Buzzards

Will let you read this first: http://www.rspb.org.uk/news/314516-rspb-stunned-by-defra-plan-to-imprison-buzzards Now, for me, these words say it all - 'the pheasant shooting industry'.  Appalled that birds can be seen as any part of an 'industry ' at all. Pheasant shooting in big organised shoots is immoral on so many grounds, including those birds shot and unwanted being left in huge piles to rot, the whole exploitation of life - taken so freely by so many  in the name of 'sport'.  There is no 'sport'  in shooting birds bred in captivity then flushed out by hoards of beaters until they fly with little chance of escape, often probably suffering an agonising death without a clean lethal shot. Surely in this day and age we should have left all this behind? So to the buzzards - yes they will take the young and inadequately 'protected'; they have themselves and offspring to feed, they will take what they can to do so. To try and prevent this is to go completely against nature, man trying to control again - can we not learn from bitter, bitter experience that it will all go wrong? Again? I will admit to having had pheasant for supper tonight, and it came from a small local shoot, where I believe a small number are shot at a time and all birds are taken at the end of the day. However, this news of the buzzards leaves a bad taste in my mouth, and I will no longer accept even these birds in future, as I can see it now as still supporting what is perceived as a 'sport'. My conscience won't let me now, following on from nagging doubt over the past few years. (photo from Isle of Islay Photography website) I see a lot of these magnificent birds around here, wheeling high above, hovering, shooting downwards with amazing speed for the kill, doing what buzzards do. The world will be a much sadder place if these birds are trapped and moved, culled or worse.