RSPB press release here
If you’re offended by the title of this post then you really shouldn’t be here. Try getting offended by the news that there wasn’t one single successful hen harrier nest in England this year. Now THAT’s worthy of your outrage.
Here is some more media coverage from this morning:
BBC News here and good interview with RSPB’s Jeff Knott on BBC here.
The Guardian here, where the Moorland Association blames ‘the long cold winter’ for breeding failure!
The RSPB’s Skydancer blog here, where a fieldworker tells the story of one of the failed nests.
And then there’s a classic statement from the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation here, who accuse the RSPB of timing their press release to coincide with the start of the grouse-shooting season. Er, did they miss all the propaganda put out by the game-shooting industry this week about how good grouse-shooting is for conservation?? See here. They also suggest that hen harriers are doing well in the grouse moor stronghold [stranglehold] of Scotland! 505 territorial pairs in a country that has the capacity to support 1467-1790 pairs isn’t a very good example to show how great grouse moors are for hen harriers, especially when HHs are absent from large swathes of grouse moor in the Eastern Highlands and Southern Uplands!
Raptor Persecution UK 
The shooting fraternity have now got what they set out to achieve, hen harriers will never be allowed to return in my opinion; any that do will almost certainly disappear like the rest of the hundreds that have done so before. With this government change will never happen. The moorland uplands of England are being managed under laws that existed in the Middle Ages, administered by the land owners protected by police officers who shoot.
Terry Pickford is spot on in just four and a bit lines, and particular note should be made of his final six words. I actually had a conversation with one at a shoot I had the misfortune of ‘bumping into’ on an upland birding day for me a while back, he had no idea I knew who he was.The end for the Hen Harrier isn’t nigh….its here, all at the hands of a deadly and murderous minority. Not a defeatist attitude on my part, just a realistic one.
I agree entirely, you’re spot on, and what makes it so totally disheartening is the fact that we have no recourse to legal protection of these magnificent birds from any of our so-called wildlife protection agencies or our from our once esteemed justice system. The police of course couldn’t give a toss whether crimes are being committed against these birds or not, in their eyes it warrants less attention than a boy racer doing 40 mph in a built up area. The government boasted that they would be the greenest government ever, what a laugh, the only thing green about them is the colour of the rot they’ve caused by their obvious dislike of anything that might put an end to them treating the country and everything in it as if it were put there just for them to do with any way they want. Let’s hope they get a rude awakening shortly !!!
FACT: Across Britain RAPTOR PERSECUTION IS OUT OF CONTROL. Governments can continue telling the public that everything is under control and that they are acting tough on wildlife crime or they can stop embarrassing themselves with these misleading statements and start REALLY doing something about it before we see the complete extinction of the hen harrier from England all together. No doubt the shooting community will try to pass off the demise of this species as having something to do with global warming or some other environmental factor, but as difficult as it is to uncover crimes against raptors, occasionally evidence emerges of what the real threat is that are facing birds of prey in this country today…….
Unless Scottish Government wants raptors north of the border to go the same way as the hen harrier in England, then It is time for them to wake up and smell the Carbofuran! Send those who are convicted of crimes against raptors to jail (not to be given suspended sentences) and give the officers of the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals more powers in helping Government, free of charge, to combat wildlife crime. This would be a start. It really is time to take off the gloves and begin to wipe the smiles off those criminals faces who, as I write, will be out on the hills of Scotland checking their pole traps and their poisons before moving into their hide by the corner of a field somewhere, where they have staked down some dead hares, to attract raptors in to shoot.
Almost the inevitable I suppose , but to be regretted and acted upon nonetheless. Whilst I feel some past courses of action could have been different by RSPB, now is the time to determine the actions of the future from us all. I’ve thumped the tub a little this morning with an entry on my Blog ( Too little, too late for the Hen Harrier see http://www.birdingodyssey.blogspot.com/ ) but before anybody jumps on me for issuing some criticism, let’s contemplate what should begin now, this day, this season. Not next Spring. Vacuous recriminatory comments aren’t going to put it right, although I guess we all appreciate how everyone of us feels. Much has been done previously, more is now needed!!
At the risk of putting teeth on edge, let me give a thought. When the Ascension Island Frigatebird turned up on Islay recently ( I didn’t see it either! ) I had over 800 hits on my Blog in the first day. I wonder how many of those birders sign petitions or take similar actions. I’d like to think all of them. However, it’s only when we begin to act as a team , a team of big numbers at that, that we’ll gain change and progress. And please don’t say ” It’s the Government”, “They’ll have to change”, “It’s Richard Benyon” ” All keepers are villains” etc etc. At the end of the day it’s action by us that will bring about change, you and me!!
In the meantime don’t forget the epetition aimed at regulating grouse moors and keepers
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/46473
The Guardian commentator STB1 (who always posts extremely good environmental comments) reminded me of this report http://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/52002 which shows that in 2002/2008 about 88% of HH nest failures on Grouse moors were as a result of persecution.
And of all the breeding failures caused by adult Hen Harriers disappearing by land class, about 64% are on Grouse moors.
And still the criminal, landlords and gamekeepers keep selling their bullshit.
And sorry RSPB the ‘rogue’ metaphor is also bullshit.
Well done, Anand, those sort of figures are just the sort of thing that needs promoting widely. As for RSPB they need to realise this is all for real, we’re talking about criminals, so have the maturity to call them such and condemn them at every opportunity. It’s the Civil Servants with handkerchiefs tucked up their sleeves and gents in tweed suits living in houses surrounded by rhododendrons that talk in riddles…….let’s just simplify matters and identify them for what they are!!
So what are you going to do about it then? Answer – nothing of course and so it continues….
Terry Pickford wrote “ The shooting fraternity have now got what they set out to achieve” I disagree, these people wont be satisfied with eradicating the Hen Harrier, these people wont be satisfied until there’s no predatory species at all on the moors, that’s what they hope to achieve, they haven’t got the slightest interest in conservation or wildlife, there only interest is shooting and socialising.
They say that grouse moors are good for rare birds like Golden Plover and Grey Partridge, these birds are only rare because they are still on the game license and still being shot
Next on the agenda is the Buzzard, Benyon was forced into doing a U-turn on a cull, then it still went ahead! from an all round point of view you couldn’t get a more beneficial bird, for farmers and foresters it helps reduce numbers of voles, rats, squirrels and young rabbits, for conservationists it reduces corvids and Sparrowhawk densities. But, because it takes on average 2% of released pheasants, these idiots have got it in their heads if they cull them they might shoot a few more pheasants, even though they don’t expect to shoot more than 50% of what they release anyway.
Martin Harper head of the RSPB said: “We are only a few days away from ‘the Glorious 12th’ – the traditional August start of the grouse shooting season. My challenge to those who run grouse moors is simple: respect the law and allow hen harriers and other birds of prey to flourish again.”
I’m sorry Martin but your living in a different world to these people, you have a million members behind you, you have the power to stop them not challenge them, They are taking the Mick and calling your bluff at every turn. We have too much to lose, shall we take bets on what species is next to go or shall we front up to a deluded but powerful minority. Its time to stand up or stand down
HERE HERE !!!
I must apolgise for stealing the picture to use on my fb page. If there are any copyrights issues I willl take it down
[Ed: no apologies necc. Go for it.]
No progress will be made on this issue under the current Minister. Just read the current issue of the “Shooting Gazette” and its clear whose side this man is on.