Yesterday evening, the BBC’s One Show ran a feature on golden eagle satellite-tracking in Scotland, featuring two legendary raptor fieldworkers from the RSPB, Stuart Benn and Brian Etheridge.
Thanks to these two, the message about illegal raptor persecution was heard by a mainstream tv audience (an estimated 5 million viewers) both during the film (when they were sat-tagging an eaglet) and then again when Stuart was interviewed in the studio.
Two top blokes doing a top, top job. Well done!
For anyone who missed it, catch it on BBC iPlayer here (20.37 min – 28.41 min) for a limited period.
Here is a link to Stuart’s blog about the filming day last summer.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Good exposure….one complaint, it might be obvious where this eyrie is located now.
Thank you for posting that as I missed the programme. Any way to make the general puplic aware about the game keeping criminals is to be welcomed. Very well done to those two gentlemen!
In 1999 a dead adult eagle and chick were retrieved from that same nest. All reported, big fuss, no prosecution as usual…..when all this killing has stopped, lets remember how many such birds died at the hands of these ignorant criminals….Absolutely delighted to see things have improved at this site at least.
If there’s one thing the thugs don’t like its having their criminality exposed to the general public. Well done RSPB and especially to the outstanding Stuart Benn.
Very pleased to see a BBC National station has giving coverage to a Scottish problem, but I would like to point out that West is equally responsible for the demise of many of these raptors especially the overflow of Sea Eagles that we get over from Mull surveying the area each year.
Just why do you think there are so few nesting pairs here in Argyll. mainland? For years birds have been seen taking an interest in suitable sites and as yet only a handfull of offshore islands have supported such birds.
Its all too easy on the mainland for these criminals to do the dirty…not many concerned eyes about and especially near to the growing numbers of pheasant shooting estates. Its not just the grouse moors of the East to blame I’m afraid. But for some reason they seem to grab the persecution headlines.
In my short time here (12+ years) tagged birds and at least one radio satellite tagged bird had gone missing here at Loch Seil with another two birds missing from a nearby roost within weeks of showing an interest around the Toad of Lorn the same year. All photographed displaying over the area and coming in to roost on several occasions.
The Toad is a perfect habitat for these birds which many have been recorded trying to nest. Including Golden Eagles.
The whole Scottish picture of persecution is appalling with a total waste of dedication and cost given to the species only a mere six miles over the water on Mull. Is all being wasted annually without attracting much attention except when several nearby land owners were objecting to a wind farm planning proposal. I was then asked for the relative information regarding sightings, photos etc to assist in objections and eventual its refusal.
Unreal… if only the eagle was respected and valued without all the self interest to use them just to stop a wind farm….see what their future is in the area is now….I fully expect no change and business as usual.
National disgrace but at least at bit of high profile BBC coverage will point out the reason why……Bill
Great coverage! That’s likely to be several million people who previously didn’t realise that eagles are being deliberately killed.
Wonderful images of Scotlands iconic raptor. I really enjoyed this report.
As pointed out above by DD things can in some cases over time change for the better.
The comment that things have got better is misleading, they were never bad in the first place, at least going back decades. The year after the poisoned eagles were found (I was the finder) a pair of adults fledged young and have done regularly since. Though I know from DNA that the female has changed between 2004 & 2010.
Prior to that incident the occupying pair were habiltually successful. The estate and its staff are and were sound upstanding citizens.
If I had been consulted, the RSPB, police etc would not have knocked on the wrong door. One of the neighbouring estates to this day, by all accounts, still maintains a 100% zero tolerance of raptors. I would suggest things haven’t got better.
Many thanks Greenfinch for clarifying the situation here, how it was before and after the incident, covering a period of many years. It always amazes me that when presented with very limited initial information it’s so easy to jump to the wrong conclusion, either good or bad.
Obviosly this GE site is extremely rich in prey. Can you tell me how often this site has fledged 2 young since 1999 please?
Dont recall the police knocking on any doors that time Greenfinch, if they did they didnt ask RSPB along – that wedge had been driven by SGA before this. It was obvious that the bait could have been brought in by an adult from any of at least three adjoining estates. What angered me at the time was a leak to the press and a following article in the Herald naming, almost certainly, the “wrong” estate.
In such a situation in the 1980s and early 90s RSPB and the Dept of Ag would have searched all three estates [by far the fairest as well as most efficient method] within days of retrieval. By the time of this incident the now usual cartel of shooters interests and their friends in high places had managed to destroy such effective [both legally and on-the-ground] partnerships.
I hope myself and team never “jumped” to wrong conclusions – in crime, always expect the unexpected..which can of course include supposedly “clean” estates. By contrast, even that far back it would have been a negligent, naive and ill informed investigator who didnt start with those with a history.
If it was the said above Herald article, it certainly misconstued local views do more than point a finger at the estate unfortunately. On my main point that things have got better, has I mentioned earlier, in reality the status quo as continued.
There’s never enough exposure by the media – the BBC included – for all this illegal persecution. However on this occasion, congratulations to two sterling guy’s Stuart Benn and Brian Etheridge, and to the BBC….EXCELLENT.