Month: June 2023

Red kite found shot in North York Moors National Park: police appeal for information

North Yorkshire Police has issued the following press statement:

APPEAL FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE SHOOTING OF A RED KITE

North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Task Force is appealing for witnesses and information about the shooting of a Red Kite which happened near Westerdale, on the North York Moors. 

The Red Kite, which was suffering from gunshot wounds, was found by a member of the public on Tuesday 13 June. Despite being immediately taken to the vets it needed to be put to sleep due to the extent of its injuries. The wounds were fresh suggesting it had been shot recently.

It is against the law to intentionally kill, injure or take wild birds.

North Yorkshire Police is requesting the public’s assistance to help establish the full circumstances surrounding this incident. In particular anyone who witnessed shooting in the Westerdale area on either Monday 12 or Tuesday 13 June 2023.  

Anyone with information that could assist with this investigation should email Jack.donaldson@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2, and ask to speak to Jack Donaldson.

If you wish to remain anonymous, you can pass information to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Please quote the North Yorkshire Police reference number 12230107850 when passing on information.

North Yorkshire has the highest incidence of raptor (birds of prey) persecution of any English county. The dedicated Rural Taskforce and specially-trained wildlife officers are committed to stopping these crimes and bringing offenders to justice.

Operation Owl is a joint initiative by North Yorkshire Police, RSPB, RSPCA and the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks.

People can help by being their eyes and ears out on the moors and dales. If you spot a dead or injured bird, poisoned bait or a pole trap, please note the location, take a photo and call North Yorkshire Police on 101 to report it.

ENDS

I’m assuming this is the same red kite that was reported in the papers yesterday morning (here), although those reports had identified the location as ‘the Whitby area’, which is nowhere near Westerdale, but the time and date are the same.

Yesterday’s reports also stated the red kite had been found ‘in suspicious circumstances’. I don’t know who wrote that earlier report but it wasn’t at all helpful, accurate or informative.

The later press release from North Yorkshire Police, as reproduced above, is much better, especially the speed with which it’s been published. It’s also good to see the police provide some context to this crime, discussing Operation Owl, the extent of these crimes in this grouse shooting hell hole (supposedly a National Park), the types of evidence people may see, and what to do about it if they do see it.

It’s unlikely to lead to anyone coming forward though. There’ll be the usual wall of silence from the grouse-shooting community, who persistently refuse to provide any assistance in wildlife crime investigations, and it would be unusual if a member of the public had witnessed anything in such a remote landscape and been able to identify the person pulling the trigger.

Meanwhile, however, the pressure, and evidence, continues to mount on DEFRA Ministers to recognise that raptor persecution is a widespread issue and people are getting more and more pissed off that the shooting industry is allowed to get away with such blatant criminality, time and time and time again.

UPDATE 4th July 2023: 2nd red kite found shot nr Westerdale in North York Moors National Park in recent weeks, with suspicions of a third one (here)

UPDATE 9th October 2023: Buzzard shot & critically injured in North York Moors National Park (here)

Police appeal for witnesses as red kite found injured ‘in suspicious circumstances’ in North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire Police is appealing for witnesses after the discovery of an injured red kite found ‘in suspicious circumstances’ in the Whitby area on Tuesday morning (13 June 2023).

The kite was later euthanised by vets due to the severity of its injuries.

Unfortunately no other details are available.

If you have any information in relation to this incident please contact PC 774 Jack Donaldson: jack.donaldson@northyorkshire.police.uk

UPDATE 17th June 2023: Red kite found shot in North York Moors National Park: police appeal for information (here).

Second trial underway for falconer charged with welfare offences relating to 90 eagles

In February this year, prominent falconer and eagle breeder Andrew Knowles Brown from Elvanfoot, Scotland was cleared of all charges at Lanark Sheriff Court in relation to the alleged mistreatment of ten imported White-bellied sea eagles at the Scottish Eagle Centre (see here).

That case was the first of two. For reasons that are unclear to me, charges relating to the welfare of another 90 eagles (here) were split into a second trial, which is now underway.

Andrew Knowles Brown and his associate, Alan Rothery, are alleged to have kept the eagles in enclosures which were too small, failed to provide the birds with natural light, failed to provide them with adequate water, denied them the ability to exhibit natural behaviours such as flying and bathing, and failed to protect the birds from injury, suffering and disease, between June-December 2019. Both have denied the charges.

The Scottish SSPCA started giving evidence at Lanark Sheriff Court on 8th June 2023 and will continue at the next hearing scheduled for 10th and 11th August 2023.

