Letter: Wildlife on the decline as more homes are built on greenfield
The letter from Sir John Roberts was straight to the point and excellent in content, but did miss other predators which are causing havoc in our watercourses and countryside in general.
I am lucky in that I live close to the river Severn and look at it and into it and I see, first hand, what is happening. There are numerous goosanders which breed prolifically and eat small fish by the dozen every day. I have seen as many as 25 immature birds hunting in a pack like penguins, hoovering up anything that they see.
Then I see cormorants, only one or two but these are big birds and they will catch and eat a 2lb fish without any trouble at all and they, like the goosanders, are also feeding every day.
Fishery owners can apply for licenses to cull both these birds but only in small ineffective quantities. I also see otters, not many, but they are present and eating fish on a daily basis. Then we have mink, which have reduced in numbers thanks to the otters, but are still around, and they eat anything that moves and birds eggs and chicks as well.
Domestic cats catch and kill wild birds and small mammals and, on a national basis, millions are lost to them every year.
Badgers and foxes also kill and eat wildlife of any type that is available.
Mr Roberts refers to magpies who eat eggs from any bird's nest. Carrion crows and jays will also do the same thing, jackdaws will also take eggs.
We then have all the protected birds of prey which catch and devour millions of birds and animals annually. The red kite project has been very successful and in Wales there are now hundreds.
Kites are carrion eaters, reputedly, but will take live prey and it seems strange, that in the Mid Wales stronghold of the kite, the grouse population is suffering. There are plans now to build more houses on greenfield sites, some birds will tolerate housing development but the majority won't and will be pushed nearer to extinction.
There must be a relationship between the increase in population and housing in the UK and the decrease in our wildlife, sad as it is, we are on a downward spiral and it appears not to be getting better any time soon.
K J Glover
Montgomery
Powys
