The charity Hen Harrier Action has launched its annual Xmas fundraising appeal, this year with a target of £15K to purchase five satellite tags to be fitted to Hen Harrier chicks in 2026.
As you’ll know, over the last couple of decades, raptor satellite-tagging in the UK has shone a massive spotlight on the widespread scale of the illegal killing of a number of raptor species, especially Hen Harriers and Golden Eagles.
Scientists have been able to analyse the tag data and have demonstrated a clear and unequivocal link between illegal raptor persecution and grouse moor management (e.g. see here, here, here).
In Scotland this has led directly to a change in Government policy, with the recent introduction of a grouse moor licensing scheme, whereby licences for shooting Red Grouse can be suspended/revoked if evidence of raptor persecution (and some other wildlife crimes) is found on a grouse shooting estate.
It has also led to a change in tactics by some of those motivated to kill raptors, who are now apparently choosing to target un-tagged raptors because they want to avoid the media attention and scrutiny that follows the illegal killing or ‘disappearance’ of a tagged bird (e.g. see here).
But fitting a satellite tag doesn’t necessarily mean that that raptor won’t be targeted. There are plenty of examples of tagged birds still being targeted, either because those doing the killing are too stupid to understand what a tag’s data can reveal, or more likely, there are rarely any direct consequences for those who commit these crimes so there’s no incentive for them to stop.
To my mind, the main benefit of continuing to fit satellite tags to Hen Harriers, apart from the obvious research benefits of better understanding this species’ ecology and how it uses the landscape, is that it allows us to document the scale of the ongoing criminality (that would otherwise be hidden and thus would be easily deniable by the grouse shooting industry) and to use those data to put pressure on Governments to address the problem.
As in previous years, any tags purchased by Hen Harrier Action will be fitted by licensed experts from the RSPB who will also monitor and manage the data, and alert the police / Hen Harrier Taskforce if suspicious tag activity is detected.
It also means that Hen Harrier Action will publicise any suspicious disappearances / confirmed illegal killings, without compromising any police investigation, of course, but also without sitting on the data for months, sometimes years, as we’ve seen all too often with tags fitted by Natural England.
If you’re able to contribute to Hen Harrier Action’s Xmas fundraiser, please visit their fundraising site here.
Press release from Cairngorms National Park Authority (24 November 2025)
PEREGRINE NUMBERS IN DECLINE IN CAIRNGORMS NATIONAL PARK
The last UK-wide survey of peregrines took place in 2014 and covered Scotland as a whole, showing a 9% decline in numbers across the country. The Scottish Raptor Monitoring Scheme also found some evidence of a decline from 2009-18; however, no survey was undertaken to assess peregrine populations specifically within the National Park during that time.
In 2024 the Cairngorms National Park Authority collaborated with three of the regional branches of the Scottish Raptor Study Group: Highland, North East of Scotland and Tayside and Fife, to carry out a survey to establish how many peregrine sites within the National Park were occupied and assess their breeding success.
Raptor Study Groups have records going back to the 1960s of sites where peregrines have bred within the Cairngorms National Park and these were used as the basis for the survey. The study shows that the estimated number of peregrine pairs in the breeding season within the National Park has declined by 56% since 2002, with less than half of territorial pairs successfully fledging young in 2024.
Contributing factors are likely to include upland land management practices, decreased prey availability for peregrines, wildlife crime and, more recently, outbreaks of Avian Flu.
It is a complex picture, and more research is needed to understand the key factors and gain a better understand of upland raptor population dynamics – including interspecific competition (ie competition for resources between individuals of different species) and the influence of prey availability. It will require action from the Park Authority working with a range of partners, including the Raptor Study Groups, NGOs and estates on the ground, as well as NatureScot and other public bodies, to explore what can be done to try and turn the tide for peregrine and all raptors in the National Park.