Knowles-Brown is a prominent figure in the falconry world, having served as the Chair of the Scottish Hawk Board and Vice-Chair of the UK Hawk Board. The Hawk Board, which includes a representative from the Countryside Alliance, represents falconers, hawk-keepers and falconry clubs and provides welfare guidelines for those keeping raptors in captivity. It also engages in political lobbying (e.g. it was against the Scottish Government’s decision to afford the Mountain Hare full legal protection) and Knowles-Brown himself has provided evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs Committee when it was considering its draft Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Bill.

As the second court case is live, comments won’t be accepted on this blog until proceedings have concluded. Thanks for your understanding.

UPDATE 22 January 2024: Trial continues in Scotland for falconer charged with welfare offences relating to 90 eagles (here)

UPDATE 15 October 2024: Prominent falconer & eagle breeder Andrew Knowles-Brown guilty of welfare offences relating to approx 90 eagles in Scotland (here)

New report on economic & social impacts of driven grouse shooting: RSPB calls for licensing scheme in England

The RSPB is calling for the licensing of driven grouse shooting in England after the publication of a new report it commissioned on the economic and social impacts of future options for grouse moor management.

I haven’t had time to read the report yet, which examines the current policy of grouse moor management and then considers the likely outcomes of three future options (do nothing, bring in a licensing scheme, or impose a ban) but here’s the report in full as well as a shorter briefing document:

rspb-economics-of-driven-grouse-shooting-briefingDownload
rspb-economics-of-driven-grouse-shooting-full-reportDownload

The RSPB has also published two blogs today, summarising the report’s findings and offering an explanation for its preferred position on licensing rather than a ban:

Driven grouse shooting – what’s the cost? RSPB blog written by Dr Pat Thompson, RSPB’s Senior Uplands Policy Officer here.

Licensing driven grouse shooting: the case for change. RSPB blog written by Imogen Taylor, RSPB Policy Officer here.

The RSPB has also published a further short briefing document explaining why it thinks it’s ‘Time for Change’:

rspb-time-for-change-report-2023Download

New Environment Minister appointed to Scottish Government

First Minister Humza Yousaf has appointed a new Environment Minister to join the Scottish Government.

As you may recall, following Nicola Sturgeon’s exit, Yousaf’s Cabinet reshuffle in March 2023 resulted in the position of Environment Minister being dropped, after he promoted the former Environment Minister (Mairi McAllan) to the role of Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition (see here).

Consequently, Mairi McAllan’s Environment portfolio then appeared to have been dumped on Mairi Gougeon’s plate, which was already full as her portfolio as Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands was also expanded to include Land Reform.

It looks like somebody’s finally had a word with Yousaf because today he gave the Environment portfolio to Gillian Martin MSP, who was already serving in the newly-created office of Energy Minister (although not without controversy, for very different reasons – here and here).

Gillian’s specific responsibilities as Energy and Environment Minister haven’t yet been updated on the Government website (here) but it is clear that she will play a supporting role to Cabinet Secretary Mairi Gougeon.

The Wildlife & Muirburn (Scotland) Bill, seeking to deliver grouse moor reform, will probably feature prominently in her first year in office so there’ll be a great deal of interest in Gillian’s performance in this new role.

UPDATE 26th June 2023: New Scottish Environment Minister’s responsibilities include wildlife management and wildlife crime (here).

Second evidence session tomorrow on Wildlife & Muirburn (Scotland) Bill

As many of you know, the Scottish Parliament’s Rural Affairs & Islands Committee is currently taking evidence from stakeholders as part of the Committee’s Stage 1 scrutiny of the Wildlife & Muirburn (Scotland) Bill.

For new blog readers, this is the Bill that has been introduced by the Scottish Government in response to the recommendations made in the 2019 Werritty Review and is designed to bring in licensing for grouse moor management and attempt to put an end to the illegal killing of birds of prey on grouse moors.

The first evidence session took place on 31st May 2023 and the Committee heard from members of the Scottish Government Bill Team, led by senior civil servant Hugh Dignon.

Scottish Government’s Bill Team giving evidence to the Rural Affairs & Islands Committee

It was a relatively straightforward evidence session, with no big surprises and it provided a useful insight into how legislation is drafted, if that’s your thing.

Although I’ve got to say, the quality of some of the questions from some members of the Committee revealed an exasperating level of ignorance. Whether that was feigned or genuine, I’ll leave you to decide.

