FIRECREST TOURS : Guided Birdwatching & Wildlife Days

Following on from yesterday’s blog where we reported that grouse moor owners want licences to kill Marsh harriers (see here), this news has obviously stirred up a lot of interest and commentary. We just want to clarify something here. We were not at the RPPDG meeting where this conversation took place; we simply reported information […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2iuj7pb

Yes, you did read the headline correctly. We’ve received reports from a number of independent sources that at the November 2017 meeting of DEFRA’s Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group (RPPDG), the Director of the Moorland Association (the mouthpiece for grouse moor owners in England), Amanda Anderson, said that grouse moor managers would be submitting applications […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK https://raptorpersecutionscotland.wordpress.com/2017/11/29/grouse-moor-owners-want-licences-to-kill-marsh-harriers/

In September this year, Natural England told blog reader Mike Whitehouse that “work on the six actions set out in the [2016] Joint Hen Harrier Action Plan is progressing as expected. Ultimately we believe these actions will result in an increase in the numbers of hen harriers breeding in England“. Earlier this month, in its […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2Bn7Fzk

Following last week’s excellent news that three Scottish Raptor Study Group members had won top prizes in the RSPB’s Nature of Scotland Awards (here), further congratulations are due as an MSP has lodged a motion asking the Scottish Parliament to recognise the efforts of two of these raptor conservationists. Well done, Logan & Andrea! Advertisements Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2zKlVWJ

Further to last Friday’s announcement on the establishment of the Scottish Government’s grouse moor management review group (see here), another member has joined the panel. Professor Colin Reid (University of Dundee) specialises in Environmental Law and currently serves as Chair of the PAW Scotland Legislation, Regulation and Guidance Group. We’re delighted to see this appointment, […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2BqZ1kt

A couple of weeks ago we blogged about how a masked gunman and his masked accomplice had been captured on camera close to a protected raptor nest in a public (Forestry Commission Scotland) forest (here). The incident was recorded in spring 2017 and was reported to Police Scotland. There have been no public appeals for […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2nb6L6O

The Mail on Sunday ran a story yesterday suggesting that the RSPB was responsible for the catastrophic decline of the English hen harrier breeding population. It went like this:   You might think this article was the handiwork of the grouse shooting industry’s propaganda machine, You Forgot the Birds (YFTB). It’s got all the hallmarks […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2Aa0xsW

Earlier this week North Yorkshire Police put out a public appeal for information regarding satellite-tagged hen harrier ‘John’, missing in suspicious circumstances and whose last known location was Threshfield Moor, a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. We also saw a public appeal for information from Northumbria Police and the RSPB regarding satellite-tagged […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2k1Xr4g

Back in May 2017, Cabinet Secretary Roseanna Cunningham announced an intention to set up an independently-led group to review grouse moor management practices, and to advise on the introduction of an estate shoot licensing scheme. This was mainly in response to the publication of the Golden Eagle Satellite Tag Review, which found that almost one […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2A4eBUI

RSPB press release: ANOTHER RARE HEN HARRIER GOES MISSING Police and the RSPB are appealing for information following the disappearance of a satellite-tagged hen harrier near Carlisle. The harrier, named Manu, was one of a nest of two chicks monitored and protected by the Northumberland Hen Harrier Protection Partnership and tagged as part of the […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2B6UbYu

MASSIVE congratulations to Scottish Raptor Study Group members Logan Steele, Andrea Hudspeth and Brian Etheridge who have all scooped top prize in their respective categories at the annual Nature of Scotland Awards! L-R: Logan, Andrea, Mike Dilger (presenter) and Brian Logan and Andrea won the Political Advocate of the Year Award. This award is ‘to […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2BjXIUm

The Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime Northern Ireland (PAW NI) has today published its latest report on bird of prey persecution 2015-2016. The report reveals that there were five confirmed illegal persecution incidents reported in 2015 and a further six in 2016, involving the killing of 12 protected birds of prey in Northern Ireland […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2zvm1RQ

