Ditto to selling them in artisan jars with poncey flavourings, heresey.
When I was a kid my father who worked in Willenhall in the Black Country, where 98% of the world's locks were made at one point, used to bring me huge bags of scratchings from the butcher which I would eat in a single sitting, bristles and all. It's a wonder I've survived to tell. When I was old enough to drive a 3t lorry, I would do deliveries of brass, copper and phosphur bronze rods to the hundreds of little repetition factories down back alleys and old terraced houses, all gone now I suppose, outsourced to China.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

middleagedmadness wrote:Pickers REMOVE those abominations and put up the correct pictures of KVE the only scratchings...

Amen. It makes me sad they don't have these at home. This and Banks' Bitter.

Greetz

S.

pistonbroke wrote:Ditto to selling them in artisan jars with poncey flavourings, heresey.
When I was a kid my father who worked in Willenhall in the Black Country, where 98% of the world's locks were made at one point, used to bring me huge bags of scratchings from the butcher which I would eat in a single sitting, bristles and all. It's a wonder I've survived to tell. When I was old enough to drive a 3t lorry, I would do deliveries of brass, copper and phosphur bronze rods to the hundreds of little repetition factories down back alleys and old terraced houses, all gone now I suppose, outsourced to China.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.

You'd be surprised Duncan I live in the next town up bilston and those little dirty sheds are still going in the most part

Scattamah wrote:

middleagedmadness wrote:Pickers REMOVE those abominations and put up the correct pictures of KVE the only scratchings...

Amen. It makes me sad they don't have these at home. This and Banks' Bitter.

Greetz

S.

If you're up on Friday I get you a card of them to take home ,wife said you can kip up here if you want save riding back same night ,can't Bivi as I've used up this month's pass then we can hit the chase before you ride back

Pickers REMOVE those abominations and put up the correct pictures of KVE the only scratchings
Thank you rant over

Oi! Messenger. Shoot. Don't. Please. Preaching to the converted here!

Forgot pickers your a ettingshall man or worked there anyhow ,so we'll accept your from good stock

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/h ... 85951.html

Quite rightly makes you sad. No possible justification, just simply f*cking wrong.

Bearbonesnorm wrote:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/h ... 85951.html

Quite rightly makes you sad. No possible justification, just simply f*cking wrong.

Completely agree. However red kites are on that list and at some stage they need some form of management. Amazing birds but their repopulation program has sadly been too successful in relatively small areas

Red kites will manage their own population when food gets scarce, as for the others - skylarks, etc, there cannot be a justification for culling those.

slarge wrote:Red kites will manage their own population when food gets scarce, as for the others - skylarks, etc, there cannot be a justification for culling those.

Totally, I've made changes over the years to encourage the skylarks around our parts.

I just wonder in 10 -15 years time whether red kites will be at a pest level. I don't profess to know the numbers, but it doesn't take much effort to see about 40 in the sky at once round the chilterns way and by their nature they do seem to eat pretty much anything. Some are brazen enough around here to attack/kill young livestock (outdoor piglets and lambs)

Kites only eat carrion so they won't be responsible for taking piglets or any other live animals.

The old phone box opposite my house is used a village library, some Taylor has kicked the bottom two panes of glass out of the door.

Bearbonesnorm wrote:

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/h ... 85951.html

Quite rightly makes you sad. No possible justification, just simply f*cking wrong.

I'll disagree here. We have a couple of "birdmen" at work who use this exact type of license. I'd be very suprised if there aren't solid justifications behind the overwhelming majority of the licenses issued.

'justifications' - 'by whom and with what vested interest' might be one view. I'm not going to pass comment on this specific situation (cop out, I'll save my opinion for the pub at WE ) but justification is 'showing something to be just or right' which never turns out to be black or white except in some of the more off-the-wall sects.

Ok - 'waste or squandering'. Of resources, power, fuel, food, talent, time, opportunities, lives, whatever. Lights left on, bread chucked in the bin, single-use anything, things replaced before they're worn out. But of course I leave myself open there to the same criticism - one person's 'waste' might be another's 'reasonable usage' - and obviously I'm the same mess of double-standards and contradictions as everyone else .