Dr Sarah Henshall, Head of Conservation at the Cairngorms National Park Authority, said: “This is the first time we have been able to get a clear view of peregrine falcon numbers in the National Park and it paints a bleak picture. We will be working closely with Raptor Study Groups, estates and other experts to explore a range of options such as the installation of nest cameras to help us understand bird behaviour, DNA work to support wildlife crime prevention initiatives and GPS tagging to get information on bird movements and survival.
“Our ongoing conservation work, from ecological restoration to increasing the sustainability of moorland management, aims to benefit habitats for peregrine and other key upland species. This survey further highlights the importance of this work and strengthens our resolve to help this iconic bird thrive.”
The continued decline of Peregrines in the Cairngorms National Park comes as no surprise whatsoever, and its link to intensively-managed driven grouse moors even less so.
The illegal persecution of Peregrines on driven grouse moors is an issue that has been documented repeatedly in scientific papers since the early 1990s, nationally (e.g. see here) and regionally (e.g. see here for research from northern England). A particularly illuminating paper published in 2015 reported specifically on the decline of breeding Peregrines on grouse moors in North-East Scotland, including those on the eastern side of the Cairngorms National Park (here).
This latest report from the Cairngorms National Park Authority, based on fieldwork undertaken by the Scottish Raptor Study Group, is a welcome addition to the literature and will help inform the new requirement (under the Wildlife Management & Muirburn Act 2024) to monitor and report every five years on the status of a number of raptor species (Peregrine, Golden Eagle, Hen Harrier & Merlin) on grouse moors in Scotland as a measure of how well / badly the legislation is working.
The report’s findings are cautious, citing a number of factors that could be potential drivers influencing the recent decline (e.g. Bird Flu, interspecific competition etc) but these cannot, and do not, account for the long-term decline of Peregrines in the uplands, either within the Cairngorms National Park or in other upland areas. I’m pleased to see the report acknowledge this.
Let’s not kid ourselves. The Cairngorms National Park Authority has known for some time that illegal raptor persecution is a huge issue within the Park boundary – check out what the CNPA was proposing in 2013 to tackle the problem (see here) – unsurprisingly, it didn’t work.
The latest report includes an analysis of the relationship between Peregrine breeding site occupancy and the intensity of grouse moor management (ranging from ‘low’ to ‘high’ management intensity and everything in between).
A trial begins today at Perth Sheriff Court for a Scottish gamekeeper accused of killing a Goshawk on a Perthshire shooting estate.
The alleged incident took place on 12 February 2024 on a shooting estate near Blairgowrie.
Goshawk with a Pheasant. Photo by Ronnie Gilbert.
Police Scotland, with the assistance of partners from the RSPB and Scottish SPCA, executed a search warrant on the estate on 29 February 2024, leading to the arrest of a 47-year-old gamekeeper and subsequent charge (see here).
He has pleaded not guilty.
NB: As this case is live, comments are turned off until legal proceedings have ended.
UPDATE 12 November 2025: Trial of Scottish gamekeeper accused of killing Goshawk now delayed until March 2026 (here)
The Northern England Raptor Forum (NERF) is the representative body of voluntary raptor fieldworkers across the north of England, including in many of the raptor persecution hotspots in this region.
NERF is a well-respected organisation in conservation circles and has been at the forefront of the fight against the illegal killing of birds of prey, with its members often the first to raise the alarm to the police when suspected raptor persecution incidents have been uncovered.
NERF has also been involved in the many ‘partnership’ efforts over the last few decades that have tried, but failed, to tackle these pervasive crimes.
The group has standing, experience, and real skin in the game.
Steve Downing, NERF Chair, is a man who doesn’t mince his words. He’s written an open letter to Defra Ministers, including the newly-appointed Secretary of State for the Environment, Emma Reynolds, laying out previous Government failures to get on top of this issue and telling her that enough is enough, the time for talking is over.
If Steve’s letter resonates with you, it wouldn’t hurt for you to write to your own MP in support of NERF’s stance. There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain. Politicians won’t act if they don’t know that illegal raptor persecution is an issue of concern amongst their constituents.
