Author: RaptorPersecutionUK

‘Missing’ golden eagle is from high profile South Scotland Golden Eagle Project

Further to today’s news that Police Scotland believe a ‘missing’ satellite tagged golden eagle “has come to harm” in the Scottish Borders (see here), the South Scotland Golden Eagle Project has just issued the following press release:

Pioneering project responds to disappearance of Merrick the golden eagle

Representatives for a ground breaking conservation initiative, which attributes its success to overwhelming support from the public, raptor workers and land managers, have today expressed their shock, sadness and disappointment at the disappearance of Merrick, a female golden eagle translocated by the project in 2022. Police Scotland today confirmed they “believe the bird has come to harm and are treating its disappearance as suspicious.”

Screen grab from South Scotland Golden Eagle Project website in January 2023

Responding to the news and backing calls for anyone with any information to report it to Police Scotland, Chair of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, Dumfriesshire farmer Michael Clarke said: “The disappearance of any golden eagle is extremely upsetting, but particularly when there is evidence to suggest that they have come to harm under suspicious circumstances. The project’s translocated eagles have captured the hearts and minds of many people, including children, who will all share in our utter shock, disappointment and sadness at the nature of Merrick’s disappearance.

“Indeed, the huge support our project has had for many years from tens of thousands of people in the community, raptor workers, conservation and the land management sectors, makes it all the more devastating makes it all the more devastating to learn that she may have come to harm at the hands of someone who has disregarded the legal protection of the bird and the vital importance of a restored golden eagle population to protecting biodiversity and reversing nature’s decline.

“The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project’s success in quadrupling the local population is absolutely testament to the overwhelming community support, faith and trust that we have had in our work to date. For over six years our passionate and dedicated project team have worked painstakingly round the clock, in partnership with raptor workers, vets, estates, land managers, game keepers and the wider community, to ensure the health and safety of the birds we translocate. Continued support such as this is vital to saving Scotland’s nature for future generations.

“We are more resolved than ever to do our supporters justice and ensure the golden eagle population in the south of Scotland continues to thrive.

“We’re grateful to Police Scotland for support and using all the resources at their disposal to establish the full circumstances. To ensure due process is followed, we cannot comment further at this stage. We will do so when Police Scotland shares more detail.

“We thank everyone for their support at this tough time and urge anyone with information to assist Police Scotland by contacting them on 101, quoting incident number 1193 of 18 October 2023.”

Merrick (F43), named after the highest peak in the Southern Uplands, originated from Rottal estate near Kirriemuir in the Angus Glens, a traditional sporting estate, which is accredited by Wildlife Estates Scotland (WES) for its commitment to protecting and restoring wildlife and biodiversity.

Merrick was the fifth eagle collected in the summer of 2022, the last to leave the aviaries, and the heaviest eagle translocated that summer at 5.2 kg. She was named by the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project’s host charity, the Southern Uplands Partnership (SUP).

Camera trap photo of golden eagle Merrick, from South Scotland Golden Eagle website

Before her disappearance, the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project team’s round-the-clock surveillance of the golden eagles, showed that Merrick was thriving and exploring all over south of Scotland and Northern England in the south of Scotland. Merrick was photographed on her trip in Weardale and filmed in Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project partners the Southern Uplands Partnership, RSPB Scotland, Scottish Land & Estates, Scottish Forestry and NatureScot all share in the disappointment of today’s news. They worked on the project together for more than 11 years before releasing the first eagle chicks in 2018. Funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, project partners and the Scottish Government, the initiative is a key project under the Government’s ‘Challenge for Scotland’s Biodiversity’.

