The strong current meant I didnât have to see them hang around.
A Seamus Heaney finest though.
Disgraceful scenes, Iâm offering a reward of âŹ50 for anyone who can provide information to bring those responsible to justice.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Poisoned pigeons used to kill wild buzzards
EOGHAN MacCONNELL
HAND-REARED live pigeons were coated in poison, tethered to the ground and used to kill two wild buzzards near the Tipperary-Offaly border, according to BirdWatch Ireland.
BirdWatch volunteers were horrified to discover the two dead buzzard chicks beside three poisonous tethered pigeons near Roscrea.
BirdWatch Ireland Development Officer Niall Hatch said the banned insecticide Carbofuran used to kill the buzzards is so toxic âa quarter of a teaspoonful is enough to kill a fully grown adultâ.
âThere is a really serious public safety issue here as well,â he said, âwhoever is responsible for planting the poison took a real risk themselvesâ. Had the pigeons been found by children who attempted to rescue them, âyou could be reporting on an even worse story today,â he added.
No motive has yet been established. Buzzards eat rabbits, crows, magpies, rats and mice. They will occasionally feed on a dead lamb, but are incapable of killing a lamb, said Mr Hatch.
An indigenous bird, the buzzard was absent in Ireland from the late 19th century until 1933, when a pair bred in Co Antrim. The species has spread slowly down from the north through the 20th century and is now established in almost every county in Ireland.
BirdWatch Ireland say this was a particularly abhorrent incident.
The live hand-reared pigeons were tethered to the ground as bait, their bodies coated with poison and their wings clipped to prevent any chance of escape.
A day after the dead buzzards were found last month, another live, poison-coated pigeon was discovered tethered in the same area.
The buzzardsâ nest in Roscrea was being monitored by two young volunteers from BirdWatch Irelandâs Raptor Conservation Project since early spring. They had been charting the progress of the three young buzzard chicks.
One volunteer said: âwe had been watching them all summer and it was sickening to see them killed like that for no reasonâ.
The farmer on whose land the birds were nesting said: âthey have not caused me or any of the other farmers in the area any problems whatsoever. I gave nobody permission to come on my land and lay down poison, and whoever did so was trespassing,â he said.
In October 2010, laws were passed making it illegal to use poison to kill birds or animals, with the exception of rats and mice.
An investigation has been launched and anyone with information is urged to contact the National Parks and Wildlife Service on 057 91 37811[size=â2â][color="#49535a"] begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 057 91 37811 end_of_the_skype_highlighting[/size] or Birr Garda station on 057 91 69710[size=â2â][color="#49535a"] begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 057 91 69710 end_of_the_skype_highlighting[/size].
Anyone heading to the limerick show ?would it be worth a gander
David Hatch of Birdwatch. 
:lol: 
Does anyone have any blackthorn rods they donât want? I want to be at something over the winter and canât afford an Xbox or what ever theyâre called and Iâd like to get a few shillelaghs made for driving cattle next year. Also if anyone has harvested some sloes they donât want let me know, gin is intolerable without them.
I took dogs back the fields to a spot where there is usually a couple of hares for them to chase and loads of sloes. I was shocked to find the farmer had gone lurk with a track machine and cleared every single bush out of the place. Used to have great fun back there in my youth, now all gone.
There was still a hare there though and the dogs got a good auld chase
Iâll have a look around for youâŚ
I went blackberry picking at the weekend. Blackberries are the business. I have the sloes in as well.
What are you going to do with the sloes?
I was out back the fields on Monday and the blackberry crop looked poor.
Put them in a sterilized bottle and top it up with gin and leave it to work itâs magic for a year or two.
The blackberry picking was hard enough, the Runt, but it has to be done. Itâs a rite of autumn. [quote=âThe Runt, post: 417049â]
What are you going to do with the sloes?
I was out back the fields on Monday and the blackberry crop looked poor.
[/quote]
I found a crap apple tree on my travels.
How many would I need to make a jam?
Sid is the resident Jam expert I believe. I though the blackberrys were poor enough this year. Hardly enough for a nice crumble.
Youâd need 10 lb to make it worth your while to make a jelly
Oh yeah?
:lol:
Fagan and/or The Runt, do either of you have a recipe for a nice autumn crumble?
:o
Ever since your post the other night on the Bandage Date Night Thread Iâve been on alert for any sign that you might do something radical and hasty sometime soon. This may very well be it.