golden eagle – Raptor Persecution UK

Raeshaw Estate claims General Licence restriction “wholly unjustified” & intends to appeal

Following yesterday’s news that NatureScot has imposed a(nother) three-year General Licence restriction on Raeshaw Estate in south Scotland (here), based on evidence provided by Police Scotland about the disappearance of satellite-tagged Golden Eagle ‘Merrick’, who police believe was ‘shot and killed’ (here), Raeshaw Estate has announced its intention to appeal NatureScot’s decision.

Camera trap photo of golden eagle Merrick, from South Scotland Golden Eagle Project

The following statement, attributed to a spokesperson for Raeshaw Estate, was reported in several newspapers yesterday:

‘The decision by NatureScot to restrict the estate’s general licence is wholly unjustified. We will challenge it vigorously through an appeal.

We share the frustration felt by many about Merrick’s disappearance but there is no evidence the estate or any of its employees were in any way responsible.

The estate has zero tolerance for raptor persecution and remains fully committed to respecting wildlife, nature and the environment.

Merrick’s last established position was not on land owned or managed by our estate. The location was in a nearby wood where other parties have access and are permitted to shoot.

No employee of the estate was charged as a result of a lengthy police investigation which concluded nearly 20 months ago.

NatureScot has conceded there was an unacceptable delay in dealing with this case. We also provided expert veterinary testimony to NatureScot stating there was insufficient evidence to ascertain the bird had been killed by criminal means and that DNA analysis was inconclusive.

In reaching its decision NatureScot confirmed the estate was not suspected of any other contraventions of land management regulations.

This decision is even more disappointing given that NatureScot has acknowledged the estate is a supporter of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project.

So much so, the estate recorded the presence of eagles on many occasions foraging and enjoying the safety and serenity of Raeshaw – something we dearly welcome.

We also provided NatureScot with video evidence of these frequent visits‘.

ENDS

My commentary:

A lot of this reads like PR-bluster -damage-limitation-mumbo-jumbo to me.

It’s difficult to comment in detail about the specifics of the evidence collected by Police Scotland and provided to NatureScot, as much of it isn’t in the public domain, although presumably has been provided to the representatives of Raeshaw Estate, which probably includes the estate’s management agency, which I believe is JM Osborne (and the estate is also listed on the William Powell Sporting website), both companies are owned by ‘grouse guru’ Mark Osborne.

However, there are several aspects of the statement that can be discussed.

For example:

‘Merrick’s last established position was not on land owned or managed by our estate. The location was in a nearby wood where other parties have access and are permitted to shoot’.

It’s true that Merrick’s last established position (sleeping in a tree) was ‘not on land owned or managed’ by Raeshaw Estate, but it was close by. And it is known that some gamekeepers will trespass onto neighbouring land to commit an offence (e.g. see here). Now that doesn’t mean that somebody from Raeshaw did do that, that’s not what I’m saying, but given the proximity to the estate boundary, it’s not inconceivable that this scenario could have happened.

*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)*

‘No employee of the estate was charged as a result of a lengthy police investigation which concluded nearly 20 months ago‘.

So what? A General Licence restriction isn’t reliant on somebody being charged. Indeed, GL restrictions were introduced by the Scottish Government in 2014 for the many situations where police evidence confirmed that raptor persecution had taken place but where there was insufficient evidence to bring a prosecution against a named individual. There’s no requirement for NatureScot to link an alleged offence to a specific individual; indeed, NatureScot always issues GL restrictions with an accompanying statement that says, ‘Please note that this restriction does not imply responsibility for the commission of crimes on any individuals’.

‘NatureScot has conceded there was an unacceptable delay in dealing with this case’.

So what? Yes, NatureScot did take far too long to reach this decision, but there isn’t a time limit for NatureScot to make a decision on GL restrictions so this statement is irrelevant.

‘We also provided expert veterinary testimony to NatureScot stating there was insufficient evidence to ascertain the bird had been killed by criminal means and that DNA analysis was inconclusive’.

Er, I’m not sure how an ‘expert veterinary testimony’ could conclude anything about whether the eagle was ‘killed by criminal means’, or not, given that there wasn’t a body to examine! And from what I’ve heard, DNA analysis of the blood found at the scene came back as a match with Merrick’s DNA profile, so quite how that makes the analysis ‘inconclusive’ I don’t know! There was likely a 1 in several million chance/probability that the blood wasn’t Merrick’s.

‘In reaching its decision NatureScot confirmed the estate was not suspected of any other contraventions of land management regulations’.

Again, so what? It doesn’t need multiple ‘contraventions’ for a GL restriction to be imposed. This statement is irrelevant.

‘…the estate recorded the presence of eagles on many occasions foraging and enjoying the safety and serenity of Raeshaw – something we dearly welcome. We also provided NatureScot with video evidence of these frequent visits‘.