ENDS

More comment to follow…

UPDATE 19.00hrs: If you’re angry about the loss of golden eagle Merrick, here’s something you can do (here)

UPDATE 1 May 2024: Police believe golden eagle ‘Merrick’ was shot and killed in south Scotland (here)

Police believe satellite-tagged golden eagle “has come to harm” in south Scotland

Police Scotland have issued the following appeal for information this afternoon:

APPEAL FOR INFORMATION ON MISSING GOLDEN EAGLE IN SCOTTISH BORDERS

Detectives are continuing their enquiries and now appealing for any help the public can give after a satellite-tagged Golden Eagle was reported missing in the Scottish Borders on Wednesday, 18 October.

Detective Sergeant David Lynn, Police Scotland Wildlife Crime Coordinator, said: “Since the report was made, officers have been working with a range of partner agencies to establish more details and gather further information to establish the circumstances.

“The bird was last seen in the area to the west of Fountainhall, between Heriot and Stow on Thursday, 12 October. A full search of this area was carried out and officers believe the bird has come to harm and are treating its disappearance as suspicious.

“We are determined to protect these magnificent birds. We work closely with a number of partners to tackle wildlife crime, which can be challenging and complex to investigate. As our enquiry continues I would urge anyone with any information that may assist to contact us through 101 quoting reference number 1193 of 18 October. Alternatively, please contact Crimestoppers though 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.”

ENDS

More comment on this in due course…

UPDATE 16.45hrs: ‘Missing’ golden eagle is from South Scotland Golden Eagle Project (here)

UPDATE 19.00hrs: If you’re angry about the loss of golden eagle Merrick, here’s something you can do (here)

UPDATE 1 May 2024: Police believe golden eagle ‘Merrick’ was shot and killed in south Scotland (here)

UPDATE 11 August 2025: 16 months (& waiting) for NatureScot to make decision on General Licence restriction relating to ‘shooting and killing’ of sleeping Golden Eagle called Merrick (here).

Grouse moor licensing Bill: Stage 1 debate scheduled for Thurs 30 November 2023

The Scottish Parliament’s Stage 1 debate of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Bill will take place in the Chamber this Thursday, 30 November 2023, from 2.30pm.

This debate provides all MSPs with the opportunity to discuss the general principles of the Bill and vote to either throw it out or allow it to proceed to Stage 2, which is when the finer details would be debated and amended.

The Stage 1 debate follows the publication last week of the Stage 1 scrutiny report written by the Rural Affairs & Islands Committee which has been taking evidence for the last six months.

Lobbying of MSPs continues apace, from both conservationists and from the grouse-shooting industry. I read the other day a quote from BASC Scotland Director Peter Clark, who wrote that BASC was urging MSPs, “…to work with us to make the enormous yet vital changes to the Bill to avert the decimation of the rural economy, biodiversity and conservation“.

Quite how a licensing scheme designed to regulate a supposedly lawful industry will ‘decimate the rural economy, biodiversity and conservation’ is anyone’s guess. It’s almost as if Peter thinks the industry is so reliant on criminality that it can’t possibly function under a licensing framework and will thus collapse.

This level of hysterical fearmongering is nothing new. Here’s an excerpt from a blog I wrote three years ago when a similar outcry was heard from the grouse-shooting sector in response to the announcement that the Scottish Government intended to introduce a grouse shooting licence scheme:

This hysterical scaremongering about so-called threats to the rural economy from the introduction of a grouse moor licensing scheme is nothing new from this lot (e.g. see here, here, here and here for previous histrionics).

Nor is it the first time we’ve heard the claim that any sort of enforced regulation will ‘threaten’ or ‘damage’ the rural economy.

When the Land Reform Bill was being debated [in 2003] the Scottish Landowners Federation (which later re-branded to call itself the Scottish Rural Property & Business Association (SRPBA) and then re-branded again to its current name of Scottish Land & Estates) warned that the legislation would do irreversible damage to rural economies and they threatened to block the legislation at the European Court of Human Rights (see here).

Scottish Land & Estates also bleated about further land reform measures [in 2015] when the Scottish Government proposed removing the two-decades-old exemption from business rates enjoyed by shooting estates. SLE claimed that, “We believe that there would be a negative impact on rural jobs, tourism and land management” (see here).

