Sparrows

[Tartar Horde]

So far in East Yorkshire the Winter has been quite mild without any snow, so far!, this has led in my area to an increase in the number of Sparrows. I normally put out food for the birds as this helps to keep them off my crops with an easier source of food available. I put Corn out for the Wood pigeons and although I have up to six a day visit my garden, they don't eat my plants with a ready supply of Corn, plus Corn fed Pigeon is very nice The Sparrows are so numerous now that they are attacking my Peas en masse and have decimated a complete row. I'm going to plant again today, and have to net the full crop. Has anyone else noticed an increase in Sparrows?, I also think that come Autumn there will be a lot more Pigeons than normal due to the mild conditions, coupled with good rainfall. I walked round the Farm yesterday and everything is growing like crazy, and the Woods and hedgerows are looking very lush and Green.

[Barneyboy]

funny you should say that mate ,walking the dogs the other day and the hedges was bloody terming with them ,been some time that I have seen so many

[bigpaul]

we have some but I wouldn't say teeming, lots of little birds in general but the wood pigeons and the collared doves seem to have taken over and eat most of the food we put out, they take over the garden when they arrive every morning.

[Scythe13]

I've noticed a lot of everything, except rabbits.

TH, I know you're fully law abiding, but this is still useful information for other members not keyed up with hunting laws. With sparrows is they are not on the general license, so cannot be 'exterminated'.

What TH is doing with the netting is probably one of the only things you can do.

There is the option of little bits of silverfoil to scare them off (they don't like the glistening, apparently) but you could get a magpie or 2 trying to steal your silverfoil haha.

[T-oddity]

I rely heavily on an agro mesh to keep birds and insect off my crops on my allotment, would prefer to cull the woodies for their meat, but it is written into the allotment contract we cannot take game or control any of the vermin.

[Barneyboy]

what even rats?

[T-oddity]

yep shouldn't do rats either, that's left to the council pest controller,

[CharlesHarris]

When in Italy I ate sparrows and wood pigeon with the local farmers. I would not hesitate to cook and eat them in hard times. In Tuscany they catch birds in nets at dusk along flyways bordering the crop fields. Lo spiedo bresciano goes back centuries, and was a holiday dish of those too poor to afford other meats, and not allowed, by the ruling nobility, to hunt anything larger. The Contadini bent on providing a meal for their families naturally went after what the nobility didn't care about, small birds which ate the crops in the fields, because barnyard animals that provided commodities such as eggs, or be sold to raise cash, were much too valuable to be eaten. The typical recipe is called Lo Spiedo Bresciano aka the Brescian Spit
http://italianfood.about.com/od/italianp...120507.htm

Today it is "illegal" to catch what was once commonly allowed, so to enjoy a traditional Speido Bresciano you must catch (or shoot) the birds yourself, have a friend who hunts, or buy commercially raised small game birds.

The birds are plucked, eyes are removed, and they are gutted. Then they are spitted, arranging so the heads all face the same same way, and putting the smallest birds at the ends of the spit where the heat is lower, with a slice of pork or venison loin, or rabbit rolled up around a strip of lard and a sage leaf between each pair of birds. The spit is basted with melted butter.
Figure about three to four birds, and an equivalent volume of other meat, venison, boar, veal, pork or chicken, per person, cutting other meats to the size of the dressed birds to insure everything cooks at the same rate.

When you have assembled and cut your meats, spit them in repeating order, Bresciani (using everything) start with a slice of potato, followed by a rolled up piece of pork, a sage leaf, a songbird (spitted side-to-side), sage, potato, a piece of rabbit, sage, potato, a songbird, sage, potato, a piece of rabbit or chicken, sage, potato, a pork spare rib, sage, and so on, until all is spitted. When spitting the meats, make certain the birds are all arranged facing the same way.

Roast over a hot hardwood fire which has burned down to coals, and sing heartily while sipping red wine, serve with salad and bread. In boca al lupo!

[Tartar Horde]

Been shooting since childhood 50 now, never heard of this "general license", nor has any Farmer I know. Crows, Rooks, Magpies, Pigeons (wood & Feral) Collared Doves and certain types of Seagull have always been on the "vermin list" and shot as and when they become a problem. As for asking "permission" to shoot Rats, I've never heard such a thing on your own property, If I told my Farmer mate he has to ask "permission" to shoot Rats he'd laugh at me.

[Scythe13]

The General License came into place to account for the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981(http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/69)
The GL over-rides the WCA, which allows for certain species to be controlled.

Basically, the GL is the government's way to control what species get shot and which don't. To shoot an animal outside of the bounds of the GL is a punishable offense. So if a person was to shoot a sparrow, under any circumstances other than specific legal permission obtained directly from the courts, then they would be punishable for breaking the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and thus are in deep doodoo. Even though most kids with a BB gun have taken the odd pot shot at some kind of bird, ignorance is not a legally standing defense. There was a kid in Bham that was shooting birds in his garden. Neighbour's complained, he's now redlisted. No chance this kid is ever going to get an FAC or SGC, or any number of things like that. No chance of a job in law enforcement either, or many other careers that may need background checks.

The General License is not something you have to fill out paperwork to get. It's simply a set of laws that anyone with a gun needs to adhere to. Like a dog license really. Anyone can get a dog, but there are rules you need to stick to.

The Permission thing is just the permission of the land owner. It's not a legal permission you have to ask the gov for. It's for non-landowners to ask permission from the land owner to hunt on their land. For example, if I have a crow problem on my own piece of land, I am entitled to go out there and shoot the crows (providing the terms of the GL are fulfilled).
If I see a farmers land with a load of crows on it, clearly causing a problem, I can't just go over there and start shooting crows. It's trespassing and technically armed trespassing. Thus the need for the permission from the land owner.