Questionnaire: What Do You Think About Birds Of Prey?

[amym389]

My name is Amy and I am a third-year student at Nottingham Trent University. I am studying for my BSc Wildlife Conservation degree, and I have created this questionnaire to determine public perceptions of birds of prey in Northern Ireland compared to England. The data received will be analysed and interpreted for my dissertation. All returned questionnaires will be completely anonymous, so please answer all questions honestly.

‘Birds of prey’ and ‘raptors’ may be used interchangeably throughout.

In total, there are 15 mandatory questions and 6 optional questions. However, if you do not want to answer a question, you do not need to.

It would be massively appreciated if you could fill this in. It only takes a few minutes of your time. Here is the link:
https://ntusurvey.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/zyhqnbdvn9-11

 

[Brisel]

Done.

Nicely loaded questions which should direct most toward the desired conclusion, though not too obviously so. Good luck with your project.

 

[amym389]

Done.

Nicely loaded questions which should direct most toward the desired conclusion, though not too obviously so. Good luck with your project.

Thanks so much

 

[roscoe erf]

Not often

 

[jondear]

Don't mind them but I hate sparrow hawks with a passion!

 

[amym389]

Don't mind them but I hate sparrow hawks with a passion!

How come?

 

[jondear]

Because they eat a massive amount of small song birds in this country .
Then farmers get the blame for their decline!
By rspb and Packam and etc!

 

[Ffermer Bach]

All done, must admit I love to see the Kites and Buzzards around the farm

 

[Ffermer Bach]

but feel we have a problem with the number of Crows, and from the perspective of song birds, I think there are far too many cats in this country, how many birds do they kill?

 

[amym389]

All done, must admit I love to see the Kites and Buzzards around the farm

Thanks so much!

 

[amym389]

Because they eat a massive amount of small song birds in this country .
Then farmers get the blame for their decline!
By rspb and Packam and etc!

Did you fill in the questionnaire with this view? Because I'd love to receive more negative responses than I've actually received. I think they'd be really interesting to talk about in the discussion of my dissertation.

 

[amym389]

but feel we have a problem with the number of Crows, and from the perspective of song birds, I think there are far too many cats in this country, how many birds do they kill?

That's an interesting point. I'm going to make a note of that to talk about in my discussion.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

That's an interesting point. I'm going to make a note of that to talk about in my discussion.

good, of course everyone says, "it's not my cat"!

 

[Ffermer Bach]

Another thing that annoys me, is the number of migratory birds decimated as they travel over southern europe, whey doesn't the EU do something about that.

 

[Ffermer Bach]

have you read about Knepp Castle by Isobella Tree and her husband (Sir Charles Burrell) and their rewilding project? An absolutely fascinating book, went to a talk by them both at Groundswell talking about it, really great to listen to, their talk may be available on Groundswell youtube channel.

 

[Widgetone]

We have Buzzards a plenty, and a resident sparrowhawk. A lot of little/tawny Owls too, many more than before. Barn owls have gone missing despite previous breeding success.
Thrushes and blackbirds in huge decline though - i'm hoping to see to see them return when the weather closes in..

A dilemma if to feed them though as I think the raptors benefit.

 

[OGB]

Done.

Good look Amy!!!

 

[Exfarmer]

Must confess to mixed feeling about some of the hawks especially as they seem to decimate the blackbirds in my garden regularly. But far more concerned about cats, saw my neighbours cat with a sparrow this morning, I would shoot it but my wife wont let me!

 

[Dry Rot]

I found the survey a bit ridiculous. Do I hate raptors? No, but if one is coming every day and taking the young of another species that I'm concerned about, that might be dangerous (for that raptor!).

Yes, raptors kill a lot of small birds. Most small birds compensate by having large broods and several broods a year. Given suitable habitat and food, small birds will compensate. The number of raptors in an area is usually limited by the size of their territories.

The paranoid attitude to raptor "persecution" by "conservationists" is often that. Paranoid. Raptors have a NATURAL mortality of around 70% - 75% in their first year. 50% of those that survive will die in their second year. And so on. Because there was a lost signal does not mean the tagged bird was "persecuted". Trackers fail and won't send out signals that can be picked up if they are in a blind spot, e.g. down a hole, in a ditch, in water, etc. and sometimes they just fail.

Protection has given rise to the increase in badgers. That now appears to be happening with ravens. (A flock of about 20 has been working this area lately. Never seen them here in the previous 40 years). The countryside has managed wildlife perfectly well for thousands of years. Imbalance only occurs because the bureaucrats and experts think they know better.

 

[wanton dwarf]

Pointless blame game setup to kick a small football about between Town based fools dictating their self appointed dogma and a very jaded countryside totally fed up with the one sided rhetoric.

Whilst North Africa & Southern Europe shoots, traps, glues and nets migrating birds in their millions.


Get a life.

Stop trying to blame people who do and have done far more for Conservation than any Townies will ever do.

I suggest you spend your time doing something worthwhile .. it's a bit like the Recycling push over the past few decades, now our seas are full of "Recycled" plastic that was dumped or in our air by being burnt .. would have been far better if they kept dumping the rubbish in a hole where the rest of the world wouldn't end up being polluted.