Providing videos of eagles flying over an estate doesn’t prove anything other than that eagles are sometimes present. But we already knew that because Merrick’s satellite tag data showed she’d been there. It doesn’t mean that she couldn’t have been killed that night when roosting in a tree a few metres from the estate boundary. In the same way that the Conistone & Grassington Estate could have shown videos of Hen Harriers ‘enjoying the safety and serenity‘ of the estate, or the Hovingham Estate could have shown videos of Buzzards ‘enjoying the safety and serenity‘ of the estate, or the Moy Estate could have shown videos of Sparrowhawks ‘enjoying the safety and serenity‘ of the estate, or Fengate Farm could have shown videos of Buzzards and Goshawks ‘enjoying the safety and serenity‘ of the estate….I could go on but I’m sure you get the idea.

‘The estate has zero tolerance for raptor persecution and remains fully committed to respecting wildlife, nature and the environment’.

Marvellous.

Nevertheless, although it is true that nobody has ever been prosecuted for raptor persecution incidents on Raeshaw Estate, and I have no doubt that JM Osborne, as an experienced sporting agency, has a written policy, maybe even a contractual obligation, for the need for its employees to comply with the law, it is still a fact that there have been a substantial number of confirmed/suspected raptor persecution incidents recorded in the area (see list created in 2017, here), dating back over a 25-year period.

As part of NatureScot’s decision-making process for General Licence Restrictions (the Framework), one of the criteria assessed is, ‘Any history of previous, similar instances’. Given that Raeshaw Estate has already served one previous General Licence restriction (2015-2018, see here), then it seems reasonable to me that NatureScot is entitled to consider those earlier incidents when deciding whether to impose another GL restriction on this estate, regardless of whatever claims an estate makes about loving wildlife. It doesn’t mean that NatureScot is stating that someone/an individual connected to Raeshaw Estate is responsible for shooting/killing Merrick – it simply means that NatureScot has lost confidence in the use of light-touch regulation (the General Licences) on the estate.

Of course, Raeshaw Estate is fully entitled to appeal NatureScot’s latest decision. That, too, is enshrined in NatureScot’s GL Restriction Framework. Other estates with General Licence Restrictions imposed have appealed those decisions over the years but as far as I’m aware, none of the appeals have been upheld. For example:

Leadhills Estate loses appeal (this is hilarious – here)

Leadhills Estate loses another appeal (this time against an extension to its GL restriction) (here)

Moy Estate loses appeal (here)

Invercauld Estate loses appeal (here)

Lochan Estate loses appeal (here)

If Raeshaw Estate is going to appeal, it will have to do so in writing to Naturescot within 14 days. According to the GL Restriction Framework, ‘An appeal shall have the effect of suspending the restriction from the date the appeal is received by the Head of Licensing until the date of the Decision on Appeal…‘. NatureScot advises that it will seek to make a decision on an appeal within four weeks of receipt.

Three-year General Licence restriction imposed on Raeshaw Estate (again), this time relating to shooting of Golden Eagle ‘Merrick’

NatureScot has today announced a three-year General Licence restriction on Raeshaw Estate (and on neighbouring Watherston Wood, which is understood to be under separate management to Raeshaw), in relation to the shooting/killing of Golden Eagle ‘Merrick’ in October 2023.

Here is Naturescot’s statement:

10 February 2026

NatureScot has restricted the use of general licences at Raeshaw Estate and Watherston Wood in the Scottish Borders.

The decision was made based on evidence provided by Police Scotland of wildlife crime against birds.

This evidence included the sudden disappearance of a satellite-tagged golden eagle named Merrick in October 2023 as well as golden eagle blood, feathers and shotgun cartridge wadding recovered from the same location.

Chris Dailly, NatureScot’s Head of Licensing, said: “We have decided, in discussion with Police Scotland, to suspend the use of general licences on this land for three years until January 2029. The police have recorded Merrick’s disappearance as a crime and have provided robust evidence to NatureScot to support this.

“We are committed to using all the tools we have available to tackle wildlife crime. This measure will help to protect wild birds in the area, while still allowing necessary land management activities to take place.

“We believe this is a proportionate response to protect wild birds and prevent further wildlife crime. We will continue to work closely with Police Scotland and consider information they provide on cases which may warrant restricting general licences.”

Individual licences may still be applied for, but these will be subject to strict record-keeping and reporting requirements and will be closely monitored to ensure licence conditions are met.

General licences allow landowners or land managers to carry out control of common species of wild birds, such as crows and magpies, to protect crops or livestock, without the need to apply for an individual licence.

In addition to this restriction, there are currently two other restrictions in place in Scotland: on Millden Estate in Angus and Lochindorb Estate in Highland.

ENDS

Here are the maps provided by NatureScot showing the restriction areas on Raeshaw Estate and Watherston Wood, and an accompanying statement of clarification:

In line with NatureScot’s published General Licence restrictions: Framework for Implementing Restrictions we hereby give notice that a restriction has been applied to the land outlined in red overleaf. This restriction prohibits the use of General Licences 01, 02 and 03 on that land from 10th February 2026 up to and including 9th February 2029.

