We’ve been hearing rumours that the last remaining pair of hen harriers attempting to breed in England have now failed. We don’t yet have confirmation but several (usually reliable) sources are telling us the same thing.
In a recent BBC news article (here), a spokesman from the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation said:
“We are unaware of any instance of human interference with hen harriers in England in recent years“.
Yeah, of course you are. Just like Bashar al-Assad is unaware of any instance of government troops massacring the Syrian people?
So, while the country celebrates ’60 glorious years’, take a moment to reflect on the effects of 60 years of raptor persecution.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Quote:
“So, while the country celebrates ’60 glorious years’, take a moment to reflect on the effects of 60 years of raptor persecution.”
Maybe this reflection should be ammended to include queen Victorias diamond jubilee as well! Raptor persecution has been ongoing for at least as long as the start of her reign, more than 175 years. It makes you wonder how the Raptors have managed to survive for as long as they have with all they’ve had to put up with from the shooting fraternity.
Sadly I’ve heard the rumours too, and several days ago at that. I believe DEFRA were aware of the site as well. I’ve blogged on this issue throughout May ( see http://www.birdingodyssey.blogspot.com/ ) as the situation in England is now utterly ridiculous and one that DEFRA appear to have buried their heads in the sand over. This is not a staff problem, but an approach taken at the highest level where sympathies clearly connect with the shooting lobby. This is the time for conservation agencies to show real steel and determination and to indicate to DEFRA, and mean it, that enough is enough. Given the amount of impassioned reaction to the Buzzard proposals those sentiments should be harnessed and everyone encouraged to put DEFRA under pressure on this issue as well. Hard campaigning of a robust kind!! Not to act is to endorse the situation in my view, a position that is wholly unacceptable! One might assume that DEFRA will be pleased at the saving given the paltry sum of £15k plus a staff member afforded to the Hen Harrier Recovery Plan for this year is now not needed. Perhaps the time could be used to write up and issue the results of the sat tag studies that showed the locations where many of the birds then disappeared?
Please get your facts right. With our county the only breeding site in England we expect to expand the Hen Harrier population well away from shooting estates.
Which facts do you think are incorrect John?
I wonder if there is an official number of years before you can declare a species as an extinct breeder?
It has been a very poor breeding year even where they dont get slaughtered.
The problem with this whole arguement is that a speicies having a poor breeding season doesnt render it extinct or endangered in any way the population of harriers in England is not under threat. Look at the harrier breeding cycles in orkney (where there is no sporting estates as such) when a few years ago the number of harriers nests had done nothing but drop due to a lack of voles and intensive sheep farming and look at the successfull recovery they have made now!
I suippose the reaction of the NGO is to be expected as criminals rarely admit guilt voluntarily and lets be frank here, when it comes to hen harriers most keepers who come in contact with them act criminally. There should be about 320 pairs in England as a minimum at that level there would be little damage to grouse stocks, that there has in the last twnety years been never more than 7or 8% of that and usually much less can be laid squarely at the door of the grouse keeper. Much of the persecution takes place and has taken place at winter roosts not nests although some nests have probably been lost to persecution in the Bowland heartland. Nests in grouse moor have a consistently high failure rate much much higher than the known natural rate from Orkney, West Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man, 60% of grouse moor breeders disappear during the nesting attempt (natural rate 1%). It is an utter scandal, it is as greater scandal that little at government level is said or done to bring the culprits to court or heel, this bird is laughably protected under schedule 1, yet in reality is actually protected “as long as it is out of gunshot” as a keeper once said to me. We should be raising the roof in protest and building on the success of killing the buzzard proposals the birds deserve no less.
This really depressing to news to read. On Sunday I watched a male Hen Harrier quartering the fields close to where I live and I have to say it is one of the most graceful spectacles I have ever seen. Especially with the grey and black of the bird against the lush green fields. Hopefull DEFRA strap a pair on and put these scumbags to the wall but as long as the Tories are in power the birds have very little chance of recovering.
Good luck, English harrier lovers. I thnk yous will need it as well as the birds.