An interesting and insightful Leader Comment in today’s Scotsman: (whoever wrote this, well done!) –
As the RSPB Scotland points out, the disappearance of a fourth satellite-tracked eagle in a part of Perthshire that’s home to several shooting estates over four years is “highly suspicious”.
The Scottish Gamekeepers Association complains its members are the “first to be accused when any bird of prey goes missing”, but the illegal killing of raptors undoubtedly happens, as a 2016 report on red kites by Scottish Natural Heritage found, and few others have a motivation. Each case is a further challenge to the rule of law that will eventually force parliament to react.
And that could lead to the licensing of shooting estates – with the threat of licences being revoked over killings of birds of prey – or a strict liability offence so that a landowner would be found responsible for the unnatural death of any raptor on their land.
Both are measures that estates would – and should – fear.
The sooner the shooting community realises that the death of a sea eagle represents a greater threat to their business than a live bird, the better the chances will be of protecting these magnificent creatures.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Maybe a tipping point has passed, if some of these criminals now thinking licensing is inevitable they plan to target as many of our raptors as possible while they think they can still get away with it, i.e. with no consequences – or am I too cynical? I still wonder why Merlins are also targeted – being used as a weapon to damage general conservation interests?
Your summary hits the nail on the head and is absolutely spot on. Well done.
“The sooner the shooting community realises that the death of a sea eagle* represents a greater threat to their business than a live bird, the better the chances will be of protecting these magnificent creatures”.
As more and more ordinary people become aware of the facts the sooner this will happen.
* ditto for Hen Harrier, Goshawk, Red Kite, Peregrine etc etc
Thanks, Mike, but just to be clear, we didn’t write this, it’s a Leader Comment from The Scotsman. But agree, whoever did write it is deserving of applause!
Following on the continuing trail of depressing events it’s good to have a day when the ‘snowball’ is gaining momentum and increasing its mass.
Hey Lothian Recorder,
Are Merlins targeted? I didn’t know they had a significant impact on grouse chicks. Are they trapped, poisoned, or shot, please, or a mixture I imagine? I’ve only seen one twice, wonderful, Glen Arroch and Ardslignish, Ardnamurchan. Thanks.
Have been here in Lothian – see the Fred video*, from 07:00-30 – Merlin’s nest shot out in the Pentlands last summer, you can see the proof of egg shells, feathers and the X-ray of top of tree showing pellets. I’ve never heard that they are perceived as a threat to grouse, but it seems that certain criminals will target all raptors – not that far away from site where Red Kite, Kestrel, Tawny and 5 Barns Owls, etc., poisoned and shot** – we can say for sure Barn Owls are not a threat to grouse, nor Pheasants, but some take pleasure in killing them for reasons only they will know…
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blncTG68qs0
** https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2009/jun/15/police-raid-red-kite
Indeed, only they will know. I hope some evidence is found soon regarding Blue X but they may have learnt a lesson about disposal of raptors’ corpses after the North Sea incident. I treasure my two Merlin sightings because unless you live within or near a healthy population, they are so elusive and tricky to just “go and see.” No photos yet though… Thanks for your insights!
There is good scientific data showing catastrophic decline of Merlin breeding sites in the Lammermuir hills. (Curently no breeding pairs.)
The academics who have compiled the data over thirty years have no doubt that practices of the driven grouse industry are the reason for this decline.
They’ll shoot anything with a hooked beak. If an escaped budgerigar appeared on a grouse moor, even it would “disappear in suspicious circumstances.”
Hey LothianRecorder and Iain Gibson,
Just appalling, I find myself perplexed that it still continues, especially in the instance of mountain hares. Persecution on a Very Grand Scale. And all those with power, money or influence turn a deaf ear and a blind eye.
Up here they have targeting Merlin increasingly over the past 5 years , their weapon of choice is burning if they have noticed them early in the season . If they have missed them and only come across them later they are less subtle and just shoot them . I have had new sites shot out one year and the bank mysteriously chosen to be burnt out next April.
At the risk of depressing everybody this is where they are expanding the areas of intensively managed moor , it is obviously still a very lucrative concern. I don’t think they are going anywhere soon.
The people who kill our birds of prey, our eagles etc., are the sort who enjoy killing and don’t consider and understand why they might not need to kill Merlins is assuming that they are conservationists or people with the ability to think logically. They aren’t though and enjoy the shooting or destruction.
IMHO the raptor killers have a simple mindset, curved beak and talons = kill it. Corvids = vermin = kill them. Predators large and small = vermin = kill them. Mountain hares satisfy a blood lust and eagles feed on them = kill the hares and hey presto no eagles.
“All those with power, money or influence turn a deaf ear and a blind eye.” Jonathon you forgot that they also, likely, told the gamekeepers to do it, not that they need any encouragement. Or do gamekeepers justify their job, by exaggerating losses of game to raptors?
One such suspect in this idea was ex-DEFRA Minister R. Benyon MP, who declared, in his attempt to justify culling of buzzards, that his gamekeeper said that buzzards kill about 5000 pheasants each year.
That in my opinion is the truth of the matter.
Licensing of game shooting must be stopped but licensing may work if penalties are strong enough and actually used.
An important point to not forget that it’s not just about anything that will prey upon grouse. When a drive (of grouse) is on, the last thing they want is for a bird of prey (or anything else) to fly across the moor and drive and spook the grouse off in all directions away from the butts and waiting guns to which they are being driven.
“The sooner the shooting community realises that the death of a sea eagle represents a greater threat to their business than a live bird, the better the chances will be of protecting these magnificent creatures.”
The key word there is “business”. This isn’t some archaic 19th century lifestyle, cap dotfed to the laird or mysterious country lore, it’s big, multi-million pound business.
For many reasons, it’s a shame that The Scotsman is a much diminished institution. However, at least the editor is no longer Magnus Linklater
Exactly, would that leader have got through if Magnus had still been in charge?