The debate on banning driven grouse shooting took place at Westminster Hall on Monday 30 June 2025, as a result of Wild Justice’s petition passing 100,000 signatures.
Wild Justice shared its views on the debate in its newsletter this morning, as follows:
On Monday afternoon, and in a 34-degree heatwave, Wild Justice headed to the Houses of Parliament to watch our petition be debated by backbenchers in Westminster Hall. This is the third time in nine years that a petition on this subject has met the criteria for a debate (100,000 signatures) but the first time under a Labour government. A massive thank you to everyone who helped it past the threshold (again).
Following Labour’s woeful response to our petition when it reached 10,000 signatures – in which they stated, ‘The Government has no plans to ban driven grouse shooting’ (see our blog here) – we didn’t have high hopes for a particularly reasoned or informed debate.
Only two Labour MPs turned up to contribute on Monday – the brilliant Olivia Blake MP (Sheffield Hallam), and Sam Rushworth MP (Bishop Auckland). [Ed: actually there was a third Labour MP, Joe Morris from the Hexham constituency, who didn’t make a speech but did make one intervention to ask about introducing vicarious liability for landowners as in Scotland].
As usual, Olivia – whose constituency yielded the highest number of signatures on our petition, and whose residents have to live alongside the polluting smoke and flooding caused by driven grouse moors – was brilliant. As the standalone backer of our petition in the debate, she clearly and firmly articulated her support, highlighting the subjects of air pollution, environmental degradation and criminal activity.
An amusingly dry comment was her suggestion to those employed, often on very low wages, by the industry charging up to £7,000 for a day’s grouse shooting; “If I were a beater, I might be unionising to take more of that profit home to my family.”
Mr Rushworth’s arguments were less coherent, stating firmly his dedication to animal welfare and his stance against fox hunting, whilst also defending an industry known for its illegal persecution of birds of prey and its legal, yet unethical, killing of wildlife such as the routine killing of foxes, referred to by the industry as ‘vermin’.
Why did so few Labour MPs – and not a single Green MP – turn up to the debate? Is this subject deemed by them to be in the ‘too difficult’ category? Are Labour perhaps wary of upsetting other ‘countryside’ groups after the reprisals over their unpopular ‘family farm tax’ proposals? Or do they simply not care about the widespread criminality and environmental damage associated with driven grouse shooting?
We know lots of you contacted your MPs over the last few weeks and asked them to attend the debate on Monday – so they can’t argue that they were unaware of the issues or of the debate. It would be interesting to hear how they account for their absence if any of you decide to challenge them on it.
Ban Driven Grouse Shooting – a game of BINGO
Although there was an almost empty house to defend our petition, we did enjoy a full house of grouse shooting BINGO. When challenged on its bad practices and poor track record, the driven grouse shooting industry has a few well-rehearsed and worn-out lines it peddles on repeat. Watching the debate on Monday we enjoyed crossing off the usual list of cliches, tropes and outright lies.
Some of our highlights included:
Claims that the driven grouse shooting industry has a ‘zero tolerance for raptor persecution’. Last week the RSPB published new figures which showed 102 Hen Harriers have been confirmed or are suspected to have been illegally killed between 2020 – 2024, mostly from areas managed for driven grouse shooting in northern England.
By the way, Greg Smith MP gets the star bonus prize for the most absurd statement which made us laugh out loud during the debate: ‘Gamekeepers are not the enemy of the hen harrier; they are its strongest ally in the uplands’. Mr Smith (a self-declared member of the Countryside Alliance & BASC) can look forward to a fruitful career on the panto circuit when his parliamentary career is over.
‘The UK has 75% of the world’s heather moorland, which is ‘rarer than rainforest’’. Upland heather moorland is an artificial, man-made habitat created by management techniques including burning vegetation on vast areas of peatland, causing air pollution and increasing carbon emissions. The ‘75%’ myth is also totally inaccurate and was debunked six years ago in this excellent blog by Professor Steve Carver of Leeds University.
‘Managed grouse moorland also provides a defence against tick-borne diseases’. This desperate claim came from Shadow Defra Minister Robbie Moore MP, and its irony wasn’t lost on us. A recent scientific study suggests that ticks found in woodlands where lots of Pheasants are released are two and a half times more likely to carry Lyme disease bacteria than ticks found in woodlands where no Pheasants are released (see here). Perhaps the ‘guardians of the countryside’ should consider stopping the annual release of 50 million non-native Pheasants if they’re so concerned about the prevalence of tick-borne diseases.
Daniel Zeichner, Defra Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, rounded off the ‘debate’ by providing the Government’s position on our petition. He repeated Labour’s earlier stance about having no plans to ban driven grouse shooting but this time adding, “we keep options under close review”. Not close enough, obviously.
He did acknowledge the cast-iron link between driven grouse shooting and the illegal persecution of birds of prey but then feebly muttered, “There are strong penalties in place for offences committed against birds of prey and other wildlife, and anyone found guilty of such offences should feel the full force of the law. Penalties can include an unlimited fine and/or a six-month custodial sentence” (emphasis is ours).
These statements are routinely trotted out by Defra in an attempt to gaslight the public into thinking there’s no need to worry about illegal raptor persecution because measures are in place to tackle it. The very reason that raptor persecution continues on driven grouse moors is because the criminals there know that (a) there is only a miniscule chance of being caught, and (b) even if they are caught, the punishment is of little consequence. The one, and only, custodial sentence ever given to a gamekeeper for committing raptor persecution offences was a case in Scotland in 2014, when a gamekeeper was filmed by the RSPB trapping a Goshawk and clubbing it to death with a stick, amongst other offences. He was given a four-month custodial sentence. Every other gamekeeper convicted since then has received either a small fine (probably covered by his employer) and/or a short community service order.
There’s no effective deterrent and Labour’s trite regurgitation of the words ‘should’ and ‘can’ demonstrates its appalling unwillingness to stop this brazen criminality. That is unforgiveable.
There was one spark of credibility in the Minister’s closing speech, and that was his referral to the Government’s recent public consultation on proposals to extend the Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021, including a change to the definition of deep peat from 40cm depth to 30cm depth, which would effectively ban the burning of heather on many driven grouse moors across northern England. It was evident from the speeches made by the Conservatives in the debate that this issue is of HUGE concern to them and their grouse-shooting mates. We look forward to hearing the Government’s announcement on those proposals in the near future.
John Lamont MP (Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) first introduced and then concluded the debate, saying in reference to the petition’s 104,000 signatories, “I suspect those people will be a little surprised by the lack of balance in this debate.”
Was Wild Justice surprised at this lack of balance? No, not at all. But motivated? Absolutely. We will of course not be giving up when it comes to the fight to end this environmentally damaging and unjust so-called ‘sport’, mired in wildlife crime and savage animal cruelty.
Onwards and upwards!
ENDS
I must confess that I pretty much zoned out during the ‘debate’, such was the predictability of the propaganda/speeches from the pro-grouse shooting MPs. I was mostly interested in what DEFRA Minister Daniel Zeichner would have to say at the end of the debate. Whilst waiting for him to speak, though, my ears did prick up at the specific mention of some infamous grouse moor areas.
We had Kevin Hollinrake MP (Conservative, Thirsk & Malton) say this:
“I have beautiful moorland, including in Hawnby, Bransdale, Farndale, Snilesworth and Bilsdale—I am very proud of those areas and have visited a number of times“.
The grouse moors of the North York Moors National Park have long been identified as a raptor persecution hotspot, and North Yorkshire as a whole is repeatedly recognised as the worst county in the UK for reported raptor persecution crimes. Not much to be proud of there, Mr Hollinrake.
