Category: News

Pressure building on Defra to consider gamebird shoot licensing in England

The Guardian ran an article at the weekend about Defra’s previously stated commitment to consider gamebird shoot licensing in England (for Red Grouse, Pheasants and Red-legged Partridges), following the recent introduction of grouse shoot licensing in Scotland.

The Guardian’s angle was that game shoot licensing ‘could stop [the] poisoning of birds of prey‘.

Yes, I suppose it could, but it won’t. Grouse shoot licensing hasn’t stopped illegal raptor persecution in Scotland, and so far, despite ongoing wildlife crime, not a single grouse shooting licence has been revoked.

That’s not to imply that I think the licensing approach is pointless. I don’t think it is, in as much as I see it as an important staging period towards an outright ban. Only when the Scottish Government sees that licensing has failed will it realise that this level of regulation is unenforceable and that only leaves one remaining option.

The Guardian article contains a few inaccuracies. It claims that, ‘Currently, about 30 million pheasants are set loose each year by shooting estates for people to pay to shoot‘ – that should read 50 million (in addition to about 10 million Red-legged Partridges), but what’s a difference of 30 million between friends?

The article also claims that ‘Seven satellite-tagged hen harriers were found poisoned or shot on or near grouse moors last year‘. That should read at least 16 Hen Harriers ‘disappeared’ in suspicious circumstances, more than likely shot, and one was found poisoned.

Regular blog readers won’t find much new in the article. The RSPB wants gamebird licensing, Defra has committed to consider the evidence for further regulation (as if it doesn’t already know!) and hold a public consultation on any proposed changes, and the Countryside Alliance is apoplectic about (a) the perceived lobbying influence of the RSPB and (b) the terrifying concept of landowners being held to account for anything.

Nevertheless, I was pleased to read this article because its important that this issue remains in the public sphere, if nothing else to put pressure on the Government to fufill its commitment to collect evidence, make policy change and open a public consultation on the inevitable downfall of gamebird shooting in its current format.

The article is available here.

Montagu’s Harrier, UK’s rarest breeding raptor, nests successfully in England for second year in a row

Press release from RSPB (24 August 2026)

THE UK’S RAREST BREEDING BIRD RAISES CHICKS AT SECRET LOCATION FOR THE SECOND YEAR RUNNING

The UK’s rarest breeding bird of prey, the Montagu’s Harrier, has nested for the second year running this summer at a secret location in England, successfully raising six youngsters from two nests.

Male Montagu’s Harrier (photo by RSPB)

Last year a pair of adults raised four chicks at the same secret farmland location. It was the first time the species had successfully bred in the UK since 2019. This year, the same adult male nested with two new females, with the nests just a short distance apart. The ten-year-old male, named ‘AU’ from his leg ring, remarkably went on to feed three youngsters in each nest. AU was himself ringed as a chick in a protected nest in Wiltshire in 2016. 

While never common, the population of Montagu’s Harriers declined after a high of nine successful nests in 2011. There was no successful breeding between 2020 and 2024, and the species was officially placed on the Red List in 2021. 

Careful monitoring by the RSPB in partnership with the farmers meant this year’s nests were protected by fences to exclude ground predators and the chicks were all uniquely ringed in mid-July.  

In what is a UK first, two of the juvenile females have been fitted with satellite tags. These £3,000 state-of-the-art lightweight tags will allow the RSPB to follow the birds daily on their 7,000-mile return journey to West Africa.

The RSPB is urging birders to look out for the other youngsters as they leave the country and to report any sightings by emailing the Montagu’s hotline: montys@rspb.org.uk

Three of this year’s six Montagu’s Harrier chicks being ringed (Photo by RSPB)

Mark Thomas, Montagu’s Harrier species lead at RSPB, said: “We are doing our absolute utmost to save this iconic species in the UK and are delighted with six flying juveniles this year. The satellite-tagging of juveniles for the first ever time should give us a direct insight into their migration, survival and when and where they return to the UK. This has been a true team effort and we would like to thank the farmers, conservationists and our sponsors Mark and Mo Constantine.    

Paying tribute to the male bird AU, Mark added: “AU is truly awesome, he is single handedly propping up this species in the UK with his amazing display flights in May being rewarded by attracting two new breeding females, seemingly out of thin air.” 

Montagu’s Harriers winter in Africa before returning to Europe to breed. They nest on the ground in agricultural fields, with their youngsters often still too young to fly at harvest time. As a result, nests are prone to unintentional destruction across their European range. Interventions by conservationists and partnerships with farmers are essential, particularly with even earlier harvests fuelled by climate change.

In a further twist, three of last year’s youngsters ‘JJ, JP and JO’ have all been seen in the UK this summer, so conservationists hope if they return next year they all may well also attempt to breed.

