Tag: shooting

Red kite persecution study wins science award

A recent study that revealed how illegal persecution is affecting the growth of a red kite population in Scotland has won a scientific research award.

The new award, the Watson Raptor Science Prize, is given for the best raptor study published in a peer-reviewed journal, and is made in honour of two exceptional raptor biologists, the late Donald Watson and his late son, Jeff Watson. Donald pioneered studies on the hen harrier and Jeff was a world authority on the ecology and conservation of the golden eagle.

The award-winning paper: Illegal killing slows population recovery of a re-introduced raptor of high conservation concern – the red kite, was published in the international journal Biological Conservation in 2010. The study, undertaken by RSPB scientists, compared the growth of two red kite populations, one in the Chilterns in southern England and one in the north of Scotland. The researchers found that after 17 years the Chilterns population numbered around 300 pairs, whereas the north of Scotland population only numbered around 50 pairs. The reason for the difference in survival rates was conclusively demonstrated to be illegal persecution.

Well done to the team of researchers, led by Dr Jennifer Smart, for scientific excellence, and especially for adding to the ever-increasing body of scientific literature that shows, unequivocally, that the illegal persecution of raptors continues to affect the conservation status of these iconic species.

BBC news article here

More on the Borders goshawk chicks reported shot

Yesterday we commented on an article being run on the BBC News website that was reporting on the shooting of goshawk chicks in the Borders (here). We raised some questions about the details in the article.

Thanks to the contributors who have written in to clarify things:

The BBC News article said: “The find was made in woods near Innerleithen by wildlife police officers earlier this month“.  Not true. The dead chicks were found by raptor workers in June and were reported to the police at that time.

The BBC News article said: “It appears that whoever attacked the nest climbed up and then blasted it with a shotgun making it impossible to identify how many chicks were inside“. Not true. The chicks were shot by someone standing beneath the nest tree. Two dead chicks were retrieved from the nest by raptor workers and delivered to the local police station to be sent for x-ray to confirm the cause of death.

The BBC News article said: “Anyone with information has been urged to contact Lothian & Borders Police immediately“. Information was given to the Lothian & Borders Police Wildlife Crime Coordinator in June.

The BBC News article said: “Police said they were treating the case very seriously“. Really?

Borders goshawk chicks reported shot – but something not right about this story

The BBC News website is running a story today that doesn’t quite sound right. The article says that earlier this month wildlife officers from Lothian & Borders Police discovered a nestful of dead goshawk chicks in the Tweed Valley that had been killed with a shotgun.

Goshawk chicks fledge in June/July, not September, so unless there has been a second clutch laid – which would be a rare event indeed, then these chicks were presumably shot in May/June and have remained unnoticed until September. That’s possible but seems fairly unlikely – the Borders goshawk population has been closely monitored for the last few decades. Hmmmm…

Anyone with information is urged to contact Lothian & Borders Police.

Article on BBC News here

RSPB launches ‘Save Birds of Prey’ fundraising campaign for children

The RSPB has launched a new fundraising campaign called ‘Save Birds of Prey’. It’s aimed at children and is encouraging them to help raise money to buy kit for ‘bird of prey detectives’.

It’s not just about raising funds. It’s about educating children about British raptors and the on-going criminal persecution of these birds. It’s the latest in a long line of RSPB efforts to raise awareness about this issue, following on from their successful petition last year which was signed by over 200,000 people wanting to see an end to illegal raptor persecution (see here).

RSPB press release about the new Save Birds of Prey Campaign here

RSPB Save Birds of Prey campaign webpage here

Farming journalist laments our lost hen harriers

Stand up and take a bow, Rognvald (Rog) Wood, who wrote the following article in The Herald this week, under the headline, “Pity the graceful hen harrier in grouse season“.

Today may well be the “Glorious 12th” for the landed gentry and the privileged few who can afford to shoot grouse, but spare a thought for the unfortunate “muir cocks” for whom today will be their last.

Over the past few days I have been receiving press releases from estate agents revealing the prospects for the coming season on the various grouse moors around Scotland.

While the breeding success of grouse this year is of interest to a minority, there are a lot more folk who would like to know about the breeding success of graceful hen harriers, another bird that lives on our heather-clad hills, but has the misfortune to be a predator of grouse.

I can reveal that, once again, hen harriers have had an unsuccessful breeding season.

A report published in February of this year by the UK’s nature conservation co-ordinator on hen harriers in the UK said that persecution is a significant factor limiting growth of the hen harrier population.

Persecution was considered to be a particular problem in areas associated with grouse moor management in Scotland where numbers of the raptors are kept at rock-bottom.

Not surprisingly, the report came under heavy fire from the shooting fraternity and landed gentry who claimed it contained serious scientific flaws that undermined its conclusions.

Those allegations were strongly rebutted by Professor Des Thompson, SNH principal adviser on bio-diversity, who said: “The report is not flawed and is a robust piece of scientific work carried out by some of Britain’s leading raptor scientists.”

