[UNBELIEVABLE!!!]

Devon and Cornwall Police and the RSPB are again appealing for information following confirmation this week that two peregrine falcons found dead near St Just had been poisoned with the banned pesticide carbofuran. The RSPB is offering a reward of £1000 for information leading to a conviction.

The birds, male and female, were found by a member of the public at midday on 21 July having been seen alive just hours earlier hunting along their cliff side nest.

Following the discovery, Natural England‘s Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS) were notified and began an investigation. The bodies were sent for analysis and it was confirmed on Tuesday that both had high levels of carbofuran and that this had caused their deaths.   

This follows the news last week that four goshawks and one buzzard found dead in Devon in March had similarly been poisoned with the banned pesticide carbofuran.

Dr Elaine Gill, Natural England’s Regulation Team Leader in the South West said: “The use of illegal chemicals like carbofuran poses a significant threat to our wildlife and environment – in this case, causing the needless death of two peregrine falcons after they ate bait laced with poison.

“Peregrines receive special protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) and poisoning them is an offence, as is the possession or use of carbofuran, which has been banned for more than a decade. We treat such incidents seriously and will continue our work with other enforcement agencies under the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme to tackle incidents like this.�

PC Jack Tarr, Wildlife Crime Officer in Cornwall, a keen birdwatcher who’s been involved in monitoring peregrines for 12 years, said; “That these magnificent birds should be killed in this way is truly shocking. This was a pair I’d regularly enjoyed watched myself hunting off the coast at St Just and I know they were popular with many other people who walked the cliffs there. We need to find out who did this and bring them to justice.�

Tony Whitehead, spokesperson for the RSPB in the South West said; “To have confirmed two bird of prey poisonings in as many weeks is unprecedented. We know that Devon and Cornwall have always been a persecution black spots and this year looks as though it might be one of the worst on record.�

“We need to stop this. Whatever drives people to do this, it’s important to understand that killing birds of prey is not only barbaric, it is also against the law. This makes the perpetrators, however they seek to justify their behavior, no more than common criminals and we’d expect them to be treated as such.�

Anyone found guilty of an offence against birds of prey can be liable to a fine of up to £5000 (per offence) or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or both.

If anyone has information regarding this they can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or telephone 101 quoting crime number AP/11/1922.  Alternatively, the public can contact the RSPB on 0845 466 3636. All information is handled in the strictest confidence.

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

RSPB

[HAPPY FALL EVERYONE!]

An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator. The term equinox can also be used in a broader sense, meaning the date when such a passage happens. The name "equinox" is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night), because around the equinox, the night and day have approximately equal length.

At an equinox, the Sun is at one of two opposite points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator (i.e. declination 0) and ecliptic intersect. These points of intersection are called equinoctial points: classically, the vernal point and the autumnal point. By extension, the term equinox may denote an equinoctial point.

An equinox happens each year at two specific moments in time (rather than two whole days), when there is a location (the subsolar point) on the Earth's equator, where the center of the Sun can be observed to be vertically overhead, occurring around March 20/21 and September 22/23 each year.

HAPPY FALL EVERYONE!

How I missed him?  he is "SNEAKY"

What if you don't know what the bird is?? I'm not good on Bird ID's. Then again, I don't see many species anyway! I'll give it my best shot.     

I was thinking we can add a separate topic like "I need ID help" for photos & descriptions so we can help each other out with that...

Yeah, this forum is great!! 

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=9479342&server=vimeo.com&show_title Posted by Dawn on FB!! Love it!  The end is a blast... "literally" 

Beauty

She left after this and came back againshe left again after this

Yikes! 

DITTO!!! 

What if you don't know what the bird is?? I'm not good on Bird ID's. Then again, I don't see many species anyway! I'll give it my best shot.     

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/09/21/featherless-baby-penguin-_n_973366.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false  Here's the story courtesy of Kris G.

http://birdlightwind.com/2011/09/22/raven-intimidation/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHpzhFWkt2Y#

Celebrate the Black Stuff.

Slainte!

http://www.guinness.com/en-ie/arthursday/

Don't mind if I do!!

http://blogs.peregrinefund.org/article/737


http://blogs.peregrinefund.org/article/733 A birth at a carcass.

Assuming this is Beauty back again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ORvcKabp6zc#ws



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRYUda91R9I#ws  Thats alotta squirrels!!