Slaughter of guns for birds
Bird hunting season started on September 1st, and according to local bird watchers, the interest has spiked. “You’d think you were in Beirut,” is one of the phrases used to describe to volume of gunfire witnessed at Lough Sheelin these mornings. The birdwatchers criticise the inconsistency of the framework of Open Season and call on the government to commission a better monitoring scheme.
“When the birds reach here, they’re met with a slaughter of guns,” says Michael McKiernan, Chairperson Cavan Birdwatch Ireland, about the beginning of bird hunting season. The time where “people depended on the ducks for a Sunday meal” is long past, comments Michael on the necessity of hunting. And: “An awful lot of the ducklings of this year’s breeding, there wouldn’t even be anything on them.”
Not to mention the issue of bird flu. “You shouldn’t be eating wild birds for health reasons,” Michael highlights.
Hunting, he believes, is done simply for the sport of it and with questionable methods. He describes what he regards as highly organised hunting techniques, including decoy ducks, camouflaged boats and groups of shooters: “He’s not supposed to shoot from a boat, but he doesn’t have to. He can drive towards the ducks, and the ducks will get up, circle around and they see their friends [decoy ducks] down in a little alcove, so off they go in, and I watched it myself, you know, just as they came to hit the water, the gunfire starts, and you’d think you were in Beirut.”
According to the Open Seasons Order published on the National Parks & Wildlife Service website, from September 1 to January 31, Snipe, Golden Plover and Shoveler can be hunted. The same website has published a list of Birds of Conservation Concern - red-listed species including Snipe, Golden Plover and Shoveler during Breeding and Wintering season.
How can this overlap be explained? Tom Broe, Secretary of Cavan Branch of BirdWatch Ireland, delves into the complications of the national rules: “There is an inconsistency in the gathering of data and its application to the Open Seasons Order. Hopefully the department will undertake more regular reviews of the Open Seasons Order List and publish its decision-making process.”
He continues to say, how important it is that all stakeholders are engaged and consulted with in any amendments to the Open Seasons Order. “Better communication with hunting bodies could lead to the systematic recording of bag data from hunters and in turn with raised awareness there might be less need for prosecutions for breaches of wildlife legislation.”
Where data doesn’t exist the Minister should employ the precautionary principle, urges Tom. “Act before the evidence exists and the population possibly declines further.”
Regardless of the lists, Michael also questions whether hunters can reliably distinguish protected species from huntable species in the brief moment when a bird takes flight. Although experienced shooters may recognise common species such as mallards, rarer species within a flock may be difficult to identify. “To them, it’s the sport for just being able to sight the duck and hit it with a shot.”
He believes the issue is particularly problematic where protected and unprotected lakes are close together, because birds move between them and hunters can shoot on lakes where hunting is permitted. “The bird won’t know which lake is protected and which isn’t.”
Currently, Lough Oughter, Lough Ramor and Dartrey/Fairfield are listed Wildfowl Sanctuaries. Shooting wild birds is not permitted at those locations.
Asked whether hunting has hampered their conservation efforts, Tom admits “it does feel like you are in competition to enjoy the outdoors with hunting enthusiasts”. Organising outings in the winter during hunting season “can be challenging” as very few lakes in Cavan enjoy protection from hunting. “It can be difficult to observe and count birds if hunting is ongoing in the area as it causes a significant disturbance.”
In his opinion, hunting has not detracted from their conservation efforts as issues like land use changes and global warming have had significant impacts. But he points out: “Where species are critically endangered that every effort is made to reduce stresses on the population and hunting a bird could tip a vulnerable population over the edge.”
National Parks & Wildlife Service and the relevant Government Department were asked for a comment, but had not responded at the time of going to print.