Category: News

New report by Wild Justice shows protected areas in England in worse state than previously thought

Press release from conservation campaign group Wild Justice (25th July 2023):

A SIGHT FOR SORE SSSIs: Protected areas in England are in a worse state than previously thought

A majority of English Sites of Special Scientific Interest haven’t been assessed by Natural England for over a decade, and are thought to be in a worse condition than currently reported.

  1. An up-to-date analysis of Natural England’s data on SSSI condition shows that SSSI condition is worse than the latest Defra published figures. Sites assessed more recently have a lower percentage deemed to be in a good or improving condition, and a higher percentage deemed to be in a bad or worsening condition than those assessed longer ago.
  2. Two-thirds of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in England haven’t been assessed in more than a decade. Over 80% of sites haven’t been assessed for five years or more.
  3. A report by Wild Justice predicts that if the backlog of condition assessments were to be rapidly updated, English SSSIs would be shown to be in a worse state than current estimates admit.

Some of England’s most protected areas are likely to be in a worse state than currently reported, according to up-to-date analysis carried out by Wild Justice. The ‘Sight for Sore SSSIs’ report [linked at foot of blog] looked at when Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in England were last assessed, and revealed that the majority haven’t been evaluated in over a decade. Analysis of the most recently assessed sites suggests the overall condition of SSSIs is likely to be worse than Defra’s current figures show.

SSSIs are areas of land designated for their wildlife and biological value. Over 4,000 of the UKs 7,000 SSSIs are found in England. These places often contain rare habitats and species, and are therefore protected from development or certain activities or management. Their condition, or ‘status’ should be regularly assessed by Natural England to determine any changes in land management that might be needed to maintain or improve a site. Each SSSI is made up of between 1 and dozens of Units, each of which has been assessed as to its condition at some point since it was designated. A Unit’s condition can be classified in one of six ways; Favourable, Unfavourable – Recovering, Unfavourable – No Change, Unfavourable – Declining, Part Destroyed and Destroyed.

According to data acquired by Wild Justice, an organisation campaigning on wildlife issues in the UK, current estimates of English SSSI condition are likely to be inaccurate. This is because the time elapsed since the last assessment of any particular site, and the potential for that site to have changed during that time, isn’t taken into account when the figures for SSSI condition are provided by Defra. Wild Justice argues that if a protected meadow hasn’t been monitored for ten years, it’s quite possible that management or environmental factors could have affected the site’s condition during that decade.

The figures analysed by Wild Justice seem to support this idea. In site units last assessed over a decade ago, the proportion of ‘Favourable’, or ‘Unfavourable – Recovering’ sites are higher than site units assessed in the past few years. A similar effect can be seen with ‘Unfavourable – No Change’, and ‘Unfavourable – Declining’ sites; with higher percentages of these statuses in more recently assessed site units. This implies that as site assessments are brought up to date, the proportion of higher quality sites is revealed to be less, and the proportion of lower quality sites is revealed to be higher than it appears at first glance.

Mark Avery, Co-Director of Wild Justice said:

“It seems that most of our English SSSIs have been neglected when it comes to monitoring their condition. The fact that two-thirds of these special places haven’t been looked at in over 10 years by Natural England is troubling and disappointing. Especially as it looks like our most special areas are being damaged, and the public are none-the-wiser. The system has fallen into disrepair and we can have little faith in the published Defra figures on some of our most protected areas.”

Off the back of this analysis, Wild Justice are calling for Defra and Natural England to publish annual updates on the condition of English SSSIs, as well as their date of last assessment. Wild Justice believes a rapid catch-up needs to be prioritised in the next few years, setting a new standard of 80% of English SSSI Units having had their condition assessed in the last 5 years. Natural England should carry out an urgent review of the resources needed to ensure that English SSSIs are in Favourable condition.

ENDS

Wild Justice’s report can be read/downloaded here:

a_sight_for_sore_sssis_wild_justiceDownload

Countryside Alliance furious about United Utilities’ decision to stop grouse shooting leases

Further to the recent news (here) that water utility company United Utilities has decided not to renew any more grouse-shooting leases on its land in northern England, the Countryside Alliance has responded with predictable fury.

