Changing landscapes blamed for halving bird populations

These all seem upland areas that do not seem to have changed hardly at all as the areas are completely unsuitable for any type of so called intensive agriculture that experts seem determined to call it.

The on big difference that they refer to as one of the problems is the fact that these birds did much worse where there were more Crows and it is a fact that there are now many more crows than there were 50 years ago so we will have to accept lower numbers of these birds unless we accept a cull in some places.

Understand report in part by one of the top RSPB conservation officers.

Sooty,  You and I are going to bounce this one around between us on one blog or another for ever.  The article clearly states "mysterious decline in the populations of upland wading birds cannot be attributed to any one factor but is due to a range of land management changes".   Yes crows are one element and they have never been regarded as not having an influence but as always it is a range of issues we have to look at. 

In a perfect world nature would be in balance and we wouldn't have to worry about predator / prey relationships but we have affected that.  Yes you could cull crows, foxes or whatever you want and immediately there would be a short term increase in some birds but GWCT clearly says in its research that will not continue and you have to get the habitat right.

If there are more crows why is that so.  It certainly isn't because nesting birds have declined but it is more likely that there are because they are adept at living where man has influenced nature.  One of the points raised in this research is forest edge impact.  Forest edge is a good place for crows to breed.   We could shoot crows but having affected them, something else would increase using the food they haven't taken then we would have to shoot them, that would affect something else and so on ad infinitum. 

Let us work on getting the land management right.  Predator control where locally needed but not as a general plan of action.

Partly agree Bob but in the uplands not much change in land management,agree that man is responsible for more Crows as in everything man has had a big influence and we cannot alter that I am afraid unless we get rid somehow of 90% of population and go back to stone age.Problem with Crows is they take advantage of today's road kills etc and 50 years ago serious culls took place that nobody knew about and we lived in what I think you know was a different society which I am not defending but was less conservation minded and more acceptable to control any problem bird or animal that caused a problem by being too large a number for other birds or animals to prosper and I partly think that that policy is why there was a better balance in wildlife then to now.Habitat is only part of the problem and the report as I read it definitely seems to say Lapwing chicks did better where less Crows.Hope this not seen as anti social Mark much more tolerant than some.