A Freedom of Information request I submitted recently to the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has revealed that the RSPB has walked out of the so-called Birds of Prey ‘Partnership’ after the Moorland Association engaged in what I would call its all too familiar propaganda techniques.
Photo: Ruth Tingay
You may recall this so-called ‘partnership’ in Yorkshire was established a couple of years ago, with representatives from the grouse-shooting industry, the raptor conservation community, Natural England, Police, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority and the Nidderdale AONB Authority.
I blogged about it here and predicted its demise as it was modelled on the similar (now disbanded) ‘bird of prey partnership’ in the Peak District National Park, which, unsurprisingly given the participants from the grouse-shooting industry, was an abject failure (see here).
Here is some interesting correspondence dated 5th May 2023 between the RSPB and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, released under the FoI request, detailing why the RSPB has walked away from this latest fiasco. Personal details have been redacted:
The reasons for the RSPB’s withdrawal really shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been following these tedious so-called ‘partnerships’, which all fail for the same reason. The Moorland Association (the grouse moor owners’ lobby group in England) has form for making ‘modifications’ to official partnership statements which appears to be intended to distort the reporting of on-going incidents of raptor persecution (e.g. see here).
Interestingly, ‘someone’ obviously got wind of my FoI request and has tried to shift the blame away from the Moorland Association. There’s an article in today’s Yorkshire Post, clearly timed to be released at the same time my FoI response was due, presumably in an attempt to influence the narrative as they knew I’d be writing about the RSPB’s withdrawal.
The Yorkshire Post article doesn’t mention anything about the RSPB’s dissatisfaction with the Moorland Association’s antics, but instead places the blame firmly on Natural England! Here are some excerpts:
The authority’s natural environment champion Mark Corner told members progress on tackling the wildlife crime was being overstated and the partnership was “ineffective” and “poorly led” by Natural England.
Mr Corner said while there had been modest improvement on fledging of birds, some 21 hen harriers had disappeared from North Yorkshire last year.
He said: “We have had some horrific cases of some chicks being trampled to death and birds being decapitated. We are fooling ourselves if we think this is some progress.
“I see an increase in public awareness and revulsion of the sickening stuff that’s happening inside the national park. I am personally ashamed of what is happening.”
These are strong and welcome words from the Park Authority, and although criticism of Natural England’s role is deserved (more on that soon), it’s a shame that the Moorland Association’s shenanigans weren’t called out.
The Chief Executive of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, David Butterworth, has now issued the following statement:
I’ve got more to write about the Yorkshire Dales Bird of Prey ‘Partnership’… more soon.
RED KITE SHOT AND POISONED IN DURHAM RAPTOR CRIME SPOT
The protected bird of prey was found dead, hanging in a tree near Stanhope Burn, in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
The Weardale area has become a hotspot for raptor persecution
Police and partners want members of the public to report dead birds of prey and generate more information on raptor persecution in the area
A Red Kite found dead in Stanhope has been confirmed as having been both shot and poisoned, once again highlighting the area’s serious problem with bird of prey persecution.
The protected bird of prey was discovered hanging in a tree by a member of the public in October 2022. The bird’s body was x-rayed and found to contain pieces of shot revealing that the bird had been shot at some point in its life. But when the bird was sent for official toxicology examination, the body was found to contain the highly toxic pesticides carbofuran and bendiocarb – which were confirmed by testing to be the cause of death. Both these substances are frequently seen in bird of prey poisoning cases despite being banned for legal use in the UK for many years.
Illegally shot & poisoned red kite hanging in a tree near Stanhope in the North Pennines AONB, October 2022. Photo: RSPB
Investigator collecting the shot & poisoned red kite near Stanhope, Oct 2022. Photo: RSPB
Red Kites are graceful birds with long wings and a distinctive forked tail. Forty years ago their numbers were limited to a small population in Wales due to illegal persecution, until successful reintroduction programmes in the 1980s and 90s brought them back from the brink. However persecution remains a threat, even today. Like all birds of prey, they are legally protected in the UK, punishable by jail and/or an unlimited fine.
Last month (May 23), police and partners carried out searches of land and buildings the area, in connection with the incident.
Red star indicates approximate location of latest crime in the North Pennines AONB
Stanhope Burn, to the NW of Stanhope, is next to moorland managed for driven grouse shooting
This is the latest of a series of crimes involving birds of prey being illegally killed in this part of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
In 2020, two GPS satellite-tagged Red Kites disappeared in the Edmundbyers area in suspicious circumstances [Ed: see here]. Both tags – fitted as part of a species monitoring scheme by Friends of Red Kites, who monitor the red kite population in North-east England – had been transmitting as expected until they suddenly stopped. Neither bird, nor their usually very reliable tags, have been seen since.
