Grouse Don't' Apparently

It was inevitable that amongst the readers of the Berwickshire one or two would fight back against the recent condemnations of grouse shooting. Two letters in this week's paper for instance. Go here and scroll down It is slightly curious that neither writer has felt able to give their full name. I am glad that 'Jeremy' (how many of those in the Borders I wonder)feels able to point out: :'The way to look at this (the grouse) is as a totally wild bird which is far better off than the chicken or pig from an industrial farm.' Indeed. Happy and healthy browsing through the heather. No battery farming for him. Then 'Bang Bang. Thank you my good man' And if it was a clean shot (a big if judging by many incompetent shots we all know of) a good decent death for something which is 'In many respects... is regarded as a delicacy' That's all right then

And not a rich man's sport? The Scotsman sees it differently:

"The sport is a highly profitable investment with a day's driven grouse shooting costing between £130 and £170 for a brace (pair] of grouse. A typical party of eight people could shoot 100 brace a day at a net total cost of between £13,000 and £17,000" Full story here

So someone is laughing all the way to the bank. Benefits the Scottish Economy-sure
and if the Lairds, against all the evidence, are feeling the pinch on their grouse moors there are always wind turbines to fall back on.
(Thank you Thoeflich of Flickr for this image of the Ruffed Grouse-see him and other birds here

He certainly shot a lot-but only with

a camera.

Labels: Glorious Twelth, Grouse Moors

  ¶ 12:15 PM (0) comments

 
A bloggee has asked about the poisoning of a female Golden Eagle in the Scottish Borders. This happened 18 months ago and it is as follows


Breeding female Golden eagle in Scottish Borders poisoned

.
A joint investigation by Lothian and Borders Police, RSPB Scotland, the Scottish SPCA and the Scottish Executive discovered poisoned bait on a grouse moor in the Borders. Ironically, it was found on the 'glorious twelfth', marking the start of the grouse shooting season.
The death is especially sickening given that the pair raised a chick this year, and although the chick has fledged and is now semi-independent, it was still being fed by both parents and so there is now a significant concern for its safety.

Bob Elliot, head of investigations at RSPB Scotland said: 'Despite being excellent golden eagle country, the Borders have been a real black hole in terms of golden eagle breeding in Scotland. Sadly, illegal persecution of birds of prey continues to be a shameful fact of life in parts of Scotland in the 21st Century, and the evidence shows that there is a correlation between the location of grouse moors and the incidence of raptor poisoning.

'Now, after 9 or 10 years together, one of the only breeding pair of golden eagles in the Borders is dead, and we hope that by offering a reward, a member of the public will help the police to catch the perpetrator and bring them to justice.'

PC Mark Rafferty, wildlife crime officer with Lothian and Borders police said: 'This incident goes to show that people are still willing to take a risk, and the result is that one of Scotland's finest birds has now been destroyed. This is criminal behaviour, and I'd ask for the public and particularly the gamekeeping community to come forward with information on this or any illegal wildlife crime'

RSPB Scotland is now offering a reward of £1000 for information with regards to the case, and people should call PC Mark Rafferty on 07785 248 455.



Given the apparent corrolation between the location of Grouse Moors and the incidence of poisoning of birds of prey the fact that this incident was on the Glorious 12th should not come as surprise. If you have paid several hundred quid for the pleasure of slaughtering many more birds than you and your city friends can possibly eat you really need to ensure that there is no competition from natural predators. The unnatural ones:Fat Cats come in many guises-the tweeded green wellied variety are even more deadly than their furry feline name sakes.

It seems

Labels: Grouse Moors, Poisoning Birds, Scottish Borders

  ¶ 5:32 PM (0) comments