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Thanks Chris, Happy new year! This is obviously a very sensitive subject and everyone has such strong views about it, I'm almost afraid to join the discussion!!! I personally find that my opinion changes every time I read or hear something new. However I'm quite certain that the british government has gone about it in the wrong way. Forcing or removing a traditional way of life upon people purely by force is silly and will only lead to revolts against the enforcers (in this case, the poor police who don't really stand a chance.) The law is so unclear as to be pointless. I'm not really effected by hunting one way or another, however this brutal enforcment of political will is a worry. You simply have to wonder what they'll decide to do next!? For example, I use a bird of prey as a form of pest control on our land. Will the government suddenly decide that I am being unnecessarily cruel and ban me?! If so, then I won't ever be able to fly my bird free. (Is that not also cruel?) The fact that all I want him to chase are rabbits or pigeons doesn't stop him from going for anything that moves. Also, what happens if my dog happens to catch a hare? Would this be construed as 'hunting'? Will my dog have to be put down? Would every dog owner have to get a hunting licence 'just in case'? The british government seems to have rushed into this, despite people having said they've been working on it for some time. Breeders should have been given time to stop having litters so they wouldn't have to put down all their puppies. A beautiful litter of 10 adorable beagle pups, bred for hunting, near where I live were all put down because it's not just fox-hunting, it's hunting with dogs that's been banned. It's pure waste! Having said this, it doesn't look like the english are having too much luck creating new hunts in france, although I hear they are quite welcome to join existing ones. This seems by far the least disruptive route. After all, if some frenchman decided to start up a Chevalerie in an idyllic english town the whole country would be up in arms! Each to his own.

oooo! Red kite fledgling! I was so excited when i first saw it fly with it's mum and dad!!!! Or maybe the white magpie that has appeared this winter. Scariest one was the baby mink caught by the dog! eek!!!

You fantasic people! You have just given me my dissertation subject! hooray!  

Genius! It would help if I could spell! teehee! That was the place I was thinking of. I'll look up those other places too and see which can give me the best info. You're an absolute star! Thankyou,

Wow you get such a range of raptors in France...i'm so jealous. On our property we have resident kestrels and some buzzards nearby that we see flying over quite often. Most excitingly this year was a pair of red kites who decided to nest in a tree in our paddock. They raised one chick who fledged succesfully and we havn't seen any of them for months now. I hope they come back next year (despite them mobbing my hawk.) I'll do some research on Chateau de Milandes and Lammergeler. The place I had heard of was called Rocamadore, but i havn't been able to find out any more than the name. Have any of you heard of it? Thanks very much for your suggestions, (P.S. I've never heard of vultures eating anything other than dead, or very nearly dead, animals.)

Hello I'm new to the forum and I'm going to be studying an aspect of birds of prey in france for my university course. I was thinking perhaps of endangered species. Unfortunatly I know very little about the birds of prey in france so I'd be grateful for any information you might be able to give me about them. Also weather there are any b.o.p centres that can be visited? I have been told that there is a big centre south of Bordeaux but havn't been able to track anything down. Any information will be gratefully received! Many thanks,