In 2021, a Red Kite was found poisoned by carbofuran and bendiocarb, also in the Edmundbyers area.
The following year, police together with partner agencies conducted a raid on nearby grouse moor estates in Durham and Northumberland, following previous incidents and intelligence related to bird of prey killing in the area [Ed: see here].
And in March 2023, a Red Kite was found shot, but still alive, on a grouse moor in Edmundbyers [Ed: see here]. Luckily, after care by local vets and a specialist rehabilitator, the bird recovered and was released back into the wild [Ed: see here].
The RSPB’s Birdcrime report, published last autumn, revealed that over two-thirds (71%) of all confirmed raptor persecution incidents in 2021 related to land managed for gamebird shooting. And since 1990, 67% of those convicted of these crimes have been gamekeepers.
Data from RSPB’s Birdcrime Report (2021)
Mark Thomas, RSPB Head of Investigations, said: “We are concerned about a spate of concentrated raptor crimes which is rendering the Weardale grouse moors a hotspot for the illegal killing of birds of prey. As such, we are concentrating our efforts of detection on this area, in the hope of catching anyone targeting protected birds such as Red Kites, which should be breeding successfully in this area. But we critically need the public to be our eyes and ears and report potential crimes to ourselves and the police.
“The fact that bird of prey persecution continues against the public interest makes it clear that additional regulation for grouse moors is necessary. We believe all grouse moors and their owners or sporting tenants must be licensed, as is happening in Scotland, to provide a meaningful deterrent to the illegal killing birds of prey. Ultimately this could mean the loss the licence to shoot grouse, if the Police are satisfied that wildlife crimes against raptors are occurring on a particular landholding. Law-abiding estates should have nothing to fear from this approach”.
PC David Williamson of Durham Constabulary said: “The illegal killing of birds of prey unfortunately is continuing in our rural areas. It is unacceptable that anyone should think they can ignore the law and kill these birds by poisoning, shooting, trapping or nest destruction and disturbance. I am sure that people in our community will know who is committing these offences and I would urge anyone with any information to report this. Durham Constabulary will continue to work with our partners to tackle this criminal activity, investigate any reports and prosecute offenders”.
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 HERE.
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.
I’ve recently been blogging about a number of mannequins (hen harrier scarers) that have been installed on a number of grouse moors in the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Peak District National Park (here, here and here).
I also wrote about an active gas gun (a bird-scaring device designed to ‘boom’ loudly and intermittently), that had also been placed out on one of those grouse moors (here).
Another blog reader has now been in touch with photographs of two more gas guns that have been positioned on another grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, one out in the open and the other one set inside a grouse- shooting butt:
I’ve blogged about the use of gas guns to deter breeding hen harriers many times before, as has Mark Avery, which led to us seeking advice from SNH (now NatureScot) and Natural England for guidance for their use on grouse moors during the breeding season (see here).
The eventual advice from SNH (here) and Natural England (here) was unimpressive to say the least, although it was clear that if Schedule 1 birds (i.e. hen harriers) were present in the area, the user was advised to ‘ensure that gas guns are located so that they do not disturb breeding Schedule 1 birds. This includes all breeding stages from nest building through to young that are still dependant on the adult birds‘.
The difficulties associated with determining sufficient evidence to demonstrate a disturbance offence in this scenario was coherently examined by former Police Wildlife Crime Officer Alan Stewart on his blog (here), at least in terms of wildlife protection legislation in Scotland.
So here we are, seven years later, and this issue is still not resolved.
I’d also like to know how the firing of gas guns, and the installation of mannequins, on grouse moors during the hen harrier breeding season fits in with DEFRA’s ludicrous Hen Harrier Action Plan (and the associated hen harrier brood meddling trial), where we’re supposed to believe that grouse moor owners and their gamekeepers are all welcoming breeding hen harriers with open arms.
Incidentally, the gas guns photographed earlier this month on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (see above) just happen to be on the same grouse moor that was at at the centre of a police investigation in 2017 into the suspicious disappearance of a satellite-tagged hen harrier and another police investigation in 2020 into the alleged shooting of another hen harrier. Imagine that.
Last month I blogged about a number of mannequins (hen harrier scarers) that had been photographed on two separate grouse moors in the Yorkshire Dales National Park this year (see here and here).
