For the birds

One would think that Northern politicians would have more to do than concern themselves with birds. Yes, birds. The Unionist MP for East Antrim, Roy Beggs, issued a statement in the House of Commons this week supporting pigeon fanciers in their call for greater protection from predators. After meeting fanciers' representatives, he said they were suffering badly from increased predators. Peregrines were at their highest recorded levels and sparrowhawks were no longer country birds, but had become urbanised in their quest for prey. The 90,000 sparrow hawks in the UK killed 98 million small birds each year. It was shocking and incredible, he said.