ENDS 

Brilliant news! Well done to the farmers and the RSPB for protecting these nests. Let’s hope the adults and six juveniles manage to get out of England alive, unlike some of their predecessors (e.g. see here and here). 

The ecological impacts of game shooting – Professor Dave Goulson

Professor Dave Goulson is a leading UK conservationist, known especially for his work on bee behaviour, ecology and conservation, but also a lot more.

He’s also a celebrated author, and his most recent book, Eat the Planet Well, (Penguin Books, 2026) has been shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Conservation Writing.

This book explores ‘how modern food production harms both human health and the environment’. He had originally included a chapter on game shooting and hunting, but his editors decided not to include it. His publisher apparently thought it was ‘a bit peripheral to the main message’ and Dave suspects the publisher also thought ‘it was a bit controversial and might upset some people’.

Rather than letting the chapter go to waste, Dave has uploaded a YouTube video where he sits and reads the unpublished chapter from his laptop.

As you’d expect of someone with such impeccable credentials, it’s very good. But what’s probably the most powerful is his measured, quiet delivery.

Well worth a watch if you’ve got a spare 22 minutes.

White-tailed Eagle poisonings feature in Private Eye

Last month, a press release from Wildlife Poisoning Research UK (WPRUK) revealed that more White-tailed Eagles had been poisoned in Dorset, with high concentrations of Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs) being found in their corpses. These deaths are in addition to the high profile poisoning of an eagle in 2022 and Dorset Police’s appalling botched investigation.

WPRUK made the point that the details of these, and other poisonings, were being with withheld by Government agencies, and that the Government- approved Rodenticide Stewardship Scheme is a ‘total failure’.

I’m delighted to see that Private Eye has picked up on this story in its latest edition (thanks to the blog reader who alerted me).

Reclaim Our Moors – protest walk against grouse shooting, Peak District National Park, Sunday 16 August 2026

There’ll be an anti- grouse shooting protest walk taking place in the Peak District National Park this coming Sunday (16 August 2026), timed to coincide with the start of the grouse-shooting season on the Inglorious 12th.

Organised by the campaign group Reclaim Our Moors (see here for earlier blog on them), the one-hour walk, followed by speeches, will take place on Moscar Estate, meeting at 10.30am, and is open to anyone who wants to join in.

Here are the details from Reclaim Our Moors:

Top London chef shuns Red Grouse from large “factory grouse shooting operations” where birds of prey are killed

Top London chef Richard Corrigan, who owns Corrigan’s and Bentley’s restaurant in Mayfair, says he has become more particular about where he sources Red Grouse for his menu.

Red Grouse photo by Ronnie Gilbert

In an article in The Guardian yesterday, he tells journalist Helena Horton that he now refuses to buy from large estates, and also refuses to buy from any estate that has been associated with raptor persecution.

Here are some of his quotes:

“We now insist [birds] come from small estates rather than the large shoots, where dozens are shot at a time. I am not too sure I agree with the large shoots. I would rather people shoot wild animals for the table rather than shoot for the sake of having a day out“

and

“Something that has really annoyed me is the killing of raptor birds on the estates. They are being poisoned by people on these estates. I would never buy grouse from those estates. We all know who they are“

and

“I was brought up in moorland, I am very aware of the heather and the turf, they need the wetlands to be restored to keep the moors in good shape. Some estates have taken it all a bit too far and have turned it into factory grouse shooting operations“.

I applaud Richard Corrigan’s ethical stance, although I wonder if it stretches to include birds shot with poisonous lead ammunition. It certainly doesn’t stretch to other obscenities – his menu still includes Foie gras. But we have to start somewhere, and he’s the first chef that I’m aware of who is prepared to publicly call out the grouse shooting industry. Good for him.

The Guardian article also includes quotes from Ariane Burgess MSP from the Scottish Greens, which appears to be the only mainstream political party calling for moorlands to be restored for people, wildlife and the climate, ‘not managed as a playground for bloodsports’ (see here).

Hen Harrier persecution on UK grouse moors – new research suggests only 0.5 – 10% incidents are detected

The ‘tip of the iceberg’ is a phrase often used by researchers and conservationists when describing the scale and extent of illegal raptor persecution in the UK, meaning that what is known or can be seen is only a small fraction of what is actually happening under the surface.

Killing birds of prey is an offence in the UK, and has been for over 70 years, so the people committing these crimes will often go to great lengths to hide the evidence (e.g. here), which is quite easy to do if the offender is a gamekeeper working under the cover of darkness on a privately-owned estate in a remote area with few witnesses around.

Satellite tagging has done much to help us understand the scale of these crimes in recent years, particularly on grouse moors where Golden Eagles (here) and Hen Harriers (here and here) are targeted, and now new modelling research is about to blow the lid on the whole sorry story.