Another blog reader (who wishes to remain anonymous) has sent in a photograph of another mannequin that’s been installed on another grouse moor, this time in the Peak District National Park:
A few people have commented on the purpose of these mannequins, rejecting the hypothesis that they’ve been installed to deter breeding hen harriers, even though one mannequin just happened to have been installed on the very hill slope where hen harriers had been prospecting just a few weeks prior to the installation of that particular mannequin. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I’m unconvinced given the grouse shooting industry’s continued intolerance of this species.
It’s been argued that the mannequins in the Yorkshire Dales National Park have been installed to deter ‘seagulls’ [sic] and someone suggested to me that this latest one in the Peak District National Park has been put there to deter ravens.
Maybe. But the point is, the deterrent effect is indiscriminate. Even if they have been installed to deter another species, a prospecting hen harrier is still going to take one look and move on. Job done.
Incidentally, that mannequin in the Yorkshire Dales National Park that suddenly appeared on the very slope where hen harriers had been nest prospecting – guess what? Two hen harrier nests close by have both failed, with the reported ‘disappearance’ of one of the males. Imagine that.
UPDATE 19th June 2013: More gas guns positioned on another grouse moor in Yorkshire Dales National Park (here)
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)
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).
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)
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’.
In January this year, Suffolk Police’s Rural, Wildlife & Heritage Unit appealed for information in relation to the discovery of five juvenile goshawks that had been shot and dumped in a car park at the King’s Forest, near Thetford (see here).
The five shot goshawks. Photo: Suffolk Police
This is the investigation that attracted a large reward for information (reward put up by RSPB, Wild Justice, and a crowd funder by Rare Bird Alert, see here).
This is also the investigation about which the shooting industry was ‘offended’ at being asked by the police to help identify the perpetrator (here).
In late March 2023, the police announced that a man had been arrested in relation to this investigation (see here).
A man has now been charged and the police have issued the following statement:
MAN CHARGED WITH OFFENCES IN RELATION TO BIRDS OF PREY FOUND DEAD IN WEST SUFFOLK
A man has been charged with offences in relation to the discovery of five goshawks that were found dead in the west of the county, as well as a number of other offences.
The five birds of prey were found on Monday 16 January, having been left in a parking area just off from the B1106 in Kings Forest, near Wordwell.
X-rays were undertaken which showed all five birds had suffered injuries from multiple pieces of shot.
Officers arrested a 72-year-old man on 27 March in relation to the discovery of the goshawks and on suspicion of breaching firearms license conditions. He was taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre for questioning, before being released under investigation.
Francis Addison, 72, from South Park, Weeting, was subsequently charged with five counts of possession of a dead schedule 1 wild bird (goshawk); one count of killing a non-schedule 1 wild bird (wood pigeon); one count of use of an animal trap in circumstance for which it is not approved; two counts of possession of an article capable of being used to commit a summary offence, namely two air rifles and six animal traps; six counts of failing to comply with the conditions of a firearm certificate; and four counts of failing to comply with the condition of a shotgun certificate.
Addison is due to appear at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on Thursday 29 June.
ENDS
Well done to Suffolk Police’s Rural, Wildlife & Heritage Unit for what has obviously been a detailed investigation, and also for keeping the public informed.
As Mr Addison has now been charged and criminal proceedings are live, I won’t be accepting any comments on this case until proceedings have concluded.
For anyone who still wants to pretend that the grouse shooting industry isn’t responsible for the systematic extermination of hen harriers on grouse moors across the UK, here’s the latest catalogue of crime that suggests otherwise.
[This male hen harrier died in 2019 after his leg was almost severed in an illegally set trap that had been placed next to his nest on a Scottish grouse moor (see here). Photo by Ruth Tingay]
This is the blog I now publish after every reported killing or suspicious disappearance.
“They disappear in the same way political dissidents in authoritarian dictatorships have disappeared” (Stephen Barlow, 22 January 2021).
Today the list has been updated to include the most recently reported victim, a hen harrier named ‘Wayland’ who vanished on 17th May 2023 in the Clapham area of North Yorkshire, just north of the Bowland AONB, where the land is a mix of farmland with gamebird shooting. Its tag had also been functioning normally until that point (see here).
I’ve been compiling this list only since 2018 because that is the year that the grouse shooting industry ‘leaders’ would have us believe that the criminal persecution of hen harriers had stopped and that these birds were being welcomed back on to the UK’s grouse moors (see here).