Sam Rushworth MP (Labour, Bishop Auckland), whose constituency includes some notorious grouse moors in the North Pennines, which is another well-known raptor persecution hotspot, spoke about attending a recent ‘Lets Learn Moor’ event with primary-age schoolchildren. He also mentioned being “disgusted by the criminality that sometimes occurs on the moorland“. I wonder if he realises that these events, funded by BASC, are facilitated by the Regional Moorland Groups, many of whose members have been under police investigation into suspected and confirmed raptor persecution crimes? Awkward. [Ed: Update 3 July 2025 – Pro-grouse shooting Labour MP Sam Rushworth received £10,000 donation from local grouse moor gamekeeper group – here].
And then there was Jim Shannon MP (DUP, Strangford, NI), a fully-signed up member of the Countryside Alliance, BASC and the Ulster Farmers Union, who treated us to this:
“I want to mention the Glenwherry shoot, which is the only grouse shoot in Northern Ireland. It is sponsored by BASC and the landowner. It is a success, but why is that? To start with, Glenwherry had no more than about 10 grouse, but it built that up. As others have said, the magpies, the crows, the greybacks, the foxes and the rats —all the predators—were controlled. It was gamekeepered, and the heath and moorland was burnt in a controlled burning, so that it could regenerate and produce the heather for the young birds and the grouse. Today, that is a successful grouse shoot. Why is it successful? Because grouse shooters know how to do it. They know how to deliver a successful grouse shoot. The lapwings and curlews also gathered momentum as a result. They have a place to breed every year because of the efforts of the gamekeeper and the landowner—the efforts of those who put money into the grouse shooting to make it a success“.
Would that be the same Glenwherry grouse moor shoot where two illegally poisoned White-tailed Eagles were found dead, side by side, in May 2023? Strange that Mr Shannon forgot to mention them.
Two illegally poisoned White-tailed Eagles found dead on Glenwherry, Northern Ireland’s only driven grouse moor. Photo by Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group.
Hen Harriers were mentioned throughout the debate but it was Minister Zeichner’s reference to the Hen Harrier Taskforce, “…which is using technology such as drones and strategic partnerships to detect, deter and disrupt offenders and is targeting hotspot areas and suspected hen harrier persecution” that caught my attention.
Zeichner claimed that, “Early signs suggest that it is having a positive impact“.
Really? That’s not my understanding. The HH Taskforce has been withholding details of multiple suspected and confirmed Hen Harrier persecution incidents over the last year. There are probably legitimate reasons to withhold information about the most recent cases as the police investigations are active but some of the other cases date back many months, some of them from over a year ago. It is simply not credible to argue that making an announcement about those cases will affect an investigation at this stage. I suspect there are other, political reasons for withholding those cases from the public and I’ll set out my reasoning in future blogs – there’s too much to include here.
For those who want to watch the recording of the Ban Driven Grouse Shooting debate you can find it here.
For those who want to read/download the debate transcript, it’s here:
NUMBER OF HEN HARRIERS KILLED OR MISSING REACHES NEW HIGH
Over the past five years, record numbers of Hen Harriers have been killed or have gone missing according to a new report from the RSPB.
Most of these incidents have occurred on or near grouse moors in northern England.
The RSPB is calling on the Westminster Government to introduce licensing of grouse shooting in England as has happened in Scotland to act as a meaningful deterrent to wildlife crime.
One of the rarest birds in the UK – the Hen Harrier – has seen record numbers being illegally killed or going missing in suspicious circumstances over the past five years.
An illegally killed Hen Harrier. Photo: Ruth Tingay
A new RSPB report – Hen Harriers in the firing line – shows that the majority of the 102 incidents occurred on or near grouse moors. Hen Harriers breed in the uplands of Britain and this is where they come into conflict with grouse shooting.
Hen Harriers are a rare, protected species, known for their acrobatic ‘skydancing’ courtship display over the uplands. The Hen Harrier is categorised as a red-listed species in the UK, due to its low breeding population levels, following historic declines as a result of human persecution.
Despite several conservation initiatives over the past twenty-five years, the Hen Harrier is now the most persecuted bird of prey in the UK for its population size.
The UK population increased between 2016 and 2023, however, 2023 was the worst recorded year for persecution. Hen Harriers remain far less abundant or widespread than they should be, and the current UK population estimate represents only a quarter of the potential population their ideal habitat can support, and in England it is less, about 10%.
Despite being legally protected, multiple studies and reports confirm that criminal activity is the main factor limiting the recovery of Hen Harrier in the UK, causing a reduction in nesting success, annual productivity, and survival of breeding birds. Despite decades of persecution no one in England has ever been convicted of an offence. Most of these crimes take place in remote areas where such activity is hard to detect and a criminal burden of proof against the perpetrators near impossible to secure.
Dr James Robinson the RSPB’s director of operations said “The last five years have seen a record number of illegally killed or disappearing Hen Harriers with 102 suspected or confirmed incidents, the majority happening on or close to grouse moors. This species will not recover until the criminal activity stops, and for this to happen we need regulation of the grouse shooting industry, specifically, the introduction of a licencing system for shoots in England, so estates proven by the Police and Natural England to be linked to raptor persecution would simply lose their licence to operate.”
Another recent study which investigated the illegal killing of Hen Harriers in association with gamebird management showed that the survival rates of Hen Harriers in the UK are “unusually low” with birds surviving for an average of just 121 days after leaving the nest, and persecution accounting for 27-41% of deaths of Hen Harriers aged under one year and 75% of deaths in birds aged between one and two years. It also highlighted a strong overlap between Hen Harrier mortality and the extent of grouse moors.
This new report contains the details of Hen Harriers being shot, their chicks being stamped on and one bird having its head pulled off whilst still alive. This alongside 112 satellite-tagged birds disappearing on or near grouse moors between 2010 and 2024 has led the RSPB to yet again call on the government to regulate the industry and licence grouse moors, as is now law in Scotland.
The Wildlife Management and Muirburn Act, passed in March 2024, means all grouse shoots in Scotland require a licence to operate, and this licence could be revoked if evidence suggests a crime has been committed. Licensing is based on evidence to a civil burden of proof, meaning that it is easier to take action when persecution has taken place. This progressive legislation will help ensure legal and sustainable management across a significant area of upland Scotland and introduces a much-needed deterrent for those who kill birds of prey for economic reasons. But England now lags behind.
This report comes ahead of a parliamentary debate at Westminster Hall on Monday 30 June on the future of Grouse Shooting, triggered by petition launched by the campaign group Wild Justice. Over 100,000 people signed their petition calling for a ban on driven grouse shooting, as they, like the RSPB, want to see an end to the illegal killing of birds of prey and other harmful practices associated with the grouse shooting industry. Action on this issue by Government in England is long overdue, and we will be expecting to hear how the Government intends to end the killing, before it is too late for England’s Hen Harriers.
The RSPB is to be congratulated for putting this report together. A lot of the information contained within it is already well-known, but this report brings it all together in one place. What is new is the hotspot mapping of satellite-tagged Hen Harriers (both RSPB-tagged birds and Natural England tagged birds), and although the detail is coarse, the overall distribution pattern is clear, showing the main hotspots in areas where the land is intensively managed for driven grouse shooting.
The timing of this publication is also very helpful, given the forthcoming Westminster debate on Wild Justice’s latest petition calling for a ban on driven grouse shooting, which takes place next Monday (30 June 2025).
It’s clear from both the press release and the report that the RSPB prefers a licensing approach to regulate driven grouse shooting, rather than a ban. There will be many who disagree with that stance, me included, although I wouldn’t object if Labour committed to bringing in a licensing scheme because it’s better than doing nothing at all and will take us one step closer to getting a ban when the licensing scheme inevitably fails. But now is not the time to argue about that.
The bigger picture here is that the Labour government, and MPs from other parties, have an opportunity to put on record what they think about the scale of the criminal raptor persecution that continues on many driven grouse moors.
