Why Did Natural England Approve The Killing Of Blue Tits? They'll Tell Me.... In 20 Days Time29/7/2019
While the number of supporters of our petition continues to grow, the lack of interest and engagement from Natural England continues to be a source of frustration and mounting discord.
My revelations about the Brent Geese licences went viral across Twitter, leading to a hasty, some might say panicky, response from Natural England's operations director. He disputed the figures but confirmed that the agency had issued licences to kill thousands of the migratory, amber listed species. The fact that Natural England were nitpicking over the figure didn't go down well with the public, who are becoming increasingly irritated by what they perceive to be Natural England's smug attitude in the face of criticism and questions over their licensing system. "Talk about trying to divert attention from the main issue, by arguing about numbers" was typical of the hundreds of comments I received. Smoke and mirrors? But what the Brent Geese episode proved is that when pushed into a corner by the thought of thousands of angry people questioning a seemingly shambolic and horrific licensing system, Natural England were very quick to access some of the data that they have previously led me to believe is 'held remotely'. When I enquired a few months ago about licences issued to kill Coots and House Sparrows, I was told that there would be a delay as it required information, some of which they would 'need to unlock from remote storage'. Many people at the time suggested to me that this response was merely 'smoke and mirrors'. Anyway, I received a message from Natural England, shortly after I wrote about the Brent Geese, in which they thanked me for updating my blog with their side of the story and adding "if you have specific questions we can answer them." Well, of course I have many questions and so I immediately asked about a licence the agency had issued for the removal of Blue Tit eggs. They promptly got back to me with an explanation that actually seemed plausible, if perhaps controversial (it was permitted as part of a university research project). But it was a quick response at least and it looked as though the huge and angry public reaction to the Brent Geese licences had finally brought Natural England to the realisation that it would be best to answer questions quickly and openly to avoid further social media storms which might create bad publicity for them. Killing Blue Tits Okay, I thought, I'll enquire about another licence. This one, issued in 2018, also involved Blue Tits - only this time it was a licence that Natural England had issued to kill them - 25 of them - and the same licence, approved by the decision makers at Natural England, permitted the killing of several other species including Coal Tits and Great Tits, in addition to Crows, Jackdaws and Jays. Unusually the location of the activity was missing, replaced in the data with 'N/A'. But maybe there was a straightforward explanation, so I asked them. Perhaps not surprisingly, my enquiry this time was met with a polite, but certainly less than helpful, response from Natural England's operations director; "could I ask you please to request these from our freedom of information team on the email address you have..." He then added "I am afraid I don’t have the capacity to manage these requests individually." Hmm. Passing the buck perhaps or just a delaying tactic, as obtaining data through a freedom of information request generally takes nearly a month. We haven't come very far then have we, when a simple request for some fairly straightforward data is not available due to a lack of 'capacity'. The information I asked for is basic stuff, it should be readily available - and if not then why not? It doesn't seem unreasonable that we should expect Natural England to allocate a member of staff to answer our enquiries. Indeed it seems an entirely sensible thing to do. This type of information should be available for public scrutiny and this is one aim of our campaign. What about the killing of Treecreepers, Willow Warblers and Linnets? I have also spotted another licence that Natural England issued, permitting the killing of a variety of species including Treecreeper, Chaffinch, Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler, Linnet and Goldfinch, among others. The method of capture attached to that licence ("cage trap using a Magpie as a decoy") suggests that the use of Larsen traps was involved. This seems very odd in relation to most of those particular species. The Larsen trap is a highly controversial method of luring birds into a cage, normally employed in the lethal control of corvids but quite how or why it might be used to catch a Treecreeper is mystifying. I have now asked for details of that licence too.... FOI requests in pipeline So I currently have three freedom of information requests in the pipeline. One is regarding Natural England's approval to kill Herring Gulls, a second is in relation to that licence they issued permitting the killing of Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Great Tits etc. in the mystery location. And I've also asked them why they granted the licence approving the killing of Treecreepers, Goldfinches, Willow Warblers et al. When I finally have the explanations, I'll be happy to enlighten everyone. Meanwhile we are getting more support every single day for the petition from a public whose patience with Natural England really is running out..... (if you haven't done so already, you can sign the petition HERE)
109 Comments
Hilary Elder
29/7/2019 05:24:42 pm
I and a lot of other people spend a lot of money on feed for all these birds only for some organisation to issue licences for them to be killed!!
