Cambrian Eagle Mystery Solved

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Cheeky Monkey
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Re: Cambrian Eagle Mystery Solved

Post by Cheeky Monkey »

Bearbonesnorm wrote: Wed Aug 19, 2020 12:23 pm
I remember this bloke being on Blue Peter when I was a kid and telling the story of how an owl *took* his eye.
My mum nearly lost an eye to Teapot the eagle owl. She looked liked Kirk Douglas for a year or so.
Well that's the winner of the [non-existent] competition for best post on the forum this week :-bd Do tell more. Mine was just about watching telly :oops:
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Mike
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Re: Cambrian Eagle Mystery Solved

Post by Mike »

Hux I remember that Eagle in the valley we were both gobsmacked at the sighting, but then we found out the guy in that cottage at side of road owned it.

Unfortunately raptors will never win when it come to persecution. There's to much money at stack whether it be on the moors with the harriers and peregrines or the pigeon flyers who persecute the peregrines for taking the odd feral air rat!
A reserve warden was telling me about the peregrines that used to nest on the cliffs at titterstone clee upto the point where a guy was caught for pouring engine oil over the chick's in the nest... now that nest has been destroyed... annoys me that this is so wide spread we just don't get to hear about it that much!
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RIP
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Re: Cambrian Eagle Mystery Solved

Post by RIP »

Mike wrote: Wed Aug 19, 2020 3:58 pm There's to much money at stake whether it be on the moors with the harriers and peregrines or the pigeon flyers...
Neatly connecting this thread with the "trespass"/right-to-roam one!
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Jurassic pusher
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Re: Cambrian Eagle Mystery Solved

Post by Jurassic pusher »

This very topic was discussed on Radio 2 today at 1.30 pm, very sad but no mention of any poisoning or foul play but maybe that`s R2 policy if facts are unknown?
Callers told of their encounters with it her (Female Eagle).
slarge
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Re: Cambrian Eagle Mystery Solved

Post by slarge »

Do you think the RSPB/RSPCA knows who does the poisoning/snaring/killing etc etc, but can't prosecute as they don't have evidence?

I always wonder why we don't get to hear about the guilty people on faceache or wherever - there might even be some social justice handed out......
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JimmyG
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Re: Cambrian Eagle Mystery Solved

Post by JimmyG »

Whilst at this stage we have no proof, the many occasions in Britain where birds of prey have disappeared or ‘just dropped out of the sky for some mysterious reason’ above or near ‘sporting’ estates/grouse moors, makes me naturally suspicious. However, hopefully the appropriate investigations will establish the cause of this particular eagle’s demise in due course, natural causes or otherwise. On a related note, hopefully nobody will object if I take the opportunity to give some publicity to a relatively new Manchester-based company who are doing their little bit to assist the RSPB in such investigations. I am sure a good few on here will already be familiar with ‘Outdoor Provisions’ but for those who aren’t, they make very tasty energy bars at a reasonable price. They also sell rather cool metal Raptor pin badges @ £6 each, 100% of which they donate to the RSPB Investigations Team. I've bought one each for me and Mrs G, incidentally. I should add I have no connection to the company other than having bought a couple of mixed flavour boxes over the last few months and enjoyed them a lot. Needless to say, I agree wholeheartedly with the stance they have taken against raptor persecution and I’m grateful to them for drawing attention to these crimes. https://www.outdoorprovisions.co.uk/ram ... of-raptors
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RIP
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Re: Cambrian Eagle Mystery Solved

Post by RIP »

Good shout. Or screech rather :smile: .
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Ian
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Re: Cambrian Eagle Mystery Solved

Post by Ian »

Mike / HUX - yep, likely the same bird. The Staircase was “home” early on, and Charlie lived at the farm just down the road.

Reg - yes, very impressive. Trousers remained intact :-bd

Re: persecution. I’m reading a book on Rewilding Scotland at the moment, and there’s an account of the clearance of Glengarry by Lord Ward between 1837 and 1840 saw to it that gamekeepers oversaw the destruction of over 4000 head of “vermin”, including;
11 foxes, 108 wildcats, 246 Pine Marten, 106 pole cats, 301 stoats, 67 badgers, 48 otters, 27 sea eagles, 15 golden eagles, 18 osprey, 98 peregrine, 11 hobby hawk, 275 kites, 5 marsh harriers, 63 goshawks, 285 buzzard, 371 rough legged buzzard (now absent in uk), 3 honey buzzard (ditto), 462 kestrel, 78 Merlin, 83 hen harrier, 6 gyr falcon (also now absent), 9 ash-coloured hawks or long blue-tailed Hawks (not sure what these are), 1431 hooded crows, 475 raven, 35 horned owls (eagle owls?), 71 coming fern owls, 3 golden owls and 3 magpies.
Staggering and sickening in equal measure. And that’s just one area. After the collapse of the wool prices in early 1800s, there was a dramatic reduction in stock on the land, prevalence of heather occurred and with it conditions that favoured grouse. This led to the development of sporting interests and led to purge of wildlife and a major modification of the natural world.
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RIP
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Re: Cambrian Eagle Mystery Solved