The ongoing illegal persecution of raptors is the most difficult of all the issues associated with driven grouse shooting for the shooting industry to defend. It’s a crime, it’s abhorrent, the public hates it, and the evidence showing the extent of it just keeps piling up.
The shooting industry has no defence for it so instead it has resorted to a long-running campaign of smearing those of us who have brought the persecution issue to the public’s attention, in a desperate attempt to discredit our reputations and integrity.
In the run up to this latest Westminster debate, several shooting organisations have tried to play down the significance of another debate on this issue and have argued that this latest debate is pointless and that MPs have more important things to be discussing and there’s ‘no threat here to grouse shooting’. It’s telling though, the amount of pro-grouse shooting propaganda those same organisations have been frenziedly pumping out in recent weeks – it reveals that they are indeed concerned that the public spotlight will once again be on their criminal and environmentally damaging activities.
It’s also been revealing to watch the different organisations contradictorily falling over themselves in a bid to impress their members, by each claiming to be ‘leading the charge/fight’ against us pesky campaigners. For example, on 29 May 2025 the Countryside Alliance ran this headline: ‘Countryside Alliance leads charge against Westminster anti grouse shooting debate‘ and on 10 June 2025 a BASC headline read: ‘BASC leads the fight for driven grouse shooting ahead of debate‘. This level of posturing is a bit of a giveaway as to their level of concern.
This latest report on the illegal killing of Hen Harriers on grouse moors deserves widespread exposure in the run up to the debate so I’d encourage you to email a copy to your MP, ahead of Monday’s debate, and let them know that this issue matters to you and should be of deep concern to them.
I’m not expecting an immediate change of policy to result from Monday’s debate – that would be naive. And I’m fully expecting the usual sneering and snorting from certain members, especially those with a vested interest in maintaining driven grouse shooting, although a lot of those who behaved so appallingly at the first debate nine years ago will no longer be there.
But what I am interested in is listening to those MPs who can demonstrate any modicum of environmental awareness, ecological understanding and intolerance of wildlife crime. It’ll be those MPs, hopefully from across all parties, who we’ll want to work with in the future because we have no intention of dropping our campaign, no matter which party is in Government in the coming years.
ANOTHER SHOT RAVEN, THE LATEST VICTIM IN THE PEAK DISTRICT NATIONAL PARK
In February 2025 a Raven was found shot near Bradfield, South Yorkshire, following a similar incident in the same area 6 months earlier.
This incident is the latest in a series of confirmed persecution incidents involving protected birds in this area of the Peak District National Park in recent years.
In August 2024, a Raven was found shot dead near Agden Side Road, Bradfield – within the Peak District National Park. Although South Yorkshire Police appealed for the public’s help, no one has been charged in connection with the offence. [RPUK comment: it took South Yorkshire Police 3.5 months to issue an appeal for information about this illegal shooting – see here].
We can now reveal that six months later, on 2 February 2025, another dead Raven was discovered by a member of the public – less than three kilometres away from the location of the first incident.
The latest shot Raven. Photo by RSPB
An x-ray revealed several pieces of shot embedded in the Raven’s body. Post-mortem analysis confirmed that it had been shot with a shotgun, and died instantly, or shortly after being shot. The RSPB Investigations team reported the crime to South Yorkshire Police and assisted with the investigation, but again no one has been identified or charged in connection with the incident.
Despite it being illegal to intentionally kill, injure or take a wild bird in the UK, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Ravens and bird of prey species are being illegally targeted and killed in many upland areas of the UK.
Sadly, there is a long history of incidents involving the illegal killing of protected bird species in the Peak District National Park, including birds of prey and Ravens. In addition to the two shot Ravens, in the last five years (2020-2024) 17 illegal persecution incidents involving 17 individual birds of prey, and a dog, have been recorded in the National Park. These confirmed incidents have involved a number of bird of prey species being shot trapped and poisoned, including Buzzards and Short-eared Owls, and also rare and recovering species, such as Peregrine Falcons, Goshawks and a Hen Harrier. These figures are likely to represent the tip of the iceberg as only a fraction of these incidents are detected and reported – with the true figure likely being significantly higher.
In February 2022, a satellite-tagged male Hen Harrier (a red-listed species), disappeared after roosting on a grouse moor in the Peak District National Park. The satellite tag – which the police confirmed had been deliberately cut off – was found three days later, suggesting the bird was shot and the tag removed and discarded away from the location. This incident would have gone undetected, if the Hen Harrier had not been satellite tagged.
See the table below for more information relating to these crimes. All incidents were reported to the police, but no one has been identified or charged in connection with any of these crimes.
Tom Grose, RSPB Investigations Officer, said: “The ‘Peak District National Park’ – a place many of us visit to enjoy nature – is still a notorious hotspot for the illegal killing of birds of prey and Ravens. These dramatic, upland landscapes should be safe havens for protected species, but time and again we see evidence of serious wildlife crimes. Tragically, what we uncover is likely just the tip of the iceberg. In areas this vast and isolated, many more incidents will go undetected.”
Phil Mulligan, Chief Executive for the Peak District National Park Authority, said: “Extensive work to restore areas of degraded moorland in the Peak District National Park means the moors are in a better state than they have been for the last 200 years. However, birds of prey, an essential part of the ecosystem, are conspicuously absent or under-represented in many parts of the Peak District. Their illegal killing is a blight on these internationally important moors and deprives people of the spectacular wildlife experiences they provide. The National Park Authority unequivocally condemns wildlife crime and calls on landowners and managers to help prevent the actions of a small number of people from tarnishing the reputation of the majority“.
Many of these incidents have taken place on land managed for grouse shooting and the two Ravens were found very close to grouse moorland, although it is unknown who may have shot them.
The RSPB is urging the UK Government to introduce a licensing scheme in England for grouse shooting (as is now law in Scotland) and gamebird shooting. If criminal activity – such as the killing of protected birds is detected on an estate, then this licence could be revoked, which could be a powerful deterrent.
If you have any information relating to either of these incidents or any other crimes involving the illegal killing or targeting of birds of prey, please contact South Yorkshire Police and the RSPB Investigations team. Call the Police on 101 and fill in the RSPB’s online reporting form: www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/wild-bird-crime-report-form If you have information about anyone killing Ravens or birds of prey which you wish to report anonymously, please call the RSPB’s confidential Raptor Crime Hotline on 0300 999 0101.
ENDS
All incident grid references either sit within or intersect with the Peak District National Park boundary.
It took the police 3.5 months to issue an appeal for information about the Raven was found shot in August 2024. This time, it’s been left to the RSPB to issue a press release, four months after the latest Raven was found shot in February 2025. It’s notable that this press release doesn’t include any comment or quote from South Yorkshire Police.
The RSPB press release includes this line:
‘…the two Ravens were found very close to grouse moorland, although it is unknown who may have shot them‘.
Yep, it’s a tricky one, that. Whoever could it have been?
Meanwhile, the issue of banning driven grouse shooting will return to Westminster for another debate on 30 June 2025. The continued illegal shooting, trapping and poisoning of birds of prey (Ravens are not birds of prey but are considered by many to be ‘honorary raptors’ given their similar ecological niche) is one of the core reasons why we continue to call for a ban.
Last week I blogged about an appeal for information that had been posted on North Yorkshire Police’s Facebook page, in relation to ‘the suspected shooting of a buzzard‘ near Goathland on 2nd May 2025 (see here).
I’d noted that the appeal was quite vague. It wasn’t clear if the appeal was a result of a witness report of someone seen shooting towards a buzzard or whether a corpse had been found and was awaiting post mortem.
I’ve since been informed by a reliable local source that a dead buzzard had been found and an x-ray revealed it had been shot.
Having a corpse with shot in it is a confirmed shooting, not a suspected shooting.
Without seeing the x-ray it’s not possible for us to determine if it had been shot close to where the body was discovered (e.g. if its wing bones had been shattered by the shot then it’s unlikely to have been able to fly any distance) so it may have been shot near Goathland or it may have been shot elsewhere and just succumbed to its injuries close to the Duchy of Lancaster grouse moor.
