I usually consign Linklater's tirades straight to chip wrapping (though they do spoil the taste a bit), but this one may well give RSPB membership recruitment a nice boost..... http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/aug/12/why-claws-are-out-for-royal-society-for-protection-of-birds
Every day a little more irate about bird of prey persecution, and I have a cat - Got a problem with that?
LOL Clare. They are tweed knickerbockers/trousers, loose fitting, that finish mid calf, just where the long woollen socks pull up to, so can be tucked inside the socks. Traditionally associated with shooting (and golfing).
Cheers, Linda.
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Who on earth called them that? I'm well aware of the stereotypical cartoon of the landowner with the knickerbocker/socks look, but never connected this with the description of plus fours. Isn't there a sporting commentator who dresses like this?
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
Apparently they are called plus fours because they are 4 inches longer than proper knickerbockers! Whatsisname who does the tick tack stuff on the racing commentaries wears them.
John McCririck
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That's the one!
John B,feel exactly like you and those of us in the country do not need a person whom I understand lives in Edinburgh to split people who live in towns and those who live in the country into groups that suits his purpose.Quite often both people who live in towns and people who live in the country find Linklaker repulsive.
As far as landowners go most are just ordinary working farmers even if they are quite large farms and are too busy with their business to worry about raptors who rarely bother farm livestock,of course in certain areas Eagles do perhaps take occasional lambs but even then farmers seem to accept that that is one of their risks.Of course a small % of farmers enjoy rearing perhaps a 100 pheasants and having a shoot or two during the winter and to my mind although never gone down that route I doubt they do any harm to my mind except i feel it is cruel to the pheasants but they are not a native species who themselves probably do considerable damage to other wildlife.
Yes, I just managed to remember the name!
Seriously, though, back to the main reason this thread was started. I haven't come across this Linklater individual before - it's been some years since I last bought a paper, as I find that too many papers nowadays are much too interested in pushing their slant on things at me rather than simply giving me the unvarnished truth. They're also much too quick to publish the negative rather than the positive, though sadly this appears to be what some people want - hence this awful perception of landowners as being grouse mad and anti-raptor, which isn't the case with the vast majority. I guess they're relying on people like me - who have lived in towns all their lives - to just accept the lie. I'm quite relieved that I'm got a brain that sometimes works, even if I do sometimes come out with a statement without thinking it through!!
michael s said:Of course a small % of farmers enjoy rearing perhaps a 100 pheasants and having a shoot or two during the winter and to my mind although never gone down that route I doubt they do any harm to my mind except i feel it is cruel to the pheasants
michael s said: John B,feel exactly like you and those of us in the country do not need a person whom I understand lives in Edinburgh to split people who live in towns and those who live in the country into groups that suits his purpose.Quite often both people who live in towns and people who live in the country find Linklaker repulsive. As far as landowners go most are just ordinary working farmers even if they are quite large farms and are too busy with their business to worry about raptors who rarely bother farm livestock,of course in certain areas Eagles do perhaps take occasional lambs but even then farmers seem to accept that that is one of their risks.Of course a small % of farmers enjoy rearing perhaps a 100 pheasants and having a shoot or two during the winter and to my mind although never gone down that route I doubt they do any harm to my mind except i feel it is cruel to the pheasants but they are not a native species who themselves probably do considerable damage to other wildlife.
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
Seaman,we agree a few who seem to get the headlines get the rest a bad name and it is easy for the public to think everyone in the same boat.
I even wonder if Linklater is a landowner,really he is trying to disturb the good relationship between RSPB and farmers,landowners in general.Farmers in general seem to be getting better relationships with RSPB all the time and that is the last thing people like Linklater want.
Of course I know some farmers who dislike raptors but funny enough they dislike them for the same reason that when a Sparrowhawk takes a bird from our garden we find it upsetting even though we know it is nature and some farmers see it exactly the same when Sparrowhawk cleans out their Swallow nests in barns.Sparrowhawks and Kestrels have realised farm buildings are easy pickings of chicks.