And then there was more bleating when the Scottish Government brought in vicarious liability to tackle the continued illegal persecution of birds of prey. David Johnstone, the then Chair of Scottish Land & Estates claimed this would introduce another layer of bureaucracy “When the Government should be doing what it can to help landowners and the rural economy” (see here).

Has the rural economy fallen flat on its arse as a result of these measures? Not according to the grouse shooting industry, which is still declaring itself indispensable to the Scottish economy (a claim strongly contested by others, e.g. see here).

As has been said before on this blog, the grouse shooting industry should be thanking its lucky stars that a licensing scheme is all it’s getting. The case for a ban on driven grouse shooting has been made many times over.

There are those of us who don’t believe for one second that a licensing scheme will be effectively enforced, although we’ll do our bloody level best to ensure it is enforced when breaches have been detected and are fully evidenced. And if/when the licensing scheme is shown to be failing, there’s only one place left to go.

It seems to me that the grouse shooting industry should be welcoming a licensing scheme, which should protect those who are complying with the law and remove those who are not. Gosh, a world where there are consequences for criminality. Imagine that! Is that really what this backlash is all about?

Meanwhile, lobbyists from the conservation sector will this week be reminding MSPs that even in the midst of all this political scrutiny and threat, there are still some in the grouse-shooting industry that simply refuse to stop killing birds of prey, as evidenced in last week’s RSPB Birdcrime report where we learned that as recently as July this year yet another satellite-tagged golden eagle ‘vanished’ in suspicious circumstances on a grouse moor in the Monadhliaths and as recently as September this year yet another satellite-tagged hen harrier ‘vanished’ on a grouse moor in the Angus Glens.

These are in addition to the suspicious disappearances of a further 35 satellite-tagged birds of prey on Scotland’s grouse moors between 2017-2022, including including 8 golden eagles, 21 hen harriers and 5 white-tailed eagles (here).

The time for pretending that this is all ‘historical’ and no longer an issue is well and truly over and I hope that the Scottish Parliament finally makes a stand on Thursday.

Proceedings in the main Chamber can be watched live on Scottish Parliament TV from 2.30pm on Thursday, here.

Another golden eagle and another hen harrier suspiciously ‘disappeared’ on two Scottish grouse moors this year

Further to the RSPB press release accompanying the publication of the RSPB’s latest Birdcrime report this morning (here), RSPB Scotland has issued a separate press release.

It reveals the suspicious disappearance of a satellite-tagged golden eagle on an unnamed grouse moor in Inverness-shire in July this year and the suspicious disappearance of a satellite-tagged hen harrier on an unnamed grouse moor in the Angus Glens in September this year.

A young golden eagle in Scotland. Photo: Ruth Tingay

Both of these areas have long been identified as raptor persecution hotspots. I’ll come back to this news shortly.

Here is a copy of RSPB Scotland’s press release:

Charity asks MSPs to support grouse moor licensing legislation as news emerges of further “suspicious disappearances” of protected raptors.

RSPB Scotland is urging Members of the Scottish Parliament to support new legislation to regulate grouse shooting after a new report was published by the RSPB today. The 2022 Birdcrime report highlights the continued illegal killing of Scotland’s birds of prey and the ongoing link between these crimes and land being managed intensively for driven grouse shooting.

In 2022, there were 61 confirmed bird of prey persecution incidents across the UK. As well as incidents for Scotland, the report revealed that 35 satellite-tagged birds of prey suspiciously disappeared on Scotland’s grouse moors from 2017 to 2022, including 8 Golden Eagles, 21 Hen Harriers and 5 White-tailed Eagles.

Duncan Orr-Ewing, RSPB Scotland’s Head of Species and Land Management said: “Despite welcome improvements to legislation from successive Scottish Governments and very good partnership-working between Police Scotland, the National Wildlife Crime Unit, the Scottish SPCA and RSPB Investigations staff in following up incidents, clearly these actions have not been enough to protect our precious birds of prey.

