Year: 2014

Lordy lordy, new Chairman elected at Scottish Land & Estates

Lord David Johnstone has been announced as the next Chairman of landowners’ group, Scottish Land & Estates. He will succeed the current Chairman, Luke Borwick, in May.

Lord Johnstone owns and manages Annandale Estates (includes commercial game-shooting interests) in Dumfriesshire and is currently a Board Member of SLE.

SLE press release on his appointment here.

We’ve heard from Lord Johnstone a few times in the past, specifically about raptor persecution (in 2008 here, in 2011 here, and in 2012 here).

Senior SGA man calling for complete eradication of sea eagles?

Remember last week when we blogged about the calls from a former Crofting Commissioner, Donnie Ross, for the ‘complete eradication’ of sea eagles (see here)?

Well have a look at the response of George Macdonald, the Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association’s Development, Education & Training Officer – this is what he posted on his Facebook page (and we got a screen shot before he deleted it):

George MacDonald SGA sea eagles Feb 10 2014

To us, and to others, it seems, this looks like the senior SGA man is endorsing the former Crofting Commissioner’s view that sea eagles (and pine martens) should be ‘absolutely destroyed’.

Mr Macdonald has denied the claims – see here. He says he ‘was meaning that people need to look at the issue’. If that’s what he meant, why not say, “People need to look at the issue” rather than say, “Mr Ross of Leault is absolutely correct with his observations”?

The SGA is a member of the Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime, and they are also represented on the PAW Scotland Raptor Group – a consortium of organisations supposedly working towards the eradication of raptor persecution in Scotland (see here).

Is it any wonder that this group has been so utterly ineffective?

Isn’t it time that the SGA was booted off this group?

Birders Against Wildlife Crime

BAWCA new independent volunteer-led campaign group has been formed by five prominent birders and wildlife campaigners in an effort to encourage more birders to become actively involved in reporting wildlife crime.

This seems such an obvious initiative, given, as they say:

  • Every day, thousands of birders go into the field looking for birds;
  • Birders are skilled and alert observers;
  • Birders actively seek out areas that the general public often don’t visit;
  • Birders use powerful optics and many carry either a DSLR camera or a smartphone with a built-in camera.

The new group, Birders Against Wildlife Crime (BAWC) plan to launch a website within a few weeks and will provide material on how to recognise a wildlife crime, how to record it so that the chances of a prosecution are increased, and how to report the crime. They’re also planning events, training courses and other initiatives in the fight-back against the wildlife criminals.

For some initial information about BAWC see here, and you can also follow them on Twitter (@birdersagainst) and Facebook.

Gamekeeper convicted for setting illegal pole trap

Ryan Waite setting the pole trap.JPG-400x0Press release from RSPB:

A gamekeeper has been convicted of using an illegal trap on a shooting estate on two occasions.

At Harrogate Magistrate’s Court today (13 February) Ryan Waite, employed as a gamekeeper on the Swinton Estate in North Yorkshire was sentenced on two charges of illegally setting a spring trap between May and June 2013.

Waite had pleaded guilty to the charges at an earlier hearing on December 10, 2013.

However, he had denied that the trap was intended for birds of prey, as alleged by the prosecution, claiming rather that it was for catching squirrels.

The court today ruled that his conduct had been reckless.

He was fined £250 with an additional £105 costs and victim surcharge. 

Following an initial report from the League Against Cruel Sports, on the 2nd June, RSPB Investigations visited Ox Close plantation on the Swinton Estate, North Yorkshire, and discovered a spring trap that had been placed on top of a two-metre high tree stump. These are commonly known as pole traps and have been banned since 1904.

Birds of prey are usually the target of such devices as they use the elevated position as a vantage point and the traps are strategically placed where they will hunt.

RSPB Investigations disabled the trap and then set up covert surveillance of the site to monitor who was responsible and two days later, on 4th June, Waite was filmed re-setting the trap on top of the stump.