The Telegraph published an appallingly unbalanced pro-grouse shooting article last night (see here) with extensive quotes from Tim Bonner, chief executive of the Countryside Alliance.

In this Telegraph puff piece for the grouse-shooting industry, Bonner is quoted as follows:

“United Utilities seem to be panicking about its recent appalling media coverage over their pollution of our waterways.

“The suggestion that it is banning shooting on its land has all the hallmarks of an ill thought-out distraction technique that will inevitably backfire.

“If it is true they intend not to renew the leases for shooting, it will have irreversible damaging consequences for the conservation and biodiversity of our precious uplands as well as the livelihoods of rural people.

“Additionally, it will create a new problem for United Utilities which should expect to find all its operations significantly more difficult, as a large part of the countryside will no longer want to cooperate with them in any way.

“It would be a stupid move for any landowner and utility provider to pick a fight with the countryside, let alone one which relies so heavily on access on to other people’s land.”

That half-veiled threat that “a large part of the countryside will no longer want to cooperate with them in any way” was put more forcibly in a tweet from the Countryside Alliance’s media account this morning, where the words “will no longer want to cooperate” were changed to, “will no longer cooperate“:

I’m not sure what he means by ‘cooperate‘ as water utility companies have statutory powers of entry on to private land, under the Water Industries Act 1991 – they don’t need a landowner’s ‘cooperation’ and United Utilities have an approved code of practice for such entry (see here) where a landowner’s rights are clearly laid out.

The Telegraph article does contain some useful information – it reports that the longest current grouse-shooting lease on UU-owned land is due to expire in 2027. At least now we have an idea when to expect grouse-shooting to end on UU-owned moorlands.

UPDATE 28th July 2023: Emails of support for United Utilities’ decision not to renew shooting leases (here)

UPDATE 30th July 2023: United Utilities stands firm & explains its decision not to renew shooting licences (here)

Grim reality of duck-shooting for ‘sport’ on UK shooting estates deserves greater scrutiny

If you asked your average member of the public what they thought a duck pond was, I’d wager that most of them would talk about an idyllic small pond on a leafy village green, where a handful of wild ducks live and breed with relatively little stress, sometimes visited by local adult humans with small toddlers who want to see/feed the ducks as part of a peaceful outing.

I used to live in a village with such a pond and the biggest threat to the ducks was being run over on the main lane through the village, but every year the village residents would erect hand-made ‘duck crossing’ signs urging drivers to slow down. On the whole, it worked.

I doubt very much that the average member of the public would describe a duck pond as a massive vegetation-free mud pit, ridiculously over-stocked with semi-tame reared ducks that are fed with sack loads of barley to keep them at the pond so that paying clients can turn up in the shooting season in the autumn and blast them to smithereens for a bit of a laugh.

And yet that’s what’s happening on ‘sporting’ estates in the UK, with anecdotal reports of an increase in released ducks in recent years due to the shortage of pheasants and partridges available to be imported from abroad in the bird flu pandemic.

This grim image has been sent to me by a walker in Scotland. She told me it was one of two such ‘ponds’ on this shooting estate in the Scottish Borders, which also offers partridge and pheasant shooting. These ducks have been released here in the last few weeks, in readiness for the start of the shooting season on 1st September.

It would be fair to say that not every duck-shooting pond looks as bad as this – I’ve seen others that are not so blatantly over-stocked and have been created to provide a really good wildlife-enriched habitat, although there are still issues about the ethics of duck shooting in this way – there are plenty of reports on the internet of ducks circling round and round, trying to land on a pond whilst trying to dodge the guns. Each time they come around they fly higher and higher, resulting in many of them being ‘winged’ and maimed because they’re just out of range for the guns. It’s an appalling carnage.

Here are the same semi-tame ducks seen in the above photograph, in anticipation of being fed.

Although many sporting estates offer ‘mixed bag’ days that comprise pheasant, partridge and duck (typically mallard), it’s both alarming and ironic that the reported increases in duck shooting has been caused by the lack of pheasants/partridge poults due to the prevalence of highly pathogenic avian flu.