It’s obviously pure coincidence that the grouse moors near to Goathland just happen to be a raptor persecution hotspot.
It’s pointless asking North Yorkshire Police for further information about this buzzard – they routinely refuse to answer such requests.
For anyone who still wants to pretend that the grouse shooting industry isn’t responsible for the systematic extermination of hen harriers on grouse moors across the UK, here’s the latest catalogue of crime that suggests otherwise.
This male hen harrier died in 2019 after his leg was almost severed in an illegally set trap that had been placed next to his nest on a Scottish grouse moor (see here). Photo by Ruth Tingay
This is the blog I now publish after every reported killing or suspicious disappearance.
“They disappear in the same way political dissidents in authoritarian dictatorships have disappeared” (Stephen Barlow, 22 January 2021).
Today the list has been updated to include the three most recently reported victims: a satellite-tagged female called ‘Sita’ who vanished from a roost site on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park on 27 February 2025 (here) and two breeding males who vanished from the RSPB’s Geltsdale Reserve in Cumbria in May 2025 (here).
I’ve been compiling this list only since 2018 because that is the year that the grouse shooting industry ‘leaders’ would have us believe that the criminal persecution of hen harriers had stopped and that these birds were being welcomed back on to the UK’s grouse moors (see here).
This assertion was made shortly before the publication of a devastating new scientific paper that demonstrated that 72% of satellite-tagged hen harriers were confirmed or considered likely to have been illegally killed, and this was ten times more likely to occur over areas of land managed for grouse shooting relative to other land uses (see here). A further scientific paper published in 2023 by scientists at the RSPB, utilising even more recent data, echoed these results – see here.
2018 was also the year that Natural England issued a licence to begin a hen harrier brood meddling trial on grouse moors in northern England. For new blog readers, hen harrier brood meddling was a conservation sham sanctioned by DEFRA as part of its ludicrous ‘Hen Harrier Action Plan‘ and carried out by Natural England (NE), in cahoots with the very industry responsible for the species’ catastrophic decline in England.
For more background see here and for a critical evaluation of the trial after 5 years see this report by Wild Justice. In 2024 the brood meddling trial appeared to collapse for reasons which are not yet clear (see here) and the licence for the so-called ‘scientific trial’ expired. In March 2025 Natural England announced the end of the brood meddling trial (here) and in April 2025 announced that a licence application to continue brood meddling, submitted by the Moorland Association, had been refused (here).
Brood meddling was earlier described as a sort of ‘gentleman’s agreement’ by commentator Stephen Welch:
“I don’t get it, I thought the idea of that scheme was some kind of trade off – a gentleman’s agreement that the birds would be left in peace if they were moved from grouse moors at a certain density. It seems that one party is not keeping their side of the bargain“.
With at least 141 hen harriers gone since 2018, and 31 of those being brood meddled birds, there is no question that the grouse shooting industry was simply taking the piss. Meanwhile, Natural England pretended that ‘partnership working’ was the way to go and consecutive Tory DEFRA Ministers remained silent for all those years.
*n/a – no hen harriers were brood meddled in 2018. **Post mortem reports on a further seven hen harriers found dead in 2024/2025 are awaited. Those seven individuals are not included in this table.
‘Partnership working’ according to Natural England appeared to include authorising the removal of hen harrier chicks from a grouse moor already under investigation by the police for suspected raptor persecution (here) and accepting a £75k ‘donation’ from representatives of the grouse shooting industry with a contract clause that prevented Natural England from criticising them or the sham brood meddling trial (see here). This was in addition to a further £10k ‘donation’ that Natural England accepted, under the same terms, in 2021 (here).
Thankfully, the Scottish Government finally decided to act by introducing a grouse moor licensing scheme under the Wildlife Management & Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024. The intention behind this new legislation is that grouse shooting estates could have their licences suspended/revoked if, on the balance of probability, it is shown that any raptor persecution crimes (& some other associated offences) are linked with grouse moor management on that estate. There, are, however, ongoing issues with the licence as it’s been significantly watered-down after an intervention from the grouse shooting industry (see here). Work is underway to address this.
In England a new Hen Harrier Taskforce was established in 2024, led by the National Wildlife Crime Unit, to use innovative techniques to target hen harrier persecution hotspots (locations where hen harriers repeatedly ‘disappear’ or are found illegally killed). It’s too early to judge the Taskforce’s success/failure and it’s been met with considerable resistance from the Moorland Association, the grouse moor owners’ lobby group (e.g. see here). So far though, it’s quite clear that the the illegal killing continues.
So here’s the latest gruesome list of ‘missing’/illegally killed hen harriers since 2018. Note that the majority of these birds (but not all) were fitted with satellite tags. How many more [untagged] harriers have been killed? We now have evidence that gamekeepers are specifically targeting untagged hen harriers, precisely to avoid detection (see here for extraordinary footage/audio captured by the RSPB’s Investigations Team as featured on Channel 4 News in October 2024).
February 2018: Hen harrier Saorsa ‘disappeared’ in the Angus Glens in Scotland (here). The Scottish Gamekeepers Association later published wholly inaccurate information claiming the bird had been re-sighted. The RSPB dismissed this as “completely false” (here).
5 February 2018: Hen harrier Marc ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Durham (here).
9 February 2018: Hen harrier Aalin ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Wales (here).
March 2018: Hen harrier Blue ‘disappeared’ in the Lake District National Park (here).
March 2018: Hen harrier Finn ‘disappeared’ near Moffat in Scotland (here).
18 April 2018: Hen harrier Lia ‘disappeared’ in Wales and her corpse was retrieved in a field in May 2018. Cause of death was unconfirmed but police treating death as suspicious (here).
8 August 2018: Hen harrier Hilma ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Northumberland (here).
16 August 2018: Hen harrier Athena ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Scotland (here).
26 August 2018: Hen Harrier Octavia ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Peak District National Park (here).
29 August 2018: Hen harrier Margot ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Scotland (here).
29 August 2018: Hen Harrier Heulwen ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Wales (here).
3 September 2018: Hen harrier Stelmaria ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Scotland (here).
24 September 2018: Hen harrier Heather ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Scotland (here).
2 October 2018: Hen harrier Mabel ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
3 October 2018: Hen Harrier Thor ‘disappeared’ next to a grouse moor in Bowland, Lanacashire (here).
23 October 2018: Hen harrier Tom ‘disappeared’ in South Wales (here).
26 October 2018: Hen harrier Arthur ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the North York Moors National Park (here).
1 November 2018: Hen harrier Barney ‘disappeared’ on Bodmin Moor (here).
10 November 2018: Hen harrier Rannoch ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Scotland (here). Her corpse was found nearby in May 2019 – she’d been killed in an illegally-set spring trap (here).
14 November 2018: Hen harrier River ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Nidderdale AONB (here). Her corpse was found nearby in April 2019 – she’d been illegally shot (here).
16 January 2019: Hen harrier Vulcan ‘disappeared’ in Wiltshire close to Natural England’s proposed reintroduction site (here).
28 January 2019: Hen harrier DeeCee ‘disappeared’ in Glen Esk, a grouse moor area of the Angus Glens (see here).
7 February 2019: Hen harrier Skylar ‘disappeared’ next to a grouse moor in South Lanarkshire (here).
22 April 2019: Hen harrier Marci ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Cairngorms National Park (here).
26 April 2019: Hen harrier Rain ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Nairnshire (here).
11 May 2019: An untagged male hen harrier was caught in an illegally-set trap next to his nest on a grouse moor in South Lanarkshire. He didn’t survive (here).
7 June 2019: An untagged hen harrier was found dead on a grouse moor in Scotland. A post mortem stated the bird had died as a result of ‘penetrating trauma’ injuries and that this bird had previously been shot (here).
