Suspected Sea Eagle poisoning in Sligo

Birdnuts

This www.sligobirding.com/ is an extremely worrying development so early in the winter given how many eagles were lost last year to illegal poisoning during the late winter/early spring. Their appears to be a persistent hard core of landowners/farmers who continue to pose a serious threat to some of the most magnificent elements of our natural heritage through their deliberate misuse of various substances such as alphachlorose, carbufan, furan and even deadly paraquat in the case of a Golden Eagle in Donegal last February.

Many of these same individuals are in receipt of generous EU subsidies such as REPS and headage funded by EU taxpayers. Its about time the Irish government stamped out the activities of these scumbags by hitting them were it hurts and withdrawing subsidies from persons convicted of leaving poisoned meat baits out in the open without informing the relevant authorities. The authorities in Scotland are now pursuing this course of action in relation to the use of illegal poisoned baits on shooting estates with some success according to recent RSPB figures.

I just hope this eagle which was thrilling birdwatchers and members of the the general public in Sligo for the last few months makes a full recovery in what looks like a very close shave. Birdwatch Sligo ironically had recently issued warnings on its website to members of the public who noticed suspect activity in the form of skinned carcasses or mince meat left out in the open in unusual circumstances given that a number of released eagles are residing in the area ATM. Earlier this year a family of Ravens were found poisoned near Colloney which highlights the level of threat faced by species such as buzzards, kites and eagles in Co. Sligo from this source.

PS: Please sign the


PS: Please sign this:www.goldeneagle.ie/portal.php?z=197 petition to get the Irish Government with its so called Green Party members to deal with this issue once and for all!!

boneless

I just got a text with an unconfirmed report of a white tailed eagle being shot near Lough Neagh. Can anyone confirm this?

Birdnuts

boneless wrote: »

I just got a text with an unconfirmed report of a white tailed eagle being shot near Lough Neagh. Can anyone confirm this?

:mad: - They way things are going for this species here it won't be long before it goes extinct again - all thanx to the pig ignorance of a few:(

Birdnuts

www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/1119/1224259105468.html

Confirmed - Hope they catch the scum responsible

Half-cocked

Whoever that was should be jailed, fined and never hold a gun license again as long as they live. As a shotgun owner I can tell anyone not familiar with them that you would have to get very close to the eagle to kill it, shotguns have quite a limited range unlike rifles. This must have been a very deliberate preplanned act. Scumbag.

E39MSport

Dear God.

Dusty87

Fairly rough all right:mad:.
Was at this thing in the summer and seemingly the reason a lot of farmers poisen them and shoot them is because they've seen the eagles eating lambs and poultry etc. But they're scavengers and only eating what was dead already. Half-cocked is dead right, to kill an eagle cleanly you would have to be fairly close, depending on cartridge size i suppose. Even with big cartridges, i reckon max distance would be 60 yards. What you think Half-Cocked???

Birdnuts

[quote=Dusty87;63089606Was at this thing in the summer and seemingly the reason a lot of farmers poisen them and shoot them is because they've seen the eagles eating lambs and poultry etc. But they're scavengers and only eating what was dead already. ??[/quote]

Amazing the level of ignorance still out there in what is suposed to be an advanced Western country with high levels of education!!:rolleyes: - the Dept of Agriculture and the Environment need to get the finger out this one and mount a major educational campaign via the IFA, Teagasc etc.

PS - In contrast just back from Kenya(a so called third world country) were eagles, kites, buzzards and vultures are as common in the skies there as corvids are here. Even in major cities like Nairobi!! No one there bats an eyelid and indeed many recognise the value of these birds in controlling pests and cleaning up dead carcasses etc. which would otherwise cause disease.

Judgement Day

'Amazing the level of ignorance still out there in what is suposed to be an advanced Western country with high levels of education!'

Birdnuts - sorry to say this but wake up and smell the coffee! This is Ireland and despite the Celtic Tiger and our 'highly educated' young population there is little or no interest in the environment but it was even worse thirty years ago so I suppose some progress is being made. However, it is questionable as to whether it is morally right to keep on releasing eagles, red kites etc when they ended up poisoned or shot. :mad:

Dusty87

Judgement Day wrote: »

However, it is questionable as to whether it is morally right to keep on releasing eagles, red kites etc when they ended up poisoned or shot. :mad:

Sure didnt Scotland say there werent giving anymore eggs because of them being poisoned? They threatened it anyways