What I would like more than anything is for my farm blog to be happy, with nice things happening and nice thing to write about, but unfortunately with the filth that is about there always seems to be nasty things happening to the wildlife by evil people. The photographs of one of the two buzzards that have obviously been shot by missing flight feathers was taken a few weeks ago. I wasn’t able to put it into the blogs as it was being investigated by the wildlife crime police officer. He reported back to me by email yesterday.
The photograph was sent to the RSPB who are classed as experts, who confirmed it was without seeing the actual circumstances of the injury was caused by a shotgun. It has been recorded it on their system and added as a crime on the Avon and Somerset Police system ref No. – 5217266079 if in the unlikely event someone in the area witnessed the shooting, The RSPB’s last report about shot Buzzards in my area was in 2013. Not a one off incident and just two that have been witnessed. How many more that have not been.
Mrs Farmer and myself may well have witnessed the event without realising when on a walk down the valley with the dogs a few weeks back. We were watching the resident Buzzards on the thermals above Nigel Webbers Pitpear Farm, fields belonging to Halse Farm and our own Denbury. We heard a shotgun being fired close by. All three buzzards dropped and flew out of the area.
Most birds of prey as the Buzzard all though protected are regularly shot in the vicinity of organised shoots. A few years ago Prince Harry was questioned by the Police when two Hen Harriers were shot at Sandringham, one of the Queens estates. He was seen with a friend in the area at the time. The same thing happened very close by, just this August. Here is a link with Dirty Harry with his shotgun with pockets bulging with cartridges. Filth, and taxpayers support them. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4260298/rare-bird-hawk-sally-disappeared-prince-harry-sandringham/ Sorry, I have always been a royalist, but not when they kill for fun and pretend to be conservationist with Elephants and Rhinos. Why is the Hen Harriers or birds of Prey worth any less? Because they eat a few pheasants. Less for them to shoot.
There are two organised shoot on the Denbury Farm boundaries. Nigel Webbers at Pitpear Farm and Halse Farm. There is another just a little bit farther away. I can’t imagine how many pheasants they release for the shooting is constant on their shooting days.
The Horses in their new winter rugs that we changed today. The original ones we purchased were not as good as advertised and we sent them back. These new ones have neck pieces to keep them a little warmer. We have a gale blowing through the valley tonight so I reckon the horses will be well pleased with their new outfits. The is still quite a lot of grass for them to eat. With luck they will be able to stay out a few weeks more before bringing them in for the winter.