 “These crimes have continued for decades, because the chances of being caught are tiny, and even in the rare instances when the links to individuals or landholdings have been clear, sanctions imposed have proven to have had little effect in stopping criminal activity in many cases.

“A meaningful deterrent in the form of licensing of grouse shooting is now urgently required, including the sanction to stop or suspend grouse shooting if links between land management activities and raptor crimes are confirmed by Police Scotland and NatureScot.  We are calling on our all MSPs to support the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill proposals now passing through the Scottish Parliament”.

The Scottish Government’s sharp focus on taking further action to stop raptor crimes began in 2016, when RSPB Scotland raised concerns about the suspicious disappearance, over several years, of multiple satellite-tagged Golden Eagles on grouse moors in the northern Monadhliath, in Inverness-shire. An independent Grouse Moor Management Group report (the “Werritty Review”) was subsequently commissioned by the Scottish Government, which confirmed that these birds were being systematically killed on some grouse moors.

Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland’s Head of Investigations said: “As members of the Scottish Parliament prepare to debate the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill at Holyrood next week, they will be very concerned to hear that in late July this year, yet another satellite-tagged Golden Eagle vanished, in identical suspicious circumstances to its many predecessors, in this same intensively managed area of grouse moors in Inverness-shire.”

 Just a few weeks later, in early September, a tagged Hen Harrier similarly disappeared, and is also presumed killed, in the Angus Glens, another area where some estates have a long history of confirmed raptor persecution incidents.

Ian Thomson continued: “This new legislation makes the undertaking of raptor persecution a significant business risk that, at last, will be a meaningful deterrent. Some criminals operating on Scotland’s grouse moors still think they are above the law. We hope the Scottish Parliament will show them that they are not by enacting this new legislation before the start of the grouse shooting season in August 2024”.

ENDS

Latest RSPB Birdcrime report published – hen harriers and white-tailed eagles amongst victims of continuing illegal persecution

Press release from RSPB (24 November 2023):

Birdcrime report reveals hen harriers and white-tailed eagles amongst victims of continuing illegal persecution

*61 confirmed bird of prey persecution incidents nationally

·*At least 64% of all incidents are linked to land used for gamebird shooting

The RSPB’s annual Birdcrime report published today details the illegal shooting, trapping and poisoning of protected birds of prey. Amongst the victims are Buzzards, Red Kites, Goshawks, Hen Harriers, Peregrine Falcons and White-tailed Eagles. All these species are protected by laws designed to help our rarest and threatened species. There is clearly no place for such crimes against some of our best loved species.

The report documents that Hen Harriers, a red listed species, are being relentlessly targeted, particularly in areas dominated by driven grouse moors. Since January 2022, RSPB and Natural England data reveals that 39 Hen Harriers have been confirmed killed or have ‘suspiciously disappeared’ across the UK, with eight satellite-tagged birds being persecuted or disappearing in suspicious circumstances in the same area near Birkdale in North Yorkshire alone.

Two of the most shocking incidents recorded against Hen Harriers include a Natural England satellite-tagged bird called Free which had its head pulled off while still alive, and four Hen Harrier chicks that were trampled to death in a nest being monitored by Natural England. The report reveals that one RSPB tagged Hen Harrier named Dagda was found shot dead in May 2023 on a moor at Knarsdale, next door to the RSPB nature reserve at Geltsdale on which it was breeding. It is unknown who shot the bird, but the supporting tag data is clear in documenting where and when this incident took place. A recent peer-reviewed study by the RSPB found that survival of tagged Hen Harriers in the UK was very low, with birds living on average for only four months. As much as 75% of annual mortality of tagged birds was due to illegal killing associated with grouse moor management. If this relentless killing continues, the future of these rare and threatened birds remains at serious risk in the UK.