5 September 2019: Wildland Hen Harrier 1 ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor nr Dalnaspidal on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park (here).
11 September 2019: Hen harrier Romario ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Cairngorms National Park (here).
14 September 2019: Hen harrier (Brood meddled in 2019, #183704) ‘disappeared’ in the North Pennines (here).
23 September 2019: Hen harrier (Brood meddled in 2019, #55149) ‘disappeared’ in North Pennines (here).
24 September 2019: Wildland Hen Harrier 2 ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor at Invercauld in the Cairngorms National Park (here).
24 September 2019: Hen harrier Bronwyn ‘disappeared’ near a grouse moor in North Wales (here).
10 October 2019: Hen harrier Ada ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the North Pennines AONB (here).
12 October 2019: Hen harrier Thistle ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Sutherland (here).
18 October 2019: Member of the public reports the witnessed shooting of an untagged male hen harrier on White Syke Hill in North Yorkshire (here).
November 2019: Hen harrier Mary found illegally poisoned on a pheasant shoot in Ireland (here).
November 2019: Hen harrier Artemis ‘disappeared’ near Long Formacus in south Scotland (RSPB pers comm).
14 December 2019: Hen harrier Oscar ‘disappeared’ in Eskdalemuir, south Scotland (here).
December 2019: Hen harrier Ingmar ‘disappeared’ in the Strathbraan grouse moor area of Perthshire (RSPB pers comm).
27 January 2020: Members of the public report the witnessed shooting of a male hen harrier on Threshfield Moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
23 March 2020: Hen harrier Rosie ‘disappeared’ at an undisclosed roost site in Northumberland (here).
1 April 2020: Hen harrier (Brood meddled in 2019, #183703) ‘disappeared’ in unnamed location, tag intermittent (here).
5 April 2020: Hen harrier Hoolie ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Cairngorms National Park (here)
8 April 2020: Hen harrier Marlin ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Cairngorms National Park (here).
19 May 2020: Hen harrier Fingal ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Lowther Hills, Scotland (here).
21 May 2020: Hen harrier (Brood meddled in 2019, #183701) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Cumbria shortly after returning from wintering in France (here).
27 May 2020: Hen harrier Silver ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor on Leadhills Estate, Scotland (here).
2020: day/month unknown: Unnamed male hen harrier breeding on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve, Cumbria ‘disappeared’ while away hunting (here).
9 July 2020: Unnamed female hen harrier (#201118) ‘disappeared’ from an undisclosed site in Northumberland (here).
25 July 2020: Hen harrier Harriet ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
14 August 2020: Hen harrier Solo ‘disappeared’ in confidential nest area in Lancashire (here).
7 September 2020: Hen harrier Dryad ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
16 September 2020: Hen harrier Fortune ‘disappeared’ from an undisclosed roost site in Northumberland (here).
19 September 2020: Hen harrier Harold ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
20 September 2020: Hen harrier (Brood meddled in 2020, #55152) ‘disappeared’ next to a grouse moor in North Yorkshire (here).
24 February 2021: Hen harrier Tarras ‘disappeared’ next to a grouse moor in Northumberland (here)
12th April 2021: Hen harrier Yarrow ‘disappeared’ near Stockton, County Durham (here).
18 May 2021: Adult male hen harrier ‘disappeared’ from its breeding attempt on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve, Cumbria whilst away hunting (here).
18 May 2021: Another adult male hen harrier ‘disappeared’ from its breeding attempt on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve, Cumbria whilst away hunting (here).
24 July 2021: Hen harrier Asta ‘disappeared’ at a ‘confidential site’ in the North Pennines (here). We learned 18 months later that her wings had been ripped off so her tag could be fitted to a crow in an attempt to cover up her death (here).
14th August 2021: Hen harrier Josephine ‘disappeared’ at a ‘confidential site’ in Northumberland (here).
17 September 2021: Hen harrier Reiver ‘disappeared’ in a grouse moor dominated region of Northumberland (here)
24 September 2021: Hen harrier (Brood meddled in 2021, R2-F-1-21) ‘disappeared’ in Northumberland (here).
15 November 2021: Hen harrier (brood meddled in 2020, #R2-F1-20) ‘disappeared’ at the edge of a grouse moor on Arkengarthdale Estate in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
19 November 2021: Hen harrier Val ‘disappeared’ in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria (here).
19 November 2021: Hen harrier Percy ‘disappeared’ in Lothian, Scotland (here).
12 December 2021: Hen harrier Jasmine ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor (High Rigg Moor on the Middlesmoor Estate) in the Nidderdale AONB in North Yorkshire (here).
9 January 2022: Hen harrier Ethel ‘disappeared’ in Northumberland (here).
26 January 2022: Hen harrier Amelia ‘disappeared’ in Bowland (here).
10 February 2022: An unnamed satellite-tagged hen harrier ‘disappeared’ in a grouse moor dominated area of the Peak District National Park (here). One year later it was revealed that the satellite tag/harness of this young male called ‘Anu’ had been deliberately cut off (see here).
12 April 2022: Hen harrier ‘Free’ (Tag ID 201121) ‘disappeared’ at a ‘confidential site’ in Cumbria (here). It later emerged he hadn’t disappeared, but his mutilated corpse was found on moorland in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. A post mortem revealed the cause of death was having his head twisted and pulled off. One leg had also been torn off whilst he was still alive (here).
April 2022: Hen harrier ‘Pegasus’ (tagged by the RSPB) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor at Birkdale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
May 2022: A male breeding hen harrier ‘disappeared’ from a National Trust-owned grouse moor in the Peak District National Park (here).
May 2022: Another breeding male hen harrier ‘disappeared’ from a National Trust-owned grouse moor in the Peak District National Park (here).
14 May 2022: Hen harrier ‘Harvey’ (Tag ID 213844) ‘disappeared’ from a ‘confidential site’ in the North Pennines (here).
20 June 2022: Hen harrier chick #1 stamped to death in nest on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
20 June 2022: Hen harrier chick #2 stamped to death in nest on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
20 June 2022: Hen harrier chick #3 stamped to death in nest on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
20 June 2022: Hen harrier chick #4 stamped to death in nest on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
17 August 2022: Hen harrier (brood meddled in 2022, #R1-M1-22) ‘disappeared’ on moorland in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
September 2022: Hen harrier ‘Sullis’ (tagged by the RSPB) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Cumbria (here).
5 October 2022: Hen harrier (brood meddled in 2022, #R3-M2-22) ‘disappeared’ on moorland in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
10 October 2022: Hen harrier ‘Sia’ ‘disappeared’ near Hamsterley Forest in the North Pennines (here).
October 2022: Hen harrier (brood meddled in 2021, #R1-F1-21) ‘disappeared’ in the North Sea off the North York Moors National Park (here).
1 December 2022: Hen harrier male (brood meddled in 2021, #R1-M1-21) ‘disappeared’ on moorland in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
7 December 2022: Hen harrier female (brood meddled in 2020, #R2-F2-20) ‘disappeared’ from winter roost (same as #R3-F1-22) on moorland in North Pennines AONB (here). Later found dead with 3 shotgun pellets in corpse.
14 December 2022: Hen harrier female (brood meddled in 2022, #R3-F1-22) ‘disappeared’ from winter roost (same as #R2-F2-20) on moorland in the North Pennines AONB (here). Later found dead with two shotgun pellets in corpse.
15 December 2022: Hen harrier female (brood meddled in 2022, #R2-F1-22) ‘disappeared’ on moorland in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
30 March 2023: Hen harrier female (brood meddled in 2022, #R1-F3-22) ‘disappeared’ in Yorkshire (here). Notes from NE Sept 2023 spreadsheet update: “Final transmission location temporarily withheld at police request“.
