Ground-breaking talks between bird groups
A GROUND-breaking meeting has taken place between representatives of the pigeon fraternity and bird conservationists.
It follows an incident near Glenarm in August in which a live pigeon was apparently tethered as live bait to kill peregrine falcons at a long-established nest at Dickeystown Road.
At the time, the RSPB and Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group (NIRSG) strongly condemned the action, which in turn prompted local pigeon fanciers to totally deny any involvement. While the pigeon groups aired their concern at the loss of their birds to peregrine falcons, the RSPB and NIRSG aim to protect the peregrine populations.
The incident highlighted the need for dialogue between the parties to try to solve the problems faced by each side and it was felt that discussions would be useful.
The Glenarm incident sparked a widespread debate on the levels of birds of prey now living in the countryside, with the result that bird conservation representatives and those from the pigeon racing and show groups getting round the table for the first time.
James Robinson, conservation manager at the RSPB is pleased the groups have met.
"We recognise the strong wish of the pigeon groups to undertake their sport and protect their birds. At the same time, the peregrine falcon is a species protected by European and national law. The peregrine population in Northern Ireland has declined in recent years, and we believe this is linked to illegal persecution although no convictions have been secured.
"We hope that this meeting will be the first of many to consider solutions that will reduce pigeon losses, while protecting peregrine populations at the same time. We hope all groups will condemn any illegal activity."
Peter Martin of the Ulster Federation of Racing Pigeons said: "The meeting was never going to be easy, but we are pleased to have the opportunity to raise our concerns with the RSPB and the NIRSG face to face.
"It's great the RSPB has said it is willing to talk about solutions like 'hawk-eyes' to scare peregrines and other raptors from pigeon lofts, or diversionary feeding. The problems won't stop tomorrow, but we want to reassure our members that we are working to uphold their interests."
Marc Ruddock, Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group and Queen's University said: "I'm delighted that the pigeon groups will help to collect data that will inform better research into these problems in future. We've also agreed to do joint press releases in future."
The meeting was hosted by Quercus at Queen's University Belfast. The groups intend to meet again to discuss specific solutions.
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Weather for Larne
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North east
