Category: News

Henry’s tour day 39: Moy Estate

Mon 8 June 2015 - Copy

Henry paid a visit to Moy Estate in the Monadliaths.

Regular blog readers will probably remember what was found on Moy Estate in 2010:

  • A dead red kite in the back of a gamekeeper’s vehicle. It had two broken legs and had died as a result of a blow to the head.
  • The remains of a further two dead red kites.
  • A red kite’s severed leg, along with wing tags that had been fitted to a sateliite-tracked red kite, hidden in holes covered with moss.
  • Six illegal baited spring traps set in the open.
  • A trapped hen harrier (still alive) caught in an illegally set spring trap.
  • A poisoned bait.
  • Four leg rings previously fitted to golden eagle chicks found in the possession of a gamekeeper.

A 20-year-old gamekeeper (James Rolfe – straight out of game-keeping college) was charged with possession of the dead red kite and was fined £1,500. No charges were ever brought against anyone for any of the other offences.

Previous blogs on Moy: see here, here, here and here. It’s particularly worth having a look at this, especially in light of recent hen harrier ‘disappearances’ in England. They weren’t necessarily shot (as the grouse-shooting industry keeps telling us) – they could just as easily have been trapped like this (as the grouse-shooting industry keeps forgetting to mention).

The gamekeeper on Moy was convicted four years ago in 2011. Since then, several more satellite-tracked red kites have ‘disappeared’ since their last signals emitted from Moy, and several buzzard and goshawk nests seem to fail each year. It’s quite windy at Moy. It was probably the wind that blew off those rings from the young golden eagles’ legs and blew them straight in to a jar inside the gamekeeper’s house. It was probably the wind that severed the leg of the red kite and then blew it in to a hole on the moor and then blew moss over the hole to cover it. It was probably the wind that blew away the more recent ‘missing’ red kites. It was probably the same wind that blew holes in those buzzard and goshawk nests, too. Still no breeding hen harriers on this estate – yep, must have been blown away.

Word has it that the game management on Moy Estate is being taken over by a sporting agent with whom we’re very familiar. Cue hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of night vision equipment to carry out his particular style of grouse moor management.

Henry left the estate before darkness fell. He lives another day, although he’s still single.

Hen Harrier Day 2015: BAWC launches dedicated website

Those fine gents at Birders Against Wildlife Crime (BAWC) have launched a dedicated website for Hen Harrier Day 2015 – see here.

This year’s Hen Harrier Day is Sunday 9th August and events will be taking place across the country. If you’re planning an event, please send details to info@henharrierday.org so it can be advertised on the new website.

If you’re not organising an event yourself but want to participate and show your support, keep an eye on the Hen Harrier Day website for regular updates and information about what you can do.

Now, more than ever, is the time for us to stand and be counted.

HH Day 2015 website (2) - Copy

Desperate days as 5th male hen harrier ‘disappears’

Another male hen harrier has ‘disappeared’ from an active nest – the 5th this year.

Three males vanished from nesting territories in Bowland in late April/early May (see here).

Another male vanished from its nesting territory on Geltsdale last week (see here).

And now the 5th – last seen on the United Utilities Estate in Bowland on 29th May (see here).

Is it shocking news? Yes, but not because we didn’t expect it. It’s shocking because the persecution of this species is so, so brazen.

It should now be clear (as if it hasn’t been for decades) that the people responsible, and the grouse-shooting industry that shields them, need to be brought to their knees.

We can all do that.

We must do that.

We will find a way to do that.

Sea eagles bringing in £millions to local economies

Re-introduced white-tailed eagles (also known as sea eagles) are bringing in £millions of pounds to local rural economies in Scotland.

40 years after the start of the sea eagle reintroduction project in Scotland, a significant milestone has been reached with the 100th breeding pair (see here).

Sea eagle tourism on the Isle of Mull brings in an additional £5 million each year (see here). Now a new RSPB report shows that the sea eagles on the Isle of Skye are generating an additional £2.4 million (see here).

