A Murder of crows/the murder of crows

[Catherine]

A group of crows together is called a murder of crows. However the article I found is about the murder of crows. 
There is a real controversy raging in the UK about the shooting of birds and the impact of birds on agriculture.
It is a long article so I won't try and summarize it. It goes into the issue of shooting crows and related species and the whole released pheasant hunting and wildlife conservation/management in England.



https://www.theguardian.com/environment/...d-killings

I can see it is a heated issue. There is a lot of misinformation about the role of various birds and there impact on the environment. I am glad they are questioning the hunting of crows. They may seem to be a culprit in animal deaths, but I think the issue needs to be examined more. Crows do serve as a clean up crew for dead animals and we might find we miss that if we end up with too few crows. This is a complicated issue, but I personally side with the crows. I think they do far more good than harm.


If farmers are worried about their newborn lambs, why don't they protect them with dogs?

[LPC]

When we had sheep for many years, we had lambs often born in the field and never had one case of a crow attack - despite the fact that there are loads of crows where we live. In any case, a ewe would normally defend her lambs, so the argument that crows attack lambs is IMHO very weak indeed. Yes, foxes occasionally attack an undefended newly born lamb - and crows get the blame, because they are so visible in fields and are known to scavenge. The truth is, the sort of scavenging which crows do is actually good, such as eating afterbirth remains, carrion, etc. Chickens are occasionally targets, but this can be solved by "roofing" an area with netting.

The issue has been inflamed by some farmers and extreme right-wing press (e.g. the "Daily Mail"). The man at the centre of the dispute, a conservationist called Chris Packham, has received death threats against himself and his family. Why? My guess would be that this is about money. Some farmers make big money by raising grouse or other birds, then inviting people to pay for a shoot. They want the land for their "chosen" birds or other lifestock only.

Personally, I think that crows exercise a good role in the balance of nature and have just the same right to exist as we have. I'm sure that Tobi will have a lot to contribute to this discussion when she sees this thread.

[Tobi]

Crows are opportunist (mostly carnivores but will eat anything edible they can find)

Yes they are likely to peck at a birthing ewe, for all the tissue and the afterbirth too, and I can see where that could lead to an attack on a newborn lamb.

But in all my time out wandering the countryside in many different areas, I personally report that I have seen such things very VERY rarely. Although yes I have seen a couple of incidents in all my years.

From my own experience, I can't see why that has to lead to a killing of Crows. Crows are not the greatest danger to ewes and their lambs. Lack of human support often can be. Often (though not always) ewes are left in fields and the farmer lives miles away! I only know two people in my area who really look after their flock. And in those cases, I have seen no evidence of Crow attacks either.

Also, in my opinion, humans are the greatest danger to sheep and lambs. They do not care how their meat is killed, or how they have taken a life, they just like their roast lamb on a Sunday.

[Catherine]

I agree that farmers need to look after their sheep better. They want to leave them alone in the fields to give birth and raise lambs and they only want to come along and get involved when they want the lamb for something.  I don't know why they don't use dogs and provide some shelter for ewes giving birth. The weather can be quite bad in the early spring and I am sure some lambs are lost because of the cold and wet.

Crows are crucial to a healthy ecosystem. Their role as carrion eaters actually protects vulnerable animals like sheep.
Dead bodies and even afterbirths attract predators and can be a source of bacteria if they are left to rot. Any  healthy sustainable ecosystem has to have a healthy population of predators and carrion eaters.

I can see how the issue is really about money. There is a lot of money to be made from releasing grouse and other birds for paying customers to shoot.  Farmers who release birds are not interested in sustainable ecosystems. I am sure they would rather have a dead area where their released birds can't fit in. They want them all to be killed. 

It does seem rather extreme to make death threats against a conservationist and his family. 
Of course when money is involved people can be unreasonable.