As a result of this footage, North Yorkshire Police executed a search warrant, assisted by the RSPB. Although the spring trap had been removed from the pole trap site, it was later found and seized at Waite’s property.  Waite was also caught on camera removing the trap.

Howard Jones, RSPB Investigations Officer, said: “It is a disappointing reality that the use of pole traps still occurs in 2013 and that some gamekeepers are continuing to adopt these Victorian techniques. The device was deemed outdated and barbaric in 1904, yet a century on we are still finding these illegal traps being set in the countryside.  Sentencing needs to get tougher to ensure people are deterred from operating such devices in the future.

“We welcome today’s result as it shows that such barbaric practices will not be tolerated in today’s society.”   

There’s a good blog about this case written by the RSPB Investigations Team here.

There’s also an opportunity to view the covert footage showing Waite re-setting the pole trap here

Congratulations to the RSPB Investigations team for another job well done, and to the fieldworkers from the League Against Cruel Sports for identifying the illegal trap and alerting the authorities.

Bowland Betty (1)Swinton Estate has been described as “very well known and highly respected” by the author of The World’s Best Shoots (see here).

Swinton Estate is also ‘very well known’ for being the grouse moor location where hen harrier Bowland Betty’s shot corpse was found in 2012 (see here). Purely coincidental, obviously.

What interests us now is whether convicted gamekeeper Ryan Waite will keep his job, and whether he was/is a member of the National Gamekeepers Organisation. Let’s ask the NGO whether this criminal is from their ranks and if he is, whether they will continue to accept his membership. Emails to: info@nationalgamekeepers.org.uk

UPDATE 14/2: The NGO has issued a statement to say convicted gamekeeper Ryan Waite has never been one of their members (see here).

We’re still interested in whether this convicted gamekeeper will keep his job at the “highly respected” Swinton Estate. Emails to: swinton@stantonmortimer.co.uk

Buzzard shot and left to die

BZ shot Dereham Jan 2014Norfolk Constabulary and the RSPB have issued a joint appeal for information following the discovery of a shot buzzard in the Dereham area.

A veterinary x-ray revealed a peppering of shotgun pellets throughout its body resulting in the bones of both wings being smashed.

A member of the public found the wounded bird by the roadside on 2nd January 2014 and took it to the Larwood and Kennedy Veterinary Practice in Dereham. Vets believed the bird had been shot several days before it was picked up and due to the extent of its injuries the buzzard was euthanised.

Vet George Gould, who examined the bird, said: “These sorts of injuries in particular do not tend to be immediately fatal but instead result in days of suffering”.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact the Police on 101, Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or the RSPB Investigations Team on 01767 680551.

Full story on EDP 24 website here.

Some comments on that Channel 4 News report

Channel-FourFor those who missed it, the Channel 4 News report on the illegal persecution of raptors on Scottish grouse moors can be watched here for a few days.

First of all, we need to be celebrating that raptor persecution has been featured on a national mainstream TV news channel. What a long way this subject has come. The awareness-raising power of a news report like this should not be underestimated. Since the programme aired four hours ago, we’ve already been contacted by three journalists whose interest has been piqued. Well done Channel 4 News.

There were excellent interviews with Ian Thomson, Head of Investigations at RSPB Scotland, who referred to “an absolute catalogue of illegal killing” over the last few years in the Angus Glens (e.g. see here), and Logan Steele of the Scottish Raptor Study Group, someone who has decades of first-hand experience recording the deaths of illegally-killed raptors in this area and beyond.

But perhaps the best interview was that with Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association Chairman, Alex Hogg. We couldn’t have wished for a better performance. Telling lies on national telly is never a good strategy. Especially when you deny that gamekeepers are involved with the poisoning, shooting and trapping of raptors, knowing full well that there is a public record of gamekeepers who have been convicted for doing just that, as well as committing other wildlife crimes. Here is a quick list of 14 convicted gamekeepers just covering the last two years (full details of each case can be found elsewhere on this blog) –

Jan 2012: Gamekeeper David Whitefield convicted of poisoning 4 buzzards.