You might recall that the RSPB recently repeated its call for a moratorium on the release of gamebirds, and ducks, due to the risk of them spreading highly pathogenic avian flu to wild bird populations (see here). DEFRA ignored the call. Ducks and other water birds are especially susceptible to avian flu and I can’t imagine that over-stocking like that shown in these two photographs is going to minimise the risk.

The shooting of semi-tame ducks for ‘fun’ hasn’t attracted as much attention as pheasant and partridge shooting, probably due to the numbers (and thus environmental impact) involved (i.e. an estimated 60+ million non-native pheasants & partridges released annually in the UK compared with a vaguely estimated 3 million native mallards) but it definitely deserves more scrutiny, especially in this avian-flu era.

UPDATE 2nd September 2023: Minister admits DEFRA is clueless about over-stocked duck ponds for shooting (here)

Water utility company United Utilities not renewing grouse shoot leases across northern England

The water utility company United Utilities, which owns a number of moors across northern England where it leases grouse shooting to ‘sporting tenants’, has quietly announced it will not be renewing grouse shoot leases on its moors once the current leases come to an end, according to Channel 4 journalist Alex Thomson.

Alex posted a series of tweets last night following the news from United Utilities’ AGM held yesterday:

It’s not clear when the current grouse shooting leases will expire but my understanding is that they are relatively short, so I don’t think we’re looking at a commitment that won’t take effect for another 50 odd years or so, it’ll be relatively soon.

A United Utilities grouse moor in Goyt Valley, Peak District National Park. Photo: Ruth Tingay

It’s interesting that United Utilities hasn’t produced a press release about such a significant change of policy, especially when that change will be welcomed by the hundreds of thousands of people who want to see an end to driven grouse shooting (e.g. see here). I can’t help but be a little bit sceptical until the full details are revealed but for now, it seems an encouraging move and United Utilities should be applauded.

Let’s hope that UU’s commitment to improving water quality also extends to putting an end to its sewage dumping activities – according to the Good Law Project, UU was the ‘worst offender’ for dumping untreated sewage into rivers and coastal waters in 2022, whilst reporting operating profits of £610 million and paid out dividends of £296 million (see here).

UPDATE 24th July 2023: Countryside Alliance furious about United Utilities’ decision to stop grouse shooting leases (here)

UPDATE 28th July 2023: Emails of support for United Utilities’ decision not to renew shooting leases (here)

UPDATE 30th July 2023: United Utilities stands firm & explains its decision not to renew shooting licences (here)

White-tailed eagle fledges in England for first time in 240 years

Press release from Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation (18th July 2023):

FIRST WHITE-TAILED EAGLE IN 240 YEARS FLEDGES IN ENGLAND

In a landmark moment for conservationists, the first white-tailed eagle for over 240 years has fledged from a nest in the wild in England. The chick is the first successful breeding attempt of the white-tailed eagles released by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation’s project to return this lost species to England.

First WTE chick in England just prior to fledging. Photo: Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation

White-tailed eagles are Britain’s largest birds of prey with a wingspan of up to 2.5 meters and were once widespread across England. Human persecution caused their extinction with the last pair breeding in southern England in 1780. In 2019, Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation began a reintroduction programme to restore these iconic birds to the English landscape.

Two of the birds released by the project in 2020 – female G405, originally translocated from the Outer Hebrides and male G471, from north-west Sutherland – reared the male chick earlier this summer. The location of the nest, on private land with no public access, is not being disclosed for the welfare of the birds and to prevent any disturbance to them or the landowner either this year or if the birds return to breed at the same location. 

The chick was ringed and fitted with a satellite tag by licensed ornithologists from the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation enabling the project team to track this historic bird’s daily progress through its life. 