1 April 2023: Hen harrier male (brood meddled in 2022, #R2-M1-22) ‘disappeared’ in Yorkshire (here). Notes from NE Sept 2023 spreadsheet update: “Final transmission location temporarily withheld at police request“.
April 2023: Hen harrier ‘Lagertha’ (tagged by RSPB) ‘disappeared’ in North Yorkshire (here).
April 2023: Hen harrier ‘Nicola’ (Tag ID 234078) ”disappeared’ in North Yorkshire (here).
April 2023: Untagged male hen harrier ‘disappeared’ from an active nest on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve in Cumbria (here).
April 2023: Another untagged male hen harrier ‘disappeared’ from an active nest on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve in Cumbria (here).
April 2023: Untagged male hen harrier ‘disappeared’ from an active nest in Durham (here).
4/5 May 2023: Satellite-tagged male hen harrier called ‘Rush’ ‘disappeared’ from a grouse moor in Bowland AONB in Lancashire (here).
9/10 May 2023: Hen harrier male called ‘Dagda’, tagged by the RSPB in Lancashire in June 2022 and who was breeding on the RSPB’s Geltsdale Reserve in 2023 until he ‘vanished’, only to be found dead on the neighbouring Knarsdale grouse moor in May 2023 – a post mortem revealed he had been shot (here).
17 May 2023: Satellite-tagged hen harrier called ‘Wayland’ ‘disappeared’ in the Clapham area of North Yorkshire, just north of the Bowland AONB (here).
31 May 2023: Hen harrier male (brood meddled in 2022, tag #213932, name: R2-M3-22) ‘disappeared’ in Northumberland (grid ref: NY765687) (here).
11 June 2023: Hen harrier male (brood meddled in 2021, tag #213922, name: R2-M1-21) ‘disappeared’ at a confidential site in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Notes from the NE spreadsheet: “Final transmission location temporarily withheld at police request“ (here).
12 June 2023: Hen harrier male (brood meddled in 2020, tag #203004, name: R1-M2-20) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Co. Durham (grid ref: NY976322) (here).
6 July 2023: Satellite-tagged female hen harrier named ‘Rubi’ (tag #201124a) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Co. Durham (grid ref: NY911151) (here).
23 July 2023: Hen harrier female (brood meddled in 2023, tag #55154a, name: R1-F1-23) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Co. Durham (close to where ‘Rubi’ vanished), grid ref: NY910126 (here).
29 July 2023: Hen harrier female (brood meddled in 2020, tag #55144, name: R2-F2-20) ‘disappeared’ at a confidential site in the North Pennines. Notes from the NE spreadsheet: “Dead. Recovered – awaiting PM results. Final transmission location temporarily withheld at police request“ (here).
9 August 2023: Satellite-tagged hen harrier called ‘Martha’ ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor (Westburnhope Moor) near Hexham in the North Pennines (here).
11 August 2023: Satellite-tagged hen harrier called ‘Selena’ ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor (Mossdale Moor) in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
11 August 2023: Hen harrier female (brood meddled in 2023, tag #201118a, name: R3-F1-23) ‘disappeared’ in Co. Durham (grid ref: NZ072136) (here).
15 August 2023: Satellite-tagged hen harrier called ‘Hepit’ ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor (Birkdale Common) near Kirkby Stephen in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
24 August 2023: Hen harrier female (brood meddled in 2023, tag #55155a, name: R1-F2-23) ‘disappeared’ at a confidential site in Northumberland. Notes from the NE spreadsheet: “Final transmission location temporarily withheld at police request“ (here).
August-Sept 2023: Satellite-tagged hen harrier called ‘Harmonia’ ‘disappeared’ in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
September 2023: Hen harrier female ‘Saranyu’, tagged by the RSPB in Cumbria in June 2023, ‘disappeared’ in Durham in September 2023 (no further details available yet – just outline info provided in 2022 Birdcrime report) (here).
September 2023: Hen harrier female ‘Inger’, a female tagged by the RSPB in Perthshire in July 2022, ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Angus Glens in September 2023 (here).
15 September 2023: Hen harrier male called ‘Rhys’, tagged in Cumbria on 1st August 2023, ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Grid ref: SD798896 (here).
24 September 2023: Hen harrier female (brood meddled in 2023, name: ‘R2-F2-23’) ‘disappeared’ in the North Pennines, grid ref: NY888062 (here).
25 September 2023: Hen harrier female (brood meddled in 2022, name: ‘R1-F4-22’) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, grid ref: SE077699 (here).
26 September 2023: Hen harrier female called ‘Hope’, tagged in Cumbria on 21 July 2023, ‘disappeared’ next to a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, grid ref: SD801926 (here).
4 October 2023: Hen harrier male (brood meddled in 2020, name: ‘R1-M3-20’) ‘disappeared’ in Co Durham, grid ref: NY935192 (here).
4 October 2023: Hen harrier female (brood meddled in 2023, name: ‘R4-F1-23’) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, grid ref: SE003981 (here).
14 October 2023: Hen harrier male called ‘Cillian’, tagged in Cumbria on 1 August 2023, ‘disappeared’ in south west Scotland, grid ref: NY051946 (here).
15 November 2023: Hen harrier female called ‘Hazel’, tagged in Cumbria on 21 July 2023, ‘disappeared’ on the Isle of Man, grid ref: SC251803 (here).
27 November 2023: Hen harrier female called ‘Gill’, tagged in Northumberland on 10 July 2023, ‘disappeared’ at a confidential location in Teeside (here).
12 February 2024: Hen harrier female called ‘Susie’, Tag ID 201122, found dead at a confidential location in Northumberland and the subject of an ongoing police investigation (here).
15 February 2024: Hen harrier female called ‘Shalimar’, tagged on the National Trust for Scotland’s Mar Lodge estate in 2023, ‘disappeared’ in suspicious circumstances on a grouse moor in the notorious Angus Glens (here).
7 March 2024: Hen harrier male (brood meddled in 2023, name R2-M1-23) found dead in Devon. According to an FoI response from Natural England in June 2024 this death is the subject of an ongoing police investigation (here).
24 April 2024: Hen harrier male called ‘Ken’, Tag ID 213849a, ‘disappeared’ in suspicious circumstances close to a grouse moor in Bowland, grid ref SD 684601 (here).
17 May 2024: Hen harrier male (brood meddled in 2023, name R2-M2-23) ‘disappeared’ in suspicious circumstances next to Middlesmoor grouse moor in Nidderdale, grid ref SE043754 (here).
25 June 2024: Hen harrier female (brood meddled in 2023, name R2-F1-23) ‘disappeared’ in suspicious circumstances on a grouse moor in Yorkshire Dales National Park, grid ref NY985082 (here).
July 2024: Hen harrier female named ‘Helius’ satellite tagged by the RSPB ‘disappeared’ in suspicious circumstances in Bowland (here).
October 2024: An un-tagged hen harrier was seemingly shot on a grouse moor by one of three gamekeepers being secretly filmed by the RSPB (here).
1 October 2024: Hen harrier female named ‘Dreich’, Tag ID: 254842, ‘disappeared’ in Lanarkshire. Listed by NE as ‘Missing Fate Unknown, site confidential – ongoing investigation‘ (here).
15 October 2024: Hen harrier male named ‘Baldur’, Tag ID: 240291, ‘disappeared’ in Northumberland. Listed by NE as ‘Missing Fate Unknown, site confidential – ongoing investigation‘ (here).
19 October 2024: Hen harrier female named ‘Margaret’, Tag ID: 254844, ‘disappeared’ in Northumberland. Listed by NE as ‘Missing Fate Unknown, site confidential – ongoing investigation‘ (here).
12 January 2025: Hen harrier female named ‘Dina’, Tag ID: 254837, ‘disappeared’ near a grouse moor in the Lammermuirs, south Scotland (grid ref: NT 681512). Listed by NE as ‘Missing Fate Unknown’ (here).