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29/7/2019 06:17:42 pm
Why are we killing helpless birds. This is crazy and outrageous. I spend around £12 per week feeding sparrows that nest at our house and several Collared Doves, Blackbirds and Robins. I love these birds. Perhaps we are killing birds so we can continue to fell our trees?
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Paul Fisher
29/7/2019 07:25:03 pm
Elaine, it does make you wonder why we have to rely on Jason to tell us this stuff. As members of the RSPB, shouldn’t they have told us?
Paul Grahame Revell
29/7/2019 10:03:45 pm
Same here Elaine. I`ve been feeding the local birds for 40 years. I follow my Mother`s example set to me when I was a boy. There used to be 12 varieties, 20 years ago, now there are 6. Who "Exactly" are these people associated with so-called "Natural England"? They seem to be nothing like us in their regard for fellow Life-forms. Un-Godly Bunch of Hard-Hearted Morons that they obviously are. Its nothing short of a National Scandal they are allowed by our Government and Police to do such things to our Wild-life.
Stephen Hardy
29/7/2019 10:58:09 pm
Elaine, you took the words right out of my mouth! I was just about to comment that maybe they should renamed "Un-Natural England" - since it seems their number one priority is now the senseless destruction of birds and other wildlife. Perhaps they're now getting some of their funding from big tech companies. 30/7/2019 07:34:24 am
With so much house building going on perhaps some licenses could be linked to that. We are losing a fair few smaller meadow areas to housing which I'm sure are rich in wildlife. It's very upsetting and the feeling of helplessness its quite overwhelming. We all know that where there is money to be made morals are generally lacking. Greed only cares about itself, and when I say greed I mean money and peoples obsession with belongings such as phones with 5G. We truly need to find another way to live, and perhaps another way to campaign. The Great Hack really opened my eyes to what is really going on in the world.
Marcia McGrail
30/7/2019 09:18:12 am
Hi Elaine,
robert whybrow
30/7/2019 11:20:33 am
sad to say - a nation of animal lovers - i don't think so - some people like animals - but organisations like natural england - defa - are run and work for large land owners - even the national trust is happy for animals to be killed on its land 30/7/2019 11:38:17 am
Fully agree about RSPB. Have you and/or anyone else contacted them?
Carole Ryan
30/7/2019 11:57:35 am
What are the RSPB doing about this?? I and a lot of other people pay good money over every year for them to protect birds such as sparrows and the various types of tit. It is verging on the unbelievable that this slaughter could be happening. Every bird of this nature is precious and deserves to be nurtured and protected.
Sandy
31/7/2019 03:22:14 pm
Starlings off the Red List for now. Herring Gulls on the Red List. Natural England now has a license to slaughter small song birds. The Un( National Trust) still allowes fox and,hare and hunting on their land. Shame on all those awful so called charities.!!
Audrey Beaumont
29/7/2019 06:19:38 pm
Why on earth would it be necessary to kill the finch family of tits. Could natural englandor I. Fact anyone else tell me what destruction is caused by a healthy population of finches?
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Martin Williams
29/7/2019 06:26:00 pm
Where do the RSPB stand on these issues!??
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Elle
29/7/2019 07:12:54 pm
According to the RSPB website, bluetits are flourishing.
Pat Bennett
1/8/2019 07:50:48 pm
I cannot believe what I am reading about killing blue tits shame on you. I love my birds they give me a lot of joy. What is happening in this world I really do dispare.
Dave Over
29/7/2019 06:28:53 pm
This seems a complete and utter shambles. I would have thought that licences to kill wild animals - especially those red-listed - would only be issued in exceptional circumstances and would be rigorously monitored. Neither seems to be the case. I would also have thought that there would be accurate statistics and information easily accessible by the public, again not the case, as well as some sort of oversight policy. It sounds to me that the whole organisation needs a good shake-up to sort out the mess.
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Andy Churchill
29/7/2019 09:45:22 pm
Doesn't Natural England keep professional records of what they are doing? It's not complicated. Either they have proper records and they're stalling and hoping we'll go away, or their records are incorrect, inadequate or incomplete.
Stephen Langton
30/7/2019 02:58:13 am
Any organisation with responsibility for wildlife should be keeping accurate records including the detailed reasons for culling, critically important for any listed species. The failure to have that data readily available is evidence of their flawed thought processes and questions the validity of the excuses they then present without the data to back them up.