Jan 2012: Gamekeeper Cyril McLachlan convicted of possessing a banned poison.

April 2012: Gamekeeper Robert Christie convicted of illegal use of a trap.

June 2012: Gamekeeper Jonathan Smith Graham convicted of illegal use of a trap.

Sept 2012: Gamekeeper Tom McKellar convicted of possessing a banned poison.

Nov 2012: Gamekeeper Bill Scobie convicted of possessing and using a banned poison.

Jan 2013: Gamekeeper Robert Hebblewhite convicted of poisoning buzzards.

Feb 2013: Gamekeeper Shaun Allanson convicted of illegal use of a trap.

Feb 2013: Gamekeeper (un-named) cautioned for illegal use of a trap.

May 2013: Gamekeeper Brian Petrie convicted for trapping offences.

June 2013: Gamekeeper Peter Bell convicted for poisoning a buzzard.

July 2013: Gamekeeper Colin Burne convicted for trapping then battering to death 2 buzzards.

Sept 2013: Gamekeeper Andrew Knights convicted for storing banned poisons.

Dec 2013: Gamekeeper Wayne Priday convicted for setting an illegal trap.

There are a further six cases either currently under way or due to start, all involving gamekeepers and all accused of alleged persecution including the poisoning, shooting, trapping and battering to death of birds of prey.

After lying about the involvement of gamekeepers in raptor persecution crimes, Hogg then went on to say that gamekeepers want a system in place whereby “if the populations [of raptors] are too high all over the United Kingdom” then a decision needs to be taken as to whether the species needs to be culled on grouse moors. But, “We don’t want to cull them; we’d rather the government done it”.

If anyone can explain to us (a) what is a “too high” population? and (b) why a species’ national population size should have any bearing on a proposed cull of that species on a particular grouse moor, please do enlighten us.

The final interview was a very short one with the Environment Minister, who was asked why he won’t “just fully regulate the [game-shooting] industry like other countries”?

His answer: “We want to avoid putting in place something that might be seen as a draconian response, or too restrictive a response. We’re not saying we wouldn’t do this, eventually…”

In other words, giving current measures ‘time’ to take effect (without actually defining the time scale) is just an excuse to do nothing and appease the mighty landowners.

Gamekeepers aren’t persecuting raptors, says SGA’s Chairman

Channel-FourHere’s a preview to tonight’s story on Channel 4 News….watch the video of SGA Chairman Alex Hogg responding to the reporter’s question about whether gamekeepers are poisoning, shooting and trapping birds of prey:

“No they aren’t. We would dispute that“.

He can dispute it all he likes – the growing list of convicted gamekeepers tells a different story, and there are currently six on-going court cases to boot, including allegations of illegal trapping, poisoning, shooting and battering.

C4 News article and accompanying 3 video clips available here, including a preview of an interview with RSPB Scotland’s Head of Investigations, Ian Thomson.

Watch Channel 4 News this evening at 7pm for full story.

UPDATE 23.55hrs: Read our comments on the full report here

Raptor persecution to feature on Channel 4 News tonight

Channel-FourAs HRH Prince Charles & HRH Prince William prepare to host an international summit on tackling wildlife crime, Channel 4 News will take a closer look at crimes against wildlife in the UK, with a particular focus on the illegal persecution of golden eagles on Scottish moors managed for driven grouse shooting.

We’re expecting film footage from the Angus Glens, a notorious raptor persecution hotspot (e.g. see here) and interviews with several key players.

Channel 4 News, tonight at 7-8pm.

UPDATE 17.30hrs: Watch the preview video clips here!

