§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list, by estate, those occasions on which birds belonging to protected species have been found(a) shot, (b) poisoned or (c) otherwise illegally killed in each of the past five years; and how many (i) prosecutions and (ii) convictions have resulted.
§ Mr. SoamesCases reported to this Ministry of protected birds killed by poisoning are given in the table on a county basis as details of the estates on which poisoned birds have been found are not readily available. The location where a poisoned bird is found is not necessarily the same place as where it consumed the, poison. This Ministry does not collect information on protected bird species that have been illegally shot or otherwise illegally killed.
Information held centrally by the Home Office on prosecutions and convictions for illegal activities cannot separately identify the killing of protected birds from other illegal activities against them because the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 does not separately identify an offence of killing wild birds from the offence of injuring or taking them.
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Details of illegal poisoning incidents reported to MAFF involving protected bird species from 1989–93 County Year Number and species involved Avon 1991 1 buzzard 1992 1 crow Bedfordshire 1993 1 red kite Buckinghamshire 1992 10 feral pigeons Cambridge 1989 2 chaffinches 1990 1 buzzard 1991 1 crow 1993 Several rooks Cheshire 1992 4 magpies 1993 Numerous crows and magpies 1 crow, 2 jackdaws, 4 magpies Cornwall 1990 3 buzzards 1991 1 red kite 1992 1 buzzard, 1 gull, several crows
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County Year Number and species involved Cumbria 1989 2 buzzards 1 buzzard 1 buzzard, 2 crows 2 buzzards, several crows 1990 2 buzzards 1 buzzard 2 buzzrds 1 crow 1 crow 1991 2 buzzards 1 buzzard 1992 1 buzzard 1 buzzard, several crows 1 buzzard 1993 1 rook Derbyshire 1989 1 kestrel 1 goshawk 1990 1 sparrowhawk Devon 1989 1 buzzard 1990 8 feral pigeons 1991 1 buzzard 1992 2 peregrines 1993 1 buzzard Dorset 1989 1 buzzard 1992 2 buzzards, 1 peregrine Durham 1993 1 buzzard East Sussex 1989 46 feral pigeons, 2 black-headed gulls 3 crows 1990 Several feral pigeons 1993 Several feral pigeons Essex 1990 8 black-headed gulls 1993 2 magpies 1 magpie Greater London 1993 20–30 feral pigeons 60 feral pigeons Hampshire 1989 1 buzzard 1993 1 little owl Hereford and Worcester 1989 c. 300 mallard and pheasants 1 red kite 1990 1 sparrowhawk 1 buzzard 1 buzzard Several pheasants 19 crows, 1 jackdaw, 1 pheasant,1 woodpigeon, 2 greenfinch 1991 11 pheasants, 3 jays, many woodpigeon 2 crows 1 buzzard Several house sparrows Humberside 1990 17 rooks 1992 8 rooks, 9 feral pigeons 1993 12 mallard Kent 1990 Blackbirds, robins and starlings 1991 2 rooks, 1 magpie 1 kestrel Lancashire 1989 2 magpies 1990 1 hen harrier 1 kestrel 1991 1 red-tailed hawk (falconer's bird) 1 magpie, 1 rook 1992 48 rooks, 1 pheasant 1993 1 buzzard, 1 rook
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County Year Number and species involved Lincolnshire 1989 1 tawny owl, 1 crow 4 blackbirds, 4 house sparrows 1990 1 crow, 1 rook, 5 magpies 1991 2 magpies More than 25 feral pigeons 20 gulls 1992 91 brent geese, 1 pheasant Norfolk 1989 Several house sparrows, feral pigeons and blackbird 1991 20+ feral pigeons 1992 c. 30 pheasants, 1 robin Several feral pigeons, 1 robin 1993 1 hen harrier Northumberland 1992 9 rooks, 1 crow, 1 magpie,1 chaffinch 1 goshawk North Yorkshire 1989 18 mallard, 1 moorhen 1 crow 1990 2 crows 3 rooks 1991 1 hen harrier 1 rook 1992 2 kestrels, several crows 1993 4 feral pigeon, 1 woodpigeon, 1 rook, 2 jackdaws, 1 yellowhammer Nottinghamshire 1990 1 sparrowhawk 30 pheasants 1992 1 buzzard 1993 5 magpies, 1 crow Oxfordshire 1990 1 red kite 1993 1 sparrowhawk Shropshire 1989 1 buzzard Several feral pigeons, 1 blackbird Several crows, jackdaws and rooks Several rooks 1990 2 buzzard 1 buzzard Several rooks and woodpigeon 2 crows 1 magpie 1991 1 magpie Numerous rooks and jackdaws Numerous magpies and 2 jackdaws 1992 1 magpie South Yorkshire 1990 3 kestrels, 1 sparrowhawk Staffordshire 1991 1 magpie Several starlings 1992 1 buzzard Somerset 1989 1 buzzard 1991 2 buzzards Suffolk 1989 1 sparrowhawk 1990 4 mallard Surrey 1991 1 magpie Tyne and Wear 1989 Several gulls and crows 1991 Several house sparrows 1993 Many house sparrows, blackbirds, starlings Warwickshire 1990 2 buzzards 1 jackdaw, 3 rooks 1991 1 buzzard, 1 crow West Midlands 1992 1 buzzard West Sussex 1992 1 magpie
County Year Number and species involved West Yorkshire 1991 1 magpie Wiltshire 1990 1 buzzard 1991 1 buzzard 1993 2 buzzards