How British Breeding Birds of Prey Are Faring
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A Sparrowhawk’s Lament How British Breeding Birds of Prey are Faring David Cobham with illustrations by Bruce Pearson Dedication To my wife Liza, my best friend and the love of my life. Published by Princeton University Press, 41 William Street, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 In the United Kingdom: Princeton University Press, 6 Oxford Street, Woodstock, Oxfordshire OX20 1TW nathist.press.princeton.edu Requests for permission to reproduce material from this work should be sent to Permissions, Princeton University Press Copyright © 2014 David Cobham (text), Bruce Pearson (illustrations) The poem, Bowland Beth, that appears on page 130, is © David Harsent 2013 Copyright in the illustrations remains with the artist. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available Library of Congress Control Number 2014932451 ISBN 978-0-691-15764-1 Production and design by WILDGuides Ltd., Old Basing, Hampshire UK. Printed in Malaysia 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents Foreword ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 5 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 6 The Sparrowhawk .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 9 The Osprey ............................................................................................................................................................................................................... 26 The Honey Buzzard .................................................................................................................................................................................... 42 The Red Kite .......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 59 The White-tailed Eagle .......................................................................................................................................................................... 77 The Marsh Harrier ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 95 The Hen Harrier .......................................................................................................................................................................................... 112 The Montagu’s Harrier ....................................................................................................................................................................... 131 The Goshawk .................................................................................................................................................................................................... 148 The Common Buzzard ....................................................................................................................................................................... 165 The Golden Eagle ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 183 The Kestrel ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 203 The Merlin ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 218 The Hobby ............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 237 The Peregrine Falcon ............................................................................................................................................................................ 253 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 269 Further reading ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 270 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................................................................ 271 4 Foreword All birds are equal, but some are more equal than others. It’s a simple truth that as a group our raptors command more attention than the majority of our other bird fauna, and always have done. I’m often asked by young and old which is my favourite bird. It’s a very difficult question but only because I struggle to separate Sparrowhawk and Kestrel. And when I bounce the question back, Peregrine, Golden Eagle and Osprey frequently betray a similar passion for birds of prey. I spent the summer of ‘76 returning a brood of Barn Owls to the wild in Hampshire. It was a magical task and certainly a formative influence on my early fascination with both predators and their conservation. They had come indirectly from David Cobham but it was many years before we met and our mutual obsession for British raptors properly realized. Thus, when I heard he was writing this book it was eagerly anticipated. This book has many strengths: it is not only crammed with ornithological references but also cultural, historical, sociological, military, literary and artistic, making it a fascinating and refreshing read. And it is also deliberately contemporary, a detailed ‘snapshot’ of these birds right now, in terms of numbers, population trends and a wide range of attitudes. But for me its real strengths are its very personal reflections on a lifetime of interest and concern, an intimate exposition of boundless curiosity and a rare but essential pragmatic modesty when it comes to fact and expertise. At no point does the author pose as the authority; he meets and learns from those at the very top of their fields or those properly qualified to comment on everything from issues of persecution to secretive aspects of the birds’ behaviour. And as he has not shied from those issues, this is also a frank exposé of a guild of birds struggling to survive in the twenty-first century. It outlines conservation successes but equally highlights the abject plight of species such as the Hen Harrier, Golden Eagle and Goshawk, all birds still burdened by deliberate, brutal and illegal persecution. I read this book, enjoyed it, learned a lot and ultimately, through its infectious enthusiasm, I felt inspired to work harder myself when it comes to finding solutions to ensure the future survival of this unique and very special group of birds. It does British birds of prey a great service, and boy do they need it – so I hope that you will read it and be suitably inspired too. Chris Packham Introduction In what state that ever I be, Timor mortis conturbat me. As I me walkëd one morning, I heard a bird both weep and sing, This was the tenor of his talking: Timor mortis conturbat me. I asked this birdë what he meant; He said, ‘I am a musket gent; For dread of death I am nigh shent, Timor mortis conturbat me. ‘Jesus Christ, when he should die, To his Father loud gan he cry, “Father,” he said, “in Trinity, Timor mortis conturbat me.” ‘When I shall die, know I no day; In what place or country, can I not say; Therefore this songë sing I may: Timor mortis conturbat me.’ I was in hospital waiting for an operation for colon cancer when I first read this anonymous fifteenth-century poem, which I have called A Sparrowhawk’s Lament. It set me thinking. In 15 minutes they would be coming to wheel me down to the theatre. Times like these concentrate the mind wonderfully. Why, in this poem, is a male Sparrowhawk worrying about the fear of dying? Then the bond between man and hawk or falcon was iron-clad. For over 3,000 years man had depended on their hunting skills for his next meal. Was the Sparrowhawk able to look into a crystal ball and foresee the future of his species – an echo of Leonard Cohen growling “the future it is murder:” persecution and pesticides? This thought passed through my mind as I was wheeled down to the theatre. The surgeon popped in to say hello as the canula was fitted. The anaesthetist offered comfort as the anaesthetic swelled in my veins. The clock at the end of the room blurred and as an icy black curtain swooshed up my arm, I am sure I heard a bell ring followed by a chorister singing Timor mortis conturbat me. The next thing I remember