UPDATE 23.55hrs: Our comments on the programme here

New Chair of SNH announced

snh_logoScottish Government press release:

Chair Appointed To The Board Of Scottish Natural Heritage

The Minister for Environment and Climate Change Paul Wheelhouse today announced the appointment of Ian Ross as Chair to the Board of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).

Welcoming the appointment, Mr Wheelhouse said:

“I am delighted that Ian Ross has accepted this appointment. His extensive experience will help SNH to continue to play a key role in delivering the Scottish Government’s commitment to conserve and enhance our environment and biodiversity strategy. SNH have a vital role to ensure our natural resources continue to support the sustainable growth of our economy, and can contribute to further improving the health and wellbeing of communities across Scotland.

“Ian’s time as a board member of SNH since April 2013 will also provide continuity for the Board in taking forward its business. I very much look forward to working with Ian and wish him every success in his new role.

“I would also like to thank Andrew Thin for his very much valued contribution, as he comes to the end of his term as SNH’s Chair.  He has successfully led a process of significant transformation within the organisation over the past seven and a half years amidst a challenging time for public sector finances and he is widely respected by stakeholders. I am delighted that Andrew will continue to make a very important contribution to public service in Scotland, including his role in chairing the upcoming review of wild fisheries management.”

Mr W J (Ian) Ross OBE, FICFor, FRSA was a Highland Councillor for 13 years and is a past chair of the Highland Council’s Planning, Environment and Development Committee. He led on a number of significant strategic developments, including the Council’s Highland-wide Local Development Plan and the Onshore Wind Farm Strategy. He has been active on sustainability and community engagement issues within both the Highland Council and Scottish forestry. Ian will bring a commitment to the natural environment and over 30 years of experience of working within the wider Scottish land use sector – he has extensive experience of working with public sector bodies in best value reviews and the development of improved governance processes. Ian is a graduate in Forestry from AberdeenUniversity.

Scottish Natural Heritage is a non-departmental public body (NDPB). The organisation is funded by the Government and Board Members are appointed by Scottish Ministers. SNH is the Government’s advisor on all aspects of nature and landscape across Scotland. SNH’s role is to help secure the sustainable management of Scotland’s natural heritage for the benefit of all.

This appointment will run from 1 March 2014 to 31 March 2017.

This appointment is part-time and attracts a remuneration of £325.22 per day for a time commitment of 144 days per annum.

Ian is a member of the Scottish Police Authority Board, for which he receives remuneration of £300 per day for a current time commitment of ten days per month (reducing to five days per month from 1 April 2014).

Ian is the Chair of Forestry Commission Scotland’s National Forest Land Scheme Evaluation Panel, for which he receives remuneration of £220 per day for a time commitment of less than one day per month . He is also Director of Voluntary Groups East Sutherland (Conservation Volunteers Scotland) and Highland Third Sector Interface, and Independent Director of Highlife Highland. These positions are not remunerated.

This appointment is regulated by the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland.

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public.

Ian held the office of Liberal Democrat Councillor on Highland Council from 2007 to 2012. He canvassed on behalf of Liberal Democrats at the 2010 UK General  election and was Chair of Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Liberal Democrat Executive committee from November 2012 until February 2014.

Sea eagles should be “absolutely destroyed”, says Crofting Commission rep

Here’s yet another example, as if we need it, of persistent, ignorant Victorian attitudes towards raptors in 21st Century Scotland.

Check out this letter, published this week in the Scottish Farmer:

Vacate your perch!

 SIR, – Listening to and reading about the Winter Watch tv programme regarding sea eagles, I found most of it incredible and so ‘too bad’ as far as the loss of lambs was concerned – they didn’t even mention hoggs or ewes.

Then, for Mr Warnock of NFUS to say: “Sea eagles are here to stay”. Surely it’s time for him to vacate his perch – and if that is the view of the NFUS, what a precarious position hill sheep farmers and crofters are in.

Nothing short of complete eradication will do, and it is the same for the pine martin – both should be absolutely destroyed. The National Sheep Association, the Crofting Commission and Crofting Federation should be backing this to the hilt.