The report also highlights the significant case of a young White-tailed Eagle from the UK Government licenced re-introduction scheme on the Isle of Wight, which was confirmed poisoned on a shooting estate in West Sussex. This was the first case of this species being illegally killed in England since their extinction due to persecution in the 18th Century. On the same estate, three days after the eagle died from ingesting a banned poison, a Labrador dog suffered the same fate after ingesting the same pesticide – Bendiocarb. Frustratingly the police investigation failed to hold anyone to account for these crimes.

There were two successful convictions for raptor persecution crimes in 2022, with both individuals being gamekeepers. Disappointingly, in one case, where multiple birds of prey were shot or poisoned – the gamekeeper received a 200-hour community order and was ordered to pay just £1,200 in fines, costs and compensation. As this case highlights, existing wildlife protection laws are failing to protect birds of prey, acting neither as a deterrent nor as an appropriate punishment for the crimes committed.

This latest report, alongside peer-reviewed papers, intelligence and data from wildlife crime incidents continues to affirm that raptor persecution is frequently linked to land managed for gamebird shooting. Evidence shows on some shooting estates birds of prey are deliberately targeted to reduce potential predation on gamebird stocks and sometimes also to reduce disturbance to these quarry species on shoot days. The RSPB continues to call for the licensing of grouse shooting in England, and following such measures now being introduced by the Scottish Government, to provide a meaningful deterrent to the illegal killing of birds of prey.

RSPB Chief Operating Officer, James Robinson said “Sadly, once again, the report documents the shameful illegal killing of rare and vulnerable birds of prey, an important part of our natural heritage. Given the correlation in location between birds of prey persecution and land under game management, the RSPB is calling for greater regulation of shooting, in particular intensive forms of grouse shooting. A Bill to introduce licensing of grouse moors in Scotland to stop raptor persecution is now moving ahead and we need a similar response in England”.

If you notice a dead or injured bird of prey in suspicious circumstances, call the police on 101 and fill in the RSPB’s online reporting form: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/wild-bird-crime-report-form/

If you have information about anyone killing birds of prey which you wish to report anonymously, call the RSPB’s confidential Raptor Crime Hotline on 0300 999 0101.

ENDS

Birdcrime 2022 can be downloaded/read here:

birdcrime-report-2022Download

The Birdcrime 2022 appendices can be downloaded/read here:

birdcrime-report-2022_appendicesDownload

UPDATE 4pm: Another golden eagle and another hen harrier suspiciously ‘disappeared’ on two Scottish grouse moors this year (here)

Channel 4 News reports two thirds of raptor persecution crimes in 2022 linked to shooting estates

Channel 4 News aired an exclusive seven-minute report this evening about raptor persecution on gamebird shooting estates across the UK.

Fronted by Chief Correspondent Alex Thomson, this was a pre-cursor to the publication tomorrow of the RSPB’s latest Birdcrime report (2022) and the film featured two case studies that are included in that report – the illegal shooting of a hen harrier found dead on the Knarsdale Estate in Northumberland earlier this year, and the illegal poisoning of a red kite and a white-tailed eagle found on a pheasant shoot in West Sussex in October 2021. A beater’s gundog also died from the same poison, on the same estate, within a few days.

I’ll be writing in detail about both these cases and others, once Birdcrime has been published. There’s a lot to say.

In the meantime, I thoroughly recommend you watch the Channel 4 report here:

Exclusive report about raptor persecution on Channel 4 News this evening

Tune in to Channel 4 News this evening at 7pm – there’s an exclusive report on the continued killing of birds of prey in the UK with a particular focus on two new cases.

You do not want to miss this programme. [Update: link to programme now added to foot of this blog]

The report will be led by veteran correspondent Alex Thomson, who has previously reported robustly on raptor persecution crimes (see here and here).

Alex is known for not pulling his punches so standby for a furious response from the game shooting industry, just as they responded last time (here).

