FIRECREST TOURS : Guided Birdwatching & Wildlife Days

A couple of days ago we blogged about an article in the Gazette & Herald that showed sackfuls of shot pheasants that had been dumped in woodland in the North York Moors National Park (see here). Here are some of the photographs the newspaper didn’t publish, presumably as they’re too grim. Thanks to the blog […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2Cu4HLh

The following article was published today in the Press & Journal: For regular blog readers, this is a story we ran in November 2017 (here) when we’d found out through an FoI that a masked gunman and an associate had been caught on camera near a raptor nest at an undisclosed public forest in Scotland. […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2EifIQh

In November 2017, a small group of conservationists was invited to visit 10 Downing Street for a conversation about their environmental concerns with Sir John Randall, Theresa May’s recently appointed special advisor on the environment. There’s nothing unusual about that. Conservationists routinely meet with advisors, MPs and Ministers to discuss such issues. But this was […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2BVUzKn

Two new peer-reviewed papers from the GWCT confirm the significant spread of a disease in red grouse on intensively managed driven grouse moors, transmitted through the unregulated use of communal medicated grit trays. The disease, respiratory cryptosporidiosis (also known as ‘Bulgy Eye’) has been, until recently, almost entirely associated with captive poultry flocks that have […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2pWqwk6

An article in yesterday’s Gazette & Herald reports how hundreds of shot pheasants have been dumped in sacks near Helmsley, in the North York Moors National Park. The article (here) says a local rambler first found four sacks of dead gamebirds in Hawnby Road on 26 November 2017. The rambler returned to the site last […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2zGOyiA

Yet another illegally persecuted raptor in North Yorkshire, the raptor-killing capital of the UK. This kestrel was picked up on Christmas Day with shotgun injuries to its wing. The bird was found close to Amotherby crossroads on Amotherby Lane, Malton, North Yorkshire. An x-ray by Mark Naguib of Battle Flatts Veterinary Clinic revealed the extent […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2lc0S67

Further to a recent article published in The National where Hen Harrier Species Champion Mairi Gougeon MSP calls for ‘closer cooperation’ between conservationists and the game shooting industry ‘to protect hen harriers’ (see here), this deserves more comment. We’ve given this some thought over the Xmas break and frankly, it’s a bloody affront to imply […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2pEq4qu

Following the recent news that yet another hen harrier has been found dead in suspicious circumstances (here), Hen Harrier Species Champion Mairi Gougeon MSP has taken the opportunity to call for conservationists to work in closer cooperation with the game shooting industry. Here’s an article in yesterday’s edition of The National: MSP MAIRI GOUGEON URGES […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2kQYf9I

Last week we blogged about the publication of DEFRA’s latest raptor persecution maps (2011-2015), as developed by the Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group (RPPDG). We were highly critical of the maps (here) because we considered them to be inaccurate and out of date, difficult to navigate, and we argued that they would not, as DEFRA […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2kYmYb9

Press release from Police Scotland, 20 December 2017: Police Scotland and RSPB Scotland are issuing a joint appeal for information after a young hen harrier was discovered dead with unexplained injuries on an estate near Dunoon. “Kathy”, a female bird, was satellite tagged as a chick on the Cowal Peninsula in August this year (2017) as […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2Bu0slO

Clive Aslet is a former Editor of Country Life magazine who boasts of being ‘an acknowledged leading authority on Britain and its way of life‘, whatever that means. One thing’s for sure, Mr Aslet is no leading authority on the principles of ecology. He wrote a bizarre comment piece for The Times, published last week in […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2oXwHnu

Just when we thought BASC was getting with the programme, it comes out with this drivel about the recently published raptor persecution map for England & Wales: This is a screengrab of part of an article that was published on the BASC website – the full article can be read here. BASC seems to be […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2kjYARU

While Natural England is busily keeping secret its plans for hen harrier brood meddling, unbelievably it has funded a new ‘study’ to find out what members of the public think about the Hen Harrier Action Plan! Some of you may have received an email recently from an academic researcher asking you to fill in an […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2kcmRJO

Natural England continues its tirade of a lack of transparency and public accountability in relation to the Hen Harrier Action Plan. As regular blog readers will know, we’ve spent over a year trying to get details about the most controversial part of the HH Action Plan – the brood meddling scheme. Natural England has point […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2ke7wIp

The Irish Raptor Study Group is hosting its 2018 annual conference on Saturday 27th January 2018, at The Green Isle Conference & Leisure Hotel in Dublin. The conference is open to all, tickets cost 25 Euros. Booking details: IRSG_2018Conference_BookingForm Advertisements Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2CmGkOD

