First we have RSPB led slaughter of UK hedgehogs endangering a species. Now ducks are heading the same way.

[Old Codger]

The recent revelations that the RSPB are in fact a pro hunt group who
licence duck shooting and other shooting on it's reserves come on top
of the fact it's pushing through the SNH slaughter of hedgehogs
despite concerns the species was in grave danger. We now find our
common ducks are endangered, whilst the RSPB see's fit to licence the
shooting of wildfowl!

That's CONservation hooliganism for you and whist these pro hunt
groups continue to take all the money from conservation we will see
further declines.

http://tinyurl.com/24shww
Duck's decline prompts concerns
The number of mallard ducks wintering in the UK has reached an
all-time low, conservationists have warned.
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) said recorded numbers of the
bird have dropped by a third since the mid 1980s, when the decline was
first highlighted.

Some 4,457 mallards were counted on the Ouse Washes, Norfolk, in
winter 2001-2, but the total count was 2,454 in the 2005-6 survey.

Mallard ducks can be found anywhere in the UK where there is water.

The Ouse Washes, on the border of Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, is the
only place in Britain where there are still nationally significant
mallard numbers.

'Unclear' reasons

A count of water birds across the UK on 2 February - World Wetland Day
- could reveal further falls, the BTO fears.

The day's count will see 3,000 volunteers in the UK recording the
fortunes of up to 173 species of wetland birds as part of the Wetland
Bird Survey (WeBS).

The BTO believes the decline in numbers could be due to poor breeding
success or warmer winters allowing birds to remain on smaller patches
of water instead of congregating at larger sites.

The trust's Paul Stancliffe said: "The reasons are unclear, but we
think it's probably down to productivity. They seem to be raising
fewer young each year.

Possible problems

"Also with milder winters it may be that these birds are not gathering
in such large numbers and are dispersing into smaller ponds where they
are harder to count - and which could also be affecting productivity."

Mr Stancliffe said "numbers are dropping year-on-year", adding that it
is "something we've got to keep an eye on as it's an indication there
could be problems".

The WeBS is a partnership between the BTO, the Wildfowl and Wetlands
Trust, the RSPB and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.




Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/7209899.stm

Published: 2008/01/25 19:07:27 GMT

[a***@aol.com]

On Sat, 26 Jan 2008 13:24:20 +0000, Old Codger

Post by Old Codger
The recent revelations that the RSPB are in fact a pro hunt group who
licence duck shooting and other shooting on it's reserves come on top
of the fact it's pushing through the SNH slaughter of hedgehogs
despite concerns the species was in grave danger. We now find our
common ducks are endangered, whilst the RSPB see's fit to licence the
shooting of wildfowl!
That's CONservation hooliganism for you and whist these pro hunt
groups continue to take all the money from conservation we will see
further declines.

Same thing happened with hedgehogs in Scotland. Scottish Natural
Heritage were killing hedgehogs one year and the next year it was
declared hedgehogs were endangered.

What a bunch of fools these people are.

Even more so by having Dr Thick (Malcolm Ogilvie) as an adviser :-(

Post by Old Codger
http://tinyurl.com/24shww
Duck's decline prompts concerns
The number of mallard ducks wintering in the UK has reached an
all-time low, conservationists have warned.
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) said recorded numbers of the
bird have dropped by a third since the mid 1980s, when the decline was
first highlighted.
Some 4,457 mallards were counted on the Ouse Washes, Norfolk, in
winter 2001-2, but the total count was 2,454 in the 2005-6 survey.
Mallard ducks can be found anywhere in the UK where there is water.
The Ouse Washes, on the border of Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, is the
only place in Britain where there are still nationally significant
mallard numbers.
'Unclear' reasons
A count of water birds across the UK on 2 February - World Wetland Day
- could reveal further falls, the BTO fears.
The day's count will see 3,000 volunteers in the UK recording the
fortunes of up to 173 species of wetland birds as part of the Wetland
Bird Survey (WeBS).
The BTO believes the decline in numbers could be due to poor breeding
success or warmer winters allowing birds to remain on smaller patches
of water instead of congregating at larger sites.
The trust's Paul Stancliffe said: "The reasons are unclear, but we
think it's probably down to productivity. They seem to be raising
fewer young each year.
Possible problems
"Also with milder winters it may be that these birds are not gathering
in such large numbers and are dispersing into smaller ponds where they
are harder to count - and which could also be affecting productivity."
Mr Stancliffe said "numbers are dropping year-on-year", adding that it
is "something we've got to keep an eye on as it's an indication there
could be problems".
The WeBS is a partnership between the BTO, the Wildfowl and Wetlands
Trust, the RSPB and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/7209899.stm
Published: 2008/01/25 19:07:27 GMT

What they don't say is that mallards are fed by hunters in "flight
ponds" and blasted out of the sky as they approach or leave.