For example, Committee Member Jim Fairlie MSP (SNP):

“What evidence is there to justify the need for additional regulation of grouse moors? Has an on-going link been established between grouse moor management and raptor persecution?“

And from Committee Member Rachael Hamilton MSP (Scottish Conservatives):

“What evidence do you have to suggest that raptor persecution and grouse moors are connected?“

It should be noted that both MSPs are known to support the game-shooting industry. Mr Fairlie recently sponsored a Parliamentary event for the godawful Gift of Grouse campaign group (which raised eyebrows given the timing of the event coinciding with his role on the Committee supposedly independently scrutinising the grouse moor bill – see here), so he’s probably not as ignorant of the issues as his question suggests. Rachael Hamilton was recently in hot water as it was claimed she ‘failed to declare an interest in blood sports’ whilst scrutinising the recent Hunting with Dogs Bill (see here) and she’s also attended events and meetings with gamekeepers (e.g. here) so she, too, should be very well informed on the link between grouse moor management and illegal raptor persecution. Fortunately, there are others on the Committee with different views and experience.

I’ve got to hand it to Hugh Dignon, who managed to suppress any hint of incredulity, and calmly explained the extensive available evidence linking grouse moor management to illegal raptor persecution (i.e. bloody decade’s worth of the stuff!) and said he would happily provide this material to the Committee in writing.

You can watch the first evidence session on Scottish Parliament TV (archived video here, starts at 10:59:07) and you can read the transcript here (starts on page 40):

rural-affairs-committee_wildlifemuirburnbill_31may2023Download

The second evidence session (in a series of four) takes place tomorrow, starting at 9am in the Fairfax Somerville Room at Holyrood. The Committee will first hear evidence from members of the Grouse Moor Management (Werritty) Review, and then take evidence from a range of stakeholders on sections 1-3 of the Bill (glue traps), sections 4-5 (wildlife traps) and section 8 (SSPCA powers).

Here are the individuals invited to give evidence at this particular session:

That should be interesting! You can watch live on Scottish Parliament TV (here) or watch the video archive shortly afterwards via the same website. The official transcript will be available several days after the meeting and I’ll post it on this blog when it comes out.

The third session, scheduled for 21st June 2023, will hear from the RSPB and the REVIVE coalition for grouse moor reform, amongst others, about grouse moor licensing and muirburn licensing.

The fourth and final session, scheduled for 28th June, will hear evidence from Mairi Gougeon, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands.

Job vacancy: Osprey Project Assistant (Poole Harbour)

The charity Birds of Poole Harbour is advertising for an Osprey Project Assistant, as follows:

Role Description:

An exciting role assisting on the landmark Poole Harbour Osprey Translocation Project, led by Birds of Poole Harbour and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation has come available. The role will include husbandry and monitoring of translocated chicks pre- and post-release. The position is ideally suited to an early career conservationist or student who is looking for a short-term role over the summer period.

Young ospreys are translocated from Scotland to Poole. Photo: Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation

Duties:

Assist with the translocation of Osprey chicks from mid-July to mid-September, including the following responsibilities:

  • The collection and preparation of fish for daily feeds
  • Monitoring the Osprey chicks via CCTV and recording data on food consumption, chick development, behaviour and movements 
  • Support with the release and monitoring of the chicks using optics and radio tracking
  • Equipment, site and resource maintenance, including cleaning the food preparation area and re-stocking supplies
  • Supervise volunteers providing support for the project
  • Support with hosting Osprey Project related public events, such as boat trips and tours

Duration: 2 month temporary contract, running from 10th July – 10th September 2023

Working Hours: Full-time (40 hours per week) including weekend, early morning and evening hours. Regular shifts typically run from 6am-2pm or 12-8pm on a rotating basis.

Pay: Living Wage salary equivalent to £10.42 per hour

Reports to: Osprey Project Manager, BoPH Manager, Operations Manager, Charity Trustees

Additional Information: This role requires a full, clean driving licence and access to a vehicle. Physical fitness is also important to this role due to the nature of the monitoring period. The position is based near Wareham, Dorset.

Osprey release aviaries. Photo: Ruth Tingay

Full training will be provided for this role including food preparation, feeding, behavioural monitoring via CCTV and telemetry (yagi) and data recording.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Personal Attributes:

  • Friendly and outgoing personality
  • Attention to detail
  • Dedicated and proactive attitude

Skills and Experience:

Essential:

  • Ability to work effectively as part of a team
  • Ability to collect and accurately record data
  • Good knowledge of bird identification

Desirable:

  • Experience of volunteer management or supervision
  • Knowledge of animal husbandry or ecology

How to Apply

To apply please send your CV (max. 2 pages) to osprey@birdsofpooleharbour.co.uk, along with supporting document providing short answers (<300 words each) to the following questions:

  • What interests you about this role and working for Birds of Poole Harbour?
  • What experience and skills do you have that makes you ideally suited to this role?

The deadline for applications is 9am on Monday 19th June with interviews being held on Monday 26th June.

Please note that this position will be offered subject to the translocation going ahead this year. In the unlikely event that the translocation is unable to go ahead, we will unfortunately no longer be able to fulfil this role.

