Natural England has published its latest update (Aug 2024) on the fates of the satellite-tracked hen harriers it has tagged and subsequently been following, which reveals that eight more have either been found dead (and are listed as ‘awaiting post mortem’) or have gone ‘missing’ in suspicious circumstances.
Strangely (but not really), I haven’t seen a single press release from Natural England and/or the police about any of these 2024 incidents.
I mentioned two of them in a blog in early August (here) after Natural England told me in response to an FoI request in June that they were withholding information about the two cases so as not to jeopardise police investigations. Since then, the number has risen.
It has now emerged from Natural England’s August 2024 update that five of the eight have been found dead and are listed as ‘awaiting post mortem’, with one of these now upgraded to a full blown police investigation, and three others are listed as ‘missing, fate unknown’. The last known transmissions of these eight harriers were in February, March, April, May, June, July and August and three of them are brood meddled youngsters.
Here’s the list:
FOUND DEAD, AWAITING POST MORTEM:
- Hen harrier ‘Susie’, female, Tag ID 201122. Last known transmission 12 February 2024, Northumberland. Found dead. Site confidential. In NE’s April 2024 update, Susie was listed as, ‘recovered, awaiting post mortem‘. Now her listing says, ‘Ongoing police investigation, final transmission location temporarily withheld at police request‘. You might remember ‘Susie’ – she’s the hen harrier whose chicks were brutally stamped on and crushed to death in their nest on a grouse moor in Whernside in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, in June 2022 (here).
- Hen harrier R2-M1-23 (brood meddled in 2023), male, Tag ID 213927a. Last known transmission 7 March 2024, Devon. ‘Recovered, awaiting post mortem‘. I can’t believe the post mortem hasn’t been conducted six months on. This bird, along with Susie, is apparently the subject of a police investigation, according to Natural England’s earlier FoI response to me in June. [UPDATE 18 Dec 2024: Natural England has now reported this HH died of natural causes].
- Hen harrier ‘Edna’, female, Tag ID 161143a. Last known transmission 7 June 2024, Northumberland. ‘Recovered, awaiting post mortem‘. Three months later and no post mortem result?
- Hen harrier, female, Tag ID 254843. Last known transmission 29 July 2024, Northumberland. ‘Recovered, awaiting post mortem‘.
- Hen harrier, male, Tag ID 254839. Last known transmission 5 August 2024, Northumberland. ‘Recovered, awaiting post mortem‘.
MISSING FATE UNKNOWN:
- Hen harrier ‘Ken’, male, Tag ID 213849a. Last known transmission 24 April 2024, Bowland. Grid Ref: SD684601. ‘Missing, fate unknown‘. Very close to a grouse moor.
- Hen harrier R2-M2-23 (brood meddled in 2023), male, Tag ID 213928. Last known transmission 17 May 2024, Nidderdale. Grid Ref: SE043754. ‘Missing fate unknown‘. Right next to a grouse moor. Apparently this is Yorkshire Water-owned land, where the shooting is rented out to Middlesmoor Estate – some of you may remember a previous blog about Middlesmoor Estate and a now former Moorland Association Director – here for those who want a reminder.
- Hen harrier R2-F1-23 (brood meddled in 2023), female, Tag ID 213923. Last known transmission 25 June, Yorkshire Dales National Park. Grid Ref: NY985082. ‘Missing fate unknown‘. On a grouse moor, apparently on the Arkengarth Estate owned by the Duke of Norfolk.
These eight are in addition to the hen harrier ‘Shalimar’ who disappeared in suspicious circumstances on a grouse moor in the notorious Angus Glens in February 2024 (here) and the list also doesn’t include any of the RSPB’s tagged hen harriers – we’re waiting to hear about how many they’ve lost so far this year. And it’s only September – we’re now in peak hen-harrier-killing-season so I’m sure there’ll be more added to the list by the end of the year.
Not all of the most recent eight may turn out to be the victims of crime – we need to wait for the post mortem results to be published before they can be assigned, but some of them definitely can now be added to the running tally of illegally killed/’missing’ hen harriers, which currently stands at 123 harriers since brood meddling began in 2018.