Please note that this restriction does not imply responsibility for the commission of crimes on any individuals.

My commentary:

There’s a lot to say about this latest General Licence restriction. Some of it will have to wait for another blog because I’m short on time at the moment, but some of it I’ll say now.

General Licence restrictions, which have been available to NatureScot since 2014, are based on the civil burden of proof and are issued when NatureScot receives information from Police Scotland about wildlife crimes but where there is insufficient evidence to identify an individual offender for prosecution. (GL restrictions can also be imposed on estates where gamekeepers have been convicted of wildlife crimes).

General Licence restrictions do not prevent an estate from game-shooting, nor do they prevent an estate from carrying out [lawful] predator control – this can still be undertaken if the estate applies for an ‘individual licence’ which may restrict the amount of predator control, the estate may be subject to compliance spot checks, and the licence holder must provide NatureScot with licence returns (i.e. indicate how many birds were killed, where, and when etc).

General Licence restrictions are not perfect as an effective sanction – they are nowhere near, as I’ve written about many times before (e.g. see here and links within). They do, however, work as a ‘reputational driver’, although in some cases reputation is apparently not an issue of concern.

Whilst today’s decision is very welcome news, it’s taken NatureScot far too long to reach it. Regular blog readers will know that NatureScot has been considering this decision since April 2024 (see here) when it first received information from Police Scotland about the shooting/killing of Merrick. That’s almost two years of procrastination (e.g. see here, here). It’s nowhere near good enough.

This is the second General Licence restriction imposed on Raeshaw Estate.

Raeshaw Estate boundary derived from Andy Wightman’s *Who Owns Scotland* website

Raeshaw Estate 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 there was insufficient evidence to prosecute any individual (see here). Representatives of Raeshaw Estate applied for a judicial review of NatureScot’s decision but the Court of Session upheld NatureScot’s procedures and ruled them 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). Not that the revocation made any difference whatsoever, as the estate could simply apply for another individual licence!

Inexplicably to many of us, NatureScot did not extend the length of the original General Licence restriction, which it has the authority to do, in light of the non-compliance issues on the estate’s individual licence (see here).

And now here we are again, with a second General Licence restriction imposed, this time in relation to the illegal shooting and killing of Golden Eagle ‘Merrick’ in October 2023.

As a colleague pointed out to me today, General Licence restrictions have been useful in as much as they have provided a framework for imposing a licence restriction based on the civil burden of proof, and this has clearly influenced the new system of grouse moor licensing in Scotland, introduced as a new sanction under the Wildlife Management & Muirburn Act 2024, whereby licences to shoot Red Grouse can be revoked, based on the civil burden of proof, if evidence of wildlife crime is provided to NatureScot by Police Scotland.

In this latest case relating to Raeshaw Estate, I doubt very much whether a grouse shooting licence will be revoked because Merrick was shot in October 2023, before the introduction of grouse shoot licences, and a licence revocation can’t be applied retrospectively. I’m not even sure whether Raeshaw Estate has a grouse shooting licence; there isn’t a public register to consult. If it doesn’t currently have a grouse shooting licence, but applies for one during this three-year General Licence restriction, it’d be interesting to see what happens.

More commentary to come soon…

UPDATE 11 February 2026: Raeshaw Estate claims General Licence restriction “wholly unjustified” and intends to appeal (here)

Golden Eagle found shot in Scottish Borders – Police Scotland appeals for information

Press release from Police Scotland (9 February 2026)

APPEAL AFTER GOLDEN EAGLE SHOT IN THE SCOTTISH BORDERS

Wildlife officers are appealing to the public for information after a four-year-old golden eagle was shot in the Scottish Borders.

On Tuesday, 20 January, 2026, police were made aware a gamekeeper from an estate in Stanhope had discovered an injured golden eagle on Thursday, 15 January, 2026.

The bird was wearing a satellite tracking device and was identified as Hamlet, a four-year-old golden eagle that had been relocated from the Outer Hebrides to the Scottish Borders in 2023.

Hamlet was examined by a vet, who confirmed shotgun pellet injuries to his wing. He received treatment and made a full recovery. Hamlet has since been returned to the wild.

X-ray showing shotgun damage to the eagle’s right wing. Photo by SSPCA via Police Scotland

Officers investigating the crime have reviewed Hamlet’s tracking data and following consultation with raptor and veterinary experts, it’s believed Hamlet was shot during the first week of January 2026 in an area between Stanhope and Glenbreck, off the A701 Broughton to Moffat Road.

Detective Sergeant David Lynn, National Wildlife Crime Coordinator, said: “It is extremely disappointing that we are investigating another golden eagle persecution crime. Very few people would have the means, opportunity and motive to commit this crime and I would urge anyone with any information to contact us so we can identify whoever is responsible for shooting Hamlet.”

