Month: September 2020

Eagle Reintroduction Wales Project: crowdfunding support needed

There have been a few blogs written on here about the potential to reintroduce golden and white-tailed eagles back in to Wales.

It’s not straightforward – there are two ‘competing’ organisations with two very different approaches (e.g. see here, here, here, here and most recently here).

The Eagle Reintroduction Wales (ERW) Project, is, in our opinion, a well-organised, genuine effort to assess the feasibility of reintroducing both eagle species to Wales. The project team is conducting itself with professionalism and due diligence and not making any grand or unsubstantiated claims, either about itself or the project.

This team needs some funding support to help continue its careful research assessments and has launched a crowdfunder to try and raise £25,000.

To find out more about the project details and to donate a couple of quid if you’re able, please click here

Northern England Raptor Forum statement on Hen Harrier 2020 breeding season

A couple of weeks ago Natural England published a press release (along with an interesting choice of ‘partners’ – the GWCT and Moorland Association) in which the 2020 hen harrier breeding season was pronounced ‘a wonderful result’ (see here).

It wasn’t ‘a wonderful result’ at all but Natural England and co put on a display worthy of a circus contortionist to make it appear so.

The RSPB wasn’t included in that press release – apparently they’d been asked to provide a quote but chose not to – instead the RSPB published its own statement, which reflected a much more honest evaluation of the state of the 2020 breeding season (see here).

Yesterday the Northern England Raptor Foum (NERF) published its own statement on the 2020 hen harrier breeding season and it doesn’t pull any punches. ‘The brass band can stand down‘.

You can read the full NERF statement (here) and here is an excerpt:

NERF is a member of the Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group [RPPDG], and as such is a consultee under Action 4 of NE’s Hen Harrier Recovery Plan. Yet when Natural England went in search of supporting comments for their press release they only published comments from the shooting industry. Perhaps Natural England would like to explain why that was the case. They may also want to explain why NERF wasn’t included in the list of organisations working in partnership for the benefit of Hen Harriers.

NERF is at the forefront of Hen Harrier nest finding and monitoring during the breeding season, ringing, satellite tagging and winter roost monitoring in partnership with the RSPB. Despite this, we weren’t approached for a comment when Natural England published their press release. If we had been asked for and provided a comment we doubt that it would have been published. Natural England should be in no doubt that without the dedication of NERF members who commit hundreds of voluntary hours to monitoring and self-fund thousands of miles to monitor Hen Harriers the species would be in a much worse state than it is currently.

Natural England has ballsed this up big time, and continues to stumble from one shambolic incident to the next, some with more serious consequences than others (e.g. see this blog (here) from Mark Avery this morning discussing how it appears Natural England has misled a Minister, either through intention or ineptitude).

More to come.

Gunman filmed at hen harrier nest site with decoy eagle owl

The RSPB Investigations Team has published a blog this afternoon detailing an incident that was witnessed by a Natural England fieldworker at a hen harrier nest site in Cumbria during the breeding season.

[Hen harrier, photo by Frank Burns]

The full blog can be read here but the pertinent part is reproduced as follows:

‘We understand that a Natural England fieldworker was monitoring a hen harrier nest on moorland near Whernside, Cumbria, when he saw a man wearing camouflage carrying a firearm and a live bird of prey, believed to be an eagle owl about 300m from the hen harrier nesting area. He tethered the bird and sat a short distance away with his gun. In the circumstances there seems little doubt the intention was to draw in raptors, presumably the hen harriers, to shoot them. The use of a tethered live bird as a decoy to kill or take a wild bird is in itself illegal, but a method that seems to be increasingly used for targeting raptors. This was no doubt a highly stressful situation, we understand the fieldworker took some video footage and made himself visible. This eventually had the desired effect, and the suspect, realising he was under observation, left. It was reported to the police but due to evidential issues around establishing the identity of the suspect, it was not possible to take the matter forward to court. The RSPB would like to place on record our thanks to Cumbria Constabulary and the CPS for their determined efforts to progress this investigation. We firmly consider that this incident and the video should now be put in the public domain’.

Now, putting this news out late on a Friday afternoon isn’t helpful to anyone (apart from Natural England and the criminals within the grouse shooting industry who may hope that it’ll all blow over by Monday).