You know, brood meddling, the so-called partnership (sham) where grouse moor owners gave Natural England a ‘gentlemens’ agreement’ that hen harriers wouldn’t be killed as long as Natural England/DEFRA removed hen harrier chicks from grouse moors during the breeding season. Given the number of harriers that have been killed during the partnership (sham), that ‘gentlemens’ agreement’ turned out to be utter tosh. And now the ‘partnership’ has gone belly up because the grouse moor owners are in a rage about the police wanting to catch the armed criminals responsible for all the killing, which the grouse moor owners claim have nothing to do with them but strangely don’t seem concerned about the apparent armed trespassers visiting their private estates to commit serious firearms offences and other crime!
I’ll be updating the hen harrier death list shortly…
Raptor Persecution UK 
So, by the time the post mortems are held, if they ever are, will the bodies be too far gone for a cause of death to be decided? Is this intentional?
I suspect the post mortems have already been completed and this is just NE dragging its feet to publish the results.
They might deep freeze the bodies if they were going to carry out post mortems at a later date in which case any evidence / illegal cause should be preserved (eg lead shot would still be there) (but I don’t know that they do that so not much help to you, but like RaptorPersecutionUK says, they may well already have carried out post mortems in an appropriate time)
Surely a delay in carrying out post mortems would lead to a delay in potential investigations being carried out which would therefore hinder any potential witness gathering and evidence (or lack of it) gathering. Unless like you say they will likely have already carried out the post mortems, but would they have released any criminal results to the police in due time and just not disclosed the results any wider?
one big cover up, time and time again. Someone at NE is a sympathiser with the shooting brigade. All we hear from that side of the fence is lies and poetic licence about why Hen Harriers have rapidly declined. All about the big money. The Hen Harriers fate is sealed as long as no one speaks up and just let’s these gratuitous bullies keep dodging the truth.
absolutely this, everything you’ve said is spot on, all hush hush, because there are sympathisers there, i feel nothing will ever get done about the illegal persecution of birds of prey in this country
CONCLUSION; After 10yrs of following this blog; Yes, we have lost this battle to protect our beautiful raptors. The game is rigged. Those that hate raptors have guns, money, power, permission and protection. They also have night vision and the private land on which to operate undercover. THE LAW IS NOT GOING TO HELP US.
RED-TAPE GRIDLOCK
went to a taxidermy auction no names in Yorkshire where half a dozen or more game pheasant shooters were discussing the raptor population and was openly bragging about persecuting and the eradication of aforesaid birds. They all found it hilarious that they have never been caught and shared pics of dead birds how I wished I was a DEFRA officer or even better a giant raptor with an appetite. Having said that little is ever done to these hoodlums we have become a nation of animal abusers it don’t matter if it’s a dog or raptor stop the killing
It doesn’t look good that RPUK take the leap from, “…Not all of the most recent eight may turn out to be the victims of crime…”, to, “…but some of them definitely can now be added to the running tally of illegally killed/’missing’ hen harriers…”.
If you want to be convincing stick to the facts and use them, then we can believe your conclusions.
If we have to reassess your comments ourselves your integrity becomes questionable. An issue many activist organisations suffer from and that instantly become questionable.
George, there’s no ‘leap’. It’s quite clear that some of them can be added to the list of illegally killed/’missing’ hen harriers and some of them can’t yet be, because we’re still waiting for the post mortem results.
I have re-read it but must have missed something, as I didn’t see anything here to confirm that any of them were illegal actions but, if it should transpire that I haven’t missed something (you will know), then your response only serves to support my concern as to how RPUK will be perceived by making such premature assumptions.
Right-o, ‘George’.
Having a wide-range of interest in all matters concerning humane causes, and the effectiveness of those in power world-wide to enforce laws to protect the defenceless, I am saddened that there exists universally cliques/claques, who have an inordinate influence over the enforcement of hard-fought for legislation to punish those who have a contemptuous, cruel and cynical approach to anything that is compassionate. That attitude prevails throughout the whole spectrum of what we call Life. The treatment of Hen Harriers, as illustrated here, is part of that vileness, however “small” this matter may be in the whole disgusting horror being experienced at this time, with wars and gross criminal actions, it still requires severe attention, and that means a purging of the demons who have been dominating our upland landscapes.
The UK has been mismanaged by its various Governments in areas that have become fiefdoms for well-connected companies, negative pressure groups and individuals, who have made the caring public
despair over-flowing prisons, riots, backlogs of pending cases, threats to safe water provision, inappropriate developments threatening prime farm land and protected areas, immigration and its effect on our traditional way of life. WHAT HOPE HAVE WE GOT OF GETTING ANY EFFECTIVE JUSTICE ON MATTERS OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION – TERRESTRIAL AND MARINE? It has become anarchic in areas of what is left of our countryside. In Wild West films the baddies always got their come-uppance, but in our shooting estates not much moral settlement seems to happen. We need a Clint Eastwood to deal with this tragedy facing our Harriers!
