Buzzard loose.

[porshiepoo]

Lost yesterday from Lybster.
My daughter was out with her buzzard yesterday and unfortunately it got spooked by one of the low flying aircraft. She thought she'd clipped the lead to her jacket but she must have missed and didn't realise, so the buzzard is now flying with a 3ft lead attatched.
The buzzard is a female and in good condition, has both her jesses on but fortunately the jesses are not tied together so both her feet are free and independant.
This buzzard is a wild one that was in an car accident and was released back to the same area but had to be rescued again as it couldn't fend for itself. We got her from a bird of prey rescue centre.
Although my daughter can handle this bird she is not tame and has not been flight trained so will not come back.
We're hoping that she'll come back once she's hungry and fortunately (in one sense) she hadn't been fed so she's gonna be hanging around.
We have seen her but the crows are between her and us so we're not sure whether she'll get through.
I'm just putting something on here for local folk to know that we know she's loose and we're doing all we can to get her back, however any sightings of a bird of prey with a lead hanging we'd appreciate a pm.

[nicnak]

hope you find her. will keep a look out for you around here.
nicnak

[Rheghead]

First it was an eagle owl, now it is a buzzard. A pattern is developing. I do hope you find it though.

[porshiepoo]

First it was an eagle owl, now it is a buzzard. A pattern is developing. I do hope you find it though.

I knew some ignorant person on here was going to make that comment, bit suprised it came from you though Rheghead, I gave you more credit than that.

Yes, we did lose the eagle owl however, when that escaped it was being looked after by someone we were paying. No excuse I know but it was an accident and we were living back in England at the time.

This buzzard was slightly different and my daughter at 15 has taken full responsibility for it and although she has told us the reason the bird was spooked she accepts that her was responsiblity to double check that the lead was clipped to her as it should have been.
This was a pure accident Rheghead, she takes that bird out every single day.

Not suprising I was extremely reluctant to even put anything on here about it is it with comments like that.

[Gleber2]

Ah hope yon burd disna atteck elephants.

[Liz]

So sorry to hear about the buzzard Porshiepoo. Really hope you get her back soon.

As you said it was an accident and your daughter must feel awful!

[footie chick]

Hope you get buzzard back soon they are lovely birds have one that sits at the bottom of my garden has done for the last couple of years think it has a nest somewhere near.

[Rheghead]

I knew some ignorant person on here was going to make that comment, bit suprised it came from you though Rheghead.

I have always been of the opinion that animals such as birds of prey should be either in the wild or in a proper aviary but only if they are rescue birds or part of an organised conservation programme.

There are plenty of normal animals to have as pets such as dogs , cats and hamsters etc to fill the need for animal husbandry.

[porshiepoo]

I have always been of the opinion that animals such as birds of prey should be either in the wild or in a proper aviary but only if they are rescue birds or part of an organised conservation programme.

There are plenty of normal animals to have as pets such as dogs , cats and hamsters etc to fill the need for animal husbandry.

And I have the exact same feeling Rheghead, which is why I choose not to have birds of prey. My husband and kids on the other hand love these animals, keep them in very big aviarys and spend a great deal of time with them.

If you'd bothered to ask before making unconstructive, ignorant and nasty comments you'd have found that although my daughter has 3 of these birds every single one of them is a rescue. She has spent alot of time with these birds and done extremely well with them even though one of them only has 1 wing and is still very wild.

My daughter already has to accept the fact that because she wasn't as alert as she maybe should have been,she now faces the fact that she may never get this bird back. (incidentally named Paris).

Personally, if it wasn't for the fact that the lead is still attatched, I'd be hoping that she manages to make it, however unlikely.

[JAWS]

Rheghead, I got the impression that it was a rescue bird which had shown it was unable to fend for itself in the wild.

[Rheghead]

And I have the exact same feeling Rheghead, which is why I choose not to have birds of prey. My husband and kids on the other hand love these animals, keep them in very big aviarys and spend a great deal of time with them.

If you'd bothered to ask before making unconstructive, ignorant and nasty comments you'd have found that although my daughter has 3 of these birds every single one of them is a rescue. She has spent alot of time with these birds and done extremely well with them even though one of them only has 1 wing and is still very wild.

My daughter already has to accept the fact that because she wasn't as alert as she maybe should have been,she now faces the fact that she may never get this bird back. (incidentally named Paris).

Personally, if it wasn't for the fact that the lead is still attatched, I'd be hoping that she manages to make it, however unlikely.

So they are still pets at the end of the day. They should be in a proper sanctuary.

