Cyprus-Forum.com

[Jerry]

Jerry wrote:

Kafenes, Cyprus will have no bloody birds left soon. From what I have seen the UK bird population is not being obliterated by shooting as it is in Cyprus. I agree that historcally birds were shot to supplement diet but it's not necessary these days. I live in the countryside, the place is alive with birds, this year even the sparrow population seems to be recovering but the house martins that used to nest on our wall have disappeared completely. As you probaly know martins are migratory birds, they are "intercepted" somewhere on their journey (Spain I think). Wildlife throughout the world is under pressure, we should not be making matters worse for "fun".

Couldn't agree more Jerry, that's is why I stopped shooting 6 years ago as I found watching them much more enjoyable then shooting them. What upset me with BOF is the way he put the subject, ridiculing Cypriots in a smart arse manner. And regarding your comment in another post that 'Cypriot hunters shoot anything that moves', I think you should think well what you post before you post it.

OK Kafenes I'll re-phrase that "many Cypriot hunters will shoot anything that moves". I have been shooting many times in the UK, and a few times in Cyprus, with Cypriot hunters and I have seen them do it. I've given my father a bollocking for shooting game out of season, I've seen four grown men in Cyprus bring their car to a skidding halt, get out with their shotguns and chase one bird as big as a thrush across a field, I've seen protected birds shot and plucked quickly so that they could not be identified, I've seen birds shot from cars.

Yes, I did think well before I posted.

[Get Real!]

Dear Hunters,

When I look up in the sky and see little things flying around and chirping I say to myself… "those are birdies" , but when I look down on the hunter's belt and see little things dangling from it I say to myself… “those are corpses of birdies” .

Bird corpses don’t chirp, don’t fly around, don’t build pretty nests and don’t multiply. In fact all a bird corpse can do is give you a few grams of a fatty meaty substance and the false impression that it actually tasted good because of all the trouble you went to get it.

If you like firing weapons join a target shooting club but for crying out loud stop converting happy, chirping, little birdies into bloody mini corpses!

Oh, and by the way, I like them fluffy little things hopping around too so lay off them!

Worryingly yours… GR.

[kafenes]

Jerry wrote:

OK Kafenes I'll re-phrase that "many Cypriot hunters will shoot anything that moves". I have been shooting many times in the UK, and a few times in Cyprus, with Cypriot hunters and I have seen them do it. I've given my father a bollocking for shooting game out of season, I've seen four grown men in Cyprus bring their car to a skidding halt, get out with their shotguns and chase one bird as big as a thrush across a field, I've seen protected birds shot and plucked quickly so that they could not be identified, I've seen birds shot from cars.

Yes, I did think well before I posted.

You are right I have experienced a lot of illegal shooting in my times as well, but 50 or 100 cases does not represent 70,000 shooters. You say 'Cypriot hunters shoot anything that moves', this is generalising, and this is the kind of problem we even have with the Cyprus problem topics. Some bad GCs killed some TCs and the next thing we hear is that the GC shot any TC who moved.

[devil]

OK some personal experiences:
I live in a property backing onto government forest land. Hunters should know that it is illegal to discharge a shotgun at less than 300 m from any house. In any case, there is a game reserve panel posted about 150 m up the hill. Now I have a gate into the forest and know the area within 500 m around the back, like the back of my hand. I know the nature of the region and I know there are now no game birds or animals in that radius.

Every year, during the hunting season and sometimes out of it, these brilliant interpreters of the hunting laws shoot within a lot less than 300 m from the house, sometimes just a few m from our back gate, which is 25 m from the house. Not just once, but at least every other Sunday and sometimes on Wednesdays too. What do the shoot at? God knows! Sparrows, maybe. Certainly not game, as I know there is none. Then, several times a year, we are treated to the patter of shot hitting our roof. I have even picked a grapefruit from our garden with shot in it. We daren't go into the garden or let our dog into the garden on hunting days.

And I won't even mention the noise when a shotgus is fired close to the house.

If hunters respected the regulations, we may have more respect for their bloody "sport". As it is, some of them are simply butchers who have no respect for others.

[jambo]

On the subject...
I saw some very nice bee eaters today, they are so nice to look at..

[kafenes]

jambo wrote:

I saw some very nice bee eaters today, they are so nice to look at..

Agree, they are really beautiful birds.

[devil]

Yup! Meriops apiaster is a beautiful bird if you can get a good look at them. They are relatively common in April, but become rarer by mid-May until September and October, which are the best months to see them, with many times the numbers than during the spring migration. A few spend the summer on the island. Their song, in flight, is also very distinctive.

Bee-keepers hate them and often use lime-sticks (illegally, of course) on their hives to catch them. What they don't realise is that honeybees form only a very small part of their diet.