Time to lighten up I reckon so here is George Best's view on waste again: "I spent a lot of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I just squandered" . I'm also reminded of Stu's superbly wise comment that a sheet of toilet paper has two sides .

JerseyMountainBiker wrote:Kites only eat carrion so they won't be responsible for taking piglets or any other live animals.

Afraid to say based on first hand experience over many years that that is not true

Afraid to say based on first hand experience over many years that that is not true

Genuinely interested - what have you seen them hunting? I've been watching then for years and only seen then feeding on carrion or earthworms.

Red kites are proper hunters when they have a chance, and they are beautiful to watch while they're at it. I like to sit on the hill overlooking our horse yard when the farmer on the other side of the valley is harvesting his hay fields. The kites know that rabbits and mice will be scared out and there will be dozens of them floating above the tractor, and diving after prey ahead of it.

A bloke I know has a small piggery near my local woods (he lets us store out trail building tools in his shed) and he actually feeds the kites and buzzards in the early evening. It's another lovely spectacle, and I doubt he'd do that if he thought they'd go for his piglets.

As for shooting skylarks and robins .... words fail me. And that doesn't happen often.

EDIT: I found this on t'interweb

Feeding Habits:
Red kites eat mainly dead animals that they are able to find
(carrion), being too weak-footed to kill any prey much bigger than
a small rabbit. They will also feed on chicks, small mammals and
invertebrates such as beetles and earthworms.
The kite hunts by flying low over open country, using the forked
tail to steer, twisting it like a rudder. Live prey is usually caught by
surprise rather than speed, although kites sometimes make fast,
twisting chases.

And while I'm on here .... speaking of the yard where we keep our daughter's horse. It was raided on Monday night by thieving scumbag scrotebagshiteaters. They broke into the shipping container and took everything, including Bella's new saddle which we gave her last week for her 14th birthday. It was the first bit of kit we've ever bought her that didnt come from eBay or gumtree or friends giving away stuff they no longer needed. She is utterly gutted. I am beyond sad, beyond angry. On this, I'm just empty.

JerseyMountainBiker wrote:

Afraid to say based on first hand experience over many years that that is not true

Genuinely interested - what have you seen them hunting? I've been watching then for years and only seen then feeding on carrion or earthworms.

I have a farm in the Chilterns, not far from one of several repopulation sites many moons ago. I too love watching the kites, haymaking and any cultivation work brings 40-50 of them out in moments. When you plough a field and there's more kites than gulls its quite a sight. I realise its not their natural behaviour but they certainly have become more brazen over the years. Wouldn't call it hunting per se, but weak newborns (think days old lambs and pigs) can be got at. In these instances not seen them flying off with a live animal, but have seen nasty injuries which in different circumstances could leaded to death. I've seen a full grown ewe recovering from a wound having a pair of kites going at the injury. Also seen them take aggressive interest in ewes that are in poor health/not so mobile. I'd have no doubts that kites in some situations finish off animals sadly on their way out.
Most farmers l know in this area with kites would of seen some of these behaviours and others on occasion.
Still wouldn't think at all to shoot them or a similar form of management. I just adapt some of my practices to mitigate these slight risks

Lots of Kites where I live in East Herts. I watched two hunting yesterday, there was something alive in a field of crops but I wasn't close enough to see what, it moved occasionally. The pair were continually swooping onto whatever it was and pretty much had it cornered. I couldn't hang around for too long but I'll take walk over there tomorrow to see if there's any remnants.

Makes me sad watching my studio get hauled away by a couple of black country lads...and I won't see it for 3 months...which makes it all the worse.

Greetz

S.

Scattamah wrote:Makes me sad watching my studio get hauled away by a couple of black country lads...and I won't see it for 3 months...which makes it all the worse.

Greetz

S.

Black country lads ? You'll be lucky to see it at all

black country lads

One of those cases where a misplaced comma would have completely changed the meaning and political correctness.
Bon voyage Scott, we'll have a crafty Champu (shandy) at the bar in Monroyo on the C2C in May, I've found an off road alternative to the road climb that did for you last year.

"Black country lads ? You'll be lucky to see it at all"