YOUR FURY OVER BIRD BRAINS

Seething with anger, Mail readers give both barrels to laws that leave spring lambs and rare birds vulnerable to murderous pests

The controversial decision to stop farmers shooting birds that attack and destroy their livestock, crops and rare songbirds has infuriated Mail readers.

encouraged by Wild Justice, a conservation group led by TV presenter Chris Packham, busybodies at Natural england decreed last week that farmers who kill predatory birds risk breaking the law.

But Natural england’s blinkered crusade in rural areas has not gone unnoticed.

After all, the population of these pests – which include carrion crows, wood pigeons and magpies – is on the rise.

And as this selection of letters reveals, the message from Mail readers is clear – these avian predators must be stopped: LAST week, I watched helplessly as a magpie cleared the eggs from a blackbird nest in my garden. As a keen ornithologist and nature-lover, I wonder how Wild Justice, Chris Packham and his motley crew feel about this? And why is a BBC presenter allowed to take such a stance? I thought the BBC and its presenters were supposed to be impartial. TONY BURNS Leeds, West Yorkshire NOW that Natural England has revoked licences for shooting the destructive pigeon and other predators, are they ready to compensate the farmer for loss of crops? MARGOT DARBY Ely, Cambridgeshire CHRIS Packham, Mark Avery and other members of ‘Wild Justice’ must be really proud of preventing pest control at the time of year when wildlife is most vulnerable. These people view themselves as an authority on nature when it is very clear to farmers that they are utterly clueless. C. GOODMAN Woodcote, Oxfordshire THIS could not have come at a worse time – not only because of the potential damage to newly-planted crops, but also because of the nesting season. Now, when carrion crows and magpies hunt for songbirds’ eggs and fledglings, nobody will be able to stop them. GEORGE FARR, Cornhillon-Tweed, Northumberland WHO is going to investigate if a farmer is suspected of shooting predators to protect livestock, crops and the nation’s songbirds? Every day we read how police forces are overstretched. If a policeman is able to find an hour or two to spare, what evidence might he or she expect to find? GRAYDEN PURCHES Bristol DO the vegan eco-warriors realise just how much grain a scavenging wood pigeon can eat? Have they ever seen a fluffy bunny ripped to pieces by crows? No, I thought not. STEVE Devizes, Wiltshire FARMERS whose crops are eaten by pigeons and lambs killed by crows should send the bill to Chris Packham. WILF DOE Nottingham A CLASSIC case of city dwellers telling the countryside what to do. Crows are not pets. They are pests. It should be left to farmers to deal with them. DAVID Reading, Berkshire WE have a variety of birds visiting our garden. They give us great joy. But every day, crows and magpies visit a nearby paddock to pillage these small birds’ nests, take their eggs and fly off with fledglings. These things happen in nature, but it seems odd that Chris Packham and his associates consider predators more worthy of survival than the birds being plundered. CAROL HARPER Yealmpton, Devon I USED to admire Chris Packham. But he should be sacked by the BBC or keep his views to himself. Years ago I had many song birds visiting my garden, but not any more. Magpies have taken the eggs of robins, tits and wrens. Farmers have dealt with this for centuries and know what should be done. Why has Natural England kowtowed to these interfering zealots? TONY CUTMORE WILD Justice will be advocating the protection of rats next! CAROL Sheffield

THE people responsible are little more than anti-shooting activists who style themselves as conservationists. By effectively preventing the control of predators their true colours have been revealed. CHARLES SMITH-JONES Landrake, Cornwall HOWEVER, not everyone believes a shooting ban is a bad thing... CRITICS of Natural England forget the crow is an essential member of the bird society. It dissects and buries any carcass it finds, reducing the number of rotting animals and potential for flies to spread disease. It also keeps most birds of prey out of the area it patrols.

MICHAEL FEEHAN Holmfirth, West Yorkshire THE actions of Chris Packham are entirely reasonable. The human race has a record of destroying every living thing that interferes with its way of life – except the animals we save until they are fat enough to be killed and eaten. R. HAVENHAND Nantwich, Cheshire

CROWS are renowned for their cruelty, killing other birds and even each other as well as vulnerable lambs. Farmers say that ‘couped’ ewes – those unable to right themselves after becoming stuck on their backs – may have their eyes pecked out. During lambing, newborns can be found dead, disembowelled or with their eyes and tongues torn out. Crows are fearless and will not hesitate to attack other aggressive birds twice their size, such as seagulls. They have even targeted humans – several students in Ireland needed hospital care in 2017 after an attack.