Police Scotland, with the support of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit, is conducting a thorough enquiry in the local area to identify the culprit. Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 1221 of 3 February, 2026. Alternatively, you can pass on your information anonymously to Crimestoppers using 800 555 111.

ENDS

‘Hamlet’ is the sixth victim of eagle persecution in the Scottish Borders in recent years:

Golden Eagle ‘Fred’ disappeared in an area managed for gamebird shooting in the Pentland Hills in January 2018 (his satellite tag transmitted from the North Sea a few days later – here).

Golden Eagle ‘Merrick’ was shot whilst she was sleeping in a tree next to a grouse moor in the Moorfoot Hills in October 2023 (we’re STILL waiting for NatureScot to make a decision about whether a General Licence restriction will be imposed as a consequence – see here).

Golden Eagles ‘Tarras’ and ‘Wren’ disappeared in an area managed for gamebird shooting near Langholm in August 2025 (see here).

A White-tailed Eagle ‘disappeared’ in the Moorfoot Hills area in November 2025 (here).

All six of these eagles were satellite-tagged. Nobody has been prosecuted in relation to any of these incidents.

Fourth White-tailed Eagle ‘disappears’ & RSPB offers £10,000 reward for information leading to a conviction

Following the appalling news over the last couple of days about the highly suspicious, and almost certainly criminal, disappearance of three satellite-tagged White-tailed Eagles here, here and here, there has, as usual, been complete silence from the land management sector, with the exception of Scottish Land & Estates, who commented that, “land managers in Moorfoots have been helping police with the search and will continue to provide whatever help they can as the investigation progresses“.

As for the other shooting organisations, who so often claim to have a zero tolerance stance against raptor persecution, there’s been no comment and no condemnation. Nix. Nada.

As a reminder, all of those organisations (except the Moorland Association, whose CEO was booted off for spreading misinformation) are members of the police-led Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group (RPPDG) – a so-called ‘partnership’ whose function includes ‘awareness raising‘ and ‘raising the profile [of illegal raptor persecution] via media exposure‘. Not a single word.

In contrast, the often very reserved RSPB has not only expressed its disgust, but it has put its money where its mouth is and is offering a reward of £10,000 for information leading to a conviction of those involved. This is welcome news for all of us who have not only enjoyed seeing these birds occupying their rightful place in UK skies, but also for those of us who are sick to the back teeth of the relentless killing of protected birds of prey across our countryside.

Juvenile White-tailed Eagle, photo by Pete Walkden

However, it turns out that it hasn’t just been the three White-tailed Eagles from the England re-introduction project that have disappeared in recent months. The bottom of the RSPB article, linked above, reveals some new information:

‘Further to the suspicious disappearance of these three White-tailed Eagles, a fourth bird, fledged from a nest in Perthshire in 2024, disappeared on a grouse moor in Nairnshire in May this year. A police search took place but neither bird nor tag were found.

This was the latest of nine tagged birds of prey, including two other White-tailed Eagles, whose tags were functioning as expected, to suddenly disappear in the northern Monadhlaith area of Inverness-shire and Nairnshire since 2018. These disappearances have occurred in an area where multiple confirmed incidents of poisoning, shooting and illegal trap use have been recorded’.

FFS.

I can’t see why it’s taken seven months for this news to emerge, but it doesn’t make it any less appalling.

As the RSPB article suggests, this area of Inverness-shire and Nairnshire is horrific for bird of prey killings and for the suspicious disappearances of tagged raptors.

This latest White-tailed Eagle to vanish is the third in the area since 2019 (e.g. see here), adding to a long history of tagged Golden Eagle disappearances here dating back 15 years (and leading to the Scottish Government commissioning its review of the fates of satellite-tagged Golden Eagles back in 2016).

Numerous other incidents have been uncovered in this same area in recent years, close to the NW boundary of the Cairngorms National Park. These have included the shooting of a Sparrowhawk on Moy Estate (for which a gamekeeper was later convicted, here), the discovery of a poisoned Red Kite in the Moy area, here, and the discovery of a shot Red Kite on Lochindorb Estate, here.

Needless to say, the vast majority of those incidents, including the disappearance of the White-tailed Eagle in May, were on grouse moors.

Perhaps the local wildlife criminals were emboldened by NatureScot’s watering-down of the new grouse shoot licence last autumn?

At least that issue appears to have been sorted by a Government amendment to close the loophole, which recently passed Stage 2 of the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill…but I’ll write about that in another blog.

For now, we have four missing White-tailed Eagles (all vanishing from areas managed for gamebird shooting, whether that be lowland Pheasant & Partridge shooting or upland Grouse shooting), two missing Golden Eagles (also vanishing from areas managed for gamebird shooting), and I’ve lost count of the number of missing Hen Harriers, also vanishing from areas managed for gamebird shooting.

