Category: Henry the Hen Harrier

Henry’s tour day 75: Countryside Alliance HQ

Tues 28 July Copy

Henry called by the Countryside Alliance’s HQ in London.

He’d heard that the current CEO Lieutenant General Sir Barney White-Spunner is stepping down after the AGM in September, to be replaced by the current Director of Campaigns, Tim Bonner (see here).

Previous Countryside Alliance CEOs have included Alice Barnard, whose views on hen harrier persecution weren’t very well informed – see here.

White-Spunner’s views on hen harriers weren’t well publicised, although incomer Bonner is known to be a strong supporter of brood meddling (see here) and has vigorously disputed the evidence that Bowland Betty was shot (see here). He’s recently been spending a lot of time heading a campaign to lobby the police to ‘unmask animal rights thugs’ – it’s not known if that campaign also includes a call for the unmasking of armed gamekeepers involved in criminal animal abuse (see here, here and here).

The petition to ban driven grouse shooting has passed the 6,000 mark today – add your name HERE

Henry’s tour day 74: DEFRA

Mon 27 July(a) Copy

Henry went to visit DEFRA in London.

He was hoping for a private meeting with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Liz Truss. He wanted to ask her why her department’s plans for tackling hen harrier persecution remain unchanged despite the loss of five breeding male hen harriers in the space of a few weeks earlier this year.

Unfortunately she wasn’t available. Perhaps she was in other meetings discussing how best to senselessly kill thousands of badgers or poison millions of bees.

The DEFRA building looked like it had been under some sort of attack. All boarded up like a junkies’ crack house. You’d be forgiven for thinking they’ve been snorting something behind those wooden panels, judging by the decisions they’ve been making.

Was that Lord Sewel we saw leaving in a black cab?

Mon 27 July(b) Copy

Henry’s tour day 73: two weeks ’til Hen Harrier Day

Fri 24 July Copy

There are plenty of ways to get involved with this year’s Hen Harrier Day.

Celebrate hen harriers with an evening at The Palace (Buxton, not Buckingham!) – details here

Attend one of the Hen Harrier Day rallies taking place in England & Scotland – details here

Download this poster and take a selfie and get it posted here

Find a grouse butt, occupy it and send in your photo here

Join in with the social media thunderclap – here

Sign this e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting – here

Henry’s tour day 72: Millden

Thurs 23 July Copy

Millden is one of three big grouse-shooting estates in Glen Esk in the Angus Glens.

Here’s what’s been happening in and around the Angus Glens over the last decade:

2004 May, near Edzell: long-eared owl and two short-eared owls starved to death in crow cage trap.  No prosecution.

2004 May, Invermark Estate: peregrine nest destroyed. No prosecution.

2006 March, Glenogil Estate: poisoned rabbit bait (Carbofuran). No prosecution.

2006 April, Easter Ogil: poisoned buzzard (Alphachloralose). No prosecution.

2006 April, Easter Ogil: poisoned tawny owl (Alphachloralose). No prosecution.

2006 May, Glenogil Estate: poisoned rabbit bait (Carbofuran). No prosecution.

2006 June, Glenogil Estate: poisoned woodpigeon bait (Carbofuran). No prosecution.

2006 June, Glenogil Estate: Traces of Carbofuran found in estate vehicles & on equipment during police search. No prosecution. Estate owner had £107k withdrawn from his farm subsidy payments. This was being appealed, but it is not known how this was resolved.

2006 July, Millden Estate; poisoned sheepdog (Lindane). No prosecution.

2007 November, Glenogil Estate: Disappearance of radio-tagged white-tailed eagle ‘Bird N’ coincides with tip off to police that bird allegedly been shot. No further transmissions or sightings of the bird.

