Topic: Birds of Prey

[Yellow Petals]

Thought I'd share with you some pictures that I've taken recently of Birds of Prey.  I apologise if they are too big.  The res is so high quality that it's very hard to reduce them too far without losing image quality.  If they cause problems, give me a shout and I will try to reduce some more.  Having had a quick look at image size, I think I will post them across 2-3 threads.
I have some more bird/wildlife pictures that I shall be uploading a bit later.  Thanks, Sam.

[tim]

Petals - I shouldn't say this - because great photos - but when I last saw those tethered birds, with dogs barking at them, and them trying to fly off but hitting their heads on the ground instead - I wrote the stiffist letter I could muster. As Phil would say, rant over.

[Mrs Ava]

They are fabbo pics, and altho I do love to be able to see these wonderful birds, and other animals, up close and personal, I also feel a little sad thinking of them strapped down. 

However, that said, where were you when you saw those birdies as the kids love the big birds, especially the owls!  ;D

[Yellow Petals]

Tim,

I agree.  I too was very vociferous when I saw these beautiful birds tied down.  The men giving the displays were not too impressed with my constant "why why why" questions at them, and mostly ignored me!  It didn't seem to matter what arguments I threw at them, they thought they always had the right answers - which they didn't!

Emma, these pictures were taken on the Isle of Wight.

Woburn Abbey also has a huge collection of Birds of Prey.

[Marianne]

Beautiful birds but I hate to see them tied down .... :( :'(

[Yellow Petals]

Beautiful birds but I hate to see them tied down .... :( :'(

I agree completely.  Birds are meant to fly and it's soul destroying to think that they might be tied down like that for so much of their day (life).  Had I known before going in there that the birds were kept this way, I would never have paid and contributed to their being trapped.

Nonetheless, birds of prey are beautiful and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to take some close range photographs.

[Gadfium]

I used to do a lot of work at a Wildlife Hospital; and the pros and cons to the arguements are many - and of course a lot depends on the people who end up with the birds, and the control exercised over the public (with their dogs) who go to see them.  It's not an ideal world, and I heartily agree that they'd be better off 'in the wild'. But the view from the 'other side' could be entered as follows:

- a lot of these birds are protected species/under threat.

- wildlife hospitals usually get them under desperate circumstances e.g. joyriders thinking it's great fun to strap one onto the radiator of a car, and go for a 50 mile ride (despite trying heatlamps & fluids, it died of hypothermia & shock); broken wings; shot with air rifles; poisoned by the lead shot (if they survived the original injury; concussed after being hit by cars (very common); chicks (usually owl)  brought in after illegal tree felling/building demolition in season (housing estates being built)... all of which, and much more, I've seen / handled / admitted / fed /  handfed with fingers and forceps / cleaned & medicated. Everything from barn owls, kestrels & sparrowhawks (daily basis) to pygmy owls and hen harriers.

Generally speaking...

- all birds of prey that can be rehabilitated, are. And seeing them go, is a joy.

- birds of prey that have had a broken wing cannot be released into the wild. Even if through surgery the break can be repaired (often attempted & successful), and they are taken through various stages of recovery, despite being able to fly, the strength & precision will never return 100%, and hence they will not be able to catch prey with anything like the same accuracy... and will rapidly starve to death +/- fly strike. It is not pleasant.  I've handled many starving birds of prey, covered in parasites, usually Road Traffic Accident cases - all it needs is one bodily defect, and that's it, curtains.

- many of the concussion victims are released, but again a proportion are brain-damaged, partially blinded, and have thus lost the fine tuning that allow them to hunt...

- the choice is therefore: euthanasia of a basically healthy bird, often a protected or rare species... or to hand it on to those who have the appropriate licences & undergo regular inspections - often tied into breeding programmes - because although the parents cannot be returned to the wild, their offspring can be released, once they have been 'taught' to fend for themselves.

It's not perfect. There are always holes in any system. People being the lowest common denominator. But for most unreleasable birds of prey... it's either enthusiasts / experts with the facilities to look after these casualties, registered & inspected -  or a quick date with a syringeful of.... well, a ticket to the hereafter.

The birds in your pictures look in good nick. Feather condition good, tail feathers intact & smooth, eyes bright, proper jesses, perches with the right coverings for their feet, claws clean, no signs of smeared faeces on feathers/feet, no signs of foot problems.

I suspect most, if not all, of them will be ex-casualties; so it is a case of weighing up the pros and cons... and not applying anthropomorphic characteristics to avians. And I'm not saying that a rant isn't in order when you suspect mistreatment! Let me get to the front of the queue. It's just that, although the birds look in great condition, most would swiftly perish were someone to misguidedly 'throw open the cage doors'. Seen a few of those turn up at a wildlife hospital too, rings and all. Keels sticking out of their chests, starving.

[GREENWIZARD]

excellent pics :)
april comp winners for sure ~ watch out H ;) ;D

[Roy Bham UK]

;) Thanks for that in depth explanation Gadfium, it looks like they may have been saved from a fate worse than death? Lovely pictures YP :)

[Gadfium]

 :)

Roy,

Yup, they are 'the survivors'.

The ones that beat the odds, including: illegal traffickers (customs/police often rescue them from appalling circumstances); illegal hunting & poisoning; car accidents; 'the bloke around the corner' who thought he'd have a status symbol in the garden shed and ended up crippling the bird (frequent raids on folk like this); and just plain old-fashioned bad luck....

Once in the Rehab System each bird of prey will be logged, licenced, and may even be DNA profiled (helps build up a database/follow breeding lines/prove that wild birds have been trapped, in court prosecution cases)...

Yellow Petals - forgot to say that your pics are great!  8) Thanks for posting them.

[rosebud]

  Y P,   that owl in the first picture looks as though he has seen something quite unsavoury and is keeping his  beady!!! eye on it. ;D ;D ;D

[Wicker]

Great pics, YP and in BofP II.  Mr W is a real bird oef prey fan so really appreciated Gadfium's input.