This assertion was made shortly before the publication of a devastating new scientific paper that demonstrated that 72% of satellite-tagged hen harriers were confirmed or considered likely to have been illegally killed, and this was ten times more likely to occur over areas of land managed for grouse shooting relative to other land uses (see here). Incidentally, a further scientific paper published in 2023 by scientists at the RSPB, utilising even more recent data, echoed these results – see here).
2018 was also the year that Natural England issued a licence to begin a hen harrier brood meddling trial on grouse moors in northern England. For new blog readers, hen harrier brood meddling is a conservation sham sanctioned by DEFRA as part of its ludicrous ‘Hen Harrier Action Plan‘ and carried out by Natural England (NE), in cahoots with the very industry responsible for the species’ catastrophic decline in England. For more background see here.
Brood meddling has been described as a sort of ‘gentleman’s agreement’ by commentator Stephen Welch:
“I don’t get it, I thought the idea of that scheme was some kind of trade off – a gentleman’s agreement that the birds would be left in peace if they were moved from grouse moors at a certain density. It seems that one party is not keeping their side of the bargain“.
With at least 95 hen harriers gone since 2018, there is no question that the grouse shooting industry is simply taking the piss. Meanwhile, Natural England pretends that ‘partnership working’ is the way to go and DEFRA Ministers remain silent.
‘Partnership working’ according to Natural England appears to include authorising the removal of hen harrier chicks from a grouse moor already under investigation by the police for suspected raptor persecution (here) and accepting a £75k ‘donation’ from representatives of the grouse shooting industry that prevents Natural England from criticising them or the sham brood meddling trial (see here). This is in addition to a £10k ‘donation’ that Natural England accepted, under the same terms, in 2021 (here).
Cartoon by Gerard Hobley
So here’s the latest gruesome list. Note that the majority of these birds (but not all) were fitted with satellite tags. How many more [untagged] harriers have been killed?
February 2018: Hen harrier Saorsa ‘disappeared’ in the Angus Glens in Scotland (here). The Scottish Gamekeepers Association later published wholly inaccurate information claiming the bird had been re-sighted. The RSPB dismissed this as “completely false” (here).
5 February 2018: Hen harrier Marc ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Durham (here).
9 February 2018: Hen harrier Aalin ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Wales (here).
March 2018: Hen harrier Blue ‘disappeared’ in the Lake District National Park (here).
March 2018: Hen harrier Finn ‘disappeared’ near Moffat in Scotland (here).
18 April 2018: Hen harrier Lia ‘disappeared’ in Wales and her corpse was retrieved in a field in May 2018. Cause of death was unconfirmed but police treating death as suspicious (here).
8 August 2018: Hen harrier Hilma ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Northumberland (here).
16 August 2018: Hen harrier Athena ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Scotland (here).
26 August 2018: Hen Harrier Octavia ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Peak District National Park (here).
29 August 2018: Hen harrier Margot ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Scotland (here).
29 August 2018: Hen Harrier Heulwen ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Wales (here).
3 September 2018: Hen harrier Stelmaria ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Scotland (here).
24 September 2018: Hen harrier Heather ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Scotland (here).
2 October 2018: Hen harrier Mabel ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
3 October 2018: Hen Harrier Thor ‘disappeared’ next to a grouse moor in Bowland, Lanacashire (here).
23 October 2018: Hen harrier Tom ‘disappeared’ in South Wales (here).
26 October 2018: Hen harrier Arthur ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the North York Moors National Park (here).
1 November 2018: Hen harrier Barney ‘disappeared’ on Bodmin Moor (here).
10 November 2018: Hen harrier Rannoch ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Scotland (here). Her corpse was found nearby in May 2019 – she’d been killed in an illegally-set spring trap (here).
14 November 2018: Hen harrier River ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Nidderdale AONB (here). Her corpse was found nearby in April 2019 – she’d been illegally shot (here).
16 January 2019: Hen harrier Vulcan ‘disappeared’ in Wiltshire close to Natural England’s proposed reintroduction site (here).
7 February 2019: Hen harrier Skylar ‘disappeared’ next to a grouse moor in South Lanarkshire (here).
22 April 2019: Hen harrier Marci ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Cairngorms National Park (here).
26 April 2019: Hen harrier Rain ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Nairnshire (here).
11 May 2019: An untagged male hen harrier was caught in an illegally-set trap next to his nest on a grouse moor in South Lanarkshire. He didn’t survive (here).