I’ll be updating the Hen Harrier Missing/Dead List over the Xmas period when I’ll have some time…there are still some more to add to the 143 Hen Harriers we already know about.

Satellite-tagged Hen Harrier ‘Circe’ disappears in suspicious circumstances in Moorfoot Hills, south Scotland

Press release from Hen Harrier Action (20th November 2025)

HEN HARRIER ACTION APPEALS FOR INFORMATION AS ANOTHER RARE HEN HARRIER SUSPECTED TO HAVE BEEN ILLEGALLY KILLED IN SCOTLAND

A satellite tagged Hen Harrier, ‘Circe’, suddenly disappeared in the Moorfoot Hills, south of Edinburgh
As numerous recent incidents have shown, satellite tagged Hen Harriers that disappear in suspicious circumstances are highly likely to have been illegally killed
Hen Harrier Action are appealing for information which could help with the investigation

Thanks to donations from supporters in 2025, Hen Harrier Action funded the purchase of four satellite tags to monitor the movements of Hen Harriers in the UK.

One of the tags was fitted by RSPB staff to a juvenile female Hen Harrier named Circe before she fledged from her nest on Tarras Valley Nature Reserve – a community-led rewilding project in Langholm, Dumfries and Galloway.

Hen Harrier ‘Circe’ being fitted with a satellite tag in 2025

In the days leading up to her disappearance Circe ranged across the Moorfoot Hills, south of Edinburgh. Her tag data shows that the tag was regularly transmitting but then sudden stopped with no sign of tag malfunction. The disappearance was reported to the National Wildlife Crime Unit and the area was searched but no body or tag has been found. Sudden stops without the tag being found are a huge concern, often indicating that the bird has been illegally killed.

Circe’s last transmission was on Tuesday 14^th October at 2.07pm, not far from the well-known standing stones at Greenfieldknowe and the hiking trails around Whiteside Edge and Loncote Hill. She was less than four months old.

Though a legally protected species, Hen Harriers are one of the UK’s scarcest and most persecuted birds of prey in the UK. Dozens are satellite tagged each year to monitor their movements and wellbeing with the support of charities like the RSPB and local raptor groups. But despite being heavily protected in law for decades, many go missing each year due to suspected and confirmed illegal killing. In an effort to locate the body of Circe the charity has issued an appeal for information.

Hen Harrier Action trustee Adrian Rowe said “We are devastated by the loss. Circe was a healthy, thriving Hen Harrier and we had high hopes that she would go on to find a mate and raise a family. We know that the area is a popular walking route, and we are appealing for anyone who might have seen anything suspicious that Tuesday afternoon, or come across a dead bird of prey in the area, to get in touch.”

If you have information that could help, please call the RSPB’s Raptor Crime Hotline on 0300 999 0101, or the Wildlife Crime team at Police Scotland on 101.

ENDS

Well done to Hen Harrier Action for issuing a press release.

Hen Harrier Action has published the coordinates of Circe’s tag’s last known transmission, which according to Andy Wightman’s excellent website, Who Owns Scotland, appears to have come from the Portmore Estate, although no detail is provided about the tag’s transmission cycle or the accuracy of the final fix.

Red line = boundary of Portmore Estate. Orange X indicates last known transmission from Circe’s satellite tag.

There is no suggestion that Circe was killed on the Portmore Estate. I’m not aware of any previously reported illegal persecution incidents on this estate.

However, the wider Moorfoot Hills area is well-known as a hotbed of illegal raptor persecution, with many confirmed incidents of poisoning, shooting, illegal traps and ‘disappearing’ satellite-tagged raptors over the last 20 years.

Indeed, the Moorfoot Hills is where Golden Eagle ‘Merrick‘ was killed over two years ago, whilst she was asleep in a tree. Police Scotland believe she was shot and then her corpse was removed and her satellite tag destroyed in an attempt to hide the evidence.

A long-overdue decision is expected from NatureScot about whether a General Licence restriction will be imposed in relation to that appalling crime.

Other ‘missing’ satellite-tagged raptors in south Scotland at the moment include two Golden Eagles that vanished at the end of August (see here).

Obituary – Patrick Stirling-Aird MBE, Secretary of the Scottish Raptor Study Group

Obituary – Patrick Stirling-Aird MBE

10 August 1943 – 8 November 2025

The Scottish Raptor Study Group (SRSG) is saddened to report the passing last week of its long-term Secretary Patrick Stirling Aird at his home in Dunblane, Perthshire. We are extremely fortunate and proud to have had Patrick as our Secretary for more than 20 years. It is believed that Patrick started in this role on 19^th February 2000. It cannot be overstated how much of a massive role Patrick has played both for the SRSG and more widely for raptor conservation in Scotland. He will be greatly missed by all of us in the tight-knit Scottish raptor conservation community.