If you thought that 149 dead or ‘missing’ Hen Harriers in the UK since 2018 was shocking, most of them on or close to grouse moors, it’s clear we don’t know the half of it. Prosecutions are rare, as demonstrated earlier this year when Yorkshire Dales gamekeeper Racster Dingwall became the first person ever convicted in England for Hen Harrier persecution, despite hundreds of confirmed persecution incidents recorded since the 1980s.

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

At a recent British Ornithologists’ Union (BOU) conference earlier this year, new research was presented suggesting that there are around 400 Hen Harrier ‘persecution events’ across different life stages (e.g. nest, adult, 1yr and 2yr old birds) and that only 0.5 – 10% are detected.

This research was presented as a poster rather than a spoken presentation, and has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal, so caveats are needed at this stage but it is anticipated that the publication process is underway.

The Hen Harrier research is part of a wider PhD study, also examining ‘tip of the iceberg’ modelling scenarios for Golden Eagles, Peregrine Falcons and Red Kites – species that are long known to be the victims of illegal persecution on UK grouse moors.

The research is being undertaken at the Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology at the University of Capetown, South Africa, as part of the research portfolio of Associate Professor Arjun Amar, well known for his studies linking the illegal persecution of raptors to driven grouse shooting in the UK, including the detrimental effects this can have at a population scale, particularly on Red Kites, Peregrines and Hen Harriers.

The research abstract submitted for the conference is as follows:

TIP OF THE ICEBERG: ESTIMATING THE TRUE EXTENT OF RAPTOR PERSECUTION ASSOCIATED WITH GROUSE SHOOTING

Arjun Amar, Koi Pillay, Rob Thomson, Steven Ewing.

Despite decades of legal protection, raptors continue to be persecuted in the UK, particularly in the uplands where red grouse shooting conflicts with raptor conservation. Detecting persecution associated with this conflict is challenging due to its illegality and the remoteness of grouse moors, meaning official crime records likely represent only the ‘tip of the iceberg,’ with many incidents remaining hidden as ‘dark figures.’ Here, we attempt to estimate the persecution levels and population data for Hen Harriers, Peregrine Falcons, Red Kites, and Golden Eagles. We then compare these estimates to recorded crime figures for the same species, period, and regions. Our findings suggest the actual scale of persecution is substantially greater than detected cases, underscoring the importance of recognising and accounting for ‘dark figures’ to avoid underestimating the severity of this threat to raptor populations.

I’m looking forward to seeing this research published in due course.

New documentary now available about Edradynate Estate gamekeeper David Campbell’s conviction for murder

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about a forthcoming BBC documentary about the recent murder trial of retired Scottish head gamekeeper David Campbell, who was convicted of shooting dead his former colleague from Edradynate Estate, Brian Low.

The BBC’s award-winning documentary series Murder Trial was given permission to film part of the police investigation and then subsequently inside the High Court during Campbell’s murder trial.

Former gamekeeper David Campbell during his murder trial. Screengrab from BBC documentary

For those of us who have followed the dozens of reports and police investigations over the years of raptor poisoning on and next to Edradynate Estate, and the failure of the authorities to hold anyone to account (sometimes justifiably due to lack of evidence, other times unbelievably in the face of apparently compelling evidence), I felt a strong sense of someone finally getting his comeuppance when the jury returned its verdict.

Campbell’s attitude during the police interview and then in the court room was chilling. The fortitude of Brian Low’s family in the face of such arrogance and appalling crime details, was remarkable.

Part one of Murder Trial: Death of a Dog Walker airs this evening at 9pm on BBC 2 Scotland but parts one and two are now available to watch on iPlayer, here.

Raeshaw Estate seeks judicial review of General Licence restriction relating to Golden Eagle Merrick being ‘shot & killed’

In February this year, NatureScot imposed a three-year General Licence restriction on Raeshaw Estate, a grouse-shooting estate in the Scottish Borders believed to be under the management of ‘grouse guru’ sporting agent Mark Osborne.

The General Licence restriction related to the disappearance of a satellite-tagged Golden Eagle called ‘Merrick’, who Police Scotland believe was ‘shot & killed‘ as she slept in a tree on neighbouring land close to Raeshaw Estate’s boundary, in October 2023.

Camera trap photo of Golden Eagle Merrick, from the South Scotland Golden Eagle Project
Raeshaw Estate boundary, from data provided by Andy Wightman’s
Who Owns Scotland website
Screen grab from Who Owns Scotland website, annotated by RPUK, showing the proximity of Merrick’s last known location and the Raeshaw Estate (shaded in blue)

In response, Raeshaw Estate issued what I would describe as a bombastic statement, arguing that the General Licence restriction was “wholly unjustified” and that the estate would “challenge [the restriction] vigorously through an appeal“.