7 June 2019: An untagged hen harrier was found dead on a grouse moor in Scotland. A post mortem stated the bird had died as a result of ‘penetrating trauma’ injuries and that this bird had previously been shot (here).
5 September 2019: Wildland Hen Harrier 1 ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor nr Dalnaspidal on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park (here).
11 September 2019: Hen harrier Romario ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Cairngorms National Park (here).
14 September 2019: Hen harrier (Brood meddled in 2019, #183704) ‘disappeared’ in the North Pennines (here).
23 September 2019: Hen harrier (Brood meddled in 2019, #55149) ‘disappeared’ in North Pennines (here).
24 September 2019: Wildland Hen Harrier 2 ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor at Invercauld in the Cairngorms National Park (here).
24 September 2019: Hen harrier Bronwyn ‘disappeared’ near a grouse moor in North Wales (here).
10 October 2019: Hen harrier Ada ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the North Pennines AONB (here).
12 October 2019: Hen harrier Thistle ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Sutherland (here).
18 October 2019: Member of the public reports the witnessed shooting of an untagged male hen harrier on White Syke Hill in North Yorkshire (here).
November 2019: Hen harrier Mary found illegally poisoned on a pheasant shoot in Ireland (here).
14 December 2019: Hen harrier Oscar ‘disappeared’ in Eskdalemuir, south Scotland (here).
January 2020: Members of the public report the witnessed shooting of a male hen harrier on Threshfield Moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
23 March 2020: Hen harrier Rosie ‘disappeared’ at an undisclosed roost site in Northumberland (here).
1 April 2020: Hen harrier (Brood meddled in 2019, #183703) ‘disappeared’ in unnamed location, tag intermittent (here).
5 April 2020: Hen harrier Hoolie ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Cairngorms National Park (here)
8 April 2020: Hen harrier Marlin ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Cairngorms National Park (here).
19 May 2020: Hen harrier Fingal ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Lowther Hills, Scotland (here).
21 May 2020: Hen harrier (Brood meddled in 2019, #183701) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Cumbria shortly after returning from wintering in France (here).
27 May 2020: Hen harrier Silver ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor on Leadhills Estate, Scotland (here).
2020: day/month unknown: Unnamed male hen harrier breeding on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve, Cumbria ‘disappeared’ while away hunting (here).
9 July 2020: Unnamed female hen harrier (#201118) ‘disappeared’ from an undisclosed site in Northumberland (here).
25 July 2020: Hen harrier Harriet ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
14 August 2020: Hen harrier Solo ‘disappeared’ in confidential nest area in Lancashire (here).
7 September 2020: Hen harrier Dryad ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
16 September 2020: Hen harrier Fortune ‘disappeared’ from an undisclosed roost site in Northumberland (here).
19 September 2020: Hen harrier Harold ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
20 September 2020: Hen harrier (Brood meddled in 2020, #55152) ‘disappeared’ next to a grouse moor in North Yorkshire (here).
24 February 2021: Hen harrier Tarras ‘disappeared’ next to a grouse moor in Northumberland (here)
12th April 2021: Hen harrier Yarrow ‘disappeared’ near Stockton, County Durham (here).
18 May 2021: Adult male hen harrier ‘disappeared’ from its breeding attempt on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve, Cumbria whilst away hunting (here).
18 May 2021: Another adult male hen harrier ‘disappeared’ from its breeding attempt on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve, Cumbria whilst away hunting (here).
24 July 2021: Hen harrier Asta ‘disappeared’ at a ‘confidential site’ in the North Pennines (here). We learned 18 months later that her wings had been ripped off so her tag could be fitted to a crow in an attempt to cover up her death (here).
14th August 2021: Hen harrier Josephine ‘disappeared’ at a ‘confidential site’ in Northumberland (here).
17 September 2021: Hen harrier Reiver ‘disappeared’ in a grouse moor dominated region of Northumberland (here)
24 September 2021: Hen harrier (Brood meddled in 2021, R2-F-1-21) ‘disappeared’ in Northumberland (here).
15 November 2021: Hen harrier (brood meddled in 2020, #R2-F1-20) ‘disappeared’ at the edge of a grouse moor on Arkengarthdale Estate in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
19 November 2021: Hen harrier Val ‘disappeared’ in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria (here).
19 November 2021: Hen harrier Percy ‘disappeared’ in Lothian, Scotland (here).
12 December 2021: Hen harrier Jasmine ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor (High Rigg Moor on the Middlesmoor Estate) in the Nidderdale AONB in North Yorkshire (here).
