Author: RaptorPersecutionUK

golden eagle found poisoned on glenfeshie estate, Cairngorms

RSPB investigator with the poisoned golden eagle on Glenfeshie Estate.

A golden eagle was found dead on the Glenfeshie Estate, Cairngorms, in June 2006. It was the second golden eagle found this year, after the eagle found poisoned a few months earlier on the Dinnet & Kinnord Estate in nearby Ballater. Both birds had ingested the illegal pesticide Carbofuran.

The RSPB put up a reward for information leading to the conviction of the people responsible for both eagle deaths. No arrests have been made.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/news-eaglereward.html#cr

At the time, local raptor workers thought that this eagle had been ‘dumped’ on the Glenfeshie Estate in retaliation for the Estate’s plans to reduce red deer numbers. In recent years, the Glenfeshie Estate has been closely involved with golden eagle conservation projects, in association with Roy Dennis and his eagle satellite-tagging efforts – which makes the theory about the Estate being ‘set up’ in 2006 quite plausible. It is clear that Glen Feshie actively supports golden eagle conservation.

Farr Estate gamekeeper’s conviction quashed

A gamekeeper on the Farr Estate, Tomatin, Inverness-shire was fined £1,500 for attempting to trap rare birds of prey. The keeper was found guilty of laying traps to catch peregrine falcons and goshawks. The 37-year-old was convicted at Inverness Sheriff Court in January 2005 at the end of a trial which lasted two years.

Sheriff Donald Booker-Milburn found the keeper, of  Strathdearn, Tomatin, guilty of two charges under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

The first charge stated that he set a crow cage funnel trap in Kyllachy with the intention of trapping peregrine falcons and goshawks. He used the trap with the funnel open, the door wired shut and two live feral pigeons set within the trap as bait.

The second accused him of possessing nine illegal gin traps, which can be used to trap wild birds and mammals such as foxes and wild cats, for criminal purposes.

RSPB Species Protection Officer Keith Morton said at the time: “We are very encouraged that the sheriff imposed a substantial penalty, as this will highlight the seriousness of this offence”. He added: “It will be interesting to see the reaction of the estate, we suspect there is a great deal of support about this activity among some employers.”

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/4217109.stm

The keeper’s conviction was quashed by the Court of Appeal later in 2005.

golden eagle found poisoned on Dinnet & Kinnord Estate, Ballater, Aberdeenshire

The poisoned eagle found on the Dinnet Estate

A golden eagle found dead by a hillwalker in June 2006 had been poisoned with Carbofuran. The bird was found on the Dinnet & Kinord Estate near Ballater, Aberdeenshire. No arrests have been made. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/5086162.stm

The eagle, in adult plumage, was likely to have been part of a breeding pair. The region holds approximately 18 pairs of breeding golden eagles, although if persecution wasn’t so high here, there is suitable habitat to support at least twice that number.

Poisoned golden eagle found on isle of lewis

During July 2005 a dead golden eagle was discovered by a hillwalker on top of a hill in Morsgail on the Isle of Lewis.

The poisoned eagle at Morsgail, Isle of Lewis

Analysis showed that it had been poisoned with the banned pesticide carbofuran. Carbofuran is one of eight compounds listed on the Possession of Pesticides (Scotland) Order 2005. Anyone in possession of these poisons commits an offence under section 15 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act.

Staff from Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department (SEERAD), and Northern Constabulary police officers conducted searches on four premises on the island. No arrests have been made but enquiries are continuing.

http://www.rspb.org.uk/Images/legaleagle48_tcm9-132971.pdf

Gamekeeper fined for shooting short-eared owl on Leadhills Estate, South Lanarkshire

A gamekeeper was convicted of shooting a short-eared owl on a Lanarkshire grouse moor in May 2004.