No nastiness intended just my opinion, the fact that you have seen nastiness in my comments is due to the fact that you disapprove of your husband and daughters actions and you have not the gaul to tackle them about it instead you have accused me of being nasty as a vent for your own frustration. The fact that you so far have proved so far to be totally irreponsible in keeping these birds only serves to add to your own guilt. As I said, they should be in a sanctuary where they will get 24/7 care. Your track record has so far not been good for all your excuses.

[JAWS]

Porsiepoo, I'd love to keep birds of prey except I don't have the patience to do it. They are wasted when they are wild and you can't get close enough to admire the detail of their plumage.

If I could have any animal to keep as a pet then I would choose cheetahs. I understand they make wonderful pets and are also very good hunters.

Meanwhile I suppose I'll have to stick with my semi-house-trained wolf descendants.
I have to restrain them from resorting to their wild habits as ex wild wolves in order to prevent them chasing the caged sheep in the next field, poor captured and restrained creatures as they are.

I believe all field boundaries should be grubbed out so all animals can have their freedom. I hate seeing any animal restrained by artificial boundaries.

Freedom is what they deserve and freedom is what they should be allowed. Besides, they would keep my conserved cheetahs entertained and fit chasing them.
Of course, should they escape I would feel no guilt whatsoever. I would simple consider that they had achieved their freedom in order to return to their natural state.
I do so hope nobody out there keeps budgerigars.

[webmannie]

had to be rescued again as it couldn't fend for itself.

Laws of the wild, it should have been left alone. Unless it was injured again?

Why couldn't it be released to the wild just now? If it didn't have the lead tied to it's leg, I would have said leave it alone and let the laws of nature takeover.

[porshiepoo]

Jaws: I agree totally lol. Lets hope theres not too many people out there keeping goldfish indoors or koi in their garden ponds or else they're liable for Rheghead's freedom rantings. lol. And as for all you horsey people, you ain't safe neither - those horses should be set free to live life out in the wild, (fingers crossed they can survive out there) unrestricted by paddock fencings or the comforts and love you give them, being hunted by Jaws' wolf descendant dogs or cheetahs he's had to release lol.
Even Balmore won't be safe from Rhegheads rantings eh, poor defenceless doggies and kitttens being kept in those cages whilst trying to find loving, caring forever homes. Balmore should release them all and give them the freedom they deserve. They should be able to run free and wild with the pet rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, budgies, horses, and sheep and drink from rivers filled with pet koi, goldfish, terrapins etc etc. So next time any of you make a posting on here for a lost pet Remember - Rheghead's watching youuuuu!

Rheghead: You're ignorance, insensitivity and complete lack of knowledge astounds me.
yes, We could set these birds free ( we never bred any of them) and let them attempt to fend for themselves in the wild but is that the kinder thing to do???
I've admitted that I don't particularly like to see birds in aviaries, the same as I don't like to know lambs are bred for slaughter etc, but contrary to what you seem to think my family are well aware of how I feel, I have no problems whatsoever telling them.
However, the buzzards were wild and in car accidents, one has lost a wing, one was rescued by someone and kept cruelly in a razorwire cage where she lost every feather and resembled a chicken when we got to her. When release was attempted the two that could fly couldn't survive and had to be re-rescued.
What is the difference between the sanctuary keeping them and us Rheghead? Have you been to some of these 'sanctuaries'? Alot of the birds are kept on T-bars outside 24/7 because they simply don't have the room or facilities for the amount of birds that come in.
Here, they have their own flights, their own indoor areas and they get care 24/7 as well as more handling than they've ever had.
We would never breed any of these animals as we know there are plenty out there that could do with rescueing and thats where we're more happy to help.
Incidentally Rheghead, Jaws made another good point. We have alot of people asking to come and look at these birds, which we're more than happy with and it's the only chance they get to see these magnificent birds up close.
So, next time you want to make such accusations Rheghead I suggest you go and look at some of these sanctuaries you stand up for and if you still feel the same about them after that, well then that makes you a worse person than I'll ever be.

[porshiepoo]

Laws of the wild, it should have been left alone. Unless it was injured again?

I respect your view there, especially as you don't put it in such an insensitive way as Rheghead.

Why couldn't it be released to the wild just now? If it didn't have the lead tied to it's leg, I would have said leave it alone and let the laws of nature takeover.

Even my daughter, who loves this bird more than anything, has said that if it wasn't for the lead attatched she'd be praying for the bird to make it in the wild. All of us would get a great kick out of knowing she's free and managing to survive.
As for the one with one wing - well it's obvious why that one couldn't be re-released, and yes personally if it had been us that had rescued it in the first place we probably would have had it put to sleep rather than restrict her to a life of captivity. But it wasn't us that rescued her initially.
The other one we rescued from someone who kept her in a razorwire cage, perhaps my husband should have just left her and let the 'laws of nature' take over . I guess we're just not kind enough for that eh!