15 January 2025: Hen harrier female named ‘Red’, hatched on the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve in 2024, ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in County Durham in the North Pennines, in the same area another tagged hen harrier (Sia) vanished in 2022 (here).
3 February 2025: Hen harrier female (brood meddled in 2022, name R3-F2-22) ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the North York Moors National Park. Listed by NE as ‘Missing Fate Unknown’ (here).
27 February 2025: Hen harrier female named ‘Sita’, satellite-tagged on behalf of Hen Harrier Action in Bowland in 2024 and tracked by the RSPB, ‘disappeared’ from a roost site on an unnamed grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here).
4 April 2025: Hen harrier female named ‘Bonnie’, Tag ID: 254841, ‘disappeared’ in Scotland. Listed by NE as ‘Missing Fate Unknown. Site confidential – ongoing investigation’ (here).
10 April 2025: Hen harrier female named ‘Gill’, Tag ID: 240294, ‘disappeared’ in Scotland. Listed by NE as ‘Missing Fate Unknown. Site confidential – ongoing investigation’ (here).
May 2025: Male hen harrier (with active nest on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve in Cumbria ‘disappeared’. Strongly suspected to have been shot whilst away hunting on nearby grouse moor (here).
May 2025: Another male hen harrier (with another active nest on RSPB Geltsdale Reserve in Cumbria) ‘disappeared’. Strongly suspected to have been shot whilst away hunting on nearby grouse moor (here).
To be continued…….
Of these 141 incidents, only one has resulted in an arrest and a subsequent prosecution (ongoing – gamekeeper due in court in September 2025, see here).
I had thought that when we reached 30 dead/missing hen harriers then the authorities might pretend to be interested and at least say a few words about this national scandal. We’ve now reached at least ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY ONE hen harriers, and still Govt ministers remain silent on the illegal persecution issue. They appear not to give a monkey’s. And yes, there are other things going on in the world, as always. That is not reason enough to ignore this blatant, brazen and systematic destruction of a supposedly protected species, being undertaken to satisfy the greed and bloodlust of a minority of society.
And let’s not forget the response from the (now former) Moorland Association Chair (and owner of Swinton Estate) Mark Cunliffe-Lister, who told BBC Radio 4 in August 2023 that, “Clearly any illegal [hen harrier] persecution is nothappening” (here), in the year when a record 33 hen harriers had been confirmed ‘missing’ and/or illegally killed.
Nor should we forget the response from the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust’s (GWCT) Director of Policy Dr Alistair Leake who wrote a letter to the Guardian newspaper in November 2023 stating that the hen harrier brood management [meddling] scheme “is surely a shining example of human / wildlife conflict resolution that would be the envy of other countries trying to find similar solutions“ (I kid you not – here).
Wild Justice has launched another petition calling for a ban on driven grouse shooting. This latest petition is intended to gauge the view of the new Labour Government, as previous petitions were all lodged under the Conservative Government with its well-documented vested interests. Labour issued an appallingly pathetic interim response to the petition, via DEFRA, in January 2025 after the petition had reached 10,000 signatures, and indicated it had no intention of banning driven grouse shooting (see here).
The petition is live until 22 May 2025. It has already passed the 100,000 signature threshold required to qualify for a debate in Westminster Hall and a date has just been set (announcement due tomorrow) so we’ll see how on earth the Government is going to defend the status quo.
Vanishing Hen Harriers Point To Yet More Illegal Killing
Two male Hen Harriers have suddenly disappeared from the RSPB Geltsdale Nature Reserve in Cumbria. It is strongly suspected these birds have been killed illegally.
RSPB says it is ‘sickened by the losses’, as both birds were in attendance at their nests until vanishing.
Fears over losses prompt renewed calls for tougher regulation of grouse shooting industry.
Two rare male Hen Harriers have suddenly disappeared from their nest sites at Geltsdale in Northern England within a few days of each other. This comes on the back of another Geltsdale male Hen Harrier being found shot dead on neighbouring land in spring 2023.
Hen Harriers are a rare, protected species, known for their acrobatic ‘skydancing’ courtship display over the uplands. The Hen Harrier is categorised as a red-listed species in the UK, due to its low breeding population levels, following historic declines.
Despite being legally protected, multiple studies and reports confirm that illegal killing is the main factor limiting the recovery of Hen Harrier in the UK, causing a reduction in nesting success, annual productivity, and survival of breeding females. A recent study which investigated the illegal killing of Hen Harriers in association with gamebird management (Ewing, et al., 2023) has shown that the survival rates of Hen Harriers in the UK is “unusually low” with birds surviving for just 121 days after fledging, and bird persecution accounting for 27-41% of deaths of Hen Harriers aged under one year and 75% of deaths in birds aged between one and two years. It also highlighted a strong overlap between Hen Harrier mortality and the extent of grouse moors.
Although this pattern of male birds disappearing from breeding sites has been seen before, the RSPB is particularly concerned and upset by these males going missing within a matter of days of each other. Observations show that the males haven’t returned to their nests since going missing and the RSPB local team is now providing food to the female at one of the nests in a desperate attempt to save the chicks. Male Hen Harriers hunt for prey several miles away from their nest sites and it is this activity which causes conflict with those who might wish to kill them in order to protect their grouse stocks used for commercial shooting.
RSPB Geltsdale is surrounded by grouse moors and male birds from Geltsdale have gone missing time and time again, most recently when a male was found shot dead on a neighbouring grouse moor in 2023 when the Police unable to prove who had killed it [Ed: Hen Harrier ‘Dagda’ found shot on the Knarsdale Estate, here. Other Geltsdale HHs that have ‘disappeared’ in recent years whilst away from the reserve hunting include males in 2020, 2021 and 2023, here].
Beccy Speight, RSPB Chief Executive, said – “Although sadly we are used to crimes against Hen Harriers, it is truly sickening to lose these particular birds from Geltsdale in such a short space of time and with them our hopes of a successful breeding season. The last five years have seen a high count of crimes against Hen Harriers with 102 suspected or confirmed incidents, the majority happening on or close to grouse moors. If these magnificent birds are ever going to have a sustainable population in England, this killing has to stop. We need the immediate introduction of a licencing system for grouse shooting, so estates proven by the Police and Natural England to be linked to raptor persecution would simply lose their licence to operate.”
The disappearances have been reported to the Police. The RSPB is currently campaigning for England to follow Scotland’s lead and licence grouse shooting. The wildlife charity says that any grouse shoot which breaks wildlife protection laws to the satisfaction of the Police and Natural England should risk closure for a defined period to provide a meaningful deterrent to such activities. With such a system, responsible shoots would have nothing to fear, while those who commit crimes can be held to account.
This week RSPB is asking the public to contact their MP and ask for action to be taken to protect our precious uplands, and to make crime against birds of prey a thing of the past.
If you have information about anyone killing birds of prey which you wish to report anonymously, call the RSPB’s confidential Raptor Crime Hotline on 0300 999 0101.
Appeal for information from North Yorkshire Police on Facebook (12 May 2025):
Did you see anything suspicious?
Our Rural Task Force is appealing for information following the suspected shooting of a buzzard in the North York Moors National Park.
The Buzzard is thought to have been killed near to, Beck Hole Road, Goathland on Friday 2 May, and we are appealing for anyone who may have seen any suspicious people or vehicles in the area to please come forward.
Buzzards and all other birds of prey are legally protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. To intentionally kill or injure one is a criminal offence which could result in an unlimited fine or up to six months in jail.
If you have any information that could help please email Chris.Unsworth@northyorkshire.police.uk or call North Yorkshire Police on 101, select option 2 and ask for Chris Unsworth.
If you wish to remain anonymous you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 via their website.
Please quote NYP reference 12250082575 when passing on information.
