Prey desist, BBC

MICHAELA STRACHAN and chris Packham from Springwatch feel sorry for those ‘not lucky enough to have a sparrowhawk in [their] back garden’.

I would far rather have songbirds such as thrushes, robins, green finches and, yes, even sparrows than a ruthless predator like the sparrowhawk.

The RSPB would have us believe that the dearth of many small British birds is due to loss of habitat and changing farming practices, and has nothing to do with the huge rise in raptor numbers.

The clue is in the name. The BBC and its presenters seem oblivious to this and are determined to worship birds of prey and ignore the devastation they cause.

Vincent Mudd, Bedford.