The timing of this news report also probably explains why the Moorland Association published its pathetically cynical piece yesterday about hen harrier survival rates, in the hope of grabbing a few favourable headlines while they can, although they failed to mention that over half of the brood meddled hen harriers that they claim are doing so well are either missing in suspicious circumstances or have been confirmed illegally killed. Funny that.

This evening’s Channel 4 news report will be followed up tomorrow by the publication of the RSPB’s latest Birdcrime report.

UPDATE 21.30hrs: Channel 4 News reports two thirds of raptor persecution crimes in 2022 linked to shooting estates (here)

New trial date for man accused of shooting & killing goshawk at pheasant-rearing farm

A new trial date has been set for a man accused of killing a goshawk at a pheasant-rearing farm in Wales.

Thomas Edward Jones, 38, was due to stand trial at Welshpool Magistrates Court on 6 November 2023 after he previously pleaded not guilty to the shooting and killing of a goshawk at Pentre Farm in northern Powys in July 2022, where tens of thousands of pheasants are reportedly reared for the game shooting industry.

Goshawk photo by Mike Warburton

The trial was adjourned and has now been rescheduled for 6 December 2023.

Thanks to the RSPB’s Investigations Team for the information.

PLEASE NOTE: As this is a live court case comments won’t be accepted until criminal proceedings have concluded. Thanks for your understanding.

UPDATE 7 December 2023: Trial discontinued for man accused of killing goshawk at pheasant-rearing farm in Wales (here)

Brood meddled hen harriers: over half are ‘missing’ in suspicious circumstances or have been illegally killed

A staggering 56% of all satellite-tagged hen harriers that have been brood meddled since 2019 are ‘missing’ in suspicious circumstances / have been illegally killed.

Of the 41 brood meddled hen harriers, 23 are ‘missing’ / dead, according to data held by Natural England (data from September 2023 onwards not yet available):

DEAD* = body recovered, awaiting formal post mortem results, under active police investigation

I’m publishing these results in response to an astonishing piece published today by the Moorland Association that claims that the [short-term] survival rate of brood meddled hen harriers is almost double that of un-meddled hen harriers.

The Moorland Association hasn’t provided the data it used to reach its conclusion but given the appallingly high level of continued illegal killing of hen harriers on driven grouse moors (110 missing/dead since 2018) it seems like a desperate but futile attempt to portray the grouse shooting industry as the hen harrier’s best friend. I’m afraid that fictional tale has long been blown out of the water.

I note also that the Moorland Association doesn’t mention the extent of the ongoing persecution of hen harriers on grouse moors but that’s hardly a surprise given that the Moorland Association Chairman recently told BBC Radio 4, “Clearly, any illegal [hen harrier] persecution is not happening” (here).

Why Natural England continues to view the grouse shooting industry as a ‘partner’ when that industry so blatantly ignores/denies what’s so obviously going on is beyond me, I’m afraid, although the £75,000 ‘donation’ received by NE might have something to do with it.

This latest publicity ruse by the Moorland Association is pathetic but predictable. I suspect they know what news is brewing in the background and are trying to get some favourable media coverage before that all breaks…

Case adjourned for Christopher Wheeldon accused of alleged peregrine egg theft in Derbyshire

Christopher Wheeldon, 34, of Lime Grove, Darley Dale, Matlock appeared in court in Chesterfield on 15 November 2023 to face charges charges relating to the alleged theft of peregrine eggs and disturbance of a peregrine nest site in Bolsover in April 2023 (see here).

Photo by Ben Hall, RSPB Images

This is the case where the accused failed to attend court in October 2023 and a warrant was issued for his arrest (see here).

The case was adjourned again on 15 November 2023 as there was insufficient time and Wheeldon is now scheduled to appear again on 15 January 2024.

Thanks to the RSPB’s Investigations team for the information.

PLEASE NOTE: As this is a live court case comments won’t be accepted until criminal proceedings have concluded. Thanks for your understanding.

UPDATE 16 January 2024: Derbyshire ‘drug addict’ jailed for stealing peregrine eggs (here)