Joyce williams
29/7/2019 07:02:40 pm
What are the RSPB doing about this? It’s insane killing birds which we are told are in decline
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Linda Belgrove
29/7/2019 07:32:56 pm
What do the RSPB have to say about this? Is it their university research? More importantly, what are the university’s hypotheses for the research? That said after many many years membership with the RSPB I am leaving them due to their badger culling “to see if it has an impact on bovine tuberculosis)!
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Carole Hughes
29/7/2019 09:13:49 pm
I have been a volunteer with the National Trust for around
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robert whybrow
30/7/2019 11:32:03 am
the national trust (or i should say the board of directors) are happy to allow illegal fox hunting on their land - also think about the £190,000 they pay to the director general - its a pity they don't volunteer
David Dodd
29/7/2019 09:36:24 pm
I'm astounded that any licences can be issued to allow killing of Blue Tits or any other Garden Birds. I can understand the killing of Jackdaws/Crows etc as they are a pest and have no natural predators and they do an awful lot of damage, especially on farms and to other wildlife and they also eat a lot of the food I put out for the garden birds.
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Hugh Jackson
30/7/2019 12:02:11 am
I can see some sense in culling herring gulls in some restricted areas - they can be both a nuisance and a health hazard and are over-populating much of the East Coast, for example - but cannot see any valid reason for thinning out other native species of birds. Many of those listed in your message are not too common anyway (it's a long time since I saw a charm of goldfinches, while blue tits are less abundant than they used to in my locality, so I have to wonder which criteria are used by Natural England). I'd favour some control of magpies, for instance, since they decimate other species, yet have seen no references to the intrusion of parakeets for example.
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Robert Stephens
30/7/2019 06:27:49 am
Who exactly is asking for licenses to kill tree creepers, blue tits, etc and why
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Helen Young
30/7/2019 09:09:01 am
Can the RSPB do nothing to support and help with this .. ?
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Ursula Merchant
30/7/2019 11:57:26 am
How can this organization call itself NATURAL ENGLAND ?
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MARTIN WARNE
30/7/2019 07:30:12 pm
thought Natural England's remit was to protect flora and fauna - not kill it!
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Denise Bowes
31/7/2019 07:55:11 am
Natural England would appear to be a load of jobsworths, never leave their desks and always pander to the aristocracy. Load of brown nosed creepers, rather than tree creepers, tits rather than blue tits.
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Eric Buckley
31/7/2019 09:34:26 am
The use of a Larsen trap to catch Tree Creeper, Chaffinch, Willow Warbler, Linnet and Goldfinch is vey sinister in deed. A quote from the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust on the use of Larsen traps ' In a survey of over 10,000 birds captured, only 1% were non-target species. Finches and tits often visit them, but are too small to trigger the mechanism, and can escape.' Therefore the question arises as to who the licence was issued to, a shooting estate perchance? It is obvious the Larsen trap(s) were being used for the capture some other species such as raptors. It never ceases to amaze me that an activity e.g. shooting, that is so dependant on criminality has not been made illegal. Oh silly me, of course its the politicians and law makers who are supporting such barbaric criminal activity.
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Tim Burke
9/8/2019 09:34:06 pm
I don't quite see how a Larsen trap with a magpie would attract misc. passerines. I have about 20 magpies in the vicinity of my garden and there is very little interaction between the magpies and the small birds. I await further info. with interest.
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Dave Anderson
25/11/2019 08:53:49 pm
We need to think the other way round. It is because they are trying to "prove" Global Warming etc to us that they do this. Not only does it feed into the agenda (Agenda2030) correctly, but just like in the rest of this disfunctional world someone is getting money/control/power/satisfaction from all this destruction. REMEMBER: "over 1,000 scientists believe in Gobal Warming", but the other 1.5 million scientists worldwide either totally disbelieve it, or are SILENT and fearful of losing their "research" grants!
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Mr M H Spriggs
29/7/2019 05:24:43 pm
Keep up the pressure on NE. More openness and transparency required.
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MARGARET
29/7/2019 05:30:33 pm
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE. HOW ON EARTH CAN THAT DO SUCH TERRIBLE THINGS WHEN THE NATURAL WORLD IS IN DANGER.
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Charmian Goldwyn
29/7/2019 05:31:10 pm
Do the RSPCA and the Wetlands and other bird protection societies know about this ? And are they involved ?
