More poisoned birds die in Wanstead

Jonathan Lethbridge, of the Wanstead Birder blog, today reports that more birds have been found dead on Wanstead Flats after a suspected poisoning. He writes that he now has more accurate numbers of deaths – 79, rather than the 100 he thought yesterday.

[T]hat is still an awful lot. The majority are Crows… I spotted another dead bird in the water… and then commented to the others present that one of the Pigeons didn’t look at all well. This proved to be correct, and within a few minutes it was flapping its last on the bank, whilst a group of male Pigeons thoughtfully mated with it as it lay there helpless. The [ITN] film crew were there to capture its final moments… Actually seeing a Pigeon croaking is probably very pleasing to many Londoners…