know if any of the county's MPs have much much/any interest in the wellbeing of birds and other wildlife?