[webmannie]

yes, We could set these birds free ( we never bred any of them) and let them attempt to fend for themselves in the wild but is that the kinder thing to do???

If they are fit enough and there is no reason not to. They should be trained to fend for themselves and if successful, released.

See http://www.birds-of-prey.org/archive...ty_of_life.php for whether it is kind or not. Look at the link to The “Minimum Standards for Wildlife Rehabilitation”, page 50, provides guidelines for release conditions.

[porshiepoo]

If they are fit enough and there is no reason not to. They should be trained to fend for themselves and if successful, released.

See http://www.birds-of-prey.org/archive...ty_of_life.php for whether it is kind or not. Look at the link to The “Minimum Standards for Wildlife Rehabilitation”, page 50, provides guidelines for release conditions.

Okey dokey I can see I'm kinda banging my head against a brick wall here.

Firstly, the sanctuary did attempt to re-release this buzzard but the release failed. They made their decision, with all their information and wisdom that this bird could not be released again. OK.
The second buzzard has 1 wing only so obviously cannot be released.
The third buzzard we have quite a limited background on. We believe she may have been wild but in any case lost all her feathers due to razor wire. Once a year this poor bird loses feathers and so cannot fly all the time. She is also too hand tame now to release with any real optimism that she'll survive.
Incidentally, if the sanctuary had said to us that we take these birds on the condition that we attempt a rehabilitation programme with them, we would have walked away. We have no expertise in that area and would essentially do more harm than good.

The eagle owls and the barn owl were hand reared (not by us) and we bought them from people who were either having to give them up or just couldn't look after them any longer, obviously these birds have no hope for any kind of freedom attempt.

I really do understand where you're coming from though, I have very similar feelings about caged birds of any kind but I also know the conditions that we got these birds from. Maybe you are someone who could walk away from a distressed bird and feel great knowing you let nature take over, personally we couldn't, just the same as I couldn't walk away from a human or any other animal in distress. Now maybe thats a major flaw on our part but if thats as bad as we get then we'll learn to live with it.

[webmannie]

Firstly don't assume i'm an imbecile, I had read your previous postings, do you honestly think I am endorsing that a bird with one wing should be released?

Think you better revisit my responses. I said

If they are fit enough and there is no reason not to.

You are 'banging your head against a brick wall' because you did not supply the full facts

[pultneytooner]

As far as I can understand, these birds are not capable of surviving in the wild and porshies family provide shelter, food and kindness for these birds and they should be applauded, not villified.
At least they are keeping them for the right reasons.
The bird escaped, it was an accident and her daughter probably feels bad enough about it without needing to be told.

[Rheghead]

Rheghead: You're ignorance, insensitivity and complete lack of knowledge astounds me.
yes, We could set these birds free ( we never bred any of them) and let them attempt to fend for themselves in the wild but is that the kinder thing to do???
I've admitted that I don't particularly like to see birds in aviaries, the same as I don't like to know lambs are bred for slaughter etc, but contrary to what you seem to think my family are well aware of how I feel, I have no problems whatsoever telling them.
However, the buzzards were wild and in car accidents, one has lost a wing, one was rescued by someone and kept cruelly in a razorwire cage where she lost every feather and resembled a chicken when we got to her. When release was attempted the two that could fly couldn't survive and had to be re-rescued.
What is the difference between the sanctuary keeping them and us Rheghead? Have you been to some of these 'sanctuaries'? Alot of the birds are kept on T-bars outside 24/7 because they simply don't have the room or facilities for the amount of birds that come in.
Here, they have their own flights, their own indoor areas and they get care 24/7 as well as more handling than they've ever had.
We would never breed any of these animals as we know there are plenty out there that could do with rescueing and thats where we're more happy to help.
Incidentally Rheghead, Jaws made another good point. We have alot of people asking to come and look at these birds, which we're more than happy with and it's the only chance they get to see these magnificent birds up close.
So, next time you want to make such accusations Rheghead I suggest you go and look at some of these sanctuaries you stand up for and if you still feel the same about them after that, well then that makes you a worse person than I'll ever be.

Porshie, let me get this straight,

You call me ignorant and insensitive, yet we BOTH agree that keeping these birds is the wrong thing to do, AND you admit to making your feelings quite clear to your husband and daughter AND you say that you keeping these birds is no worse than keeping them in a sanctuary yet you slag them off for not being up to scratch AND like me you have thought that it may be kinder to let them go free AND YOU have the gall to call me insensitive and ignorant?

Personally, my position is that these birds should have been left in the wild to fend for themselves, they are wild animals afterall. It is cruel to shelter these animals.