Raeshaw subsequently appealed the decision to NatureScot but in April that appeal was lost.

Raeshaw Estate has now applied for a judicial review of NatureScot’s decision-making process and permission has been granted for a substantive hearing in September 2026. This permission to proceed indicates that the court thinks that Raeshaw Estate has an arguable case, although the grounds for that case are not yet public.

This isn’t the first time Raeshaw Estate has been subject to a General Licence restriction in relation to wildlife crime and nor is it the first time it has tried to overturn it via judicial review.

This is an unprecedented second General Licence restriction for Raeshaw Estate. It was one of the first estates to receive a General Licence restriction in 2015, based on clear police evidence that wildlife crimes had been committed although, just as with the latest General Licence restriction, there was insufficient evidence to prosecute any individual (see here).

Representatives of Raeshaw Estate applied for a judicial review of NatureScot’s 2015 decision but the Court of Session upheld NatureScot’s procedures and ruled the process was lawful (here).

Whilst under that first General Licence restriction, Raeshaw Estate applied for, and was granted, a number of ‘individual licences’ so the gamekeepers could continue to kill certain species as part of the estate’s grouse moor management plan (quite a lot of birds were lawfully killed – see here).

However, in 2017 the individual licence was revoked by NatureScot due to non-compliance issues and more suspected wildlife crime offences (see here).

I note that NatureScot has not suspended the latest General Licence restriction on Raeshaw Estate and at the time of writing, it is still in place.

Sustained success in 2026 for Hen Harriers on United Utilities-owned moorland in Bowland, Lancashire

2026 was another successful breeding season for Hen Harriers on the United Utilities Bowland Estate where the RSPB works in partnership with the water company United Utilities and its tenants to monitor and protect these iconic birds.

Nine Hen Harrier nests on the United Utilities Estate were monitored this year, eight of which were successful and fledged 30 young.

Hen Harriers by Pete Walkden

This follows a record year in 2025, where RSPB staff and volunteers recorded 14 Hen Harrier nests on the United Utilities Estate, of which 12 were successful and fledged 40 young. This represented the highest number of fledglings recorded in over 40 years.

But don’t be fooled into thinking that just because Hen Harriers are doing well on United Utilities land they’re doing well right across Bowland, because they’re not. We haven’t yet seen this year’s overall Hen Harrier breeding figures across England but last year there was only one successful Hen Harrier nest on privately-owned grouse moors in Bowland. Two blogs from Mark Avery are relevant (one from 2019 and one from 2026).

Here is the statement from the RSPB on this year’s Hen Harrier breeding success on United Utilities-owned moorland in Bowland:

SUSTAINED SUCCESS FOR HEN HARRIERS IN THE FOREST OF BOWLAND

Over the last decade, Hen Harrier numbers have steadily recovered in Bowland following their complete absence as a breeding species in 2016 and 2017. For the past six years, the population has stabilised at an average of 13 breeding females, fluctuating between 10 and 16 annually, with 84% nesting on the United Utilities Estate. This is comparable to the number of breeding females recorded in Bowland in the 2000s, before the population collapsed alongside the wider decline of the species in England.

Steady recovery in Bowland

2026 was another successful breeding season for Hen Harriers in Bowland; breeding numbers were lower compared to the record-breaking season in 2025 but breeding success was higher, likely owing to increased prey abundance. RSPB staff and volunteers monitored nine Hen Harrier nests on the United Utilities Estate, eight of which were successful and fledged 30 young. One nest failed as the female received insufficient food from her polygamous male and was forced to hunt herself, leaving her clutch unattended. A Lesser Black-Backed Gull was later observed visiting the nest, but it remains unclear if it scavenged the eggs after the female deserted or if it took advantage of her absence to predate the clutch. Two additional nests were recorded by Natural England on private estates, which were both successful and fledged a further six chicks, resulting in a total of 11 nests in the Bowland Fells.

Recovery reflects success of partnership

A melancholic note in an otherwise successful season – our oldest and most productive breeding female did not return to nest on the United Utilities Estate this year and has most likely perished over the winter. Fledged on Langholm Moor in 2017 and aptly nick-named ‘Scottish Fury’ for her aggressive behaviour, she first nested on the Estate in 2018. Over the following eight breeding seasons she fledged an extraordinary 35 chicks, making a remarkable contribution to the breeding population and leaving a lasting legacy, with some of her descendants also nesting in Bowland.

The sustained recovery of Hen Harriers in Bowland reflects the success of partnership working and the commitment of landowners and tenants. However, despite this local success, the species’ recovery across England continues to face significant challenges, including illegal persecution, changes in land use and habitat loss.

ENDS

Bowland Fells (photo by RSPB)