Press release from RSPB:
ILLEGAL KILLING IS MAJOR CAUSE OF DEATH IN HEN HARRIERS
- New study published in an important scientific journal shows yearly survival rates of Hen Harriers are ‘unusually low’ with birds typically living just four months after fledging the nest.
- Illegal killing is the main cause of death for older birds, accounting for up 75% of yearly deaths in birds between one and two years old and is also a major cause of death in birds under one year.
- Mortality due to illegal killing was highest in areas managed for Red Grouse shooting, highlighting the significant role that persecution on some grouse moors plays in limiting Hen Harrier populations in the UK.
Illegal killing is the main cause of death in Hen Harriers over one year of age and a major cause of deaths in birds under one year according to a new paper, published in the journal Biological Conservation, and led by the RSPB. Using data from the largest GPS tracking programme for Hen Harriers globally, the authors discovered that individuals tracked by the project were typically living just 121 days after fledging. The risk of dying as a result of illegal killing increased significantly as Hen Harriers spent more time on areas managed for grouse shooting.
Hen Harriers are on the Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern in the UK, meaning they are one of the most at-risk species here. Despite all birds of prey being protected by law since the 1950s and more recently under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, illegal persecution is still known to be a serious issue.
In 2011 the UK Government published the authoritative Conservation Framework for Hen Harriers which identified illegal killing of this species as the primary cause stopping population recovery. A 2019 UK Government study using tracking data from Hen Harriers in northern England and southern Scotland also found illegal killing to be the main factor limiting the recovery of the UK Hen Harrier population.
Scotland is the species’ UK stronghold with about 70-80% of the UK breeding population of Hen Harriers here, mostly found in Orkney and the Hebrides. However, the estimated 460 breeding pairs by the 2016 national survey is just a third of the estimated population size of 1500 breeding pairs that habitat in Scotland could support, according to the 2011 UK Government report.
For the new study researchers used satellite tracking devices to look into the survival and movements of Hen Harriers. Whilst these tags provide critical insights into the ecology of the species and aid in conservation, they can also be used to recover dead Hen Harriers, thus allowing the cause of death to be identified.
Between 2014 and 2020, the RSPB and partners fitted satellite transmitters to juvenile Hen Harriers at nests across Scotland, England, Wales, and the Isle of Man. Tags were deployed on 148 individuals, of which 86 were in Scotland, funded by the Hen Harrier LIFE project. The scientists analysed the data and looked at survival rates, causes of death whether natural or through illegal killing, and associations between mortality and land managed for grouse shooting.
Annual survival was low, especially among birds under one year (males: 14%; females: 30%), with illegal killing accounting for the deaths of 27-41% of birds under one year, and 75% of mortality in birds aged between one and two years. Not enough birds survived over two years to estimate mortality due to illegal killing of adults.
The authors found multiple strands of compelling evidence that illegal killing is associated with land management for grouse shooting. A 10% increase in grouse moor use by the birds was associated with a 43% increase in the rate of mortality. There was also a strong overlap between the extent of mortality in 20km squares and the area of grouse moor, with hotspots of illegal killing identified in the central and eastern highlands of Scotland and northern England. In contrast, there were no clear associations between use of grouse moors and death due to natural causes.
Steven Ewing, RSPB Senior Conservation Scientist and lead author of the study said: “Hen Harriers have been legally protected for almost 70 years, but this study adds to the already overwhelming evidence base that illegal killing on grouse moors remains a key cause of this species’ low population size and its ongoing absence from large areas of the uplands, particularly grouse moors.”
Duncan Orr-Ewing, Head of Species and Land Management. RSPB Scotland, said: “This study reinforces the devastating impact that illegal killing is having on our Hen Harrier population, how strongly it is associated with grouse moors, and why urgent changes are needed to bring this to an end. There should be three times as many breeding pairs of Hen Harriers in Scotland than we currently have.”
“Thankfully the Scottish Government has undertaken an independent review of the evidence and is now taking action. It is proposing to licence grouse shooting with sanctions including the removal of the right to shoot grouse where wildlife crimes are confirmed, and to provide a meaningful deterrent to wildlife crime. We hope to give evidence to the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee of the Scottish Parliament when it considers the draft Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill shortly and to present the details of this study. The illegal killing of Hen Harriers, and other birds of prey, has no place in the nature and climate emergency and must end.
“One example of many incidents recorded as part of this study is Rannoch, a young female Hen Harrier, who fledged from a Perthshire nest in July 2017. Her remains were recovered in May 2019 on a Perthshire grouse moor – she had been caught in an illegally set spring trap, and died an agonising death. We cannot have more of our precious Hen Harriers being killed in such a way. This study is a crucial piece of evidence in helping to secure them a better future”.
ENDS
Channel 4 ran a piece on this last night – watch the 4 minute video here.
Since 2018, at least 92 hen harriers have been confirmed ‘missing’ or illegally killed in UK, mostly on or next to driven grouse moors (see here).
The new scientific paper can be read/downloaded here:
Raptor Persecution UK 
A scientific paper teling many of us what we already knew for if those tagged birds are representative of the population as a whole then many many more than we know about are being killed because their deaths go unrecorded except by the killers. There are those in the DGS cabal who will poopoo this as a biased paper due to RSPB involvement, folk who cannot see beyond their own prejudices and blinkered ignorance, we must counter every public utterance of such nonsense. Yes Licencing might help if it were to be robustly policed better would be a complete ban on DRIVEN shooting of all forms, with far more of our uplands more naturally managed for the benefit of all wildlife and people not just a few species that rich landowners can shoot and pretend they are helping. Some of us have been saying this for what seems a very long time we need a change of government and a change of policy NOW.