ENDS
Goathland is probably best known to many as the filming location of the TV series ‘Heartbeat’. To me it’s known as one of a number of raptor persecution hotspots in the grouse moor-dominated North York Moors National Park.
Goathland is almost surrounded by intensively-managed driven grouse moors and in 2020 video footage emerged purporting to show a gamekeeper killing a Goshawk that had been trapped inside a Jackdaw-baited trap on one of the Queen’s grouse moors, part of the Duchy of Lancaster (see here and here).
Channel 4 News did a very good follow-up piece here.
A couple of years earlier, a group of local residents from Goathland got together and called a series of public meetings to discuss their concerns about the environmental damage caused by driven grouse moor management in their area, and particularly their concerns about ‘disappearing’ wildlife, notably satellite-tagged Hen Harriers. The North York Moors National Park has been identified in an excellent scientific paper based on Hen Harrier satellite tag data as the place with the highest risk of HH death/persecution in any of our National Parks – it’s no coincidence that the NYMNP also holds the largest expanse of grouse moors within its boundary.
Notes from the Goathland community meetings of disgruntled residents can be read here, here and here.
If you look at the map showing the distribution of signatures on Wild Justice’s recent Ban Driven Grouse Shooting petition, it’s worth noting the high number of signatures in this area. I hope they’ll be making their voices heard again if/when the Government’s petitions committee announces the date for a debate in Westminster Hall.
The latest appeal from North Yorkshire Police about the suspected shooting of a buzzard near Goathland is a bit vague. It’s not clear if the appeal is a result of a witness report of someone seen shooting a Buzzard or whether a corpse has been found and is awaiting post mortem.
The police appeal says, ‘The Buzzard is thought to have been killed near to, Beck Hole Road, Goathland on Friday 2 May…‘.
Here is an annotated map from Guy Shrubsole’s brilliant website Who Owns England, showing the extent of the Duchy of Lancaster grouse moors (purple) around Goathland. I’ve added the approximate location (in red) of the Beck Hole Road.
UPDATE 22 May 2025: Incident update – Buzzard found dead near Goathland in North York Moors National Park ‘was shot’ (here).
Press release from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), 2nd May 2025:
POLICE AIR SUPPORT UNIT JOINS IN FIGHT AGAINST ILLEGAL TARGETING OF PEREGRINE FALCONS
‘Operation Raptor – Peregrine Watch’, an initiative by Police Service of Northern Ireland along with our partners in the Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime (PAW) Bird of Prey Sub Group, seeks to bring an end to the illegal persecution of birds of prey, will now have ‘eyes in the sky’ as the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Air Support Unit lends its expertise and cutting edge technology to the cause.
A special licence granted by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), and specific permissions obtained with the assistance of the Northern Ireland Raptor Study Group (NIRSG), has enabled police to deploy hi-tech drones to carry out checks of various sites around Northern Ireland where Peregrine Falcons are known to nest, breed and live.
Peregrine falcons in Northern Ireland are a protected species under the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 as amended by the Wildlife and Natural Environment (NI) Act 2011, which safeguards all birds of prey from persecution and disturbance. The penalties for crimes under the Order include, but are not limited to, a fine of up to £5,000 per offence and up to six months imprisonment.
The police drones will be used to view and assess falcon nesting and breeding areas that may otherwise be inaccessible and will allow the various agencies involved in PAW to keep a close check on nests, particularly in ‘at risk’ areas, in the hope of reducing instances of illegal poisoning, shooting, trapping and taking of peregrine falcons and their eggs.
Operation Raptor was promoted at the recent NI Raptor Study Group conference. L-R: Dr Marc Ruddock (NI Raptor Study Group), Margaret Mee (White-tailed Eagle Project), Dr Ruth Tingay (Raptor Persecution UK), Chief Inspector Tim Flanigan (PSNI), Emma Meredith (PSNI Wildlife & Animal Welfare Officer)
Speaking about Op Raptor – Peregrine Watch, Police Service lead for Rural and Wildlife Crime Superintendent Johnston McDowell said:
“This initiative between the PAW Bird of Prey Sub Group and our Air Support Unit, working alongside local officers, is a direct result of birds being targeted with very serious and dangerous substances in a number of areas across Northern Ireland.
“Many of the poisons identified in previous cases are deadly not only to our precious wildlife but also to humans, and so the potential impact could go beyond the persecution and destruction of our beautiful native birds of prey.”
The initiative also encourages people to report any suspicions around birds being targeted. Police work closely with our colleagues in the Health and Safety Executive who are responsible for Biocides, and the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development who are responsible for Rodenticides, to identify poisons being used and take steps to identify and prosecute offenders.
Superintendent McDowell concluded: “The Police Service of Northern Ireland is committed to working with partner agencies to tackle wildlife crime through prevention and education, as well as enforcement, and will continue to work hard to combat wildlife crime.”
Two major news broadcasters covered the first court appearance of 34-year-old gamekeeper Racster Dingwall on Friday, who pleaded not guilty at Skipton Magistrates’ Court to two charges relating to an alleged conspiracy to shoot and kill a hen harrier on a grouse moor last October on the Conistone & Grassington Estate in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (see here).
Attending court was a team from Channel 4 News, who had first broadcast the RSPB’s covert footage and audio last autumn that is now at the centre of this case.
Channel 4 News filmed the accused as he left the court on Friday with his solicitor, Tim Ryan, and this was shown in a short segment on Channel 4 News at 7pm although the programme is no longer available.
Gamekeeper Racster Dingwall leaving court with his solicitor (Channel 4 News)
A journalist from the BBC also attended court and produced an article that was published on the BBC News website:
The BBC News article set out the two charges to which the defendant has pleaded not guilty: possessing a shotgun for the purpose of killing a Schedule 1 bird, and encouraging and assisting the killing of a Schedule 1 bird.
The article goes on to say: ‘The RSPB said the prosecution is the first involving any bird with Schedule 1 status in England‘.
I don’t think this statement is accurate and is perhaps a misunderstanding on the part of the journalist.
There have certainly been other prosecutions ‘involving a bird with Schedule 1 status in England’ (e.g. Goshawks, Peregrines, Red Kites) but as far as I’m aware these have all been related to offences under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981. I think this latest case is the first relating to an alleged offence against a Schedule 1 bird under the Serious Crime Act where it concerns the alleged ‘encouragement or assistance’ of crime.
The case will continue with a pre-trial hearing on 9 September 2025.
NB: Comments are closed until criminal proceedings have concluded.
Police Scotland has today issued a short statement as follows:
MEN ARRESTED AND CHARGED FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF RED KITES IN ABERDEENSHIRE
Two men have been arrested and charged in connection with wildlife offences following enquiries into the death of red kites in the Strathdon area of Aberdeenshire in February, 2025.
The men, aged 39 and 42, will be reported to the Procurator Fiscal.
ENDS
You may remember that Police Scotland issued an appeal for information on 28 February 2025 (here) following the discovery of a dead Red Kite that was found shot near the Glenbuchat area of Strathdon, Aberdeenshire, a grouse moor-dominated area on the north-east side of the Cairngorms National Park that has long been recognised as a raptor persecution hotspot.
This is a map I published in 2020 following the discovery of a poisoned White-tailed eagle on an unnamed grouse moor in the area (here).
The black dots on the map represent raptor persecution incidents recorded between 2005-2020, based on data from the RSPB, the 2017 golden eagle satellite tag review, and other data in the public domain. The Strathdon area is circled. For more details about some of the previous incidents in the Strathdon area please see this earlier blog here.
It seems apparent that today’s statement from Police Scotland is in relation to their Feb 2025 appeal for information about the shot Red Kite, but note that today’s statement mentions ‘the death of Red Kites‘ (plural), not just one.
Definitely a case to watch closely.
NB: As charges have been laid proceedings are now considered to be live so comments have been turned off.
Raptor Persecution UK 