The 23 year old gamekeeper (name removed under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974) who works for a shoot on Abington Farms Estate (often known as the Leadhills Estate), appeared at Lanark Sheriff Court on 31 July 2005. Two local bird of prey workers told the court how they had seen a short-eared owl fly up from the heather as the keeper drove across the moor on a quad bike. They saw the keeper stop the bike, take out his shotgun and walk towards the spot where the owl had settled on the hillside. When it flew up, he fired three shots at it and it fell to the ground. He collected the spent shotgun cartridges, but failed to find the owl.

After a search of the heather, the two witnesses found the bird, still alive but badly injured. It died a few minutes afterwards. They had recognized the keeper, and used a mobile phone to call Police Wildlife Crime Officer Phil Briggs. Within minutes the Strathclyde Police helicopter was searching the moor, but no one could be found. The keeper was later detained at his home, where clothing was recovered matching the description provided by the witnesses.

The keeper was convicted of killing a short-eared owl under section 1(1)(a)of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, and fined £500. It was his first conviction.

He remained employed on the estate. The area has a long history of confirmed and alleged cases of bird of prey poisoning and persecution.

Short-eared owls nest on the ground and feed almost exclusively on small mammals such as voles. They pose no threat to game birds.

Gamekeeper guilty of poisoning at Blythe Farm, nr lauder, Scottish Borders

In August 2006, a police raid on Blythe Farm, near Lauder in the Scottish Borders, led to the discovery of pheasant baits laced with poison (carbofuran) as well as several illegal cage traps baited with live pigeons to lure in birds of prey.

In April 2007, gamekeeper George “Doddie” Aitken was found guilty at Selkirk Sheriff Court. Sheriff Kevin Drummond sentenced him to 220 hours community service. A gamekeeper for 20 years, Aitken, who had turned up to court wearing a black balaclava, was allowed to keep his job. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/6719505.stm

In January 2008, the owner of Blythe Farm, James McDougal, became the first landowner to be punished for the crimes committed by his gamekeeper. His agricultural subsidies were cut by £7,919 for his failure to protect wildlife. http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jan/07/ruralaffairs.scotland

goshawk shot in North Yorkshire

The dead goshawk.

Although the main focus of this blog is raptor persecution in Scotland, we will also be documenting incidents in other parts of the UK.

In early March 2010, a young goshawk was killed in Bransdale, North Yorkshire. An x-ray revealed the bird had been shot. A police investigation is underway.

According to a 2009 report by the RSPB, North Yorkshire has the worst record for raptor persecution incidents in England.

http://www.maltonmercury.co.uk/news/Anger-after-Goshawk-shot-in.6117021.jp

2 golden eagles poisoned in Kingussie, Strathspey

An adult female golden eagle and her chick were found dead on the nest in Kingussie, Strathspey in August 1999. Post mortem results revealed they had been posioned by Carbofuran.

No arrests have been made.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/422629.stm

Golden eagle & buzzard found poisoned on West Glenalmond Estate, Perthshire

In October and December 1998, a dead golden eagle and a buzzard were found on the Glenalmond Estate in Perthshire. The carcass of a red grouse was found close by, and tests later showed it had been used as a poisoned bait. The golden eagle had been killed by ingesting the illegal pesticide, Yaltox.

In Perth Sheriff Court in December 2000, a local gamekeeper was acquitted of all charges. He was also acquitted of further charges related to laying poisoned baits for either a peregrine or a golden eagle.

News story here

white-tailed sea eagle found poisoned on Turnalt Farm, Kilmelford, Argyll

The dead sea eagle lies slumped over the posioned lamb bait

A dead white-tailed sea eagle was found slumped over a lamb carcass on Turnalt Farm, Kilmelford, Argyll, in May 2002. Tests showed it had been posioned with chloralose. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/scotland/1971648.stm

http://news.scotsman.com/news/Rare-sea-eagle-was-poisoned.2324749.jp

A golden eagle was found poisoned on the same farm in February 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/1971648.stm