What have farmers got against birds?

[Danny]

Every time I go out for a ride round York I seem to come across farmers taking pot shots at birds.

Today there were about ten of them in a field shooting every bird that flew past - mostly rooks I think. They were next to a small wood so were presumably trying to get rid of the birds that roost there.

Is any useful purpose served by such mass carnage, or is this just some traditional winter pastime for farmers when they haven't got anything else to do?

 

[661-Pete]

There are some birds that they can legally shoot; others that they can not. The rook, sadly, is one of the former. It has been classed as an agricultural pest for centuries: I'm in two minds as to whether this is justified. Half of the rook's diet consists of insect pests which also ravage crops: e.g. wireworms; plus other small invertebrates. But the other half is, unfortunately, grain crops, and for that they have long aroused the farmer's ire.

In an ideal world I'd like us all to get along with all bird species, not taking out any of them. But we're in a far from ideal world....

 

[Glow worm]

Is any useful purpose served by such mass carnage, or is this just some traditional winter pastime for farmers when they haven't got anything else to do?

It could be that they were shooting pigeon? Around here (East Anglia) pigeons are a real problem and can really decimate emerging winter crops from Autumn onwards - particularly rape. Years ago we had more keepers about to control numbers so it's more down to farmers now when they get the chance.

Pigeon numbers are really out of control hereabouts so I don't have any worries about a few being taken out. Rooks tend to harm crops less, but like munching on leatherjackets and worms and in doing so may dig up some winter wheat etc. I guess farmers may have a go at rooks for that but mainly cos rooks also are rather partial to game birds eggs.

 

[snakehips]

I think they are a bit like dustmen. They get up early , do their job , milk the cows , collect the garbage , whatever , then they have to find something else to do for the rest of the day. But they don't ride bikes like us.

So it's bang bang bang , shoot at anything that moves , and isn't protected.

 

[Saddle bum]

Corvids are predatory birds, that beak was not designed to open pea pods, it's built like a jack hammer.

 

[Mr Pig]

I don't like rooks, I would shoot them. Bunch of them steal our rabbit's food!

 

[4F]

I think they are a bit like dustmen. They get up early , do their job , milk the cows , collect the garbage , whatever , then they have to find something else to do for the rest of the day. But they don't ride bikes like us.

So it's bang bang bang , shoot at anything that moves , and isn't protected.

Spoken like a true Townie

 

[wafflycat]

I think they are a bit like dustmen. They get up early , do their job , milk the cows , collect the garbage , whatever , then they have to find something else to do for the rest of the day. But they don't ride bikes like us.

So it's bang bang bang , shoot at anything that moves , and isn't protected.

Sadly that posts reveals little knowledge about farming.

 

[661-Pete]

You weren't overtaken yesterday by old Farmer Giles on his commboine 'arrvester, were you by any chance, Snakehips me ol' chap?

 

[Glow worm]

But they don't ride bikes like us.

I'm sure there's a song somewhere about that..........

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o25Eq1-YTnE

 

[jonesy]

Get orff moy laand!

 

[Yellow Fang]

I think they are a bit like dustmen. They get up early , do their job , milk the cows , collect the garbage , whatever , then they have to find something else to do for the rest of the day. But they don't ride bikes like us.

So it's bang bang bang , shoot at anything that moves , and isn't protected.

I wondered the same about Red Kites and Buzzards. They've been re-introduced around here successfully, but they were nearly exterminated before. I thought maybe that was because gamekeepers used to shoot them to protect the pheasants, but once out cycling I saw about five red kites flying about and a couple of crows sitting on a telephone wire beneath them, totally unbothered. I came to the conclusion gamekeepers shot them because they weren't allowed to shoot the pheasants.

 

[2Loose]

IIRC Red Kites and Buzzards were almost killed off indirectly by people poisoning the furry food that they prey on.

 

[Cycling Naturalist]

I'd be surprised if anyone was actually shooting rooks. Although they can dig up and eat seeds, they are much better at eating the leatherjackets etc. that are major agricultural pests.

 

[rich p]

IIRC Red Kites and Buzzards were almost killed off indirectly by people poisoning the furry food that they prey on.

Not really indirectly, they were poisoning the furry food in order to kill birds of prey.

http://www.robedwards.com/2007/06/sharp_rise_in_b.html