With tedious predictability, one of the gamekeepers’ representative bodies is trying to play down the latest raptor persecution figures. According to an article in today’s Telegraph, the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation says birds of prey are doing well in the UK and persecution is becoming less of an issue.
If you can be arsed to read any more of these ridiculous statements, the article can be found here.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Well..I forced myself to look at the Telegraph article. How they can claim that “Golden Eagles are doing well” in this country is beyond me. Havent they seen the results of the last 3 surveys?..Havent they read the SNH Golden Eagle report?…This “iconic species” may have improved its status in the crofting and Deer Forest areas of the Hebrides but it continues to decline or struggle on the grouse moors of Central and South Scotland – and last time I looked there werent too many in England?!
As for only concentrating effort on “iconic species” this ignores the huge efforts put into conservation of farmland birds, such as tree sparrow [how many members of the public could even identify them?…or indeed how many gamekeepers?]…
So they pick golden plover …a species which can still be legally shot as quarry and which is of low conservation concern here and in Europe…and that doesnt mean that they are ignored by conservation, far from it…
In fact if raptors remain scarce or absent from grouse moors but are doing well elsewhere, far from declining persecution may actually be increasing to keep pace with all the potential colonists from the ” doing well ” areas.
You would think that an organisation making allegations about another would at least research and think about beforehand what it puts out in its press releases, without being “biased” which bird is “obviously” in need of most protection from the 3 species mentioned.
Golden Eagle, 442 breeding pairs.
Golden Plover, 22,600 breeding pairs
Curlew, 99,500 – 125,000 breeding pairs.
It’s amazing they claim the Golden Eagle is doing well, in England there’s a single male at Haweswater, it would be fantastic if it could get a mate, however this would probably be reported by this organisation that the Golden Eagle population in England is doing well and has shown a 100% increase in numbers