It was with enormous shock and sadness that we learned of the passing of Dr Paul Haworth at the weekend.
Paul was a long-standing member of the Scottish Raptor Study Group and even if you hadn’t enjoyed the pleasure of knowing him, if you’re a regular reader of this blog you’ll be familiar with his work as he co-authored many of the seminal research papers on golden eagles and hen harriers that we regularly cite here.
Some of his close friends and colleagues have written the following two obituaries:
Paul Haworth passed away on 28th July 2018 with his family close by.
Paul was based on Mull and was a foremost expert on raptors there, in the Western Isles, and in many other places further afield in northern England, Scotland and Ireland.
His experience allowed unique comparative insights into many raptor species’ biology and the threats they face, especially merlin, hen harrier and golden eagle, through diligent field records ranging from the English Pennines, the west of Ireland, and most recently in his devotion to the Scottish Hebrides and the western mainland. Paul saw, for example, that despite the substantial research attention being paid to the hen harrier on moors for driven grouse shooting, where their fate and conservation status was far less than certain, that for many years which he had documented they were doing far better in the west and islands, where there was little burnt heather, no grouse shooting, but rather more in the way of woodland and scrub habitats.
He was a key guiding influence in the management of a small estate on Mull, where removal of sheep and deer have seen many species flourish and biodiversity expand, from native trees and the passerines which rely on them, to hen harriers and golden eagles using the naturally open ground.
As well as having numerous such practical on-the-ground influences, he made many important contributions to raptor conservation science in the UK and Ireland, in particular the golden eagle and hen harrier conservation frameworks, which have been instrumental in identifying the key influences on these species’ conservation status.
He was immense fun to be with, always helpful, kind and supportive of raptor field workers and any others with a shared passion for raptors and the uplands who had the good fortune to cross his path. Paul was the best company in the field, the pub, or in meetings on the numerous research and conservation projects he contributed to. He endeared the highest respect and affection amongst friends and colleagues through his immense knowledge, charm, and often, piercingly observant sense of humour. He will be greatly missed by the many who loved him, not least by his wife Trish and his daughters Erica and Kathryn.
Alan Fielding and Phil Whitfield
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The Irish Raptor Study Group (IRSG) and Golden Eagle Trust learnt with great sadness of the passing of Dr Paul Haworth, on Saturday, the 28th July 2018.
Paul was a very strong supporter of Irish birds of prey, in his own unassuming way. Paul was from Lancashire and his wife’s Tricia’s parents were originally from Connemara, where he spent several seasons monitoring the local Merlin population in the 1980s.
He shared the maps of his detailed fieldwork there, which allowed IRSG members Aonghus O Domhnaill and Dermot Breen, (as part of their National Parks and Wildlife Service Conservation Ranger roles), to build upon his underlaying dataset. The ongoing Connemara Merlin studies are now an important part of this species’ national conservation effort.
Paul also played a key role in supporting the tenuous efforts to secure the Irish Golden Eagle Reintroduction programme, by helping secure Scottish Golden Eagle donor stock. Always at hand to advise and assist a strained Golden Eagle Trust project manager, trying to make the proposal reach fruition. Whether by actually facilitating the collection of donor stock from his home on Mull or in identifying potential donor nests, through his staff and contacts, elsewhere on the Hebridean Islands – he was a key component of a crucial source of Ireland’s founding donor stock.
Paul, in collaboration with Dr Alan Fielding, his close friend and associate, also produced the detailed reintroduction population modelling programmes for the three Irish raptor reintroduction programmes; namely the Golden Eagle, the White-tailed Eagle and Red Kite projects.
Over the last two decades, the IRSG repeatedly sought advice and guidance from Paul, regarding Hen Harrier conservation and a broad range of other land management issues.
Paul died from complications arising from his dignified and private battle with melanoma cancer. He will be dearly missed by his wife Tricia and their two daughters, Kathryn and Erica.
Obviously, Paul committed himself to the task of nature conservation in Britain from an early age and especially the enhancement of Upland bird species, including Golden Eagle, Merlin and Hen Harrier. The sudden loss of such a wildlife advocate is offset to some degree by his own words – confiding with his family before he died, that he was “Totally at peace and had a privileged life doing what he loved”.
As the sadness of his passing gradually settles upon those who knew him, maybe in time we will recognise the ongoing fruits of his passion, across Ireland and Scotland. We can take solace from the fact that Paul felt grateful to have enjoyed so much mountain wilderness activity, since his youth, across a long, influential and varied ‘Field Trip’, of his own choosing.
As they would say in Connemara, “Go dtuga Dia grásta dó” – ‘May God give him Peace.’ It was a privilege to know Paul – what a lovely man.
Lorcan O’Toole
Raptor Persecution UK 