The WTE chick being satellite-tagged. Photo by Forestry England

Roy Dennis MBE, Founder of the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, said: 

“This is a very special moment for everyone who has worked on, supported and followed this ground-breaking project. Restoring a breeding population in southern England, where the species was once widespread, has been our ultimate goal. Many thought it was impossible but we knew food for eagles – fresh and salt water fish, cuttlefish, rabbits, hares and wild birds – was plentiful. I visited the Isle of Wight as a young birdwatcher in the 1950s, saw the last breeding location at Culver Cliff and knew they should be restored. It is early days, but this is a very significant milestone and we are heartened by the enthusiastic support shown by so many people and that the sight of these huge eagles in the sky inspires hope for restoring nature. We still have a long way to go, but the feeling of seeing the first pair reach this stage is truly incredible.” 

The birds are one of three territorial pairs that have now become established in southern England and the first to breed. 

Steve Egerton-Read, White-Tailed Eagle Project Officer for Forestry England, said: 

“We are thrilled that this moment has happened and at such an early stage in the project. At only three years old, it is remarkable that the pair have successfully bred, with most white-tailed eagles not attempting to do so until they are at least four or five. This pairs’ ability to breed and fledge their chick at this early age is extremely encouraging.”

“It is really hard to put into words just what an incredible moment this is for the return of these iconic birds to England. It is evidence of just how well the eagles are starting to fit back into this landscape and how, with a little help, nature can begin to return and thrive. Although it has not been possible to set up a public viewing site at this location, we are hopeful that one of the other pairs that has become established in southern England will choose to nest in a location that we can share with the public in future years.”  

To date, 25 white-tailed eagles have been released by the reintroduction project with 16 still surviving. A further release of young white-tailed eagles is planned for later this summer from the project team’s base on the Isle of Wight. 

The reintroduction of white-tailed eagles is conducted under licence from Natural England, the Government’s wildlife licensing authority. All of the young birds involved in the project are collected under a NatureScot licence from the wild in Scotland and brought to the Isle of Wight.

ENDS

Huge congratulations to everyone involved in this project – what fantastic news! Although it’s telling that the nest location is being kept secret, and quite rightly so in my view, for fear of disturbance.

It’s not been plain sailing for this project, with a number of the translocated eagles inevitably becoming the victims of illegal persecution, most notably the poisoned eagle found dead on a shooting estate in Dorset last year that resulted in one of the biggest police wildlife crime fiascos witnessed in recent years (e.g. see here and here).

The poisoned WTE found dead on a shooting estate in Dorset in January 2022. Photo: Dorset Police

And then there’s the poisoned white-tailed eagle found dead on a shooting estate in West Sussex in October 2021. Toxicology results confirmed it had been killed by ingesting the banned pesticide Bendiocarb (see here). Strangely, Sussex Police have remained coy about publicising this case and nobody seems willing to provide an update on the status of the investigation ever since May last year when the Chief Constable assured conservationists that the investigation was “very much ongoing” (see here).

I’d hope, as we approach the two-year anniversary of this illegal poisoning, that Sussex Police will manage to provide an update. A lot of people care passionately about these eagles and their reintroduction to southern England and rightly expect to see the police do everything in their power to bring the eagle-poisoner(s) to justice. Two years of stubborn silence isn’t a good look and if this young, historic fledgling suffers the same fate there’ll be uproar.

For those who don’t want to poison white-tailed eagles and would much rather enjoy the thrilling experience of seeing one in the wild, one of the best opportunities to see them in southern England is still from one of the regular ‘bird boats’ run by the charity ‘Birds of Poole Harbour‘ throughout the summer (the same charity that has worked with the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation to reintroduce ospreys to Poole Harbour). A number of eagles seem to spend a lot of time foraging and just hanging out in the harbour. You’ll need to book quickly though as these boat tours are incredibly popular (for obvious reasons!). Boat tour details here.

10 million blog views

10 million blog views feels like a significant milestone.

Many thanks to all the friends, colleagues, collaborators, supporters, followers, commentators and funders, who make this worthwhile.

Here’s the photograph that I publish every time a new milestone is reached. This is a golden eagle that was found dead on a grouse moor in the Cairngorms National Park in 2006. It had been illegally poisoned. It epitomises everything in its pitiful, poignant, senselessness.