It won’t.

There is a lot to say about this incident as well as about Natural England’s continuing pisspoor conduct on all things hen harrier.

We’ll be coming back to it on Monday morning.

[Cartoon by Gerard Hobley]

UPDATE 15 September 2020: More on that gunman filmed with a decoy owl near hen harrier nest site on Whernside (here)

UPDATE 20 January 2021: Confirmation that hen harrier brood meddling estate was under police investigation (here)

Shot buzzard in Essex: an update

Last week we learned that Essex Police were investigating the shooting of a buzzard found on 4th September 2020 at Davy Down Riverside Park, South Ockendon (see here).

We’ve now been sent photos of the dead bird and an incident number has been issued: 42/141700/20

[Shot buzzard, photos via Essex Police]

There still isn’t any information about the type of weapon used to shoot this buzzard but we do know, judging by the maggots in the second photo, that it was shot well before the discovery of the corpse on the 4th September.

Anyone with information please contact PC Jed Raven from Essex Police Wildlife Crime Unit on 101 and quote reference: 42/141700/20

This is the third bird of prey shooting in Essex in recent months, following a shot buzzard found near Weeley on 2nd June (here) and a shot hobby found at North Fambridge in August (here).

Shot peregrine in Gloucestershire – an update

In mid-August we blogged about a shot peregrine that had been found critically injured in Gloucestershire and was later euthanised due to the extent of its injuries (see here).

[The shot peregrine, photo from Vale Wildlife Hospital]

There was very little information available about this crime at the time but now Gloucestershire Police are appealing for witnesses.

The shot peregrine was found near Northleach in the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Anyone with information is urged to contact PC Ashley Weller on 101, quoting incident # 349/16/08.

Langholm Moor buyout one step closer

Press release from The Langholm Initiative (9th September 2020)

£1M capital investment from South of Scotland Enterprise for community moorland buyout

South of Scotland Enterprise’s Board has announced up to £1 million financial support to the Langholm Initiative charity in its venture to purchase part of Langholm Moor from Buccleuch Estates.

The Langholm Initiative is spearheading a campaign to raise enough funds to buy the land and bring it into community control. If successful, the buyout by the small town of Langholm in Dumfries and Galloway will be the first large-scale purchase of this type in the South of Scotland.

The buyout at Langholm has garnered significant support both from the local community and further afield, with nearly 2,500 people donating £200,000.

Community ownership of Langholm Moor would enable the Langholm Initiative to develop a new National Nature Reserve and capture ongoing revenue from the asset, as well as providing a platform to unlock further community-led enterprise development and job creation. It would provide significant social, environmental and economic benefits to the area.

[Langholm Moor. Photo by David Lintern]

Kevin Cumming, project leader at the Langholm Initiative, said: “This generous support is a major step towards a successful outcome for the community. We have been working closely with South of Scotland Enterprise over recent weeks, and couldn’t be happier with their commitment to support the people of Langholm.

“We still have a race against time to find the rest of the funding required for a purchase to take place. We are investigating every possible option to ensure the buyout is a success.”

Professor Russel Griggs OBE, Chair of South of Scotland Enterprise, said: “We are delighted to support The Langholm Initiative project, and recognise that our significant contribution will be a tremendous step toward reaching their ambitious funding package.

“As the new economic development agency for the South of Scotland, our plans to further the region’s economic, social and environmental development are at the heart of everything we do, and helping communities to take advantage of the opportunities community asset transfer offers is one the objectives set out for us in the legislation that put us in place.

“Community ownership is a catalytic step in community development and empowerment as it enables communities to make decisions about how assets within their communities are used. The successful acquisition of Langholm Moor represents a long-term economic, social and natural capital development project, and we look forward to working with the Langholm Initiative as the situation develops.“

The Langholm Initiative was formed in 1994, as one of south Scotland’s earliest development trusts. The charity is seeking other major funders for the land buyout. To find out more and to support the crowdfunding appeal, visit langholminitiative.org.uk. Follow on Twitter at @LBuyout.

South of Scotland Enterprise is the economic and community development agency for the South of Scotland. See www.southofscotlandenterprise.com

ENDS 

These latest funds bring the total amount raised to date to approx £2.8 Million. Approx £6 Million is needed.