2008 May, ‘Nr Noranside’: poisoned white-tailed eagle ‘White G’ (Carbofuran, Isophenfos, Bendiocarb). No prosecution.

2008 May, ‘Nr Noranside’: poisoned buzzard (Bendiocarb). No prosecution.

2008 May, ‘Nr Noranside’: poisoned mountain hare bait (Carbofuran, Isophenfos, Bendiocarb). No prosecution.

2008 May, Glenogil Estate: 32 x poisoned meat baits on fenceposts (Carbofuran, Isophenfos, Bendiocarb). No prosecution.

2008 October, ‘Glenogil Estate: poisoned meat bait on fencepost (Carbofuran). No prosecution.

2009 March, Glenogil Estate: poisoned buzzard (Carbofuran). No prosecution.

2009 March, Glenogil Estate: poisoned buzzard (Carbofuran). No prosecution.

2009 April, Millden Estate: poisoned buzzard (Alphachloralose). No prosecution.

2009 July, Millden Estate: poisoned golden eagle ‘Alma’ (Carbofuran). No prosecution.

2009 August, Glenogil Estate: poisoned white-tailed eagle “89” (Carbofuran). No prosecution.

2010 May, ‘Nr Noranside’: poisoned red kite (Carbofuran). No prosecution.

2010 September, Glenogil Estate: poisoned buzzard (Chloralose). No prosecution.

2010 October, Glenogil Estate: poisoned buzzard (Carbofuran). No prosecution.

2010 October, Glenogil Estate: poisoned pigeon bait (Carbofuran). No prosecution.

2010 October, Glenogil Estate: poisoned pigeon bait (Carbofuran). No prosecution.

2011 February, Airlie Estate: buzzard caught in illegal crow trap. (see below)

2011 March, Airlie Estate: 3 x buzzard caught in illegal crow trap. Prosecution (!) but dropped after statement from suspect given to SSPCA deemed inadmissible.

2011 April, Millden Estate: shot buzzard. No prosecution.

2012 April, ‘Nr Noranside’: Remains of buzzard found beside pheasant pen. Suspicious death.

2011 June, Rottal & Tarabuckle Estate: dead kestrel inside crow cage trap. No prosecution.

2012 February, ‘Nr Edzell’: spring-trapped buzzard. No prosecution.

2012 February, ‘Nr Bridgend’: remains of buzzard found under a rock. Suspicious death.

2012 May, Millden Estate: satellite-tagged golden eagle seemingly caught in spring trap, then apparently uplifted overnight and dumped on Deeside with two broken legs & left to die. No prosecution.

2012 May, Glen Esk: disappearance of sat-tagged red kite. No further transmissions or sightings of bird.

2013 January, Invermark Estate: white-tailed eagle nest tree felled. No prosecution.

2013 November, Glen Lethnot: poisoned golden eagle ‘Fearnan’. No prosecution.

2014 October, Nathro: shot buzzard. Prosecution? Unknown.

Henry’s tour day 71: with friends in Scotland

It’s great to see there’ll be at least two Hen Harrier Day events in Scotland this year!

There’ll be one in Perthshire, co-organised by Tayside Raptor Study Group and the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club and another one on the Isle of Mull, co-organised by Rachel French and Inspire Wild. Well done to all involved!

Details of both events can be found HERE, as well as information about other Hen Harrier Day events taking place in England.

If you can’t make it to an event you can still show your support by signing up to the Hen Harrier Day thunderclap on social media – see here.

And if you’re in the mood for signing, then this new petition to ban driven grouse shooting is worth a few seconds of your time and a couple of keyboard clicks.

Here’s Henry with Mark and some friends from the Tayside & Central Raptor Study Groups, and with Ian Thomson, Vice President of the SOC.

Weds 22 July Copy

Weds 22 July - Copy

Henry’s tour day 70: burning up the moors

Tues 21 July Copy

A new study led by the RSPB Centre for Conservation Science has revealed the extent of moorland burning across Britain’s upland areas. Burning on moorlands, a mixture of bog and heath habitats, is widely used to increase the numbers of red grouse that are available for recreational shooting.

Burning was detected in 55 per cent of Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and 63 per cent of Special Protection Areas (SPAs) assessed in the study, and significantly more burning took place within them than on comparable moorlands outside. These sites are designated under EU legislation for their conservation importance and in Scotland include important places for blanket bog and golden eagles. Governments are charged with protecting them from damage and ensuring that they are restored to the best condition. However, many SACs and SPAs are in unfavourable condition, with burning identified by governments and statutory agencies as a primary reason for this poor status. In Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is reviewing the scientific evidence which underpins its policies towards upland management through their Scientific Advisory Committee, and this new research will make a valuable contribution to such reviews.

Dr David Douglas, Senior Conservation Scientist at RSPB Scotland and lead author of the study said: “Upland ecosystems are highly sensitive to burning practices. Knowing how much burning takes place and where is crucial to developing sustainable land management policies for these precious environments.”

This study, published in Biological Conservation, is the first time upland burning has been mapped in detail across mainland Britain. Using aerial photography and satellite images, 45,000 1-km squares were mapped across Scotland, England and Wales, and revealed that burning occurred across 8551 of these squares, including 5245 squares in Scotland. In the ten year period covered by the study from 2001 to 2011, the number of burns recorded increased rapidly by 11 per cent each year. Other studies have found that the potential number of red grouse shooting days in some areas of Britain has risen over a similar period, and moorland management has also intensified.

In Scotland and England, a third of burning took place on deep peat soils, an important carbon store. The UK has 10-15 per cent of the world’s blanket bog peatlands. Locking in 3.2 billion tonnes of carbon, upland deep peat is the largest carbon store in the UK. Eighty per cent of the UK’s blanket bog is in Scotland and of the 1-km squares assessed in Scotland for the study, 28 per cent of those with burning present were classified as overlying deep peat.