ENDS

Police & SSPCA seek man in relation to injured red kite

Police Scotland and the Scottish SPCA have appealed for information in relation to the discovery of a critically-injured red kite in Dumfries & Galloway.

A red kite. Photo: Doug Simpson

According to the BBC News website (here), the authorities are keen to trace the man who found the injured kite near Closeburn at around midday on 5th June 2023. It’s reported that the kite’s injuries were so severe the bird had to be euthanised.

The man is described white, 50 to 60 years old, about 5ft 10in tall, of medium build with short white hair.

The Police and SSPCA want to speak to him and have appealed for witnesses.

No further details are available at the moment.

UPDATE 4th July 2023: Red kite found injured in Dumfries & Galloway had gunshot wounds (see here)

Osprey euthanised after found suffering shotgun injuries in Washington, Tyne & Wear

An Osprey has been euthanised after being found with shotgun injuries in Washington, Tyne & Wear on 26th May 2023.

The shot Osprey. Photo: RSPCA

An article on the Planet Radio Metro website (here) states the Osprey ‘was spotted bleeding and lying on his back by a worker at the Crowther Industrial Estate in Washington, Tyne and Wear, after he was thought to have crash landed at the location‘.

However, the article goes on to claim that the Osprey was ‘shot three times with an airgun‘, but if you look at the x-ray it’s pretty clear that the Osprey has been hit by shotgun pellets (at least four of them – I’ve circled them on the x-ray image below), and not by airgun pellets, which have a distinctively different shape.

The article also claims the Osprey had ‘a ruptured right eye, grazes to its body and a fractured left wing‘. I can’t see the left wing fracture on this particular x-ray but the image of the bird’s left ‘wrist’ area is quite distorted so it’s difficult to tell.

It’s reported that the vets who assessed the injured Osprey considered the best course of action was to euthanise it to prevent further suffering.

The RSPCA is apparently investigating and is ‘asking businesses on the estate to check their CCTV for potential information about the person responsible‘, although obviously the shooting could have taken place elsewhere and the bird could have flown some distance before crash-landing on the estate. However, if it did have a fractured wing then it’s unlikely to have been able to fly very far from the location where it was shot. But perhaps the fracture occurred when it crash landed.

This case was also covered by the BBC News website (here) but that seems to be just a condensed version of the Mercury article and repeats the claim that an airgun was used in the shooting.

The shooting of Ospreys in the UK is relatively rare these days – unlike the targeted shooting of Buzzards, Red Kites, Hen Harriers, Goshawks etc which is still so routine, especially on land managed for gamebird shooting. The last Osprey shooting that I recall in the UK was in 2010 (here).

That’s not to say that Ospreys aren’t still the victims of illegal persecution, but mostly it’s now related to nest disturbance and egg collecting (e.g. see here and here), although there was a case in Derbyshire a few years ago where an Osprey was found with two broken legs and injuries consistent with having been caught in an illegally-set spring trap (here), and an Osprey’s nest was felled with a chainsaw in North Wales two years ago just after the first egg had been laid (here).

Thankfully, these days Ospreys are usually in the headlines for all the right reasons following a series of conservation translocation projects in England (e.g. here), with nest cameras providing an opportunity for the public to follow breeding attempts online (here), Osprey visitor centres attracting thousands of visitors each year (e.g. here) and now even ‘Osprey Cruises’ to watch foraging Ospreys from boats, which sell out so quickly that more trips have now been scheduled (e.g. here). It’s clear that this particular bird of prey seems to attract a great deal of public affection.

If anyone has any information about the shot Osprey found in Tyne & Wear please contact the RSPCA but I’d also encourage you to contact the RSPB’s Investigations Team who can provide specialist and expert assistance to the investigation.

UPDATE 09.30hrs: A vet has been in touch (thank you!) with the following comment: ‘My very rusty veterinary eyes (20 years out of practice!) can see a fracture on the R proximal humerus – also the head of the humerus appears not to be in the shallow socket. Maybe the vet got the L and R markers the wrong way around. Shame there is not a better x-ray after euthanasia. I might be wrong’.

Wild Justice begins new legal action on release of gamebirds on protected sites

Conservation campaign group Wild Justice has today launched new legal action against DEFRA regarding the release of non-native Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges on sites of high conservation importance.

Wild Justice’s claim is that DEFRA has failed to monitor compliance with General Licence 43 (GL43) which regulates gamebird releases in England and also with the lawfulness of the reissue of GL43 a few days ago.

Crates of captive-reared gamebird chicks about to be released (Photo: Ruth Tingay)

For further details please read the Wild Justice blog (here) and subscribe to Wild Justice’s free newsletter (here) to be the first to hear about updates on this and on other campaign work.