Scottish Land Fund: £1M

South of Scotland Enterprise: £1M

John Muir Trust: £100k

Carman Family Foundation: £500k

Public donations (inc crowdfunding): £200k approx

For previous blogs on the Langholm buyout see here, here, here, here, here here here here

Eagle shot, satellite tag dumped in reservoir, suspect identified via tag data

A man who shot and killed an eagle, removed its satellite tag and dumped it in a reservoir, and then dumped the eagle’s corpse in a bin, has been tracked down thanks to the data provided by the eagle’s tag.

This is a news story from Andalucia in southern Spain, translated via Google (here) so bear with it.

A young Bonelli’s eagle was fitted with a satellite tag in its nest in May 2020 as part of a Spanish LIFE project trying to address this species’ population decline (here).

[A tagged Bonelli’s eagle, photo from Aquila a-LIFE Project]

On 27th August, the researchers tracking the eagle’s movements via the tag’s data reported to the authorities that the eagle appeared to be floating in the Iznajar Reservoir, near a bridge.

A patrol visited the site and found the tag but no sign of the eagle.

Meanwhile, the police were able to retrace the route of the tag from the time when the data suggested the bird had been killed (11.53 – 12.23hrs) on a hunting (shooting) estate. They also located two points where they found Bonelli’s eagle feathers – one on the hunting ground and one in the area where the hunters park their vehicles.

What are described as ‘subsequent investigations’ led the police to identify the suspect, who then attended voluntarily and admitted he’d accidentally shot the eagle and panicked when he saw the tag so he removed it and threw it in the reservoir and dumped the eagle in a bin.

A prosecution is expected.

[Police officers retrieving the eagle’s corpse from a bin]

Interesting, isn’t it?

This Spanish shooter could learn a lot from his Scottish counterparts. They’ve already learned that when you kill a satellite-tagged eagle you need to disable the tag before disposing of it, otherwise the tag will continue to transmit and give away its location.

Although disabling the tag and then hiding it, and the corpse of the dead eagle, doesn’t hide the clear geographic pattern of the killings, as revealed by the superbly comprehensive and forensic analyses undertaken for the Govt-commissioned Golden Eagle Satellite Tag Review, amusingly still being described as “crap science” by those who don’t have any scientific credentials and don’t have any experience of satellite tags, but who do have a vested interest in wanting raptor satellite tracking to stop. Can’t imagine why.

The Scottish eagle killers have also learned that if you chuck a satellite tag into water you definitely need to ensure it’s been properly disabled first because some of them, depending on the tag model, will continue to function in water (remember Fred, anyone?), as this Bonelli’s eagle tag did.

Sometimes, though, simply disabling the tag isn’t always enough to cover your tracks…….there’ll be more on this very soon.

UK shooting industry set to fight against EU lead ammunition ban

Well, this is terrifying for UK citizens concerned about the environment, wildlife and human health. In what should have been an easy PR ‘win’, the country’s largest shooting organisation has instead announced it is to fight a new forthcoming EU regulation restricting the use of toxic lead ammunition on wetlands.

[Graphic from Wildfowl & Wetland Trust (WWT) showing how toxic lead ammunition can contaminate the environment, wildlife and humans. This overview from WWT (here) provides an excellent summary of why everyone should be concerned about lead poisoning]

On 3rd September 2020, 18 European countries ‘chose health over poison’ in an historic vote to ban lead shot in wetlands (see press release here from the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust who has campaigned on this issue for years).

This decision now needs to be ratified by the EU Council within 3 months (this is considered to be a formality) and then an official two-year period of transition will take place. It is not yet clear how this will affect the UK as it all depends on the timing re: Brexit (will it clear ratification before 31 December 2020?) and whether the UK Government will be obliged to adhere to the ruling or whether it will be able to decide its own position.

However, in response to the vote, BASC, the British Association for Shooting (and conservation, ahem), has announced that it is to ‘fight’ the new regulation and will lobby the UK Government not to accept it because, er, its a ‘bad law’ and it threatens the shooting industry’s professed five-year voluntary transition to non-toxic lead that was announced earlier this year.