Post by RIP »

Ian wrote: Wed Aug 19, 2020 10:20 pm Reg - yes, very impressive. Trousers remained intact :-bd
Sorry to lower the tone (as usual) but I think I was referring more to the potential involuntary deposits therein as a result of the encounter :wink:
Re: persecution. I’m reading a book on Rewilding Scotland at the moment, and there’s an account of the clearance of Glengarry by Lord Ward between 1837 and 1840 saw to it that gamekeepers oversaw the destruction of over 4000 head of “vermin”, including;
11 foxes, 108 wildcats, 246 Pine Marten, 106 pole cats, 301 stoats, 67 badgers, 48 otters, 27 sea eagles, 15 golden eagles, 18 osprey, 98 peregrine, 11 hobby hawk, 275 kites, 5 marsh harriers, 63 goshawks, 285 buzzard, 371 rough legged buzzard (now absent in uk), 3 honey buzzard (ditto), 462 kestrel, 78 Merlin, 83 hen harrier, 6 gyr falcon (also now absent), 9 ash-coloured hawks or long blue-tailed Hawks (not sure what these are), 1431 hooded crows, 475 raven, 35 horned owls (eagle owls?), 71 coming fern owls, 3 golden owls and 3 magpies.
Staggering and sickening in equal measure. And that’s just one area. After the collapse of the wool prices in early 1800s, there was a dramatic reduction in stock on the land, prevalence of heather occurred and with it conditions that favoured grouse. This led to the development of sporting interests and led to purge of wildlife and a major modification of the natural world.
And once again this highlights the lie of 'conservation and stewardship' in these cases. Conservation and stewardship of a sterile monoculture of benefit to about five people yes, of a varied and healthy ecosystem of benefit to the planet and most of its population no.

I know, contrary to most people I'm getting angrier as I get older - the 'angry young man' phase passed me by for some reason but I'm really making up for it now :-bd
"My God, Ponsonby, I'm two-thirds of the way to the grave and what have I done?" - RIP

The sign outside the asylum is the wrong way round.....

"At least you got some stories" - James Acaster
Scud
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Re: Cambrian Eagle Mystery Solved

Post by Scud »

I'm lucky really most rides close to me in North Norfolk i will see a lot of Red Kites and usually a Buzzard, then as evenings draw in, a lot of barn and other owls.

Strangely i was riding near Wells next the Sea a few weeks ago where i am friendly with the wardens (having been found sleeping in a hide, to save a soaking in bivvy bag) and they had spotted a White Tailed Sea Eagle, extremely rare as they think it is one of 5-6 in UK, made the local news:

https://www.northnorfolknews.co.uk/news ... -1-6789661

Not a bird of prey, but lots of the sand dunes are roped off currently due to the seals and Artic Turns nesting here, i had some friends visit and we rode fat bikes along the beach, and couldn't understand why this large group all with binoculars in hand was staring at us, until we saw this group of Artic Turns all fly away as we rode towards them, apparently the group had travelled over 2 hours to come and watch them did feel a little guilty...
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sean_iow
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Re: Cambrian Eagle Mystery Solved

Post by sean_iow »

Scud wrote: Thu Aug 20, 2020 10:43 am White Tailed Sea Eagle, extremely rare as they think it is one of 5-6 in UK, made the local news:
Getting less rare, they are reintroducing them on the south coast. The second batch of 5 have just been released on the Isle of Wight, there will be up to 60 released over the next 5 years.

https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/1865 ... s-project/

The first ones had trackers so they could see how far they range. The one you saw was one of ours :smile:

https://www.countypress.co.uk/news/1837 ... st-anglia/

Edit, just read your link so you knew it started here :oops:
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Cheeky Monkey
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Re: Cambrian Eagle Mystery Solved

Post by Cheeky Monkey »

In North Leeds area Red Kites are a common sight now. IIRC Harewood House was a major release site during their "re-introduction".

It's wonderful, I could watch them for ages. Despite it being pretty frequent I still stop and gawp at each one I see :-bd
Scud
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Re: Cambrian Eagle Mystery Solved

Post by Scud »

I'm the same, become a bit of a twitcher when it comes to birds of prey, always a sight when the buzzards and kites come over.

When i used to commute to work at 6am, often used to have barn owl that would follow me for a bit and would always break off at the same field boundary, as if that was the edge of its territory.

@sean-IOW - i am a Portsmouth native originally, as a lad, the IOW was always the bloody island that the school would make you run/kayak/cycle/swim around, love going over there now, still seems quite different to Portsmouth and mainland, despite the very short ferry trip
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Bearbonesnorm
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Re: Cambrian Eagle Mystery Solved

Post by Bearbonesnorm »

I'm afraid to say that reports are that she was shot. Why would someone do something like that? :???:
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Bearlegged
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Re: Cambrian Eagle Mystery Solved

Post by Bearlegged »

:sad:
Money and ignorance I suspect.
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