The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: bigchicken on September 09, 2011, 03:50:51 pm
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Watch out theres an eagle about. Just read an article in the countrymans weekly about a chicken fancier from Perthshire who was attacked buy an eagle and has a few injuries so its not just the chicken that have to worry keep you eyes peeled for eagle attack all you poultry keepers.
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like the PG advert?
"how can a tea taste.... Eagle!!"
(daft I know, but makes me smile!)
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5 individals have been sighted over tentsmuir forest fife, in the past 2 days. not so good :-\
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not for chickens ... but good for eagle numbers?!
:/
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We have all sorts of big birds hovering round my chick pens. Some buzzards nest every year on the lane, and parents think they can help themselves to my poultry. Poor hens kick a racket up when they know the birds are flying above them. One day, I met a 3ft Eagle Owl walking down the lane. It tried to run up to me, but I screamed and ran. It must have been an escaped pet or something, maybe wanted me to pick it up :) I rang the owl sanctuary near us, and they said it would be a tawny owl ......tawny owl it was not!! They told me to throw a blanket over it and put it in a box - it would need a big box.
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My brother got attacked by a buzzard when he was cycling last year:
http://www.bicycles.org.uk/blog/cycling-helmets-the-law-according-to-bicycles (http://www.bicycles.org.uk/blog/cycling-helmets-the-law-according-to-bicycles)
I knew all that exercise wasn't really good for anyone. :D
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Apparently 6 pairs of sea eagles a year are being released in Fife. They sound like big bu**ers
Not sure what i think about it all. just wish that SNH had sorted out an increase in the foodstuff before they released the predators
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We have a lot of birds of prey around here. Most mornings I see a big one in the top field normally helping me with rabbit control, I have the chickens run with a cover over and the new pens I'm doing with have a cover overhead, I use heavy pond netting and that seems to keep everything safe.
I try to strike a balance between my little holding and wildlife but if the bu**ers step over the line then I do have to act, at the moment it is rats that are the problem but they are coming in from the farm just up the lane and eating me out of house and home as far as poison is concerned. The lane next to the farm has about 10 dead ones on it.
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When in UK we had a rogue buzzard that would attack our chickens - even up to the size of a large sussex and buff orp. He would land on them and bite at the neck and just take the breast meat - then fly off and come back for another meal. It then started on our neighbours new born lambs but it wasn't seen for long after that. Here in France we have goshawks, buzzards and red and black kites but as far as we know haven't had a problem, not even with small chicks. There are various outbuildings and barns the chickens can run into though and I think the free-range geese wandering about help. We have seen as many as 120+ red kites above a farm further on from us - and before anyone says anything yes they are red kites. We do know the difference and have looked at them as closely as they will allow. They certainly aren't a rare sight over here in Dept. 16.
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we see a couple every now and then. OH managed to snap a picture last year. Labeled it wrong, should be Sea Eagles as fish eagles are Ospreys ::)
http://north-fife.blogspot.com/2010/08/fish-eagles-north-fife.html (http://north-fife.blogspot.com/2010/08/fish-eagles-north-fife.html)
a few weeks ago had to babysit my birds all day as 3 were hovering above the hill VERY close nearby. They were more interested in the rabbits and pheasants on the day, thanks heavens as I can't watch out all the time! they haven't come back yet, fingers crossed.
They are absolutely stunning creatures but I'm not convinced that the program is appropriate for such a highly populated area as Fife. A little bit of "not on my own doorstep", I must admit, but I do care for my birds... :chook: :&>