Over in the Irish Republic (where the sea eagle reintroduction project only started in 2007), the small but growing eagle population is also attracting thousands of tourists (see here).

It’s heartening to see that despite the efforts of some (e.g. see here, here, here, here), these eagles are fighting back and, in a world where nature seems to be judged on its monetary value, they’re giving back, too.

Photo by Mike Watson

Henry’s Tour day 37: meeting a revolutionist

Weds 3rd June Copy

Andy Wightman is a class act. He’s an agitator, a truth-seeker and a fearless revolutionist, but achieves this with a charm and courteousness not often associated with anarchists. Combine that with his capacity for meticulous research and analysis and the result is devastating.

If you want to broaden your understanding of the framework within which illegal raptor persecution takes place in Scotland, reading Andy’s blog is the obvious starting point. If you want to know who owns Scotland you should subscribe to this. If you want to know how they got Scotland, you should read this.

Head keeper on Glenogil Estate rescues red kite

Glenogil RK rescuedThe head gamekeeper on Glenogil Estate has reportedly helped rescue an injured red kite that was hanging upside down in a tree after becoming entangled in string.

Danny Lawson was apparently able to shoot off the branch so the kite fell to the ground. He disentangled the bird and took it to Thrums Veterinary Group in Kirriemuir. The vets say the bird is recovering well and is now being cared for by the SSPCA.

News article here.

Photo by Thrums Veterinary Group

Henry’s tour day 36: visiting his friends at the SOC

Thurs 4th June Copy

Henry called in to the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club HQ to talk about their efforts in the fight against illegal raptor persecution in Scotland.

Last year, the SOC joined the other increasing number of voices who are standing up to say enough is enough (see here and here).

This year they will play a prominent role in the support and planning of Hen Harrier Day events in Scotland. More news about those plans soon……save the date (Sunday 9th August 2015).

Henry’s tour day 35: visiting SLE

2nd June 2015 Copy

Henry paid a visit to the HQ of Scottish Land & Estates.

The lights weren’t on and nobody was in.

SLE is a representative body of 1,351 landowners who own 2.27 million hectares of Scotland (figures from Andy Wightman).

Here’s what SLE’s CEO, Doug McAdam, tweeted when he learned Henry had called by:

‘Over 500 pairs of hen harriers on Scottish moorland at last count’.

Here’s what he didn’t mention (see here for source) –

  • The potential national hen harrier population in Scotland is estimated (conservatively) to be within the range 1467-1790 pairs.
  • The current national hen harrier population in Scotland as recorded during the most recent (2010) national survey is 505 pairs, more than a 20% decline from the numbers recorded during the 2004 national survey.
  • In Scotland, the hen harrier has a favourable conservation status in only five of 20 regions.
  • Two main constraints on population growth have been identified: illegal persecution, and in one region, prey shortages.
  • The species is particularly unsuccessful in the Central Highlands, Cairngorm Massif, Northeast Glens, Western Southern Uplands and the Border Hills. There is strong evidence in these grouse moor regions that illegal persecution is causing the failure of a majority of breeding attempts.

Has Doug McAdam been taking spinning lessons from an ex-England cricketer?

Henry’s Tour Day 34: Hello Scotland

1st June 2015 - Copy

Henry has arrived in Scotland. Where will he visit in the next few days? So many choices, so little time….

Gas-gun bird scarers deployed on Leadhills Estate grouse moor

These photographs were taken a couple of days ago on the Leadhills (Hopetoun) Estate in South Lanarkshire. They show three propane gas guns set out on the grouse moor (one inside a grouse butt).

These gas guns are routinely used for bird scaring on agricultural fields – they are set up to produce a periodic booming noise to scare pigeons, geese etc away from crops. The audible bang can reach volumes in excess of 150 decibels.

Can’t imagine why they’d be deployed on a driven grouse moor during the critical stages of the hen harrier’s breeding season, can you?

Bird scarer 1 - Copy

bird scarer 2a

bird scarer 3 - Copy