The thin veneer of ‘partnership working’ is slipping.
Following recently published letters in the Scotsman concerning the grouse moor/raptor ‘debate’ (see here and here), today’s paper included a response from RSPB Scotland. It seems we weren’t alone when we described Scottish Land and Estate’s contribution as misleading guff:
“Doug McAdam of Scottish Land and Estates (Letters, 16 January) implies that the RSPB is not committed to resolving the conflict grouse moor managers perceive with birds of prey, and is not supportive of the Langholm Moor Demonstration Project. This is disingenuous.
Mr McAdam knows that RSPB Scotland was a founding partner in the Langholm project, contributes funding and remains a partner. We are encouraged that the project identified diversionary feeding as a viable tool allowing co-existence of grouse shooting and raptors.
We are disappointed by the lack of update of this by grouse moor managers. Why reject a tried and tested method that reduces (to zero at Langholm) harrier predation of grouse chicks?
Harriers at Langholm remain below the optimum and below the partners’ agreed target.
Continuing intolerance of this species outwith Langholm may well explain this sad failure.
The RSPB withdrew from one English initiative. Over the seven years of our engagement, the English hen harrier population declined to a single breeding pair. In such circumstances it seems pointless to discuss harrier management with none left to manage!
Nevertheless, we remain in dialogue with government and moor managers south of the Border and will direct our energies to any initiatives we believe can work.
The near-complete annihilation of breeding hen harriers in England shows signs of being repeated in large parts of Scotland.
Honest and meaningful dialogue is essential to stop this. Without it, Logan Steel’s hypothesis (Letters, 14 January) that raptors cannot live with intensive driven grouse shooting, may well be correct. Stuart Housden, RSPB Scotland, Edinburgh”.
[Link to the letter here]
Raptor Persecution UK 
I would believe anything RSPB says over McAdam any day.
If we had more ‘small bird’ habitat as part of the grouse moor ‘habitat’ (grassland) would this be a more natural diversionary habitat for harriers?
Given the work at RSPB Geltsdale the Langholme project is damaging the SSSI with its continuing work to create heather over even Black Grouse habitat. Curlew, Lapwing, Woodcock, Whinchats, Reed Buntings and Grasshopper Warblers are having their habitat removed and even erosion is now a common sight in the Tarras Valley due to removal of bracken. The head keeper is now keen to remove trees!! But you all love to keep quiet!!
Well said RSPB Scotland. And also well done RSPB Investigations for their successful conviction of the criminal gamekeeper in Lincolnshire.