New shooting regs re closed seasons

[Judy]

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/stro ... o4aBSKoNlg

[Naj]

I wouldn’t have thought that many pochard, goldeneye or pintail were shot during a season. We have them overwintering locally but I’ve yet to see one flight into a fed water at dusk or dawn. I’ve never had the chance of shooting one one and I’ve been flighting wild ducks for decades. And extend the close season for snipe so they’re not being shot during the breeding season!!?? They’ve long finished breeding by the time their season starts on August 12th!!! And most of them are winter migrants by then.

I doubt very much that the drop in numbers of migratory species is due to overshooting. Bird flu has played a major part along with loss of habitat. And it’s no use the U.K. banning shooting of certain species when other countries are busy hunting away! We don’t get that many woodcock passing through where I shoot so it’s hard to say how they’re doing, but there has been a noticeable drop in snipe numbers over the past few years, and I’m probably one of the few who has been shooting them, or, rather, shooting at them, so I doubt it’s been little ol’ me that has been the cause of their demise!

[Judy]

Seems a real hotch-potch doesn't it? We had woodcock in numbers on the shoot this year and Pintails seemed quite common out on the saltings.

[Nickheref]

The woodcock were late arriving but when they did I saw plenty on the welsh borders. Not unusual to see a dozen plus in 2 or 3 hours. I do admire the USA's approach, Fish and Game who actually know what they are talking about and police it sensibly. I wonder how many people in this country can identify some of the species mentioned. Woodpigeon excepted - I thought they were on track to being our commonest bird and seem to breed nearly all year round here! I've seen them nesting in October and found youngsters wandering around in November/December.

[nic]

The Americans are also good in that they look at the 'big picture'. partly due to the size of the country and that they include Mexico and Canade as the North American Flyway.
Here we say we are short numbered in certain species, even though due to the change in weather patterns, there is not often the cold weather needed to drive certain duck/geese to UK grounds any more. In Northern Europe in parts, they now have such a problem with goose numbers that they have to cull them as they are not flying on to UK!

perhaps a bigger view would make more sense.

[Nickheref]

I am always slightly irritated when the tv goes on about how rare something is in the uk completely ignoring that we are on the bird/animal's extreme western end of its range which makes it always slightly precarious and the population of the same thing elsewhere is very healthy, particularly when human intervention has already caused most of the problems in this country. Think red squirrels.

[Judy]

Woodpigeon are now on the amber list!! Tells me a lot about the anti shooting brigade...