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Liz Bielok
29/7/2019 05:33:30 pm
How can an organisation call itself Natural England and then kill what's natural in the country? For goodness' sake, birds and animals have a hard enough time with killing them.
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Liz Streeter
29/7/2019 05:33:37 pm
Horrified to read about all these licences being issued to kill these natural species of birds so special to our countryside and essential to our eco systems. Do none of these government departments ever listen ? Or are they deaf as well as stupid!
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ruth
29/7/2019 05:33:49 pm
I am speechless and almost powerless to comment because I am stunned at the UK government killing our wild birds...or are we turning Maltese. So I try to plant flowers producing seeds for our wild birds in the winter and try to work out ways to help them breed and this government would rather kill them off.....confused well....yes this time I really am confused....I mean why!
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Kim
29/7/2019 06:01:50 pm
Has anyone asked what motive 'Natural England' have to kill? They should be called 'Unnatural England'.
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Pete Simpson
29/7/2019 07:08:14 pm
Let's be clear, the government, the wonderful government, does not give a damn about anything unless it is making some rich bastards even richer, so we can't expect them to remotely consider the welfare of our wildlife.
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John
29/7/2019 07:27:36 pm
I totally agree with the previous comments. How can a department supposed to support our wildlife licence people to kill our wild birds. It just doesn't make sense.
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Jennie Allen
29/7/2019 05:33:55 pm
Thank you so much for doing this Jason. It must be so time-consuming and frustrating but for a very good cause.
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Yvonne
29/7/2019 05:48:31 pm
I think it's absolutely disgusting that this is happening without birds and wildlife there is no future there are parts of Britain were the number of these birds are near to extinction. Keep the pressure on.
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Victoria Rosa Silva
29/7/2019 05:36:09 pm
These are despicable people with no excuse for their behaviour. How on earth can they justify this. I despair.
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Pete Simpson
29/7/2019 07:10:55 pm
Sadly, despair is the order of the day
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Robert Hayne
29/7/2019 05:37:02 pm
Could someone who knows about these matters start a petition to force the Government to legislate such that Natural England (whoever they are) have to justify every licence for the 'killing' of birds, before they are issued so the public can have their say? I for the life of me cannot understand why anyone would wish to kill Blue Tits; they are such a pretty tiny bird and I am sure they are no trouble to anyone! As for Treecreeper - I have never seen one, or Great Tits or the very tiny Coal Tits, why should they need to kill them?? Who are these murderers??
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Patricia
2/8/2019 04:54:58 pm
Words fail me - but this is who they are;
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Marcia Cox
29/7/2019 05:38:06 pm
I'm all for killing raptors in urban areas. They were introduced in our town to kill feral pigeons. If their brains had been used it would have been realised that they would kill the easy prey first.
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Naomi Saxton-Knight
29/7/2019 06:54:13 pm
I think your knowledge of raptors is poor. Why in urban areas do you want them killed? Humans have encroached on the habitats of all species, why do some deserve help and not others? However I’m inclined to agree with you re: grey squirrels, as they are not native, have had a devastating effect on red squirrel populations and actually hunt for birds eggs and newly hatched chicks in the spring to increase their protein intake
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Marcia Cox
29/7/2019 09:20:00 pm
The raptors I'm referring to were introduced by our Council as pest controllers, they did not arrive by choice. They were captive and released in a suitable for the birds to fill a provided nest.
Reg Alston
29/7/2019 05:38:21 pm
I would like to applaud you Jason for the work you are doing. Before reading your petition and subsequent posts on Change I was completely unaware of what Natural England do. I am now extremely suspicious that they are only there to carry out requests from certain individuals with dubious motives. Unfortunately I don't use social media so I can't follow you, but please keep up the good work and posting updates. Thanks, Reg.
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Alex
29/7/2019 05:38:21 pm
Why are they doing this??? What possible justification, real or contrived, is being used? I cannot think of a reason to kill these birds, what is this insanity?
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angela cassidy
29/7/2019 05:38:51 pm
I am stunned - so much for the compassionate Briton! Guess they did not learn anything from the Chinese attempt - and success - in killing off all the sparrows to then realise they desperately needed them to continue keeping insects and pests under control. Thank you for keeping an eye on all this, and I look forward to the justification for killing BLUE TITS! Maybe the name is considered too rude for the prude?
