SEGEN 4
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
Air Safety Protection Licence
Purpose
The purpose of this proposed licence is to allow birds to be taken or killed, but only as a last resort, for the purposes of the protection of air safety. A legal condition will be inserted to ensure that this licence may not be used unless there is no other satisfactory solution.
Draft Conditions
1. Birds which may be taken or killed under this licence are:
Carrion Crow | Corvus corone |
Hooded Crow | Corvus cornix |
Great Black-backed Gull | Larus marinus |
Lesser Black-backed Gull | Larus fuscus |
Herring Gull | Larus argentatus |
Black Headed Gull | Larus ridibundus |
Common or Mew Gull | Larus canus |
Jackdaw | Corvus monedula |
Magpie | Pica pica |
Feral Pigeon | Columba livia |
Rook | Corvus frugilegus |
Starling | Sturnus vulgaris |
Woodpigeon | Columba palumbas |
Stock Dove | Columba oenas |
Feral Pigeon | Columba livia |
Eurasian Oystercatcher | Haematopus ostralegus |
Northern Lapwing | Vanellus vanellus |
Mallard Duck | Anas platyrhynchos |
2. The methods which may be used, except where further restrictions apply below, are:
- A Larsen cage trap
- A cage trap
- Shooting
- Shooting with a semi-automatic weapon
- Damage or destruction of nests, or the taking and destruction of eggs
3. Additionally, birds other than those listed above may be taken or killed at the following airports according to the lists of birds for each airport which are defined below, but always according to the conditions of this licence and only within the perimeter of the airports:
Barra | Eurasian Curlew | Numenius arquata | |
Benbecula | Greylag Goose | | Anser anser |
Cambpeltown | Greylag Goose | | Anser anser |
Edinburgh | Greylag Goose | | Anser anser |
Inverness | Greylag Goose | | Anser anser |
Eurasian Curlew | Numenius arquata | |
Islay | Greylag Goose | | Anser anser |
Kirkwall | Greylag Goose | | Anser anser |
Eurasian Curlew | Numenius arquata | |
Tiree | Greylag Goose | | Anser anser |
RAF Kinloss | Eurasian Curlew | Numenius arquata | |
RAF Leuchars | Eurasian Curlew | Numenius arquata | |
RAF Lossiemouth | Eurasian Curlew | Numenius arquata | |
4. This licence only applies to airports in so long as they are following the guidelines set out in the Civil Aviation Authority document CAP 680, and have considered non-lethal methods of control and have good reason to believe them ineffective without excessive cost.
5. Aerodrome Managers shall submit to the Scottish Executive, at the end of each licensing year, a report detailing the numbers of birds of each species taken or killed in that year and saying whether they have complied with all the terms of this licence.
Traps
6. Birds other than the species listed in this licence should be released unharmed immediately on being found in a Larsen or a Cage Trap.
7. In the case of the Larsen Trap, no bird may be confined in such a trap as a decoy except a bird of the following species:
Carrion Crow | Corvus corone |
Hooded Crow | Corvus cornix |
Magpie | Pica pica |
8. In the case of the Larsen Trap, or other Cage Trap, the trap shall be physically inspected by an authorised person, within each 24 hours, except in the case of severe weather conditions, e.g. as a result of heavy snowfall. Physical inspection means that the operator must be close enough to the trap to see any small birds which may be hiding on the ground.
9. In the case of severe weather every effort must be made to inspect the cage as soon as possible, and a trap should be immobilised as per condition 13 if severe weather conditions are to continue. Traps should also be immobilised if weather conditions are forecast which would make it difficult to inspect the traps.
10. At each inspection of a Larsen Trap or Cage Trap all birds shall be removed from it, except in the case of a bird or birds which is or are being used as the new decoy(s).
11. Any decoy bird kept in any sort of cage trap must be provided with adequate food, water and shelter and a perch for the entire period during which it is used.
12. In the case of a Larsen Trap there must be a separate compartment for the decoy bird(s), and the decoy bird(s) must be removed from the trap when not in use.
13. When any Cage Trap is not in use it must be immobilised and rendered incapable of use in such a way that the immobilisation could not be reversed without considerable forethought or considerable difficulty. Examples of immobilisation are removal of doors, the use of locks and the closing off of bird entrances with wire clips.
14. All traps shall be numbered, and the operator shall keep a note of the locations of the traps, and each tag shall be marked with a tag that gives the trap number and a telephone number that may be rung in case of birds being found which are injured or in poor condition.
General Conditions
15. Licensees are reminded that nothing in this licence conveys any right of entry upon land. Prior permission should, where necessary, be sought from relevant landowners, before action in accordance with the authorisation in this licence is taken.
16. For the purposes of this licence, the purpose of entry onto land not owned or managed by the authorised person must be made clear to the land owner or land manager.
Definitions
17. In this licence "authorised person" means the owner, occupier or manager, or any person authorised by the owner, occupier or manager, of the land on which the action authorised is taken;
18. The term feral pigeon for the purposes of this licence includes racing pigeons which have settled or become resident in or around an airport.
Notes
1. Nothing in this licence conveys any right of entry upon land, and prior permission from the landowners in question should be obtained, if necessary, before action in accordance with the authorisation in this licence is taken.
2. Nothing in this licence exempts the licensee or any authorised person from complying with relevant firearms and public safety legislation.