Photo: RSPB

Unfortunately there is still a lot more work to do, as evidenced by the recent discovery of two young white-tailed eagles found poisoned on a grouse moor in Northern Ireland in May 2023:

Photo: RSPB

The illegal killing of birds of prey in the UK continues and so must this blog. It can often feel like no progress is being made, but it is, albeit more slowly than any of us would like.

I read a report over the weekend where representatives of the game-shooting industry said they felt ‘under siege’ from campaigners. That’s good, some of them have been allowed to get away with far too much for far too long, often assisted and shielded by the very authorities who should be holding them to account.

Change will only come when enough of us demand it.

Onwards!

Poisoned eagles found on grouse moor in Northern Ireland: new petition calls for ban on possession of dangerous pesticides

Further to the news on Friday that the two white-tailed eagles found dead on Northern Ireland’s only driven grouse moor at Glenwherry in the Antrim Hills had been illegally poisoned (see here), the Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group (NIRSG) has launched a new petition calling for a ban on the possession of dangerous pesticides.

The two poisoned white-tailed eagles. Photo: Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group

Here is the petition text:

Pesticides which have been deemed toxic to non-target plants and animals have been banned for use across many countries, including Northern Ireland. However, although ‘banned for use’, these dangerous substances are still being used, unlawfully, to target protected birds of prey.

There have been 64 confirmed incidents of abuse of banned or highly toxic chemicals to target birds of prey in Northern Ireland since 2009. However, prosecutions are notoriously difficult to attain because unless an individual is actually seen to be laying out a poisoned bait, it is virtually impossible to determine who laid the bait that subsequently kills a protected species. To date, we are not aware of any successful prosecutions for poisoning protected wildlife in Northern Ireland.

Scotland faced a similar problem with illegal wildlife poisoning so in 2005 it introduced new legislation making it an offence to be ‘in possession’ of certain banned substances (Possession of Pesticides (Scotland) Order 2005). The substances listed were those known to be used to illegally target birds of prey. This legislation has led to the successful prosecution of many individuals who were found to be in possession of the named banned substances, for example where it was discovered in their vehicles, at their work premises and even in their homes. Not only has the poison been confiscated and destroyed, these prosecutions have doubtless saved the lives of countless species and raptors that otherwise would have been targeted.

The banned pesticides are not just a threat to wildlife and the wider environment; many of them can have fatal consequences for any human (adult or child) who happens to inadvertently come into contact with them, for example by touching a poisonous bait laid out in the countryside.

In light of the most recent illegal poisoning of two young white-tailed eagles in County Antrim in May 2023, we are seeking an urgent review of the use of banned pesticides to kill wildlife in Northern Ireland, leading to the creation of a new law which prohibits the ‘possession’ of named, highly toxic poisons.

If a pesticide has already been banned for use on the basis of its toxicity and threat to humans, wildlife and the wider environment, there can be no justification for keeping it.

Please help our campaign by signing this petition (you don’t have to be a resident of Northern Ireland to sign). Thank you.

The poisons we would like to see prohibited for possession are:

·        Aldicarb

·        Alphachloralose

·        Aluminium phosphide

·        Bendiocarb

·        Carbofuran

·        Mevinphos

·        Sodium cyanide

·        Strychnine

·        Chlorpyriphos

·        Diazinon

ENDS

The outrage caused by the illegal poisoning of these young eagles has led to widespread media coverage, e.g. The Irish Post, Belfast Live, Belfast Telegraph, Irish Examiner, ITV news, BBC news, Irish Mirror

Indeed, condemnation has even come from Michael Martin, the Irish Deputy Premier (the second most senior officer in the Irish Government) who had released one of these eagles last year as part of the reintroduction project in the Irish Republic:

The RSPB is offering a £5,000 reward for information leading to a conviction (see here).

The Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group’s press release (here) describes the location where the two eagles were found poisoned as follows:

‘Glenwherry Hill Farm is owned by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) and operated by College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE). This area has many young student farmers, conservationists and volunteers carrying out field work and studies on a daily basis. It also is the part of the Glenwherry Hill Regeneration Partnership (GHRP) and a site for driven grouse shooting and winter woodcock shooting and a site of the Curlews in Crisis restoration project‘.