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Trish
29/7/2019 05:44:41 pm
I never knew a dept called Natural england would be licensing people to kill birds, especially the little oneslike blue tits ect. I love to watch them on my garden feeders ... why on earth do they need to be killed. It makes no sense
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Michael
29/7/2019 05:48:54 pm
Blue tits and treecreepers.......incredible,are Unnatural England trying to get into the Guinness book of records for killing as many different type of bird possible😡
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Paul House
29/7/2019 05:49:02 pm
Hard to guess the logic involved in allowing the trapping and slaying of small passerines, treecreeper and willow warbler being especially baffling. It probably suggests most of the individuals involved with the requesting and issuing are misinformed, naive and ignorant in the extreme. Such decisions ought to be left to the enlightened, not sheltered and insular fools.
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Maria Elena Davies
29/7/2019 05:51:24 pm
Why have they issued licences to kill blue tits and other birds,what is the reason behind Natural England's decision? I don't understand why it's going to take 20 working days for you to find out, that's just stupid surely they'd have that information to hand? Why kill such a beautiful little bird or any bird for that matter it's just disgraceful and they should be ashamed of themselves.
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Hilary Dickson
29/7/2019 05:52:53 pm
Why on earth is the department called "Natural" England when it seems hell bent on destruction? I find it baffling and hugely upsetting that they are actively supporting the killing of so many birds of so many species. Please keep up the good work, you are doing an absolutely amazing job. Thank you so much.
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Mr Michael westbury
29/7/2019 05:53:33 pm
i said before it is time this organisation was stopped, do we really need anyone issuing permission to allow the destruction of our wildlife especially an organisation as incompetant as this so called 'Natural England', it does not sound natural about the decisions they are making, i hope i am not contributing to paying wages to this bunch.
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sian
29/7/2019 05:54:03 pm
what is natural about natural England? - just seems like a name to mask their real work?
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29/7/2019 05:54:07 pm
Many humans are not very 'kind', to each other let alone animals in general. ALL animals, birds, fish, bees need to survive to help us humankind (not always appropriate) to survive. Greed by humankind is killing our world. If agencies supposed to protect can't do the job, they should sack themselves!
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29/7/2019 05:58:59 pm
I don't get it. Why cull our small birds? They do no harm and improve the landscape. Birdsong is becoming less and less frequent nowadays and The Silent Spring seems all too likely.
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Ann Guy
29/7/2019 05:59:17 pm
I can't believe this is happening. Natural England should be ashamed of themselves.
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Bobby Hill
29/7/2019 08:40:45 pm
Could somebody please tell me WHO are Natural England? How does one contact them?
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29/7/2019 06:03:36 pm
This is heart-breaking, N/E are supposed to be the organisation to protect not destroy our wildlife, they are acting terrible. Birds and fowls of all sorts are in decline, its bad enough when other counties catch and cage wild birds, but with killing our own they must be brought to task over this.
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29/7/2019 06:04:04 pm
Reading all this and how N/E is trying so hard to cover things up is awful. All our wildlife is in decline now we know the reasons why. N/E is supposed to be the protectors of our birds and fowls what has gone wrong they need to be looked into.
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Janice Corfield
29/7/2019 06:05:30 pm
Some of these species are on the amber list, it is absolutely abhorrent that an organiation such as 'Natural ' England should issue licences to kill them. I wonder if any of the people there understand nature at all. We should be nurturing these beautiful creatures, not wiping them out. I do not believe we should mess with nature, it has its own way of dealing with over populations.
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Charles Corn
29/7/2019 06:06:14 pm
There can be NO justification for killing songbirds other than disease.
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29/7/2019 06:09:27 pm
Stop killing these beautiful natural, exquisite birds, who are small and don’t cause damage, aren’t abundant. SO PLEASE STOP KILLING THESE BIRDS FOR NO REASON AT ALL!
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I strongly agree with your comments! This sounds like a
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Linda Wilson
29/7/2019 06:12:56 pm
We as a species move into another species habitat, plunder or pave over it. Then with any slight encroachment from wildlife onto the habitat we took they become labeled as pests and are often eradicated. Think of how we are treating our badgers, or wildlife on shooting estates or Orangutang's in Borneo etc etc the list is huge. The human race really is an out of control monster and does almost everything to suit itself. Our success is to the detriment of almost all other life on the planet.
