RSPB Vice President Chris Packham is presumably unaware that his own organisation has killed 784 crows on their reserves, to protect the nests of vulnerable species, or he might not have been in such a hurry to persuade Natural England to suspend the legal mechanism that permits them, and other conservationists, to do so.
Since predation is now considered the main factor driving the decline of species such as the curlew, with 70% of nests failing across Europe, perhaps George Monbiot might like to reflect on who is bullying who, as this vital conservation work is suspended right in the middle of the nesting season (Britain’s countryside is dominated by bullies – as Chris Packham has found, 1 May).
Andrew Gilruth
Director of Communications