Will Mr Lochhead or Mr Wheelhouse do anything about the sea eagle? No, they didn’t even prick their ears until a danger to our native eagle was mentioned and, for Mr Lochhead to say they are a tremendous tourist attraction is rubbish. If, like me, he had spoken to tourists from all over the world over the last 20 years at ‘Working Sheepdogs’ here, he would know they don’t come for one attraction but to see as much as they possibly can. The oblivion of the sea eagle wouldn’t matter and, indeed, would be an absolute blessing for the countryside and its animals.

DW Ross,

Leault, Kincraig

We believe the author is Mr Donnie Ross, a now retired shepherd who was elected in 2012 to represent the East Highlands constituency of the Crofting Commission (see here). It’s quite incredible that someone in this position of influence is so utterly mis-informed and able to incite the illegal killing of two protected species.

UPDATE 14.30: Looks like Mr Ross resigned from the Crofting Commission in Sept for reasons that are now not altogether surprising (see here).

On a related note, Environment Minister Paul Wheelhouse has just answered a Parliamentary Question on the subject of crofters, farmers and sea eagles:

Angus MacDonald (Falkirk East) (Scottish National Party): To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) farmers and (b) crofters applied for compensation under the Sea Eagle Management Scheme, broken down by parliamentary constituency.

(S4W-19252). Paul Wheelhouse: “The Sea Eagle Management Scheme pays for positive management of sheep flocks, in order to reduce conflict with sea eagles. It does not pay compensation for lamb losses. The scheme ran for three years from 2011-13, and closed in summer 2013, but Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) will honour all agreements entered into under the scheme. Through the scheme, SNH offered three-year management agreements (MAs) to land managers.

SNH received 70 applications, all of which resulted in management agreements being offered to the applicants. Of those 70 management agreement offers, 62 have been accepted or concluded by the land manager and 7 agreements were rejected by the applicants. The final management agreement was only offered recently, so it is not known whether the land manager will accept the offer.

Of the 62 concluded agreements:

1 contains ‘special measures to reduce impacts from sea eagles’;

2 contain ‘promotional measures’;

4 contain ‘special measures to benefit sea eagles’;

58 contain ‘sheep management measures’ (The numbers add up to more than 62 because some MAs contain more than 1 element).

Of the 62 concluded agreements:

17 are with crofters/common grazings;

9 are in Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch;

1 in Argyll and Bute;

5 in Caithness Sutherland and Ross (Wester Ross);

2 in Na h-Eileanan an Iar;

2 are with constituted community groups (these are the two ‘promotional measures’ agreements);

1 in Argyll and Bute (Mull);

1 in Na h-Eileanan an Iar;

43 are with farms/ estates (i.e. not registered croftland);

31 in Argyll and Bute;

9 in Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch;

3 in Caithness, Sutherland and Ross (Wester Ross).

SNH has commissioned a review and evaluation of the scheme, on behalf of the assessment panel, and this will be completed by the end of March 2014. It will help inform the design of a new scheme, along with advice/input from the Sea Eagle Stakeholder Group, which advised on the design of the current management scheme.

The expectation is that a new scheme will be launched in late spring 2014. The budget for this has not yet been agreed, nor has its scope and geographical extent. SNH look forward to working with key interested bodies including the National Farmers Union Scotland and the Scottish Crofting Federation over the coming months to design a scheme that best meets the needs of land managers and others with an interest in sea eagle management.

In the meantime, SNH will continue to provide advice and assistance to land managers concerned by sea eagle impacts on their livestock”.

Let’s hope the new ‘scheme’ includes compulsory attendance on a ‘Basics of Sea Eagle Natural History & Ecology’ course before any more tax-payers’ money is handed out.

For other recent examples of blind prejudice against Scottish sea eagles see here, here and here.

White-tailed eagle photo by Mike Watson.