Teesmouth Bird Club

     Marske/Redcar coastal field. Two groups of Grey Partridge (10 and 7) quite unusual nowadays. The bad news is 38 pheasants (easily the most I have seen here and undoubtedly put there recently) and 5 Red-legged Partidges so how long before the sados arrive with their shotguns? Do they know the difference between Grey Partridge and Red-legged Partidge?
  Hi check your history of these birds if it wasn't for the hunters in the field these birds would not exist in this country,as for when the shooters arrive in the fields the shooting started on August the 12th if you don't like what happens in the countryside don't visit it. I am not a shooter but I respect the countryside coming from a farming family,this is just another aspect of farming.

I think we are unique in Europe in several deplorable respects. We are apparently the only country with no closed season for Hare killing (info from mammal specialist working for the RSPB in Oxon) and probably the only one where mass releases of Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges take place (I gather these are actually illegal in some more enlightened European countries). It seems that about 17 million Pheasants are released each year in UK for shooting purposes. I have no number for Red-legged Partridges but I have heard of one release of 25,000 RLP's near Osmotherly (from a shooter) and another in excess of 10,000 in West Yorkshire (I actually logged over 1000 around one moorland reservoir, in large bewildered groups). Other species inevitably get caught up in the sadistic activities of so called 'country people', in particular Grey Partridge which is a seriously declining species in UK. I know many real country people who love their wildlife rather than love killing it. So, wise up whoever you are!

a lot of species wouldnt be around if it wasnt for  country sports enthusiast   i go fishing and shooting , and i love nature , birds especialy to call folk sados is stupid   and yes most shootin guys know the differance between a red leg and a grey partridge i know of one local estate that has a few wild greys. on it and it is not allowed to shoot them   shoot the frenchies instead people like you think the country side runs itself   well it doesnt. without gamekeepers ect it would look very different and a lot of species would suffer   so next time think 'before you go talkin crap   not all nature lovers are tree huggin , fluffy bunny brigade

Once again I will remind people on here about my family name GARSIDE

No-one will ever convince me that It's normal to go out with a gun and deliberatly cause pain, panic and injury, and to actually enjoy it! something lacking somewhere.

  if our ancestors thought that way  we wouldnt be here    i wonder if you wear leather shoes and eat meat   the animals in these situations  go through alot more  . pain and panic , as you put it     i dont go out to cause pain , panic or injury   i do what i do SHOOTIN AND FISHING  because  , YES i enjoy it     but i also  enjoy bird watching and all nature in general. cant help who you are and what you like   we are all different   some like a cuppa tea others prefer coffee    it's the way of the world   and dont forget some of the most famous names in ornithology liked  shooting,  peter scott for instance

Well Lee, I'm not as ignorant as you would imagine regarding goings on in the countryside, I come from a hunting / shooting family myself.One day, my Uncle came in with a hare he had just shot, it was lactating, a couple of Leverets were out there waiting for a mother who would never come, and all because my Uncle wanted a bit of sport with his gun. I was only 9 year old at the time but it sickened me even then.

Hopefully this will be the last post on this subject lets just take it for granted that some of us enjoy all aspects of country life where as some don't this could dissolve into a whole debate about country living but knowing this forum people don't reply. I for one started a thread about fly fishing on Tunstall reservoir two years ago this has had over 2000  views and over 200 replies ;start a thread on here and the maximum replies for any is 24.

Its odd that whenever anyone flags up the deplorable shooting situation, a load of nonsense flows from the pro shooting lobby. It simply is not the case that most country people support the activities of 'bloodthirsty cowards' (to quote one recent letter in a sunday newspaper). One of my daughters lives in a tiny Berkshire village and many of her neighbours are newcomers (houses too expensive for locals which is another issue). They don't integrate by becoming shooters etc. as might have been the case a century ago. They often integrate by helping at the village fetes, local produce selling, joining the local cricket team etc. My son in law recently scored 170 not out for the village cricket team and that impressed the locals far more than had he bought a shot gun and joined in the minority activities. Less than one percent of the UK population hold shot gun licenses. The fox hunting lobby did the same thing during the debates leading up to the ban, widely distributing posters claiming a majority supported fox hunting (from memory, I think the percentage they quoted was something like 57%). This was complete fiction, independent polls showing that only about 20% of the UK pupulation supported fox hunting.
To end on a lighter note, a few years ago the Queen was caught out by the paparazzi and was photographed wringing a Pheasant's neck. This hit the headlines and was discussed on the excellent 'Have I got News for you'. Someone said that she was just being kind, putting it out of its misery. Paul Merton replied that it might have been kinder had she had not shot it in the first place!

a lot of people, like myself i guess, read  and never post because we either dont feel we have the expertise to comment, or in case we are rebuffed with crass comments such as :

" if you don't like what happens in the countryside don't visit it "

which is akin to saying if you dont like womens shoes dont visit the shopping centre, or if you dont like badminton dont go to the leisure centre.

most of us have seen people with guns killing indiscriminately. last year i saw 2 grown men in camoflauge gear shooting oystercatchers near the steetley. pheasants may attract bona fide hunters who can tell the partridges apart. they will also attract the sort of lowlife that shoot rabbits on the hart to haswell walkway then impale the corpses on tree branches. if these people travel to shoot and the cant find pheasants they will shoot pretty much  anything else that moves.

ultimately, if you dont like people belonging to a bird club getting upset at people taking pleasure in killing birds, then dont visit  its website. 

Well put Chip, and welcome to our forum.

Hi chipf and keith once again check out my family name and if it means nothing too you check out the history of cowpen bewley woodland park, re my late brother Peter.

What on earth is that about?

Hi Keith that is exactly what I meant.

seems to me most  NOT all  8)on here, are tree huggers.   you people are usually very hypocritical   like i said if you eat no meat , wear no leather ect   i respect that   but if you meat eating , wearing leather  ect    you make me puke   ooohhh if you shoot something it means your sick and don't care about nature    well it is crap   i love the natural world   and have probably seen and forget more about it    than most of you   bunny huggers will ever know      see now you pissin me off   nuff said