Patrick Stirling-Aird (Photo by Sue Stirling-Aird)

Patrick was an authority on the Peregrine Falcon, his main passion, along with other upland raptor species including Golden Eagles and Ravens. He assiduously monitored these birds in the Central Scotland (CSRSG) and Tayside and Fife Raptor Study Group (TFRSG) areas for decades. Even whilst in his mid-eighties Patrick was out monitoring Peregrines this year, and was still the species coordinator for both Peregrine and Golden Eagle in the Central Scotland Raptor Study Group area.

In his book “The Peregrine Falcon” (New Holland 2012) Patrick claimed to have seen his first Peregrine more than 40 years ago, so going back to the early 1970s. He said it was these first sightings, and the recognition of the Peregrine as an “ecological barometer”, that got him involved with formal raptor monitoring. At this time, raptor monitoring was pioneering work promoted especially by Derek Ratcliffe, who warmly acknowledged Patrick’s work and influence in his own monographs on the Peregrine and Raven. In the 1970s and when Patrick took up raptor monitoring in west Perthshire, the Peregrine had of course become an extremely rare breeding bird following the pesticide crisis caused by DDT and Dieldrin in the 1960s, and as revealed by those dedicated individuals who monitored Peregrines across the UK at the time.

I first met Patrick in the early 1990s when I became a member of the CSRSG, having moved down from the Highlands. He was the Chair of CSRSG since its formation in 1983 and only stood down from that role ten years ago. Patrick was definitely in charge of monitoring Peregrines, Golden Eagles and Ravens! It amused me at the time that other species including Red Kites, my own passion, were given relatively short attention at meetings! Owls were barely mentioned unless prompted (something that did not change greatly)! The focus was clearly on the three key raptor species – Patrick’s birds! What was also clear was Patrick had huge attention to detail. Patrick was trained and worked as a solicitor and brought this attention to detail to his raptor monitoring. His raptor data record keeping was second to none. When discussing particular raptor sites, he could call on an extensive background history of each site, rigorously documented year by year. If anybody was asked to monitor any Peregrine sites for him or to search certain glens for occupancy, you could expect a full documented history of that site, sometimes going back for over 50 years; detailing alternative sites, productivity; and information on how to access to get the best view of nests.

Patrick’s own study area was along the boundary between the CSRSG and TFRSG areas. He monitored all of the peregrines from Glen Artney up to Glen Almond and across to Stirling for decades. He also monitored the breeding Golden Eagles and Ravens in these areas. However, when discussing other sites for these species in these RSG areas there did not seem to be many that he had missed during his time either! For SRSG nationally in Scotland, and for CSRSG and TFRSG more locally, he coordinated the national population surveys for Peregrine – in particular in 1981, 1991, 2001 and 2014.

By Patrick’s own admission he liked to monitor his birds alone. He also waited impatiently for the good weather to go and do his work on the hill. Characteristically he wore his tweed “plus twos” and deerstalker “fore and aft” hat. When he went out in the field, he tended to spend all day on the hill monitoring one or a small number of sites in a day, observing Peregrines and Eagles for many hours from a distance, noting their behaviour carefully. From my own conversations with folk on the ground whilst out doing my own raptor studies in the same general area I noted the respect that he also carried with the landowners, gamekeepers and stalkers. Patrick always made time to speak to estate owners and their employees both before and after his monitoring visits. In my time, I have rarely heard anybody saying a bad word about Patrick, even when he had to have the difficult conversations with estates about the suspicious disappearance of raptors he was monitoring or their apparently criminal breeding failure! Patrick was calm, forceful and never shied away from conflict.

Sadly in many parts of Patrick’s study area he monitored a decline in numbers of breeding Peregrines in recent decades in line with national trends for this species in the Scottish uplands, however the Ravens have fared well, and the Eagles that he monitored are now largely free from human interference. I am privileged to be amongst the few who have been out on the hill over many years with Patrick and every trip was a learning experience. Patrick had a huge commitment to raptor monitoring above all else.

Patrick and Sue Stirling-Aird at a Golden Eagle eyrie (Photo by Duncan Orr-Ewing)

The list of important public roles Patrick undertook over many years as the SRSG Secretary are endless. He was a member of the UK Government’s DETR Raptor Working Group from 1995 to 2000. This initiative was set up originally to tackle what was perceived by the then administration as “the raptor problem”. It ended up meeting 25 times and making 25 recommendations for the enhancement of raptor conservation! Several officials singled out Patrick for special praise for his unstinting contributions to the group. The DETR RWG Report was a seismic moment for raptor conservation in the UK and included the production of the SRSG document “Counting the Cost” which used SRSG data to highlight the continuing illegal persecution of raptors in Scotland, including around Patrick’s own long term Peregrine study area in Central Scotland – “Human interference apparently affected about one fifth of the peregrine breeding population in central Scotland, 18% less young produced in the years 1981-1996”.