If you haven’t written to your MP before, why not give it a go? If you’re not sure who your MP is, you can find out here.
LANDMARK: FIRST FORMAL ILLEGAL SNARE-USE INVESTIGATION SINCE BANS IN WALES/SCOTLAND
Footage obtained by Green Britain Foundation shows alleged snare-setting at a stink pit near Ruabon Moor, North Wales
Green Britain Foundation (GBF) has obtained undercover footage prompting what is believed to be the first formal police investigation in either Wales or Scotland into suspected snare use since the bans came into force. The footage shows individuals checking and setting snares at a stink pit* on the edge of Ruabon Grouse Moor in North Wales, within Llandegla Forest. The footage has been supplied to North Wales Police and a formal investigation is now underway.
*A “stink pit” is a bait site where dead animals (“carcasses”) are piled specifically to attract wildlife, typically predators, towards surrounding snares.
Snares are illegal in Wales (since 2023) and banned in Scotland (since 2024). Offences include setting a snare and permitting snares to be set on one’s land.
Snare set next to stink pit next to Ruabon Moor (photo copyright Green Britain Foundation)
Dead Red-legged Partridges chucked on the stink pit (photo copyright Green Britain Foundation)
Dale Vince, Founder, Green Britain Foundation, says:
“Snares are medieval cruelty. Wales and Scotland banned them for good reason. This footage shows people ignoring the law, continuing to use snares to kill wild animals in support of the bloodsport business. Snares are indiscriminate, killing all kinds of wildlife in the most hideously cruel way. The police are investigating, and that’s welcome. Landowners are complicit in this, snares are used to kill wildlife in support of bird breeding as part of the business – shooting birds for sport and for money. Labour should make good on its pre-election pledge and ban snares in England – without further delay.”
What the footage shows
28 June 2025 – live snares documented ~20m inside the Llandegla Forest boundary, arranged around a “stink pit” (carcasses used to attract predators).
30 June – 15 August 2025 – Covert cameras record multiple visits by several individuals believed to be engaged in gamekeeping; apparent checking/adjusting of snares and servicing of the site.
25 July 2025 – Carcasses of red-legged partridges logged at the stink pit.
25 August 2025 – Police notified; officers attended, documented the scene, and removed snares as evidence.
Status: North Wales Police have commenced a formal investigation.
Why it matters
Landmark enforcement moment: Believed to be the first formal police investigation into suspected snare use in a UK nation after the bans in Wales and Scotland—an early indicator of how enforcement will work in practice.
Purpose on shooting estates: Snares are commonly deployed as “predator control” to maximise numbers of grouse and other gamebirds for commercial and recreational shoots—in short, a tool to ensure those who shoot birds for fun can shoot more of them.
Indiscriminate by design: Snares cannot select species—they can and do catch non-target wildlife (such as badgers) and have been known to catch pet cats and dogs.
Landowner responsibility: We understand Llandegla Forest is linked to estates associated with the Church Commissioners for England. GBF calls for full cooperation and compliance audits across relevant holdings.
England’s policy gap: England has not yet introduced a snaring ban. With workable bans in Wales and Scotland, GBF urges the Labour Government to make good on its pledge and implement a ban in England as a priority.
ENDS
This is interesting on several levels.
First of all, as the press release points out, this is believed to be the first police investigation into alleged snaring offences since snaring was banned in Wales two years ago. Given the high quality close footage provided to North Wales Police, there shouldn’t be any of the usual problems of not being able to identify the individuals seen attending the site.