As usual, wise words from Mr Greer Hart. Sums up the situation nicely.
It should be possible to design a tag that can record the id of any nearby mobile phone present at the death or last movement via BlueTooth or other cellular data broadcast by the mobile.
“It should be possible to design a tag that can record the id of any nearby mobile phone present…”That has already been done and better. Modern tags use ‘military grade GPS technology’. That why we know where some tags suddenly stop broadcasting and disappear off the face of the Earth – despite extensive searches at the last broadcast location – along with the raptor, never to be seen again:-( And sometimes, when a tag doesn’t suddenly disappear but continues to broadcast, where poisoned raptor carcasses have been found.See https://community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/scotland/posts/satellite-tagging-birds-the-facts
I know there’s more to a post mortem but it takes roughly 15 minutes to determine whether or not there is shot in a pheasant being processed for the Rhys Green/Debbie Paine led lead shot in gamebirds project.
Chicks “stamped on” , “brood meddeling” (an appalling misnomer for destroying a birds nest). The situation these birds are in is depressing and Natural England’s ‘actions’ completely inadequate.
let’s be honest, ‘keepers are provided with military grade kit these days. Shooting a Golden Eagle roosting at night proves this (as reported on here). Surely we can track tag all weapons these days. We can do it cheaply for dogs, let’s do it for firearms!
“Surely we can track tag all weapons these days. We can do it cheaply for dogs, let’s do it for firearms!”
You mean with a removable collar?
You must realise that shooting raptors is a criminal activity, so what makes you think that criminals only use legal weapons when committing their crimes?
No, the gun is tagged. Take it off and the tag emits. We do this with criminals! It’s easy.
“Take it off and the tag emits.”
You do realise that a child could stop any tag from transmitting, don’t you?
Military and other forces have been using them for years. Some states in US insist on hunting rifles having them fitted. These tags are tamper proof.
“Military and other forces have been using them for years”
This is nonsence: “The field tests showed how tags inside weapons can be quickly copied, giving would-be thieves in gun rooms and armories a new advantage. And, more crucially, that even low-tech enemies could identify U.S. troops at distances far greater than advertised by contractors who install the systems.”
“Which is why a spokesman for the Department of Defense said its policymakers oppose embedding tags in firearms except in limited, very specific cases, such as guns that are used only at a firing range”
“Some states in US insist on hunting rifles having them fitted. These tags are tamper proof.”
It doesn’t work, so some states (Arizona) passed legislation ‘discouraging them’. RFID tags are certainly NOT tamper proof. Any child can do it.
You appear to be under the illusion that people who illegally shoot raptors obey laws. When all hand guns, for example, are banned in the UK how do you think firearm crime exists?
I feel you’ve all made brilliant comments I am so devastated by all this it’s appalling backward cruel entitled individuals. I remember the camera’d nest on whernside chicks stamped on no wonder people turn vigilante I dare not put what id really like to put you’ll not print it and I’ll be in bother but you all probably can guess. Sad bunch of sicko’s don’t know how they exist amongst normal people with hearts and conscience. I’ve said before they are partners fathers brothers can you imagine being genetically linked to such scum.
Hi Karen, your passion for stopping raptor persecution is the same as mine. But I feel it needs to be gotten across that the keepers that are doing it are not all bad people. This is one of the knotty & difficult things about this situation. Some are doing these bad things because they get some sort of power-trip from it, undoubtedly – some doing it reluctantly because they might lose their jobs/social status, BUT…a lot of “the best” keepers just do it quietly, without either satisfaction or fuss or questions… simply because they believe it is the right thing to do. They believe to the marrow of their bones that it is right and “needs doing” to keep the world as they understand it ticking over. It is a whole mindset, a whole world view in a sense, either inherited/nurtured while growing up or absorbed later if not from a keepering/shooting orientated family. I have known keepers (and know a couple still to this day) who are otherwise very good people – good husbands and fathers and genuinely great people to know. But sadly they are also dedicated and clinical killers of any wildlife that in their minds conception just has no entitlement to be there. They will kill it as a matter of routine, using the best means they can, be it cruel or not…and think no more about it.
Just thought this had to be said, I know it doesn’t necessarily help in the battle to stop it – which must include everyone who breaks the law, be it a nice bloke or not.