I think it’s notable that the NIRSG resigned from the ‘partnership’ in 2020 over ‘incompatible management objectives’. The moorland management has recently shifted from walked-up grouse shooting to becoming managed for driven grouse shooting.

Dr Marc Ruddock of NIRSG is quoted:

“We know these parts of the Antrim Hills intimately having monitored birds of prey there for many years and seen various visiting golden eagles and white-tailed eagles there in the past. We are horrified and devastated at the death of these two young eagles. We sincerely hope that this is not a reflection of a renewed intolerance of birds of prey in county Antrim and within Northern Ireland. White-tailed eagles eat fish and seabirds but also other birds, rabbits and hares and more often scavenge dead animals in the countryside. They, along with other native birds of prey, are an essential component of a healthy ecosystem and for such indifference and intolerance to be displayed towards native eagles by somebody in this area is distressing“.

Dr Eimear Rooney of NIRSG said, “These majestic creatures are part of our ancient heritage and deserve to be revered, not poisoned and left to rot on a hillside. The suffering these birds must have felt in their final moments, and then dying side by side, it is just heart-breaking. Birds of prey are essential in balancing a healthy ecosystem and are already under pressure from loss of suitable nesting and foraging habitat. With the additional losses of birds through illegal poisoning, whether targeted at them or not, it is a massive blow to conservation efforts in Northern Ireland and on the island of Ireland.

“We have been contacted by many people outpouring their upset at the death of these eagles, and people are incensed that these pesticides, many of which are banned due to toxicity to human health, and which unbelievably remain in use illegally, causing the destruction of our native wildlife, and yet are not illegal to have in your possession”.

If you want to sign the NIRSG’s new petition calling for a ban on the possession of dangerous pesticides in Northern Ireland please click HERE.

UPDATE 3 March 2025: 50,000 people support the Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group’s petition to ban possession of dangerous, raptor-killing pesticides (here)

UPDATE 17 June 2025: 50,000-signature petition calling for ban on possession of poisons, handed in to Stormont, Northern Ireland (here)

Police confirm 2 x white-tailed eagles found dead on a grouse moor in Northern Ireland were illegally poisoned

In May this year, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) appealed for information after the discovery of two dead white-tailed eagles found next to one another in suspicious circumstances on moorland in Ballymena, County Antrim (see here).

The corpses were sent for post mortem and toxicology results have now confirmed they were both poisoned by Bendiocarb.

The two poisoned white-tailed eagles. Photo: Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group

The PSNI has issued the following statement this afternoon:

POLICE INVESTIGATE POISONING OF TWO WHITE-TAILED EAGLES

Police are appealing for information from the public, after the confirmed poisoning of two white-tailed eagles.

Police investigating the circumstances following the discovery of two dead white-tailed eagles, in the Glenhead Road area of Ballymena on Monday, 15th May, can confirm the birds were subsequently poisoned.

Following a post-mortem examination, both birds tested positive for the insecticide bendiocarb.

How the birds came into contact with the insecticide remains part of an ongoing investigation, and the Police Service of Northern Ireland is committed to working with partners and members of the public to determine how the birds consumed the toxic insecticide.

Rural and Wildlife Crime Superintendent Johnston McDowell said: “Sadly, police can confirm the two majestic birds found on land in the Glenhead Road area were poisoned, following a post-mortem examination.

“The test results suggest that an individual not only has access to the insecticide bendiocarb but has placed this into the outside environment illegally, so that wild birds have been able to consume it.

“Bendiocarb is present in the trade product Ficam D, a powder which is only permitted for indoor use to control crawling insects such as wasps and ants, so using this active ingredient in fields would be a breach of Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR).

“The illegal killing of these beautiful birds in a popular rural area is disgraceful, and for any individual to think that they can ignore the law and lay poisonous bait which has led to the killing of these birds, is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

“Officers with support from the National Wildlife Crime Unit, have been on the ground conducting house-to-house enquiries, engaging with local residents and landowners, in the areas of where the birds were gravitating towards, before they were found deceased.

