It’s tragic that birds nesting at airports and in hospital ventilation shafts must be removed for public safety (Dozens of endangered birds shot under licence, Dec 13). However, if we had effective conservation policies, these species would not be endangered in the first place. In the case of the curlew, over 70% of nests observed across Europe failed to hatch a single chick. One study in Northern Ireland found that up to 97% of nest failures were due to them being eaten, mainly by foxes and predatory birds. It’s bizarre that conservation policies still focus on habitat protection, despite now knowing we must include effective measures to prevent the young birds from being eaten.
Andrew Gilruth
Director of Communications, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust
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