Secondly, the location of the alleged offence is next to Ruabon Moor, the only grouse-shooting estate in North Wales. Ruabon Moor has been at the centre of a number of police investigations in recent years, including the suspicious disappearance of a number of satellite-tagged Hen Harriers, the discovery of a poisoned Raven, and the suspected use of a trap to capture Goshawks. In addition, a couple of years ago another group, called Wildlife Guardian, documented some strange behaviour on Ruabon Moor (here)
Nobody has been convicted of any offences at Ruabon Moor. A prosecution against a gamekeeper (for alleged use of a trap to take a wild bird) was abandoned last year after the Crown Prosecution Service determined that it was not in the public interest to continue – a decision that was challenged by the RSPB, North Wales Police and the National Wildlife Crime Unit (see here).
The third point of interest is the group that has brought the latest alleged offences to the attention of North Wales Police. As far as I’m aware, this is the first foray into wildlife crime investigations by the Green Britain Foundation. They’ve managed to get wide press coverage, including on the BBC News website. Excellent work.
I look forward to seeing how this case progresses.
Following the recent collapse of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Bird of Prey Partnership (due to its failure to tackle crimes against birds of prey), and the news that since 2015, 29 Hen Harriers have gone ‘missing’ in suspicious circumstances and almost 40 other raptors have been found poisoned, trapped or shot in the Yorkshire Dales National Park since 2015, including Peregrines, Hen Harriers, Red Kites and Buzzards, there’s some welcome news from a local community who has had enough and has decided to do something about it. Bravo!
Friends of the Dales, the environmental campaigning charity, is launching a powerful new campaign − Eyes on the Skies − calling for an end to criminal killing of birds of prey in the Yorkshire Dales. The campaign kicks off with a high-profile live webinar on Tuesday 21 October at 5.30pm, featuring leading conservation expert Kate Jennings, UK Head of Site Conservation & Species Policy at the RSPB.
Kate will highlight the long history of bird crime in the Yorkshire Dales, drawing on evidence and case studies from the RSPB’s Investigations Team which works in support of the police and statutory agencies to bring criminals before the courts.
“We are delighted that Kate is joining us at the Eyes on the Skies launch event,” said Jonathan Riley, Chair of Trustees at Friends of the Dales. “She will shine a spotlight on Bird Crime in the Yorkshire Dales and the illegal and inhumane methods criminals use to trap, shoot and poison birds of prey − crimes that persist despite more than seventy years of legal protection.”
The Yorkshire Dales remains a blackspot for raptor persecution, with species such as hen harriers, short-eared owls, and red kites especially targeted. Just last week the RSPB issued a press release about the disappearance of Sita, a one-year-old female satellite-tagged Hen Harrier. The RSPB said that Sita is the 29th hen harrier “to suspiciously disappear in the national park since 2015” and that the bird “is likely to have been shot”.
“It is appalling that the hen harrier, one of the UK’s rarest birds, continues to be shot, trapped, and poisoned in our National Park, which should be a sanctuary for wildlife,” added Jonathan.
Public concern for these crimes is growing. In early 2024, more than 1,000 people responded to the first consultation on the new Management Plan for the Yorkshire Dales National Park, with ending the illegal persecution of birds of prey emerging as one of the top priorities.
David Butterworth, Chief Executive of the Authority also confirmed: “The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority is unwavering in its commitment to raptor conservation. We will continue to collaborate with landowners, managers and organisations sharing our vision. We applaud those whose efforts have helped some species recover. But we must also confront the grim reality that criminal persecution still occurs.”
Friends of the Dales Eyes on the Skies campaign supports one of the core objectives of the new management plan for the Yorkshire Dales National Park, as well as the vital work of other organisations such as the National Wildlife Crime Unit, RSPB and Hen Harrier Action. The campaign will amplify messages around the scale and nature of these appalling crimes, educate people in how to spot and report any suspicious or illegal activity they might see and also inspire people to learn more about the birds themselves and why they are vital to a healthy, biodiverse ecosystem.
David Butterworth added: “The uplands of the Yorkshire Dales National Park should be a stronghold for a diverse range of raptor species. As apex predators, their presence signals a healthy environment. Their absence, conversely, is a warning.”