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anneke staples
29/7/2019 06:14:41 pm
I believe there have been licences issued to MoD to kill blue tits; great tits; sparrows (both house and tree); robins;wrens; goldfinches and greenfinches; jackdaws; crows; rooks; ravens; buzzards; kites; kestrels and sparrowhawks over a piece of land that is targeted for housing (a beautiful, large greenspace of diverse habitat) in Colchester because it is in the flightpath of military helicopters.
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Martin Johnson
29/7/2019 06:15:04 pm
Are RSPB aware of these licences?
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Pete Simpson
29/7/2019 07:14:25 pm
The RSPB will probably sit on the fence - something which we will now see our birds doing for much longer
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Charles Coultas
29/7/2019 06:19:57 pm
Perhaps the management (and staff??) of 'Natural England' should be culled, as they are clearly not fit for purpose!
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Hazel Sedgwick
29/7/2019 06:28:05 pm
We are all aware birds and wildlife are in decline due to changes in the environment and modern farming methods et . There is no justification in the licensed killing of any species. We should be protecting all creatures and stop meddling in the natural world unless its to rectify the damage humans have already created.
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Alicia
29/7/2019 06:33:41 pm
We, my husband and me, spend alot of money on bird feeders and food, the birds give us a good deal of pleasure.
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Muriel Briault
29/7/2019 06:42:29 pm
What on earth is going on, this is evil how can you kill little Blue Tits, Sparrows, are they trying to kill every living creature in this world, what do they do all day sit at a computer and say oh I think we'll kill this lot today.
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Leighton Evans
29/7/2019 06:44:34 pm
This is an appalling travesty, it is an affront to the millions we feed birds regularly in our gardens and a cynical contradiction to our stated view of caring about wildlife generally in this country.
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John
29/7/2019 06:47:14 pm
What are the RSPB saying about these ridiculous culls?
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L Gadd
30/7/2019 12:38:36 pm
Contact RSPB. Contact details on the website.
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stuart shelton
29/7/2019 06:52:21 pm
As is so often the case common sense seems to be totally absent here. Wood pigeons, which breed more frequently than one can measure, are a thorough pest. Whilst I do not relish killing anything for the sake of it, pigeons are a damned nuisance and yet are protected. We used to enjoy pigeon pie but that pleasure has been taken away.
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Gordon Woolcock
29/7/2019 06:52:50 pm
It's utterly bizarre that that anyone would ask to kill tree creepers, never mind have their request granted. Natural England were, very cleverly, given a name that makes it sound like they are pro-nature when they are nothing of the sort. They are described as independent of government but they are sponsored by DEFRA (itself little more than a farming lobby group) and the Secretary of State for that department has powers to issue guidance to Natural England. They are also funded by government and, as always, he who pays the piper calls the tune.
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Jane Kirk
29/7/2019 06:59:55 pm
During 95-2000 i lived in a tiny village near Masham in Wensleydale. I began feeding the birds after a vicious winter after I’d moved in. My fat balls attracted sparrows, blue tits, great tits coal tits, green finches chaffinches goldfinches and woodpeckers. At one point i counted 17 different variety of birds all at the same time on my tiny plum tree. As a native Londoner i was amazed. We also had wild curlews nesting in the meadows at the back and i would frequently see mistle thrushes amongst the trees, if you were quick enough. We had the odd buzzard come down from the nearby moors. And one day i was delighted to see a family of quail in our front garden. Pheasants were common. But our house was owned by Swinton Castle who devastated the moors to such an extent that during weekly walks on the moor in five years i only saw one grouse. They had to content themselves with shooting the many pheasants they bred under appalling conditions which i discovered during once walking through an appallingly neglected pheasant covert behind the hill at the back of our house. The covert was teeming with rats, my terrier mix killed three within seconds of setting in. I forced open boxes of breeding boxes full of dead and panicked fully grown birds who obviously had not been fed for weeks. I didnt make a complaint, nobody did we lived in tennant houses and were afraid of losing our homes. The game keepers could not be bothered to walk into the coverts and dumped the feed by the side of the roads. On more remote areas of upper land every possinle predator was shot. The local hunt had not seen a fox for three years, in five years i only saw one at 2am in the morning. They also shot all raptors icluding illegal rare ones.And worse people’s pet cats- my friends lost 17- again against the law. The result was the local rabbit population exploded causing trees to become unstable and in some cases undermining housing. My cats would regularly bring in around at least 12 bunnies a day, i never needed to feed them during summer.