This made us laugh. The Dark Side will be seething about this damaging headline! Here’s an article from today’s edition of The Times (of all places!) – their interpretation of DEFRA’s crap raptor persecution maps: As usual, the article sits behind a paywall so here’s the extracted text: The North York Moors is the most […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2yBCVZC

In a desperate attempt to look like it’s doing something about tackling raptor persecution in England & Wales, DEFRA has published some raptor persecution maps covering the period 2011-2015, as developed by the Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group (RPPDG). It needn’t have bothered. Apart from being extremely difficult to navigate, the maps are inaccurate, out […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2BtBySi

Yesterday evening saw a Members Debate in the Scottish Parliament as a result of MSP Mairi Gougeon’s recent motion in support of the Heads Up for Harriers Project and the Role of Species Champions. The archive video of this debate can be watched here and the official report of the meeting can be read here: […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2BpysPc

Today in the Scottish Parliament there’ll be a Members’ Debate on the controversial Heads Up for Hen Harriers Project. The debate has been secured by Mairi Gougeon MSP, the Species Champion for the hen harrier, following her recent motion congratulating the Project on its “intense” and “considerable efforts” to protect the hen harrier: Heads Up […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2BjYtj5

From an article in today’s P&J: A protected bird of prey died when an oil executive shot a buzzard he thought to be a pheasant when it flew out of woods on a Highland estate, a court heard yesterday. Keith Riddoch, of Craigden in Aberdeen, was on a shoot on the Ralia Estate near Newtonmore […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2Bejv2n

The South Scotland Golden Eagle Project, which proposes to translocate eaglets from the Highlands to southern Scotland in an effort to boost the tiny remnant population in the Borders & Dumfries & Galloway, has finally been given the funds and licence to begin. Earlier this year the project was awarded £1.3 million from the Heritage […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2iWCowg

Further to yesterday’s blog (here), Natural England has released more information in response to our FoI requests in relation to the proposed ‘reintroduction’ of hen harriers to southern England. NE has established a new ‘internal’ group to advise the wider Southern Reintroduction Project Team on various technical aspects. This new internal group held its first […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2l29QFU

As many of you know, one of the six action points in DEFRA’s Hen Harrier Action Plan is to ‘reintroduce’ hen harriers to southern England. As you’ll also know, over the last 12 months we’ve been trying to prise details out of Natural England about this ‘let’s divert attention from illegal persecution on driven grouse moors’ […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2B5VQkz

The Scottish Government has today published its latest Annual Wildlife Crime Report – the 5th one since it became a statutory obligation under the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011. The current report is entitled the ‘2016’ report, but it actually refers to wildlife crimes recorded from April 2015 to March 2016. Download the […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2kDmUBs

Further to Tuesday’s blog about Natural England inviting the Ministry of Defence and Yorkshire Water to participate in the highly controversial hen harrier brood meddling plan (see here), we’ve heard back from Andrew Walker, Catchment Strategy Manager at Yorkshire Water (and we thank him for his prompt & courteous correspondence). “Natural England asked YWS to […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2AYL0Nh

It’s that time of year again when the Heads Up for Hen Harriers Project trots out more propaganda in an attempt to greenwash the criminal activities of the driven grouse shooting industry. This project began a few years ago and we’ve criticised it many times for being a partnership-working sham (e.g. see here, here, here, […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2iskNfo

Earlier this year we satellite-tagged a shedload of golden eagles in Scotland as part of a joint initiative with Chris Packham, funded by two very generous philanthropists (see here for project background). Our eagles are doing well, all of them still hanging out in their natal territories although a few have started to make some […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2BBymkd

Brood meddling is one of the six action points in DEFRA’s Hen Harrier Action Plan, launched in January 2016. Regular blog readers will know that we initially got some information out of Natural England about this controversial action point (see here, here, here, here), but for the last year all our requests have been refused […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2kmBJbn

Following on from Saturday’s news that the SNP’s National Council has voted to adopt an official policy of grouse moor licensing (see here), the grouse shooting industry has responded with a fine display of histrionics. A quick look on social media shows the usual buffoons shrieking about potential job losses and how everyone should get […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2igerQ5

RSPB press release: RSPB Scotland welcomes official SNP policy support for licensing shooting estates Motion approved at National Council A landmark decision by Scottish National Party (SNP) delegates to adopt officially a policy supporting licensing of driven grouse shooting estates has been welcomed by RSPB Scotland. At today’s (Saturday December 2nd 2017) National Council in Perth, […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2AAFj8h

The Peak District Bird of Prey Initiative (BoPI) was launched in 2011, mainly in response to two damning reports from the RSPB about the continued illegal killing of raptors in the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park (see here & here), as well as all the publicity from a criminal prosecution, and […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2nlcase