Summing up Jonathan Riley said: “Our Eyes on the Skies campaign will incorporate many more events including further webinars from insider experts, outdoor educational events and even some more creatively focussed activities. So, on behalf of the charity, I would encourage anyone who is interested in learning more to register for the free launch event on Tuesday 21 October at 5:30 pm, and sign up to our monthly email newsletter so they can be kept updated.”
Media attention has been drawn to the Yorkshire Dales National Park this week, following the RSPB’s press release on the suspicious disappearance of a satellite-tagged Hen Harrier named ‘Sita’.
When it comes to the illegal killing of birds of prey, the Yorkshire Dales National Park is rarely out of the news, and that’s hardly surprising when 29 satellite-tagged Hen Harriers have gone ‘missing’ there and 39 other raptors have been found poisoned, trapped or shot there since 2015, including Peregrines, Hen Harriers, Red Kites and Buzzards.
Yorkshire Dales National Park. Photo by Ruth Tingay
Given these appalling figures, the RSPB has described the Yorkshire Dales National Park as a ‘no-fly zone for birds of prey’.
High profile cases within the National Park have included the conviction of a gamekeeper who was filmed shooting two Short-eared Owls on a grouse moor and then stamping the corpse of one of them into the peat and shoving the other one inside a drystone wall (here); a gamekeeper filmed on a grouse moor using a tethered Eagle Owl to attract Buzzards that he then shot and killed from close range (here); the stamping to death of four Hen Harrier chicks in a nest on a grouse moor (after obscuring the camera pointing at the nest, here); the grisly death of a Hen Harrier caused by his head and leg being pulled off whilst he was still alive (here); and three individuals caught on camera on a grouse moor discussing the shooting and killing of a Buzzard and a Raven before apparently shooting and killing a Hen Harrier (here) – one gamekeeper has been charged with conspiracy to kill a Hen Harrier, he has pleaded not guilty and his case will proceed to trial in January 2026 after his barrister failed in his attempt to have the case thrown out on a legal technicality.
The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has also long recognised the extent of this criminal activity and has responded to public concern (e.g. see here and here). Earlier this year the Park Authority terminated its five-year ‘partnership’ with the grouse shooting industry to tackle these crimes, after recognising the futility of this endeavour. Two conservation organisations (the RSPB and the Northern England Raptor Forum) had already walked away from the sham in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
In an article published a couple of days ago by the Craven Herald & Pioneer, Mark Corner, a member of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority is quoted saying the continued illegal killing of raptors in the Park was “a crying shame“.
He added: “As the member champion for the natural environment, I’m personally embarrassed that we are the worst spot in the country in terms of the illegal killing of birds.”
In the same article, there’s an hilarious quote from the Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group, which is one of a number of regional groups set up in 2015 to represent local grouse moor owners and their gamekeepers in an attempt to counter the bad publicity about ongoing illegal raptor persecution. I think that members of most of these regional moorland groups have been, or still are, the subject of police investigations into illegal raptor persecution.
A spokesperson for the Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group reportedly told the reporter that ‘hen harrier numbers were at a 200-year high across the uplands’.
That’s simply not true – Hen Harrier breeding attempts on grouse moors across the north of England have been in sharp decline over the last two years – the only areas where they remain stable is on land managed for conservation rather than for Red Grouse shooting.
According to its FaceBook page, the Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group claims to have “around 100,000 acres of managed uplands here in the Dales where the estates are members of this group (virtually all of the moors)“.
Why is it then, there were only two Hen Harrier breeding attempts in 2025 across the whole of the Yorkshire Dales and neighbouring Nidderdale? I’d like the Moorland Group to provide a plausible explanation for these absences.
The Yorkshire Dales Moorland Group also told the Craven Herald reporter:
“Our keepers have and will always assist the police in searches for missing persons, lost dogs or missing birds. Tag failure is rare but not unheard of.