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underwood
29/7/2019 07:01:36 pm
After this revelation today from this email i received, i am now convinced that all wildlife,is in danger of being taken out of this world,for the greed of more land being made for people where nothing will exist,but concrete,NOW we will see the death of the human race through disease,that we wont be able to stop,we are clever aren't we.
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Joyce Williams
29/7/2019 07:05:36 pm
What are the RSPB doing about these birds being killed when we are told they are in decline
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S.jordan
29/7/2019 07:06:45 pm
Why do any of these beautiful birds have to be killed. I always do a birdwatch, for the RSPB, and some species are getting less each year. They give me pleasure watching them feed, all the different species. Please stop the killing.
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29/7/2019 07:20:49 pm
This is unbelievable that these birds would be even considered for killing. They aren’t a pest or great in numbers. I would understand the culling of Crows, Shags, or Gulls, but not the smaller species. Where did they get the idea that they needed killing and why, i’d like to know???
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Dan Clayton-Jones
29/7/2019 08:26:44 pm
Despite having many corvids in and around my garden ,
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Richard
29/7/2019 10:09:22 pm
If you want to see how the licence system operates try this link in all its bureaucratic glory
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Jasmin
29/7/2019 10:41:57 pm
Regarding the recent 'killer gull' news articles on the BBC and newspaper front pages, which clearly suggested the UK population should consider gulls a dangerous bird....
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jacqueline phelps
29/7/2019 11:35:09 pm
Jasmin, I actually find the gull dog killing article a non believable story. I know gulls can kill other birds and creatures like rats etc. I dont doubt that. There is no way a gull could have lifted up and fly off or eaten in one gulp a whole small dog. I think the article about this and now another one about gulls attacking an old age pensioner are just hype to get more gulls culled. I have been living in a coastal town and the gulls here DO NOT ATTACK people or dogs. They are great characters that make living by the sea an asset. I am against all bird killing and I think Natural England and Natural resourses Wales do a terrible job at pretending to look after our wildlife just for the benefit or entertainment of greedy people.
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Mrs Joan Blackwood
29/7/2019 11:35:32 pm
How is it that most of the listed bitds I never see, apart from the corvids, basicallly here magpies and crows. I saw a bluetit for the first time yesterday in my garden. My house sparrows are my pets as are the few blackbirds I see visiting. I see an occasional Goldfinch and once saw a goldcrest or firecrest not sure which,. and occasionally see a wren or a robin, that's about the lot. Oh I forgot I do have a pair of visiting wood pigeons too, but most of the smaller birds you mention I never ever see. So why on earth are you issuing licences to klll them. The commonest by far around here is the lesser blackback gull, plus some other gulls, I cannot easily identify them when they are flying overhead, and thankfully they don't approach my feeding table. on which I put out cut up grapes(for the blackbirds) and mealworms, with seed in feeders. obviously not their cup of tea.
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Chris Giblin
30/7/2019 09:02:32 am
As a 76 year old city dweller from the center of Liverpool would love to know what the relevant government dept has to say or are they behind it? Can't believe what I am reading Keep up the good work
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Carola Blaney
30/7/2019 10:07:18 am
Would anyone mind explaining to me, WHY so-called 'Natural England' is doing all this? Why the hell would ANYBODY want to destroy our already rapidly declining wildlife?? How could our precious songbirds possibly pose a threat to anyone??? What is behind this mindless destruction??
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Annette Rampersad
30/7/2019 10:30:56 am
A few years ago I had 14 varieties of bird visiting my bird feeders, especially in winter, Now I am lucky if I see 4 varieties. I used to have a lot of blue tits and now I have none. Same with other members of the tit family. I am totally fed up to the back teeth with so-called NATURAL England. Why is the RSPB silent? If you are a member contact them and tell them about this and that they should be actively doing something about NATURAL England.
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Simon Tucker
30/7/2019 12:14:41 pm
I see a few anti-RSPB comments on here. I have my problems with them as well but they are pretty active in this. If you want to know what they are working on then sign up to their campaigns blog and newsletter and their community blog and newsletter. They are active across a huge range of issues. Unfortunately, with this government's callous indifference to our wildlife and positive enthusiasm for killing it, there are so many battles to fight that no one organisation can take on the whole burden, Be grateful for the RSPB, RSPCA, Woodland Trust, Wild Justice and blogs like this one: they are all part of the fight to protect our wildlife but no one organisation can do everything and weakening them by withdrawing subscriptions and continually criticising them plays into the hands of the wildlife criminals.
