Report by MHARI KELLY

HORRIFIC crimes against wild birds are on the increase.

Birds of prey and owls are being shot, poisoned or killed for taxidermy.

One man was fined £750 at Northwich Magistrates Court for stealing eggs from a peregrine falcon's nest.

And now the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is calling for tougher sentencing for offenders.

"Many criminals appear to treat convictions as no more serious than a parking ticket, to be paid and forgotten," said Graham Elliot, head of investigations at the RSPB.

"We want more effective penalties to be available, including custodial sentences."

Cruelty which has happened in this area includes:

A barn owl and jack snipe being killed illegally to be stuffed for taxidermy.

A raven cruelly held in a trap.

Many thefts from nests.

And a Canada goose being shot.

On a national scale, reported crime against wild birds has increased by 10%.

Graham added: "Effective deterrents are needed to stop nest robbers, poisoners and trappers from plundering or persecuting the nation's most valuable wildlife."

Mark Smith, of Cheshire Waterlife Aquatic and Falconry, which is based at Blakemere Craft Centre in Sandiway, has worked with birds since he was 12 in Africa.

Now he is head falconer at Blakemere, where he looks after a total of 73 birds varying from rare owls to kestrels, harris hawks and peregrine falcons.

As an expert, he agrees with the RSPB's policy to crackdown on persistent offenders.

But Mark does not feel that people who take birds from the wild just to fly them should be more severely punished.

"Because I have flown birds all my life, I obviously care if any harm comes to them.

"Certainly someone stealing eggs to just have them in a glass cabinet, or people who kill birds should be punished more severely than just a fine," he said.

Faye Birchall, co-owner of the establishment, described just how popular the Northwich area has become for rare birds.

She said: "Within eight miles of this centre there are long-eared owls which are really rare. We only have one pair in this country being bred in captivity.

"We have also seen wild buzzards flying around this centre. And we have a Kestrel that comes here.

"Barn owls have been seen in places like Whitegate. And there's one that hunts near Weaverham High School at night."

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