“The default accusation that persecution is responsible is regrettable. The conservation work undertaken by moor keepers is commendable as can be seen by the abundance of raptors and other rare species in the Dales“.
What “abundance of raptors” are those then? All the dead ones? Or just the ones that are allowed to breed because they don’t pose any threat to Red Grouse stocks?
And if these grouse shooting estates are so keen to help the police, how many of them signed the letter last year agreeing to allow the police to enter the land and use equipment for the purposes of crime prevention and detection? Did any of them sign it?
And if these gamekeepers are so keen to help police investigations, how many of them have given ‘no comment’ responses when interviewed about suspected raptor persecution crimes on these moors? Maybe it’d be quicker to count how many gamekeeper didn’t give a ‘no comment’ interview.
The article also quotes Alex Farrell, Head of Uplands at BASC:
“As a committed conservation organisation, we are taking progressive steps with our partners to oversee the continued recovery of hen harriers.
“Figures released by Natural England today show that collaborative effort resulted in 106 fledged hen harrier chicks in England this year – up from 80 last year“.
What “progressive steps” is BASC taking?
Oh, and those figures released by Natural England show that the small increase in Hen Harrier fledging rates are in spite of, not because of, any so-called ‘collaborative effort’ from the grouse shooting industry.
The trial of an 87-year-old man, accused of multiple offences linked to alleged raptor persecution, has been put on hold after his defence lawyer told the court he intends to apply for Judicial Review of the judge’s ruling that the case should not be dropped.
Brian Chorlton, of Morkery Lane, Castle Bytham, Lincolnshire, was summoned to court in April 2025 following reports that birds of prey were being poisoned in the Castle Bytham area.
In May 2025, Chorlton appeared at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court and pleaded not guilty to 11 charges relating to the unapproved or unlawful storage of the chemical Aldicarb, possession of a poisoner’s kit, and possession and use of four pole traps. The trial was set to take place in October 2025.
However, on 18 September 2025 a case management hearing took place at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court where the defence submitted three separate legal arguments calling for the case to be dismissed. I won’t elaborate on those arguments at this stage but they are unusual, and are not related to the use of covert surveillance as is often the case.
The District Judge rejected all three legal arguments and the application to dismiss the case was rejected.
The District Judge said he intended for the trial to proceed in October but offered a further case management hearing, due to take place one week later, to allow the defence time to consider the ruling.
That second case management trial took place at Lincoln Magistrates’ Court yesterday (25 September 2025) and the defence announced its intention to apply to the High Court for Judicial Review of the judge’s earlier ruling.
This means the original trial date (October 2025) has now been vacated. There will be a further case management hearing in January 2026 for the defence to update the court on its application for Judicial Review.
Royal Courts of Justice in London. Photo by Ruth Tingay
The application for Judicial Review is a process whereby the defence will be seeking permission from a High Court judge to proceed to a full Judicial Review. This typically takes between two to six months but can take longer, depending on the court’s schedule and the availability of a judge and also whether the judge wants an oral hearing or is satisfied with the written submissions on which to make a decision.
If permission is granted, the case will then move to a full Judicial Review and that can take up to a year before it’s heard, sometimes longer, and if the judge’s decision is reserved, there can then be a further wait, often months, waiting for the judgement to be delivered.
NB: As criminal proceedings are still live, comments have been switched off.
The alleged incident took place on 12 February 2024 on a shooting estate near Blairgowrie.
Police Scotland, with the assistance of partners from the RSPB and Scottish SPCA, executed a search warrant on the estate on 29 February 2024, leading to the arrest of a 47-year-old gamekeeper and subsequent charge (see here).
The gamekeeper has pleaded not guilty and his trial was due to begin next Monday (22 September 2025).
It’s now been put back until November 2025.
NB: As this case is live, comments are turned off until legal proceedings have ended.
UPDATE 11 November 2025: Trial begins today for Scottish gamekeeper accused of killing a Goshawk on a Perthshire shooting estate (here)
Raptor Persecution UK 