In my own role at RSPB Scotland, we used these Report recommendations in the early 2000s to tackle the Scottish Government to do more for raptor conservation. The formation of the Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme, in which Patrick was also instrumental, is one very good example of the report’s outcome. Licensing of grouse shooting was secured in Scotland in March 2024 to address systemic illegal persecution of raptors associated with this land use, and this is testament to many decades of hard work by a number of key individuals, who could hold the ring and talk authoritatively about raptors. Patrick played a totemic role in this.

In his role as SRSG Secretary, Patrick represented the SRSG on the Moorland Forum and the Police Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group. His controlled persistence in defence of raptors, and against criminal persecution was unique, using his background training and professionalism as a solicitor to maximum effect. No matter how discordant the voices of the those in denial of raptor persecution, Patrick calmly and robustly spoke up for raptors and SRSG fieldworkers. Not a lover of the phrase ‘balance’, he warmed to the closing lines of Derek Ratcliffe in his 2003 foreword to ‘Birds of Prey in a Changing Environment’: “Raptor enthusiasts will have to speak up, and assert their simple conviction that birds of prey are as important as gamebirds or homing pigeons.”

Patrick has served time on the UK RSPB Council and was previously a member of the RSPB Scottish Advisory Committee. He was also on the Scottish Wildlife Trust Council and a member of the BTO Research & Surveys Committee. We in the SRSG community and his family were all absolutely delighted when Patrick was awarded an MBE in 2005 in the New Year’s Honours list for his services to wildlife conservation and this award was subsequently presented at a ceremony at Holyrood Palace. This demonstrated the high regard with which he was held throughout the conservation and political world.

Duncan Orr-Ewing, Head of Species and Land Management, RSPB Scotland and Chair, Central Scotland Raptor Study Group

NatureScot says “decision in next few weeks” on whether to impose General Licence restriction in relation to shooting & killing of golden eagle Merrick

The Scottish Government’s nature advisory agency, NatureScot, has been now been procrastinating for over 18 months on whether to impose a sanction on an estate in relation to the ‘shooting and killing’ of a sleeping Golden Eagle called Merrick. But apparently a decision is now expected “in the next few weeks”.

Merrick was a young satellite-tagged Golden Eagle, released in south Scotland in 2022 as part of the South Scotland Golden Eagle Project, a lottery-funded conservation initiative which translocated young Golden Eagles from various sites across north Scotland to boost the tiny remnants of the Golden Eagle breeding population in south Scotland that had previously been decimated by illegal persecution and had become isolated by geographic barriers.

*Camera trap photo of golden eagle Merrick in 2022, from South Scotland Golden Eagle Project*

A year after her release, which had seen her fly around south Scotland and down into northern England and back, on 12 October 2023 Merrick’s satellite tag suddenly and inexplicably stopped transmitting from a roost site in the Moorfoot Hills in the Scottish Borders where she’d been sleeping overnight.

A project officer from the South Scotland Golden Eagle Project went to her last known location where he found Merrick’s feathers and blood directly below her roost tree. Police Scotland later determined from the evidence that she’d been ‘shot and killed’ and that someone had then ‘removed her body and destroyed her satellite tag’ (see here).

There was limited scope for anyone to be charged and prosecuted for killing this eagle unless someone in the know came forward with sufficient evidence to identify the individual(s) responsible. In addition, the prospect of an estate having its grouse-shooting licence withdrawn as a consequence of this crime was zero, given that this offence took place prior to the enactment of the Wildlife & Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024, the legislation that introduced grouse moor licensing.

That just left a General Licence restriction as a possible sanction. Not that I’d describe a GL restriction as an effective sanction, for reasons that have been explored previously on this blog (e.g. here and here). Nevertheless, it’s still something and, given the high-profile of Merrick’s death, you might think that making a decision on whether to impose a GL restriction would be a high priority for NatureScot.

Not so.

I wrote about NatureScot’s procrastination on this case in August (see here), after receiving a response to a Freedom of Information request I’d lodged in June 2025. That response confirmed that NatureScot had received an information package from Police Scotland, on which it would base its General Licence restriction decision, in April 2024.

I blogged again in September, highlighting that NatureScot had now procrastinated for 17 months. Unbeknownst to me at the time, that blog prompted two blog readers to write to NatureScot, and one of them lodged a formal complaint against the agency.

Blog reader Stuart Wilson has kindly given permission for me to share the response he received recently from NatureScot in relation to his complaint, which is almost identical to the response blog reader SusanH shared on this blog a few days ago on an unrelated post.

17 months (& waiting) for NatureScot to make decision on General Licence restriction relating to ‘shooting & killing’ of sleeping Golden Eagle called Merrick

The Scottish Government’s nature advisory agency, NatureScot, has been now been procrastinating for 17 months on whether to impose a sanction on an estate in relation to the ‘shooting and killing’ of a sleeping Golden Eagle called Merrick.

Seventeen months on and we’re now at the end of September 2025 and there’s still no sign of a decision from NatureScot.

What’s the hold up? Why hasn’t this decision been a priority for NatureScot?

