1 Introduction
1.1 Background
Sparrowhawks are known to attack racing pigeons at and in the vicinity of racing pigeon lofts, and previous studies have quantified this ( e.g. Henderson et al. 2004). As well as resulting in direct mortality of pigeons, attacks are said to disrupt the training of birds so that they may become reluctant to return to the loft, or do not feel secure within the loft environment ( SHUpers. comm) A study was undertaken by a partnership between the Scottish Government ( SG), Scottish Natural Heritage ( SNH), and the Scottish Homing Union ( SHU) in response to a request made by the SHU that a legal form of control of Sparrowhawks operating in the vicinity of lofts should be trialled.
A trial was devised by the SG, SNH and SHU, in consultation with some other parties, to explore the effectiveness of two management options for reducing the frequency of Sparrowhawk attacks on racing pigeons in the immediate loft area. Management options were the: (1) capture, transfer and release (translocation) of Sparrowhawks operating in the vicinity of lofts; and (2) use of visual deterrents at lofts. SG and SNH provided scientific advice and on the ground support was provided by SHU during the project. A falconer was contracted to oversee the work, and to liaise with loft owners and the Scottish Homing Union (see Appendix 1). In addition, the contractor was responsible for the translocation of Sparrowhawks and monitoring their post release survival and movements via radiotracking. The Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ( SSPCA) was involved in an advisory role to oversee bird welfare issues, and attended the lofts immediately following the trapping of the majority of Sparrowhawks, and were in most cases present to inspect the birds again prior to release. Observations of Sparrowhawk activity in the vicinity of lofts were carried out by the loft owners as volunteers. The SHU was responsible for sending out and collating the custom-designed log books used to report the observations made by the loft owners. At the end of the trial, the BTO was contracted by SNH to provide an impartial and independent report on the work carried out.
1.2 Aims of this report
The objectives of the report are to:
1) Provide an independent overview of observation duration, numbers of Sparrowhawk attacks (and outcome of these), numbers of pigeons taken by predators and numbers lost or missing for unknown reasons, on the basis of diaries of observations made at SHU lofts;
2) Provide comparisons of attack rates and outcomes across the three treatments, where the data are sufficient to allow such comparisons;
3) Provide a summary of the details of each of the seven Sparrowhawks trapped and released by the contractor; and
4) Provide a commentary and critical appraisal of the methods used during the management trial, and the extent to which the results contribute to answering the question posed in the trial specification.