Macron kills waders, bird lovers angry

This video from Britain says about itself:

17 August 2016

Godwits are large, elegant waders and relatively common in the right habitats at certain times of year. The two commonly encountered species, Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwit, should be reasonably straightforward to separate, although their eponymous tail markings may not always be the easiest feature to use! Some birds such as juveniles or out of context lone birds can prove more problematic, however, and this workshop will help you to confidently identify both species.

Translated from Dutch NPO radio today:

Conservationists angry with France about shooting of shorebirds

Nature organizations in the Netherlands and Belgium are angry about the decision of the French government to extend the hunting ban on the godwit with only one year, until 2020. This means that from then on it will be possible again to shoot godwits. “And to think that a lot of money is spent in the Netherlands and Belgium to protect the birds”, says Hendrik Moeremans of Natuurpunt in Belgium to News en Co on NPO Radio 1.

So far, the hunting ban on the black-tailed godwit in France had been extended twice by five years, so it has been forbidden for ten years to hunt the bird. According to Moeremans, strong signals are coming from France that the hunting ban will be lifted from 2020 onwards. “There is a very strong hunters’ lobby there.”

This video from Britain says about itself:

Curlew is a familiar wader, found in wild habitats around the UK. In April and May numbers of their smaller cousin, Whimbrel, will be moving through towards their northerly breeding sites and these birds can cause confusion. This video helps you to confidently separate the two species by sight and sound.

The NOS article continues:

Also concerned about the curlew

Moeremans is not only concerned about the black-tailed godwit, but also about another meadow bird, the curlew. “That bird may not be shot in France, except in the coastal region, and that is precisely the irony of this story, because curlews use that coastal region for their migration and to orient themselves to find the way to the south.”

BirdLife in the Netherlands also finds it a worrying development. “The [Dutch] government has made 9 million euros available for the protection of meadow and farmland birds this autumn, and also 800,000 euros has been spent this year in Flanders, so it is frustrating to see that in France, ten meters across the Belgian border, there is a decoy to enable shooting down curlews“, says Marc Scheurkogel.

Last summer BirdLife in the Netherlands already denounced the French proposal, because it is bad for the shorebirds. And now the worries in Belgium are increasing. “The population of curlews has decreased by about 5 percent every year since 1990. It is even more acute for the black-tailed godwit“, says Scheurkogel. “The black-tailed godwit also is our national bird, you used to see them everywhere, nowadays no longer.”

‘An out of control hobby’

Moeremans can not explain it to the people who help protect the birds in Belgium and the Netherlands. “Here in Belgium, and that also applies to the Netherlands, we convince farmers to take measures for meadow birds, and if people are convinced to work with it, it’s important that those results are there.” Now we feel like it’s useless.”

He finds it especially difficult to explain, because there is not really a reason why French hunters want to shoot the birds. “There is no need for population management, it is also not that they are consumed a lot or that it is a local specialty. It is difficult to see anything other than a hobby that got out of hand.”

Teachers across France struck on November 12 against the 2019 education budget of the government of Emmanuel Macron. It was the first time the trade unions have called a national education strike since 2011: here.