“The Police Service of Northern Ireland will continue to work with our partners to tackle this criminal activity, investigate any reports made to us and prosecute offenders. In this case we have liaised with our partners in the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAWNI) Agri-Food and Biosciences, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, NI Raptor Study Group, Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Environment Agency and received additional support from the National Wildlife Crime Unit. Police have a strong multi-agency support group which we are very grateful for, but we need the help of the public too.

“There must be people in the community who are aware of individuals committing these offences, and who can come forward and assist police with any information they have.

“If you notice any suspicious activity in rural areas, notice a dead or injured bird of prey, please call police on 101, or alternatively you can make a report via Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org. Alternatively, you can submit a report online using the non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/.

“We are also very grateful to our partners in the charity Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB) who are offering a reward of £5000 for information leading to the prosecution of those involved in the poisoning of the two white-tailed eagles. The charity is completely independent from the police and can be contacted on their confidential Raptor Crime Hotline on 0300 999 0101 or online at crime@rspb.org.uk.”

ENDS

I’ll have more to say about this case, not least to discuss the location where the poisoned eagles were found – the only moor that’s managed for driven grouse shooting in Northern Ireland.

More soon…

UPDATES:

Press release from Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group (here)

Press release from RSPB (here)

Poisoned eagles found on grouse moor in Northern Ireland: New petition calls for ban on the possession of dangerous pesticides (here)

UPDATE 3 March 2025: 50,000 people support the Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group’s petition to ban possession of dangerous, raptor-killing pesticides (here)

UPDATE 17 June 2025: 50,000-signature petition calling for ban on possession of poisons, handed in to Stormont, Northern Ireland (here)

Red kite shootings: statement from North York Moors National Park Authority

Following the recent confirmed shooting of at least two red kites (with a third one suspected) near Westerdale in the North York Moors National Park (see here), the North York Moors Park Authority has issued the following statement:

Following the most recent report from North Yorkshire Police regarding a Red Kite found with gunshot wounds, the North York Moors National Park is issuing the statement below.

Tom Hind, Chief Executive Officer of the North York Moors National Authority, said:

“We are appalled to hear of recent shootings of Red Kite in the North York Moors. Wildlife crime and raptor persecution are illegal, immoral and have no place in this National Park.

“Those behind these callous acts should recognise the disservice they have done to the entire North York Moors community. Ultimately those responsible may find they have shot not only a wonderful bird of prey, but also themselves in the foot.

“It is vital that anyone with information about these incidents, or any other wildlife crime in our region, call North Yorkshire Police on 101. We cannot let this crime go unpunished.”

ENDS

Natural England struggling to provide details of hen harrier brood meddling sham(bles)

For several months now I’ve been waiting for Natural England to respond to a number of Freedom of Information/Environmental Information Regulation requests that all relate to the hen harrier brood meddling ‘scientific trial’.

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, in cahoots with the very industry responsible for the species’ catastrophic decline in England. In general terms, the plan involves the removal of hen harrier chicks and eggs from grouse moors, their rearing in captivity, then their release back into the uplands just in time for the start of the grouse-shooting season where they’ll be illegally killed. It’s plainly bonkers. For more background see here.

The information requests I made are related to Natural England’s questionable decision to extend the brood meddling ‘trial’ this year (see here) and the questions are all pretty straight forward, I think. If this so-called ‘scientific trial’ was being managed properly, the information I requested should have been readily available.

Apparently not! I wonder what it is that Natural England is so reluctant to reveal?

Here are the requests and Natural England’s responses, to date:

So far Natural England has had 51 working days to respond to this request and has missed four deadlines. The most recent deadline (yesterday) passed without any form of communication or explanation from Natural England. I’ve written, again, this morning, to chase up.

So far Natural England has had 40 working days to respond to this request and has missed two deadlines. The most recent deadline (yesterday) passed without any form of communication or explanation from Natural England. I’ve written, again, this morning, to chase up.

So far Natural England has had 40 working days to respond to this request and has missed two deadlines. The most recent deadline (yesterday) passed without any form of communication or explanation from Natural England. I’ve written, again, this morning, to chase up.