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Alison Oliphant
25/11/2019 06:26:00 pm
Bravo to you. If only everyone had the guts that you evidently have to report wildlife criminals. If only there were the police or the will to do something about them.
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Sheila Love
30/7/2019 02:33:26 pm
I feed the birds in my garden around 6.30.a.m. each day when I let my cat out for an hour, he is now getting on in years. My cat is either a bird loving fanatic or just doesn't notice them although he has never chased birds. The variety I have been getting, maybe because I have some tall trees in the garden, are the normal wood pigeons, collared doves, blue tits, long tailed tits, sparrows, starlings and robins. These birds give an immense amount of pleasure to me and I am sure to every who has a garden and to think that licences can be given to kill them is beyond belief. Why aren't the RSPB jumping up and down in protest and doing something constructive to stop the slaughter?
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Mo hutchison
30/7/2019 02:39:32 pm
Maybe Natural England are getting disheartened.After all, when they revoked general licences to kill crows, magpies and rooks, DEFRA ‘S response was to take the authority away and issue the licences themselves !
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Henry Goodall
30/7/2019 04:34:16 pm
There is no reason to kill Blue Tits today in the UK.
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Merril Richards
30/7/2019 04:45:22 pm
In reality, the British are not a nation of animal lovers. A majority do care, but too many only superficially.
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Molly Moon
27/11/2019 06:25:51 pm
One thing that has not been mentioned is the mass spraying of chemicals (check out geo engineering.com) - birds nests have been found with aluminium, barium, strontium and more. The very same things that are being used in chem trailing across our skies (when was the last time you saw a blue sky with sun?), most spraying is done at night and the outcome will and is causing disease, destruction and death. When you follow the money, you find who is responsible . . . . .
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Merlin Hay
30/7/2019 06:21:34 pm
I had a problem with Natural Heritage a few years ago when they started spraying weedkiller on the sea buckthorn growing on the sand dunes here along the bay, which is an SSSE. The reply I had from the local Natural Heritage man who is on the council said that he hated sea buckthorn &, if he had his way, he'd kill it all down the coast of Somerset. When I tried to go above his head, I was just referred back to my local rep! You can't get anywhere with them & the last thing they do is support our natural heritage. Now hearing that they seem to want to kill off whatever songbirds still remain, I agree with the person who said they should be disbanded & not allowed to try to destroy any other creature. As for the gulls, if they're a nuisance, then it's the fault of people. You see people on the sea front in the nearby resort, sitting on the sea wall eating their fish & chips & rubbish blowing around & plenty of spare food all over the place. Of course the gulls are flocking around. They're clever birds & see plenty of easy meals. As usual it's people who are the problem & our filthy habits.
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Diane
30/7/2019 09:54:49 pm
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Sarah Evans
31/7/2019 06:20:25 am
Natural England are not fit for purpose. They have absolutely no interest in our wildlife. You would think they should be there to protect animals and birds but no, they are there to kill them.
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Dave Anderson
8/8/2019 03:46:43 pm
Good stuff Jason. I wondered where all the birds had gone for the last few years, they aren't in the skys anymore. Keep it going, the truth will eventually out. Absolutely there are some people that are making money out of all this killing somehow and they didn't think anyone was watching!!! They say it can't possibly be lack of natural habitat, or Roundup and other poisons either ... it must be "climate change" or not enough charities funding (controlling) endangered species; so everyone please keep on paying the carbon tax on everything. While corruption gets richer by killing the whole planet.
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Christine Wardlow-Kaye
8/9/2019 09:01:06 pm
I would like to first of all like to thank you, Jason Endfield for what you are doing to protect our wildlife. Reading the reports is extremely worrying, particularly as Natural England is a Government depart supported by the taxes we pay. I think their attitude is appalling ignorant. Their action comes at a time when all our wildlife is under threat from habitat loss, hunting, climate change, farming methods and urban and greenfield development. To then hear that this so called Government conservation department is actually going about their business of slaughtering our wild birds is wrong and no explanation from the government would convince me otherwise. Natural England should change their name to Unnatural England. Utterly appalling. Keep up the pressure and good work Jason and on behalf of our beautiful wild bird, Thank you.
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Angel Monroe
17/5/2021 02:26:39 pm
Who the eff gave them the right to be judge & executioner against the will of the people ?
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