Bird Pests?

There is no doubt that there are occasional circumstances when birds (or their eggs) might have to be culled but the report that 'Natural' England (a 'conservation' body) has approved the destruction of some 170,000 birds (some from protected, endangered species) over a 5 year period suggests that the organisation is more than a little too ready to sanction such a course (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/22/conservation-body-issues-170000-wild-bird-kill-permits-in-five-years). Targets include Barn owls, Peregrine falcons, Red kites and swans along with the angler's pet hate, the Cormorant ('taking our fish'). Some of the grounds given seem a touch on the spurious side.