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norrisatthey · Joined: 19 Aug 2007 Posts: 9 Location: Ulgham Morpeth

Lord Redesdale claim in House of Lords and on television are misleading to say the least. Greys have established themselves in what is known as the Wansbeck Corridor.They are being trapped in various parts of Northumberland including the estates of Lord Ridley and the Duke of Northumberland.There are also private estates in the areas of Hartburn, Angerton and Mitford where there are greys but trapping is not being carried out. It is more than likely that greys are already in Kielder. As a point of interest Kielder has about 50 breeding pairs of Goshawks, each pair will probably take about 30 to 50 reds a year.

Nutkin · Joined: 27 Nov 2008 Posts: 4

Natural populations of organisms need natural levels of predation if they are to stay healthy. The predators remove chiefly the old, injured, diseased and weak individuals and this is good for the genetic health of the population (if a little unfortunate for the individuals concerned!).

Goshawks are natural predators of red squirrels. Blurring the boundaries by comparing native predators which are themselves struggling for survival with non-native invasive grey squirrels and their viral diseases simply confuses the issue and drives potential supporters away.