9 January 2022: Hen harrier Ethel ‘disappeared’ in Northumberland (here).
26 January 2022: Hen harrier Amelia ‘disappeared’ in Bowland (here).
10 February 2022: An unnamed satellite-tagged hen harrier ‘disappeared’ in a grouse moor dominated area of the Peak District National Park (here). One year later it was revealed that the satellite tag/harness of this young male called ‘Anu’ had been deliberately cut off (see here).
12 April 2022: Hen harrier ‘Free’ (Tag ID 201121) ‘disappeared’ at a ‘confidential site’ in Cumbria (here). It later emerged he hadn’t disappeared, but his mutilated corpse was found on moorland in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. A post mortem revealed the cause of death was having his head twisted and pulled off. One leg had also been torn off whilst he was still alive (here).
April 2022: Hen harrier ‘Pegasus’ (tagged by the RSPB) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor at Birkdale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
May 2022: A male breeding hen harrier ‘disappeared’ from a National Trust-owned grouse moor in the Peak District National Park (here).
May 2022: Another breeding male hen harrier ‘disappeared’ from a National Trust-owned grouse moor in the Peak District National Park (here).
14 May 2022: Hen harrier ‘Harvey’ (Tag ID 213844) ‘disappeared’ from a ‘confidential site’ in the North Pennines (here).
20 June 2022: Hen harrier chick #1 stamped to death in nest on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
20 June 2022: Hen harrier chick #2 stamped to death in nest on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
20 June 2022: Hen harrier chick #3 stamped to death in nest on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
20 June 2022: Hen harrier chick #4 stamped to death in nest on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
17 August 2022: Hen harrier (brood meddled in 2022, #R1-M1-22) ‘disappeared’ on moorland in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
September 2022: Hen harrier ‘Sullis’ (tagged by the RSPB) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Cumbria (here).
5 October 2022: Hen harrier (brood meddled in 2022, #R3-M2-22) ‘disappeared’ on moorland in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
10 October 2022: Hen harrier ‘Sia’ ‘disappeared’ near Hamsterley Forest in the North Pennines (here).
October 2022: Hen harrier (brood meddled in 2021, #R1-F1-21) ‘disappeared’ in the North Sea off the North York Moors National Park (here).
December 2022: Hen harrier female (brood meddled in 2020, #R2-F2-20) ‘disappeared’ on moorland in Cumbria (here).
1 December 2022: Hen harrier male (brood meddled in 2021, #R1-M1-21) ‘disappeared’ on moorland in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
14 December 2022: Hen harrier female (brood meddled in 2022, #R3-F1-22) ‘disappeared’ on moorland in the North Pennines AONB (here).
15 December 2022: Hen harrier female (brood meddled in 2022, #R2-F1-22) ‘disappeared’ on moorland in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
March 2023: Unnamed male hen harrier (tagged by Natural England – details not yet released) ‘disappeared’ in North Yorkshire (here).
April 2023: Unnamed female hen harrier (tagged by Natural England – details not yet released) ‘disappeared’ in North Yorkshire (here).
April 2023: Hen harrier ‘Lagertha’ (tagged by RSPB) ‘disappeared’ in North Yorkshire (here).
April 2023: Hen harrier ‘Nicola’ (Tag ID 234078) ”disappeared’ in North Yorkshire (here).
April 2023: Untagged male hen harrier ‘disappeared’ from an active nest on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve in Cumbria (here).
April 2023: Another untagged male hen harrier ‘disappeared’ from an active nest on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve in Cumbria (here).
April 2023: Untagged male hen harrier ‘disappeared’ from an active nest in Durham (here).
4/5 May 2023: Satellite-tagged male hen harrier called ‘Rush’ ‘disappeared’ from a grouse moor in Bowland AONB in Lancashire (here).
17 May 2023: Satellite-tagged hen harrier called ‘Wayland’ ‘disappeared’ in the Clapham area of North Yorkshire, just north of the Bowland AONB (here).
To be continued…….
Not one of these 95 incidents has resulted in an arrest, let alone a prosecution. I had thought that when we reached 30 dead/missing hen harriers then the authorities might pretend to be interested and at least say a few words about this national scandal. We’ve now reached NINETY FIVE hen harriers, and still Govt ministers remain silent. They appear not to give a monkey’s. And yes, there are other things going on in the world, as always. That is not reason enough to ignore this blatant, brazen and systematic destruction of a supposedly protected species, being undertaken to satisfy the greed and bloodlust of a minority of society.
Raptor Persecution UK 