Dave Brittons post

[chip f]

like i said, its no wonder people will read, but wont post.

amazed the moderators allow that sort of abuse.

[lee. taxi]

i have to say. i'v been on here a couple of years now and apart from this thread have seen no negativity   just seems like most other forums i'v been on . plenty of folk on here but not much conversation    that said the best forums i have been on have been fieldsports related and taxidermy related   lots of great people on there , more than willing to converse , and share their experiences and knowledge    as it should be  . sorry if i offended anyone reading this thread

[noelg]

chipf before you make a statement about the reasons people don't reply check out the threads which should have created vast numbers of replies i.e usage of forum 2024 views but only 9 replies so from that 2015 people on here must be brain dead.AND ITS GOODBYE FROM ME

[chip f]

i said " i guess " and that i was basing it on my own personal experience, which to be fair, given i havent spoken to all the other people who dont post, is all i can go on.

if, like me, you dont have an encyclopedic knowledge and expensive equipment, group of birdwatchers can be intimidating when you are out and about. so i tend to avoid them because nobody wants to  make a fool of  themselves.

i havent posted previously and only did so this time around because the question was asked why people didnt post.

given i'm apparently a brain dead bunny hugger that has pissed people off and made them want to puke, simply for  posting a rational argument, then like i said its hardly likely to encourage me, or others like  me to bother in future.

im just going to go back to admiring the excellent photos , and reading the extremely helpful sightings that get posted. its very reassuring when they confirm what you thought you saw through your £20 binoculars, e.g the dusky warbler.

[lee. taxi]

CHIP,, i dont go bird watching as such   i just no my birds , wildlife  ect  and have loved it all my life   fair enough  i go shooting fishing ect,  but that doesnt make me a bad person   if you seen me out and about i 'm one of the nicest people you'd wanna meet   there is no need to feel intimadated on here or anywere else    we dont all walk about with £££££££££'s worth of equipment    thinkin we are bill oddie

[StewH]

Sorry to cause more controversy (well, those that know me will realise that's a lie) but the last post sums the situation up well to me.  There are two sides to the argument but, unfortunately, one of them is being put forward by idiots!

No one with a sound mind would deny that the 'countryside' way of life has positive aspects, particularly in habitat conservation for example. However, Dave was making a completely different point which has its own merits.  To release for hunting, game species into areas where indigenous species are barely clinging on is madness.

Anyone who suggests that in a moment of excitement, a gun holder is going to stop and think 'is this RLP or Grey' is fooling themselves badly!  Many (most) experienced birders would not be able to tell the difference in time to still try and shoot it.

I would never come 100% against countryside / hunting folk but in this case Dave is dead right!  And I will rarely say that either :-)

[Keith Ryan]

Well put Stew, I don't see how anyone could argue with what you say, it's common sense, but then again?

[lee. taxi]

  your not wrong i'v seen a red grouse shot on a pheasant day but by in large shooting  is pretty benificial to  other wildlife,,,,,,  mink, stoats, foxes, grey squirrel's  and corvids are all kept to an exceptable level   this surely benifits other non game species and in some places previously devoid of grey partridge, these have been released  yes for shooting   but not all are shot , some disperse into new territories  and start repopulating . so overall shooting is not such a bad thing..

[Keith Ryan]

I can add to your list of controlled species, how about Hen Harrier, Peregrine, Red Kite and even Golden Eagle amongst others.

[lee. taxi]

maybe there have been cases were the species you mention were victims  but a few bad apples shouldnt spoil the barrel not every gamekeeper or folk that shoot, kill the species you mention as i said by in large a lot of  species benefit from keepering  it is also worth sayin .i was at saltholme awhile back  and the amount of crow's and magpies was shockin  then i hear some guy moanin  oh the ringed plover chicks were eaten by magpies  then thin the maggies out  over the port the corvids have no real predators  so they will benifit , while other species will not , due to corvid predation  around 20 years ago the area where the barrage is , and the dinosaur park on middlesbrough and  YES port clarence aswell. had a lot more grey partridges  i basically lived in the mentioned areas back then and put large coveys of greys up  daily  i also remember not seeing half as many magpies  the boom in maggies has a lot to do with greys disapearing  if you dont no this , then you must be thick as ****  and now mink are moving in over the port  well the water voles will be gone for starters  then the ground nesting birds will go down  you people on here have a bunny hugger mentality  well let me tell ya ,, this aint walt fockin disney  all the animals of the forest are not best friends  some species are invasive and dominant , and need to be kept in check  seriously some of the folk on here are dumb arse bunny huggin twitchers

[Paul Fox]

sorry if i offended anyone reading this thread

I think you might just have done it again Lee.

[geordie graham]

Rednecks on Teesside could somebody tell me if this is the first sighting?

[lee. taxi]

   yeah i maybe the first on teeside   but you are no first   dumb arse geordies are ten a penny   wye aye bonny lad