It’s Great British Game Week this week (Nov 20-26) and the game-shooting industry is busy promoting it. The industry is desperate to get more people to buy game, particularly gamebirds, because there are deep concerns that supply is outstripping demand – here is a very interesting article on the subject by Charles Nodder of the […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2mT3ER3

Further to blogs about ‘missing’ satellite-tagged hen harrier ‘John’, who disappeared on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park in early October (see here and here), North Yorkshire Police has just issued the following appeal for information: North Yorkshire Police is appealing for information following the loss of a hen harrier on Threshfield […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2Bas1N3

A new scientific paper has just been published that suggests anti-coagulant rodenticide poisoning, illegal pesticide poisoning, and lead poisoning ‘may be slowing the recovery of red kites in England’. The paper, ‘Poisoning of reintroduced red kites (Milvus milvus) in England’ has been authored by scientists from the Institute of Zoology, Natural England, FERA Science Ltd […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2Al0Imj

Late last week DEFRA provided its response to Gavin Gamble’s e-petition calling for a ban on driven grouse shooting after the petition reached 10,000 signatures. DEFRA’s response was entirely predictable and we have no intention of spending time on a detailed analysis of its complacency and denial; Mark Avery has already covered this well (see […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2AmpB0A

Last week we blogged about an incident caught on a Forestry Commission Scotland camera in spring 2017 showing two masked individuals, one carrying a firearm, within 30m of a raptor nest site in a public forest (see here). Forest Enterprise Scotland refused to tell us at which species’ nest and in which public forest this […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2z456BS

Following last week’s blog about how an announcement was imminent on the formation and composition of the independently-led grouse moor management review group, another deadline has been and gone. As you’ll recall, Environment Cabinet Secretary Roseanna Cunningham announced this review on 31 May 2017, following the Scottish Raptor Study Group’s petition calling for game-shoot licensing […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2zl0fA9

Last month we blogged about yet another satellite-tagged hen harrier that had suspiciously ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (see here). We only knew about it because North Yorkshire Police mentioned it on Twitter and posted a few photographs from the search scene: We made a general enquiry to Natural […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2zN4guh

Forestry Commission Scotland staff routinely install cameras at the nests of several raptor species (e.g. goshawk, osprey, golden eagle, hen harrier, buzzard) to undertake dietary studies and to help identify individually-marked birds by their colour rings. If the cameras happen to film anything suspicious at these nests (e.g. unlicensed visits by armed criminals) the footage […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2zBtfmL

A few weeks ago Ian Botham featured in an article published by The Times, in which it was reported Botham had accused the RSPB of being “dishonest” (see here). The Times article was apparently based on an interview that Botham had done with the Shooting Gazette. Thanks to one of our blog readers, we now […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2hx01OF

It looks like the Scottish Government is about to announce the Chair and members of the much-anticipated independent review group that will be tasked with considering the environmental impacts of grouse moor management techniques and to recommend options for regulation, including licensing. Back in October 2017, the Scottish Parliament’s Environment Committee agreed to write to […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2zACvXS

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has responded to the publication of the RSPB’s 2016 Birdcrime report with an extraordinary blog, attributed to Director of Communications, Andrew Gilruth. Read it here. Someone’s been busy with the crayons, creating a bizarre graph showing the number of incidents reported to the RSPB, but totally ignoring the […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2zOeWf2

RSPB press statement: Buzzard shot in Barnsley sparks investigation A buzzard found illegally shot in a wood near Barnsley has prompted concern by the RSPB and police. A local birder saw the bird fall out of a tree in Warren Wood, Stainborough on 9 August and reported it to the RSPB’s Investigations unit (crime@rspb.org.uk). An […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2AxgyH4

Following the recent publication of the RSPB’s 2016 Birdcrime report, it has been very encouraging to see a steady stream of public statements of condemnation of illegal raptor persecution from various organisations that previously have been pretty quiet on the subject, unless prodded with a large stick. This is indicative of increased public awareness of […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2hZIUCc

