Birdwatch at Arundel Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust

WAR in Europe is good for our birds of prey. For most, if not all, of our larger predatory birds the largest influence on their populations is persecution by man. We trap, poison and shoot large birds of prey, primarily because they take game birds which we rear and protect for our own means.

Hen harriers, Buzzards, Red kites and Golden eagles are all killed (now illegally) because they compete or are perceived to compete with us for our game.

The Hen harrier almost became extinct as a breeding species in Britain by the early 19th century, Red kites, Peregrine falcons and Buzzards have all suffered catastrophic declines, the Red kite population in Wales was reduced to one breeding female in the early part of the 20th century. During the last century two periods when our intensely persecuted raptors made some sort of recovery were during the two world wars.

For full feature see West Sussex Gazette November 8

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