Underlining the extent of persecution – that includes destroying nests and eggs as well as shooting the raptors – Prof Thompson went on: “This study supports an independent study published last year by Prof Steve Redpath and colleagues that calculated there should have been 500 successful hen harrier nests on Britain’s grouse moors in 2008 when there were only five – just 1% of the predicted number.”

Farmer, author and journalist, Rog Wood has been farming correspondent for several specialist farming publications. Writing as Tom Duncan in the Sunday Post for 19 years, he is currently farming editor of The Herald. He is also a former columnist with the Standard.

A recent history of golden eagle persecution in Scotland

Two years ago in July 2009, Alma, a two-year golden eagle who had been satellite-tracked across Scotland from her birth place on the Glenfeshie Estate, was found dead. She was discovered lying face-down in the heather on Millden Estate, Angus and later tests showed she had been poisoned by the banned pesticide Carbofuran.

The police conducted a search of Millden Estate and the local community responded with anger to Alma’s death. They wrote letters of concern to the local estates, the Environment Minister and the Chairman of Scottish Natural Heritage. On the second anniversary of her death, has anybody been brought to justice for killing her? Not that we know of.

Alma’s death is not a stand alone case, as we are all too aware. Prior to her killing in 2009, 17 golden eagles were confirmed victims of shooting, trapping or nest destruction in Scotland, between 1989 and 2009, according to this RSPB report. In addition, in the same report a further 24 golden eagles were confirmed victims of illegal poisoning in Scotland during the same period, including Alma.

The killing didn’t end with Alma. Since her death in 2009, a further 5 golden eagles have been confirmed killed – four of them last year (3 of them at Skibo Estate and one on an un-named grouse moor near Inverness ) and at least one known death so far this year, on North Glenbuchat Estate. That makes a total of 46. And these are only the ones we know about. There are other suspicious incidents, such as the four golden eagle leg rings reported to have been found in 2010 in the possession of convicted gamekeeper James Rolfe of the Moy Estate. As this report points out, these rings were originally fitted to golden eagle chicks prior to their fledging from nests in Sutherland, Grampian, Mull and Skye. These rings must have been removed from the dead eagles but how they came to be in Rolfe’s possession is unclear.

Add these four to the grand total and you get a minimum of 50 golden eagles illegally persecuted in Scotland since 1989. Nobody has ever been convicted for any of these reported crimes.

Man arrested & bailed for kite deaths in Cumbria – guns & poisons seized

A man has been arrested and bailed over the illegal killing of red kites in Cumbria. At least three kites are known to have been illegally killed since the reintroduction project began in August 2010. Two were shot (see reports here and here) and one was poisoned (see here).

The arrest followed a police raid on a farm (currently un-named) in the Ulverston area on Tuesday, during which a number of firearms and illegally held poisons were seized.

A Cumbria Police spokesman said the man was arrested on suspicion of intentionally killing a protected wild bird and on suspicion of poisoning and firearms offences. According to the Westmorland Gazette, the man has been released without charge and bailed until July 21st.

More on this news story here, here and here

Nesting buzzard shot dead in Hertfordshire

Police in Hertfordshire have launched an investigation after a nesting buzzard died after being shot with a shotgun. Full story here

Peregrine falcon found with shotgun injuries in Grampian has to be destroyed

Grampian Police are appealing for information after a shot peregrine had to be destroyed. The badly injured falcon was discovered in woodlands at the Pass of Ballater in the Cairngorms National Park on 27 April by a dog walker. Tests showed the bird had been wounded by a shotgun, with the pellets causing a serious fracture to its right leg.

Force Wildlife Crime Officer Dave MacKinnon says ” I am appealing for anyone, particularly in the upper Deeside area, who may have information as to who is responsible for shooting this protected bird.  It is an absolute disgrace that anyone thinks they have justification for shooting a rare and specially protected bird.

There are a few known peregrine nest sites in the Ballater area.  These birds like to nest on cliffs hence the reason for them choosing to trying to live and breed in upper Deeside.  

This latest incident of raptor persecution in Grampian clearly indicates that some people are still prepared to break the law risking a custodial sentence, the reputation of their employers, their livelihoods and their right to possess firearms.”

This statement hints that the finger of suspicion might be pointing at someone who works in the shooting industry, perhaps on a shooting estate. The Pass of Ballatar runs through land owned by Invercauld Estate, according to a well-known geographical resource. However, this bird wasn’t neccessarily shot at the Pass of Ballater, it was just found injured there. It could have been shot somewhere else nearby – there are several other well-known shooting estates in this area close to Ballatar whose employees have also previously been convicted of wildlife crime.

Anyone with information should call Grampian Police on 0845 600 5700.

BBC news story here

More details here

Young red kite poisoned in Cumbria

Cumbria Police are investigating the posioning of a red kite – the third kite to be killed in the region since a re-introduction project began last August.

The first dead kite from the project was shot dead in Dentdale in September 2010. The second dead kite had been killed by a shotgun wound in the Grizedale area, found under its roost tree on April 20 2011. The latest reported dead kite was discovered in January 2011 near Esthwaite Water, Hawkshead. Toxicology results have now confirmed this bird had been poisoned.

News story here