We feed mallards in our pond which at times has up to 18 and they'll
not be shot there.


Angus Macmillan
www.roots-of-blood.org.uk
www.killhunting.org
www.con-servation.org.uk

All truth passes through three stages:
First, it is ridiculed;
Second, it is violently opposed; and
Third, it is accepted as self-evident.
-- Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

[Adam Hart]

On Sat, 26 Jan 2008 13:24:20 +0000, Old Codger

Post by Old Codger
The recent revelations that the RSPB are in fact a pro hunt group who
licence duck shooting and other shooting on it's reserves come on top
of the fact it's pushing through the SNH slaughter of hedgehogs
despite concerns the species was in grave danger. We now find our
common ducks are endangered, whilst the RSPB see's fit to licence the
shooting of wildfowl!
That's CONservation hooliganism for you and whist these pro hunt
groups continue to take all the money from conservation we will see
further declines.
http://tinyurl.com/24shww
Duck's decline prompts concerns
The number of mallard ducks wintering in the UK has reached an
all-time low, conservationists have warned.
The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) said recorded numbers of the
bird have dropped by a third since the mid 1980s, when the decline was
first highlighted.
Some 4,457 mallards were counted on the Ouse Washes, Norfolk, in
winter 2001-2, but the total count was 2,454 in the 2005-6 survey.
Mallard ducks can be found anywhere in the UK where there is water.
The Ouse Washes, on the border of Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, is the
only place in Britain where there are still nationally significant
mallard numbers.
'Unclear' reasons
A count of water birds across the UK on 2 February - World Wetland Day
- could reveal further falls, the BTO fears.
The day's count will see 3,000 volunteers in the UK recording the
fortunes of up to 173 species of wetland birds as part of the Wetland
Bird Survey (WeBS).
The BTO believes the decline in numbers could be due to poor breeding
success or warmer winters allowing birds to remain on smaller patches
of water instead of congregating at larger sites.
The trust's Paul Stancliffe said: "The reasons are unclear, but we
think it's probably down to productivity. They seem to be raising
fewer young each year.
Possible problems
"Also with milder winters it may be that these birds are not gathering
in such large numbers and are dispersing into smaller ponds where they
are harder to count - and which could also be affecting productivity."
Mr Stancliffe said "numbers are dropping year-on-year", adding that it
is "something we've got to keep an eye on as it's an indication there
could be problems".
The WeBS is a partnership between the BTO, the Wildfowl and Wetlands
Trust, the RSPB and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/7209899.stm
Published: 2008/01/25 19:07:27 GMT

http://tinyurl.com/ypyfva
In the Times

Mallard ducks deserting the wetlands for winterLewis Smith,
Environment Reporter
Children who enjoy throwing chunks of bread to mallards had better
make the most of it ? because the ducks are disappearing from
Britain’s ponds, a survey shows.

Mallard numbers have reached a record winter low, with only one place
in Britain ? the Ouse Washes ? still having nationally significant
numbers.

The mysterious decline was first highlighted in the 1980s but still
continues, according to the Wetland Bird Survey by the British Trust
for Ornithology.

The numbers wintering in Britain have slumped by a third since the
mid1980s and in the Ouse Washes they have dropped by almost half since
2002. Six years ago 4,457 were counted there but by 2006 only 2,454
could be found overwintering. “Most of us at one time or another will
have fed at least one mallard during a trip to the park to feed the
ducks. But all is not well with this familiar bird,” the trust said in
a statement.

World Wetland Day will be held next Saturday, when an estimated 3,000
volunteers in Britain will count waterbirds to provide data on up to
173 species of wetland bird for the 2008 survey.

Mark Collier, the survey organiser, said: “The decline in mallard
numbers highlights how important it is to monitor our wetland birds on
an annual basis. Without these volunteers giving up their time and
going out during the winter months to count these birds, it would be
impossible to know just how important our wetlands are for them.”