Ah, that’ll be the five-year voluntary transition that was rejected outright by the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (here) and the latest of many previous ‘voluntary bans’ by the shooting industry that have been unsuccessful (e.g. see here, here and here). The ongoing failure of the shooting industry to comply with current regulations on many issues, including the use of lead ammunition over wetlands (here), means there should be absolutely zero confidence in its ability and/or willingness to stick to any notional voluntary ban.

Here’s BASC’s statement in response to the forthcoming ban on lead ammunition over wetlands:

It really is an odd position for an organisation that claims to have conservation as one of its central pillars, isn’t it? BASC has campaigned for years to be able to keep using toxic lead ammunition, even though the poisonous properties of lead ammunition and its devastating impact on wildlife has been known for years and years and years, and most of the previously significant sources of lead in the environment (e.g. lead-based paint and leaded petrol) were eliminated decades ago.

Then we saw the big u-turn from the shooting industry in February (apart from the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, which continues its steep nose-dive trajectory in the face of growing environmental awareness and concern) but this u-turn was seen by many as a time-wasting ploy because a voluntary ban is never going to be enforceable and there’d be no consequences if the voluntary ban wasn’t in place in five years time.

And now just a few months on, when it’s pretty clear that, based on clear and unequivocal evidence, the EU is heading towards a total ban on lead ammunition in all habitats, not just wetlands, the shooting industry decides to dig its heels in and shout ‘It’s not fair’ as it continues to pollute our environment and our wildlife, and put human health at risk, all for the sake of wanting to shoot some birds for a bit of a laugh.

One more time, for anyone who doesn’t yet understand the ‘toxic legacy’ of lead ammunition on our environment, wildlife and people, have a read of this excellent piece from the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (see here) and then ask yourself why toxic lead ammunition wasn’t banned in this country years ago, and why gamebird meat is still exempt from testing for poisonous lead whereas every other type of meat destined for the human food chain is not.

Police investigate shot buzzard remains found on Wirral pheasant shooting estate

The discovery of the remains of a buzzard have led to a joint investigation into alleged raptor persecution and other wildlife offences on a game-shooting estate on the Wirral.

The decomposed corpse was discovered next to a hunting tower on the estate in July 2020, according to a social media posting by a group called ‘Cheshire Against Blood Sports’. The buzzard’s decapitated head and legs were found close by. An x-ray at the RSPCA’s Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre reportedly found the body was ‘peppered with shot’. It’s not known how old the corpse was but it’s clear from the photographs that decomposition was quite advanced.

[All photos from Cheshire Against Blood Sports]

Other allegations made by the group include ‘unchecked Larsen traps & decoy birds found dead in the trap’. The group has also posted photographs of what looks to be a clam trap with the decomposed remains of something in it, an uncovered Fenn trap (although the circumstances of its use are unclear) and a large stink pit containing the rotting corpses of wildlife.

The group reports that the joint Merseyside Police/RSPCA investigation concluded with a visit to the estate in late August where words of advice have apparently been given. There are not thought to be any impending prosecutions.

It’s believed the pheasant, partridge and duck shooting on the estate is leased to a third party.

[All photos from Cheshire Against Blood Sports]

This article was re-published on the Birdguides website on 13th September 2020.

Grouse-shooting royals ridiculed in the news

Some members of the royal family were out grouse-shooting near Balmoral last week and as ever this led to wide media coverage, some of it typically sycophantic but much of it unfavourable.

Here are some headlines:

By far the most entertaining piece was written by Catherine Bennett in the Guardian yesterday. It’s a masterclass in ridicule.

Excerpts include:

‘…….the royal family has been strikingly successful over generations in, using child-rearing methods that might strike even some religious and political fanatics as on the extreme side, ensuring the continuation of stand-out dynastic traits, from equestrianism to curtseying, stalking, a passion for the military and, when in Africa, charismatic megafauna‘.

and

‘Whether her enthusiastic participation in a similar, though possibly bloodier, programme adds to Kate Middleton’s qualifications as a national child-rearing expert is a question for favoured daycare centres. No doubt some mothers, especially those from keen shooting families, will treasure hints from this advocate of the “good enough royal” approach, on getting children outdoors and counting dead birds before their young minds can be turned by Chris Packham‘.

You can read the full article here