Buzzards

 In may 2012 DEFRA, the department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, agreed to commission and fund, at a cost of £375,000 a project to look at ‘The development of management techniques to reduce predation of pheasant poults by buzzards’. The three year project was to involve the non lethal removal or dispersal of buzzards in areas where they were considered to be preying on young pheasants, and thereby impacting on the rearing of game birds for the shooting industry. The trail methods proposed included, the trapping and removal of buzzards to sanctuaries and kept as captive birds, and the destroying of nests to deter breeding pairs. The reason behind this study was the growing concern from gamekeepers, and shooting estates that buzzards were responsible for a large number of losses from pheasant rearing pens, in one case it was claimed that up to 25% of young birds were taken. In 2011 a survey by the National Gamekeepers Organisation found that 67% of their members believed that buzzards had a detrimental effect on game shooting industry. Pressure from the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, or BASC, and the Countryside Alliance for the control of predatory species led to this controversial proposal. Buzzard numbers have indeed increased and they are now more widespread than ever, thanks to the Countryside and Wildlife Act of 1981, under which the are protected. A study in 2010 by the British Bird Breeding Survey showed that buzzard numbers had increased by 146% since 1995. Natural England, the government body which is responsible for the issuing of licences to control predatory species, has seen an increase in the number of applications from shooting estates. Although buzzards are protected under the law, there is a clause which allows control measures to be granted particularly in cases concerning the protection of livestock and game. However none as yet have been issued against the buzzard. The proposed project brought about a storm of protests from conservation bodies including the RSPCA, the RSPB and the Hawk and Owl trust amongst many others, as well as members of the public, so much so that Richard Benyon the minister responsible withdrew the proposal at the end of May 2012. The arguments against the control measures were largely based on the reasoning that buzzards were not responsible for the large scale predation of game birds. In fact a survey commissioned by the BASC itself concluded that only about 2% of young pheasants were taken by birds of prey. Another concern highlighted by conservation groups was the impact on the buzzard population as a whole, in that any control would encourage their persecution. The proposed trapping of buzzards would be extremely difficult and dangerous to the birds, and then to remove it to be caged is utterly barbaric and impractical considering that a buzzard can live for around 20 years. Even if an area was cleansed of buzzards, others would simply move in and start the whole sorry process again. As for destroying their nesting sites, this would have little effect apart from causing the birds a lot of distress which in itself would be an act of extreme cruelty, the birds would however still continue to hunt the same area having found an alternative nesting site. The diet of the buzzard is a varied one, they hunt mainly small mammals such as young rabbits, voles and squirrels, reptiles and frogs as well as large insects and of course carrion. They also take other young birds hence their constant harassment by crows, eager to see them off . Young game birds are undoubtedly taken as these can be easy pickings when released in large numbers. It is estimated that some 4 million pheasants are released each year for shooting and their effect on the local flora and fauna cannot be underestimated. Pheasants feed not only on seeds and berries but also on insects and small reptiles, and even on the eggs of ground nesting birds. Any decision regarding the control of buzzards and all predatory animals that might come into conflict with the farming industry, should be based on sound evidence and exhaustive studies. The protection of wildlife and the environment on which they depend should remain the number one priority. The Buzzard, friend or foe.