I think it tells us quite a lot more than we knew. We should make the most of it, especially in relation to the ad hominem nonsense that ‘of course they die on grouse moors because that’s where they live.’ The Murgatroyd paper should have demolished that. This paper confirms Murgatroyd and does more. Both good papers but, where we are now, this one could be a game-changer.
The grisly reality unfolds revealing systematic abuse. The abusers and their apologists are left standing alone in the public gaze. If they weren’t so infantile, and chose not to react to all endeavours for reconciliation with anything other than blatant tribalism, the shame of their dirty secrets might not have had to be exposed to the world. It’s this tribalism which is their undoing.
Totally agree.
I don’t know how this could be done – maybe through a lobby group like Scotland’s Revive – but lobbying non-government parties to make a commitment to ban or heavily regulate the live target shooting industry in general. If we want to change landownership rights, protect nature, wildlife biodiversity, habitats and reduce biohazards to livestock this needs to be included in manifesto pledges.
Benson still relying on his worn out old stand-up routine on the C4 News piece. Good to see that Alex Thomson was having none of it.
Indeed and it is tired old shite. I f you analyse carefully last year’s figures removing the brood meddled and fed nests the majority of NATURAL successes were on Forestry England land in Northumberland and on United Utilities land in Bowland both at roughly 25-30 times the density of those on private grouse moors, said grouse moors also had a much higher failure rate at 45%. Even the most obtuse must now have the scales falling from their eyes. One suspects that politics and not science is making the decisions at DEFRA over BM rather than the scientists at NE.
That’s a very good report from Alex Thomson / Channel 4. They clearly have the measure of what is going on, and unlike some media are not afraid of any repercussions from above by reporting plainly on it. The “doorstepping” of the Goathland keepers (in wake of the goshawk trap video) was a good one by him a couple of years ago. I would dearly like to see the same approach (doorstepping) done to get answers from some of the big name Agents. Geltsdale a great choice of location to tell this story too. I think I might be correct in saying that the most rapid and catastrophic losses of nesting pairs & roosting harriers ever recorded, occurred thereabouts during the mid to late 1990’s. Exactly when a large neighbouring grouse moor was resuscitated (as they say in the trade) under new managers and keepers. Pure coincidence, of course.
Agreed and doorstepping THAT agent would be a joy to see.
It most certainly would!
I have looked at the survival rates of NE brood meddlrd birds using their website with data updated in May 2023. Of tagged birds released in 2020 8 of them, 4 are still alive. This seems a very good result. In 2021, 7 taggedbirds were released of which 1 is still alive. In 2022, of the 12 tagged birds released 5 are still alive in May 2023. There is othing scientific about my calculations. However these figures to me do not show overwhelming success, unless one considers that no birds or their offspring would otherwise be still alive of they had nested on a grouse moor. Is this how NE calculated success and allowed the “trial” to proceed?
I should have stated that the 2019 brood meddled birds, of which 5 were tagged, 4 are definitely dead, but one was recaptured and another tag fitted. I have not found that yet.
Why did we need a new scientific paper to confirm that the ongoing and widespread Hen Harrier persecution by ILLEGAL KILLING IS THE MAJOR CAUSE OF DEATH IN HEN HARRIERS particularly on the grouse moors. Although it’s always useful to have as much information and back-up evidence as possible it’s been well known for many many years what the main cause has always been and still is. What we really need is for NE/SNH to take their fingers out of you know where and do what they’re paid to do, namely enforce the laws of our land and protect our so-called legally protected wildlife. They could make a start by putting a stop to the absurd “Brood Meddling”.
“Why did we need a new scientific paper to confirm that the ongoing and widespread Hen Harrier persecution by ILLEGAL KILLING IS THE MAJOR CAUSE OF DEATH IN HEN HARRIERS particularly on the grouse moors.”
Because a huge, very influential, section of society refuse to accept that fact.
Well something got to done to protect these birds Jesus Christ these assholes who shoot them
I am initially struck by the STARK contrast between the RSPB Report “Illegal killing major cause of death in Hen Harriers” and Natural England’s “Natural England Science Advisory Committee Update” on the ‘Hen harrier brood management trial’
In the former (RSPB 11/5/23):
“Illegal killing is the main cause of death for older birds, accounting for up 75% of deaths each year in birds between one and two years old, and is also a major cause of death in birds under one year.
Mortality due to illegal killing was higher in areas managed for Red Grouse shooting, highlighting the role that persecution on some grouse moors play in limiting Hen Harrier populations in the UK.
Not enough birds survived over 2 years to estimate mortality due to illegal killing for adults.
A 10% increase in grouse moor use was associated with a 43% increase in mortality… In contrast, there were no clear associations between use of grouse moors and death due to natural causes.”
In the latter (Natural England 18/01/23):
“Analysis of changes in survival rates has not been completed, but clear improvements in breeding success have been seen.
There is evidence of changes in both attitudes and behaviours, positive engagement with trial and idea of having hen harriers on their moors.
Members noted that while the trial has been very contentious, it seems to have worked in terms of breeding success.
Members confirmed they agreed a five-year extension to the trial would be appropriate and would recommend this to the Natural England Board.”
These are both scientific reports. Chilling. The last time I personally came across scientists deliberately presenting misleading data, they worked for Network Rail/HS2.
Remember the statement “Not enough birds survived over 2 years to estimate mortality due to illegal killing for adults” and think what the reaction might be if that were applied to any other protected species.
What are they waiting for? Ban grouse shooting.
We did need another report. It inform the licensing bill in Scotland and, fingers crossed, may translate into action in England and Wales