The Peak District National Park Authority has issued a statement in reponse to the publication of the RSPB’s 2016 Birdcrime report. Sarah Fowler, chief executive of the Peak District National Park, said: “Killing birds of prey is illegal. I am appalled by the persecution of any protected species, no matter what the circumstances. The RSPB’s […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2jbSqWk

Good grief. Just when you thought this pantomime couldn’t get any more ridiculous…. As many of you will know, Raeshaw Estate in the Scottish Borders was one of the first in Scotland to be subjected to a General Licence restriction, issued in 2015, based on clear police evidence that wildlife crimes had been committed although […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2hk37FE

The Northern England Raptor Forum (NERF) has just published its response to the publication of the RSPB’s Birdcrime 2016 report. Read it here NERF’s unreserved condemnation of the continued illegal killing of birds of prey is everything you would expect from an organisation that works at the frontline of raptor conservation. In addition, NERF welcomes […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2zlcXy7

In September 2017 the Scottish Parliament’s Public Petitions Committee considered petition # PE01633, submitted by Les Wallace, calling on the Scottish Government to sponsor a comprehensive and independent study into the full economic impacts of driven grouse shooting. The Petitions Committee agreed that a full independent study was needed but was unsure whether this topic would […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2lZzCL6

In September 2017 we learned that SNH had imposed a General Licence restriction on an individual for alleged criminal activity in relation to raptor persecution (see here). This was a highly unusual restriction because it applied to an individual rather than to an estate. At the time the restriction was announced, SNH provided virtually no […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2h7bL6J

Dim-witted dinosaur Jim Shannon MP (DUP, Strangford, NI) is back making a fool of himself again. Just a few weeks after being told that the UK Government “is not considering any further controls on the number of raptors” (see here), here’s what the Countryside Alliance member said in the Westminster Parliament yesterday: From Hansard (2 […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2hEWkmU

Every now and then we blog about who’s (figuratively) getting in to bed with whom within the grouse-shooting industry. Previous installments in this revealing series have included this, this and this. Today’s fascinating bedfellows are the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) and Mark Osborne, joint owner of William Powell and grouse moor management ‘guru’, […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2hAR5os

Don’t ever underestimate the power of public pressure. You know that big solid wall of silence we’re all so used to looking at every time a raptor crime is discovered and reported? It looks like it’s finally beginning to crumble. The latest to speak out, spontaneously (i.e. without prompting), about the continued illegal killing of […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2A2aipG

Have we moved in to a parallel universe? It feels like it today. First we have BASC’s acting chief executive, Christopher Grafficus, admitting there are “criminals among us” and urging his members to stop killing raptors (see here) before also admitting that the number of convicted gamekeepers “must be the tip of the iceberg” (see […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2ipU7eN

Further to this morning’s blog about BASC’s acting chief exec Christopher Graffius urging his members to stop killing raptors (here), here’s some more detail. The Times article had suggested that Christopher had written a letter to BASC members, in response to the publication yesterday of the RSPB’s 2016 Birdcrime report. It turns out that ‘letter’ […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2z6qKpF

Christopher Graffius, acting chief executive of the British Association of Shooting & Conservation (BASC) has spoken out against the raptor killers within the shooting industry, according to an article in today’s edition of The Times. For those who can’t read the small text, here’s a transcript: SHOOTING CHIEF GUNS FOR RAPTOR KILLERS By Jerome Starkey, […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2zdiruw

Following this morning’s publication of the RSPB’s 2016 Birdcrime report (see here), it’s fantastic to see such widespread media attention on the continued illegal killing of birds of prey in the UK. Guy Shorrock (RSPB Investigations) gave a cracking interview on BBC Breakfast (available to watch on iPlayer here, but only for the next 24hrs. […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2ylnERt

Press release from RSPB: REPORT REVEALS CONTINUED PERSECUTION OF BIRDS OF PREY IN UK RSPB’s Birdcrime report reveals a minimum of 81 confirmed incidents of bird of prey persecution in the UK during 2016, but many illegal killings are going undetected or unreported. There were no prosecutions for these persecution offences, the first time this […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2zW25TY