re - nesting birds

[Anno]

Restorative justice used following tree felling incident which led to destruction of bird nest

A man who unknowingly destroyed a bird of prey nest after cutting down trees has completed a successful restorative justice outcome.

Officers from Gloucestershire Constabulary’s Rural Crime Team were called to an estate on the outskirts of Gloucester on Saturday 5 June where it was reported that a tree had been felled causing an active Goshawk Nest to be destroyed.

The man, who is an agricultural labourer, was identified after admitting that he had felled the tree without checking for any bird’s nests.

He attended for a voluntary interview and was ordered to pay a £100 donation to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

A condition was also put into place which allowed Glos Raptors Monitoring Group to access the site so that they can monitor the existing birds of prey, monitor active nests and put cameras up to protect bird of prey habitats.

PC Phil Mawdsley oversaw this saying: “Bird nesting season generally takes place from March to August, however can fall outside of this period and during this time you shouldn’t cut down trees or trim hedges without checking for the presence of birds and it is an offence under Section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 to disturb birds or damage their nests and unfortunately this happened after an act of recklessness.

Advice around cutting hedges or trees at this time of year can be found here“.

A spokesperson for the RSPB said: “It appears that this was the only tree in the wood to be felled and then completely removed at a time when it contained an active goshawk nest. Goshawk nests are huge structures and the contents of the nest would be equally obvious.

“Goshawks are rare breeding birds and have been subjected to regular persecution through the years, which sadly continues today. To intentionally damage or destroy the active nest of a goshawk, or any wild bird, is against the law. Raptor Persecution is a National Wildlife Crime priority, and the goshawk is a priority species.”

More information on restorative justice in the county can be found here.

ENDS

[Anno]

For information, poor result I would say but at least it shows that the Legislation is used sometimes - if badly!

[eggsarascal]

I wonder if it is a shooting estate?

 

Edited July 15, 2021 by eggsarascal

[Patrick goulding]

Shooting estates always get blamed always do. Always get bad press. Shooting community always gets the blame. 

Edited July 15, 2021 by Patrick goulding

[Stubby]

3 hours ago, Patrick goulding said:

Shooting estates always get blamed always do. Always get bad press. Shooting community always gets the blame. 

I used to get stick some times from peeps when I said I was a wildfowler  .   "Shooting ducks you bastard " .  What they did not see was all the conservation work that went on .  For me the one or two duck that I took from the harbor , for food , is fly shit compared to the Digging out silt from a pond . Removing shopping trolleys , oil heaters , traffic cones , building nesting island and generally litter picking the foreshore . I could go on ......

[Patrick goulding]

55 minutes ago, Stubby said:

I used to get stick some times from peeps when I said I was a wildfowler  .   "Shooting ducks you bastard " .  What they did not see was all the conservation work that went on .  For me the one or two duck that I took from the harbor , for food , is fly shit compared to the Digging out silt from a pond . Removing shopping trolleys , oil heaters , traffic cones , building nesting island and generally litter picking the foreshore . I could go on ......

Totally agree am not going to start because I would go on forever. I understand there is a few bad apples in the shooting and hunting community but isn’t there bad apples in all walks of life ie peedoes murderers government has been corrupt I could go on. And as for rspb they aren’t saints iva they will have done things what aren’t right but you don’t here about that it doesn’t get spoken about. A lot of people don’t no all the facts and they say things what they don’t no what there on about but everyone is entitled to a opinion. I had a couple of guys come on our shoot never been on a shoot in there life’s been out and bought dogs as a pet didn’t realise what they had bought FTC Labradors any way been taking them gun dog training still didn’t realise what they had. Trainer said why don’t you take them to a shoot picking up no I can’t do that don’t agree with it but they came tried it never looked back been coming last 2 years. I said what did you think did you enjoy it answer was yes they said all bad stories you here it’s barbaric etc etc they said it’s nothing like that is it. I said I wish a few more would come see what us country men/ladies are about we’re not evil. Rant over 😂 👍 

[dan blocker]

An estate on the outskirts of Gloucester ? Well it wasn’t a council estate was it🤔. Carried out by the farm labourer? Was the keeper busy elsewhere? The only tree in the wood to be felled and removed at that time🤔 and it also happened to have a Goshawk nest in it🤔. Wonder if it was a shooting estate? A Goshawk is a rare , highly protected schedule 1 bird, why do we bother with the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981🤔 any other time this would of been considered to be serious. I won’t bother leaving a pigeon nesting again holding up the job because on a sliding scale compared to a Goshawk the fine will only be about a fiver🙄 The bloke should of been charged, he got off lightly with a £100 fine and not being charged. Restorative Justice was not introduced for this type of crime. The estate probably paid the fine anyway. Chief Constable is probably a Masonic mate of the estate owner. 

[eggsarascal]

16 hours ago, Patrick goulding said:

Shooting estates always get blamed always do. Always get bad press. Shooting community always gets the blame. 

Some estates get blamed because they take the piss, before I go any further, I shoot and beat.

you know like I know why that one tree in a wood was felled, go and bleat elsewhere.

[difflock]

16 hours ago, Patrick goulding said:

Shooting estates always get blamed always do. Always get bad press. Shooting community always gets the blame. 

In this instance, quite rightly.

Perhaps if the decent/law abiding/interested in natural-nature fellow landowners(with shooting estates) boycotted this particular callous cretin it might help.

 

[Patrick goulding]

Your jumping the gun do you know the facts? Was you there? Straight away your saying it’s got to be a keeperd estate I don’t get that. because there is a shoot they want to kill birds of prey you just can’t say that. I might be wrong might of been a bad apple 🍏 but you can’t go pointing thingers That’s what am getting at why couldn’t it of been a farm  labourer who removed the tree because there was a reason for removing it ie dead or disesed but unfortunately that bird was nesting in that tree and the guy felled It not everyone nose the laws to things plus not everyone nose what a goss hawk is now days a lot of ppl don’t no anything to do with the country side kids now days don’t even no where there food comes from. And as for me I’m a country man through and through and I wouldn’t like to see any wildlife go extinct and I love my birds of prey especially barn owls all am saying just think 🤔 sometimes not everyone is bad news Cheers 🍻 👍