Songbirds (or the lack of them)
There was a time meadow, grove & stream,
The earth & every common sight,
To me did seem
Apparelled in celestial light,
The glory & the freshness of a dream.
It is not now as it has been of yore,
Turn wheresoe-er I may,
By night or day,
The things which I have seen I can see no more
From the Ode on Intimations of Immortality
William Wordsworth
There are approximately 32,000 breeding pairs of sparrow hawks in Great Britain plus approximately 11,000 single non-breeding birds scattered throughout the land. A breeding pair requires 55 kg of meat per year to live on. This breaks down to approximately 3,200 sparrow sized birds or 600 blackbird/thrush sized birds … or if you like … multiply these numbers by only the number of breeding pairs, sparrow hawks consume 44,600,000 sparrows or 25,800,000 blackbirds each year. & people wonder why songbirds numbers are plummeting. Its a shame that the RSPB wont face reality.
Comments
So... are you suggesting that hawks be put on the "May Shoot" list?
Incidentally, there can't be many hawks around The Englishman's Castle... bloody songbirds are deafening over there.
Posted by: Kim du Toit | December 3, 2006 3:30 PM
Okay so the sparrowhawks do what sparrowhawks do. But what about all those blody moggies kept by demented little old ladies? While Granny Catfood thinks her fluffy Tiddles is a sweet little kitten it's actually a small, psychopathic killing machine which delights in the slaughter of assorted birdies.
Of course the RSPB relies on Granny's generosity, especially at probate time. I won't hold my breathe waiting for a campaign demanding the extermination Tiddles and his murderous ilk.
Posted by: The Remittance Man | December 3, 2006 5:21 PM