Upland areas are also a vital water source, supplying around 70 per cent of our drinking water. Burning has been linked to poor water quality in these areas, requiring large sums of money to treat the water.

Duncan Orr-Ewing, Head of Species and Land Management at RSPB Scotland said: “The Scottish Government is in the process of reviewing the Muirburn Code, its advice to landowners and farmers in connection with burning practice. As 28 per cent of the current moorland burning in Scotland overlies deep peat , and the Scottish Government has rightly set challenging targets to reduce climate change emissions, it is essential that new burning guidance provides clear direction to sporting interests and farmers as to where burning can be damaging to peatlands and may now be inappropriate.”

The paper is available here

There was an amusing radio debate on this subject yesterday between Duncan Orr-Ewing (RSPB Scotland) and Tim (Kim) Baynes (Scottish Land & Estates). Tim (Kim) Baynes tried the usual obfuscation and spin tactics but failed miserably whereas Duncan Orr-Ewing nailed it. Listen here (starts at 1:09:34) and is available for a further 29 days.

So, yet another reason to ban driven grouse shooting, then. Sign the new petition HERE.

Henry’s tour day 69: Marks & Spencer

Mon 20 July Copy

Last year, Marks & Spencer decided to ban the sale of red grouse in their stores because they feared a consumer boycott  – it was a welcome move (see here).

This year, rumour has it that they might be thinking of putting red grouse back on their shelves, although this has not been confirmed.

It’d be an odd thing to do because the chances of a consumer boycott are probably higher this year as more and more people learn exactly just what is involved in the procurement of those grouse.

As an example of widening public awareness, this year’s social media thundercap already has a social reach of over 3 million people. That means that every one of those 3 million+ people will be seeing a message on their social media timelines (e.g. Facebook, Twitter) at 10am on Sunday 9th August (Hen Harrier Day) calling for an end to the illegal killing of hen harriers on driven grouse moors. That’s more than 3 million potential M&S customers who may decide to take their business elsewhere if M&S decide to put red grouse back on sale.

If you want to join in and make sure even more people get the message, please sign up HERE. It’s also worth noting which organisations have not yet signed up (see here).

Simply food? Afraid not. M&S will need to show, by their own strong food sourcing policy, that their red grouse have been sourced ethically, sustainably and responsibly and that it isn’t full of poison (lead). Good luck with that.

Henry’s tour day 68: occupy the butts

Friday 17 July Copy

Hen Harrier Day takes place three weeks today, on Sunday 9th August 2015.

There are plenty of Hen Harrier Day events popping up all over the country – please see here to find one near you.

If you’re going to the event in the Peak District, you might also want to attend the special Hen Harrier Evening event in Buxton the night before (Saturday 8th August), featuring Chris Packham, Mark Avery, Henry the Hen Harrier, Harry the Hen Harrier, Jeremy Deller, Findlay Wilde, Mark Cocker and Birders Against Wildlife Crime  – there’ll be some surprises! Tickets are selling fast so you’ll need to be quick – details here.

If you can’t attend one of the Hen Harrier Day events there are other ways you can show your support:

Send a selfie to the Hen Harrier Day website – see here

Buy a Hen Harrier Day t-shirt – see here

Join in the Hen Harrier Day ‘thunderclap’ on social media – see here

Think you can’t make a difference? You’re wrong! Get involved!

Henry’s tour days 64-67: Langholm

Henry’s been at Langholm all week. To find out what he was doing see here, here, here and here.

There’s a famous monument at Langholm. Some would say the current Langholm Project (‘Langholm 2′) has been a monumental waste of taxpayers’ money. There’s something in that, although it has shown us that when young satellite-tagged hen harriers stay at Langholm they seem to do OK (because they’re not routinely being killed), whereas many of the young sat tagged birds that did decide to disperse away from the moor have mysteriously vanished (e.g. see here, here, here, here, here, here, here). Amazing, eh?

Mon 13 July Copy

Tues 14 July Copy

Weds 15 July Copy

Thurs 16 July Copy

Henry’s tour day 63: 1 month to go until Hen Harrier Day 2015

Fri 10 July Copy

Henry’s found another grouse butt to occupy as he and his friends start the countdown to Hen Harrier Day 2015 – Sunday 9th August – just a month away.

Hen Harrier Day events are popping up all over the place this year, including events in Scotland, Derbyshire’s Peak District, NE England, NW England and southern England. Find out about events near you (or better still, organise your own if there isn’t one close by) by keeping an eye on the Hen Harrier Day Website (HERE).

This year there’ll also be a special event taking place on the eve of Hen Harrier Day – tickets have just got on sale – see HERE for info.