10ft windspan Vulture at 36,000 feet over Scotland

[radio ears]

Hi,

A 10ft wingspan Vulture that can fly to 36,000 feet has been lost in Scotland. BBC News - Missing vulture could pose threat in Scottish skies (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-11011384) Air warnings have been issued, could be quite a bird strike!

[Mike Parsons]

I wonder if she has her own squawk assigned....

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Windspan??? Is that to do with the wind speeds it can tolerate?

[noperf]

I remember seeing a picture of a Pan Am 737 radome crushed by a bird impact while flying at high altitude. Anyone have a picture to post?

[Ridge Runner]

It must be a freak, the Ruppell's averages out at 8.5 feet..... Great how news people see things! It makes you question them constantly! RR

[Avman]

10ft or 8.5ft, it'll still make a hell of a bang!

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

But in countries where these vultures fly in the wild there are still plenty of aircraft. How many suffer from vulture hits at such high levels?

I'm glad the vulture escaped and may now return to freedom in the sky, where it belongs...

[Ridge Runner]

I'm glad the vulture escaped and may now return to freedom in the sky, where it belongs... Absolutely!

Closer to home than the wilds of the himalaya etc, you often get strikes out of Madrid, so it is a real threat. There are a lot of Black and Griffon vultures on Mallorca but I've not heard of any strikes. Anyone?

RR

[Yellow Sun]

How many suffer from vulture hits at such high levels?


FL280 vs a Steppe Eagle in the middle east, it does happen.

YS

[Helicopterfixerman]

I'm glad the vulture escaped and may now return to freedom in the sky, where it belongs...


Unfortunately the bird is unlikely to last too long in the wild in good health, away from the care and attention of it's handlers. As part of a breeding program the Vulture has become very accustomed to being around humans and therefore has very little fear of them.

It remains to be seen how long it will survive in the wild to which it is not accustomed without being hand fed, as it has been used to.

So I have to say that not everyone would agree with your, no doubt well intentioned, sentiment.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

So why should anyone wish to breed vultures in captivity, in Scotland of all places?

[Helicopterfixerman]

There are many animals in breeding programs all over the world, the location of the which having little to do with said program. I'm not sure, i'd need to check but I do not think this bird was bred in captivity, I suspect it is more likely to be a rescued bird.

The purpose of most programs is to (hopefully) successfully breed for release threatened or endangered species, back into what is their natural habitat. Where possible and practical, the offspring of the breeding pair will be released in carefully controlled programs, with minmal human conditioning. Obviously the down side of this is that the original birds will become so conditioned to human contact that they cannot realistically be released.

In centres like the one that this Vulture has been lost from, they also serve a secondary role of education and this particular bird, like many from true "Falconry" centres, fly daily under the supervision of their dedicated handlers, much to the awe and delight of many members of the public who would otherwise be unable to see them in action. This in itself is no good reason to hold a bird captive, but it is an interesting and useful bi-product of what many see as a necessary evil. The birds get their required exercise, and they are encouraged to work for their food.

It's not an ideal situation, but the recent (relatively speaking) reintroduction of Red Kites and White Tailed Sea Eagles to parts of the UK show the value of the sacrifice captive breeding birds make.

Captivity may technically be the correct word, but these birds are far from caged in frustration.

[Mr_Grubby]

Heliman.

Thanks. Good, informed post.

C.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<The birds get their required exercise, and they are encouraged to work for their food.>>

And in between "shows" they are sometimes kept in what I, as a bird lover, would describe as quite appalling conditions. My wife and I visited one of these places a few years ago. Seeing the birds fly was great, but seeing them sitting on small wooden perches in enclosures no bigger than my garden shed was heart-breaking. Those that appear at various country shows are carted around, cooped up in lorries. This is not, I suggest, the proper life for a wild bird.

"Re-introduction" of various species, e.g. Red Kite, has not, I suggest, any real benefit for the birds. It merely satisfies some bizarre human desire to prove it can be done. The attempted re-introduction of Bustards was tragic in the early days..

[Mr_Grubby]

HD.

Sorry Bren. Not with you on this one !!!

These birds need all the help they can get.

Red Kites are moving south towards our village. Fantastic sight !

C.

[dilldog01]

The Red Kite reintroduction seems to have been extremely successful with the birds now visible in much of the UK again,the Chilterns being a particular stronghold...anyone visiting Wycombe Air Park or the vicinity is guaranteed seeing them in flight

[Glamdring]

sitting on small wooden perches in enclosures no bigger than my garden shed

These birds are predators. In the wild they will spend the least amount of time flying as possible in order to catch their food. The rest of the time is spent sitting on a branch conserving energy. They get no "enjoyment" from flying. If they are well fed, the are quite happy to sit still on a perch 24/7.