What sort of message does NatureScot’s procrastination send out to others who might be thinking of ‘getting rid’ of a Golden Eagle in south Scotland, or any other part of Scotland for that matter?

The consequences became very clear yesterday when it was announced that two more satellite-tagged Golden Eagles from the South Scotland project had ‘disappeared’ in suspicious circumstances.

Two Golden Eagles ‘disappear’ in south Scotland – Police appeal for information

Press release from Police Scotland, 29 September 2025:

APPEAL FOR MISSING GOLDEN EAGLE

Detectives are appealing for information after a satellite-tagged golden eagle disappeared in the hills to the north of Langholm.

The tag on Tarras, a four-year-old male golden eagle, has displayed suspicious patterns and data reports, and officers are concerned he may have come to harm between Wednesday, 27 August, 2025 and Friday, 29 August, 2025.

A full search of the area where his tag last transmitted has been carried out using specialist resources, including dogs trained in tracing birds and their tags, however neither the bird nor the satellite tag have been recovered.

Tarras was translocated to the area in 2021 as part of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project.

Officers and wildlife partners have subsequently been unable to trace his mate, Wren. Although there is nothing to suggest she has come to harm, her disappearance coincides with that of Tarras and concerns are growing for her welfare.

Detective Sergeant David Lynn, National Wildlife Crime Coordinator, said: “The data received from Tarras’ tag suggests that he has come to harm to the north of Langholm and efforts remain ongoing to locate him and his tag.

“We cannot say for certain that Wren has also come to harm, but her disappearance is worrying.

“Our investigation remains ongoing, and we are working with a range of partner agencies to establish more details around the disappearance of both birds.

“I would urge anyone with any information that may assist to contact us.”

Anyone with any information should call 101, quoting reference number 1987 of Friday, 26 September, 2025. Alternatively, please contact Crimestoppers though 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.

ENDS

There’s quite a bit of information missing from this press release, just as there was from the other recent press release about the poisoned Red Kite found in Perthshire.

This was a satellite-tagged territorial pair so the sudden disappearance of both of them at the same time is highly suspicious.

Why isn’t there any information provided about their last known positions according to their tag data? A police search has already taken place, so it’s not as though naming the location would provide a suspect with a chance of hiding or removing evidence.

It’d be very interesting to know the proximity of the nearest Red-legged Partridge release pen to the eagles’ last known locations…

Chick success after translocated Golden Eagle breeds with one of ‘our’ wild satellite-tagged birds in south Scotland

One of the translocated Golden Eagles in southern Scotland has bred with one of ‘our’ wild satellite-tagged eagles, resulting in the successful fledging of a male eaglet.

This is the first fledging event from a nest of one of the translocated eagles and marks a major milestone for the South Scotland Golden Eagle Project.

The chick has been named ‘Princeling’ by Sir David Attenborough.

Golden Eagle chick ‘Princeling’ having a satellite tag fitted (Photo copyright Ian Georgeson)

The breeding pair got together in 2024 and built up a nest but didn’t breed. That’s not unusual behaviour for young Golden Eagles who can take up to six years to mature, although in areas where there’s little competition for territories (e.g. through depletion of the population by persecution, as in south Scotland), breeding can happen much earlier.

Emma, the female, had been translocated to south Scotland in 2021 and was named by the Scottish Government’s then Biodiversity Minister, Lorna Slater MSP, in memory of the women’s rights and equality advocate, Emma Ritch.

Keith, the male, fledged from a wild nest in Dumfries & Galloway in 2018 and was named Keith after a member of the local Raptor Study Group. He was satellite-tagged as part of a project run by RPUK and Chris Packham in association with experts from the Scottish Raptor Study Group and we’ve been tracking his movements ever since.

Here he is prior to fledging in 2018 (Keith is on the right, one of his parents on the left). This is footage from a nest camera which are routinely installed (under licence) at nest sites to help researchers monitor young eagles after they’ve been fitted with a satellite tag to ensure the tag/harness is not causing any health or welfare issues.

Photo copyright Scottish Raptor Study Group

After dispersing from his natal territory in November 2018, Keith hung around in Dumfries & Galloway for a few months before then suddenly making a beeline for the border and in to England. He stayed in Northumberland for a while (and was joined by at least one other tagged Golden Eagle that had been translocated to south Scotland) before heading back in to Scotland and heading over to his old haunts in SW Scotland before eventually finding his own territory and settling there in October 2023.

After their unsuccessful breeding attempt in spring 2024, Keith and Emma were photographed together in October 2024 on a camera trap at a food platform provided by the South Scotland Golden Eagle Project. They looked to be in excellent condition:

Keith on the right, with the much larger female Emma. Photo copyright South Scotland Golden Eagle Project

The location of their successful breeding attempt this year has had to remain a secret because, as we’ve seen, (here and here) Golden Eagles, along with many other raptor species, still face the threat of illegal persecution in this region and beyond.

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