FIRECREST TOURS : Guided Birdwatching & Wildlife Days

The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (DWT) is pretty proactive when it comes to birds of prey, which is just as well given the appalling levels of raptor persecution in the county, not least those associated with the grouse moors of the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park (e.g. see here). Enthusiastic supporters of, […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3EDsO8J

The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (DWT) is pretty proactive when it comes to birds of prey, which is just as well given the appalling levels of raptor persecution in the county, not least those associated with the grouse moors of the Dark Peak area of the Peak District National Park (e.g. see here). Enthusiastic supporters of, […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3EDsO8J via IFTTT

Press release from DEFRA on 21 December 2021: Tony Juniper CBE reappointed as Natural England Chair Environment Secretary George Eustice today confirms Tony Juniper CBE has been reappointed as Chair of Natural England. The Environment Secretary, George Eustice, has today (21 December) confirmed that Tony Juniper CBE has been reappointed as Chair of Natural England […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/31aFTsu

Press release from DEFRA on 21 December 2021: Tony Juniper CBE reappointed as Natural England Chair Environment Secretary George Eustice today confirms Tony Juniper CBE has been reappointed as Chair of Natural England. The Environment Secretary, George Eustice, has today (21 December) confirmed that Tony Juniper CBE has been reappointed as Chair of Natural England […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/31aFTsu via IFTTT

I’ll keep this brief. In late 2020, a complaint was made to the Fundraising Regulator about an alleged breach of the Code of Fundraising Practice by Chris Packham and his partner Charlotte Corney, acting as trustees of the charity The Wildheart Trust. The complaint related to a fundraising effort by The Wildheart Trust in April […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/32xJdPb

I’ll keep this brief. In late 2020, a complaint was made to the Fundraising Regulator about an alleged breach of the Code of Fundraising Practice by Chris Packham and his partner Charlotte Corney, acting as trustees of the charity The Wildheart Trust. The complaint related to a fundraising effort by The Wildheart Trust in April […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/32xJdPb via IFTTT

On 17th December 2021, I blogged about how Natural England (NE) had been keeping a terrible, terrible secret about the gruesome fate of one of its satellite-tagged hen harriers earlier this year (see here), preferring instead to sit back and watch its so-called ‘partners’ in the grouse-shooting industry claim false credit for ‘protecting’ this species. […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3EDSBhl

On 17th December 2021, I blogged about how Natural England (NE) had been keeping a terrible, terrible secret about the gruesome fate of one of its satellite-tagged hen harriers earlier this year (see here), preferring instead to sit back and watch its so-called ‘partners’ in the grouse-shooting industry claim false credit for ‘protecting’ this species. […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3EDSBhl via IFTTT

Bird crime soared across the UK in 2020, and RSPB believes Scotland’s native birds of prey will continue to be persecuted, according to two new articles published yesterday in The Courier and The Press & Journal: Birds of prey such as hawks, eagles, kites, buzzards, harriers, falcons and owls are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3HmGgj1

Bird crime soared across the UK in 2020, and RSPB believes Scotland’s native birds of prey will continue to be persecuted, according to two new articles published yesterday in The Courier and The Press & Journal: Birds of prey such as hawks, eagles, kites, buzzards, harriers, falcons and owls are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3HmGgj1 via IFTTT

Hampshire Constabulary have released a CCTV image of a man they wish to speak to in relation to an arson attack at Chris Packham’s home. The image shows the man exiting the driver’s side of a vehicle at a petrol station: The arson attack took place outside Chris’s home just after midnight on Friday 8th […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3ejXmSd

In July 2019, supermarket Waitrose announced it was going to stop selling gamebirds that had been shot with toxic lead gunshot and said that from the 2020/21 shooting season it would only stock lead-free gamebirds (see here). The following year, in February 2020, many (but not all) of the main shooting organisations announced a five-year […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/32kbb0b

Natural England has been keeping a secret. A terrible, terrible secret about one of its satellite-tagged hen harriers. I’ve been waiting all year for Natural England to inform the public about what has happened. I waited in the spring, but there was no news. I looked at Natural England’s summer update on its satellite-tagged hen […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3Ja8qQn

Natural England has been keeping a secret. A terrible, terrible secret about one of their satellite-tagged hen harriers. I’ve been waiting all year for Natural England to inform the public about what has happened. I waited in the spring, but there was no news. I looked at Natural England’s summer update on its satellite-tagged hen […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3Ja8qQn via IFTTT

Humberside Police led a multi-agency raid on 10th December 2021, executing a warrant in relation to suspected raptor persecution crimes after a number of dead buzzards were found with unusually high levels of rat poison. The police were joined by staff from Natural England, National Wildlife Crime Unit and RSPB Investigation’s team. The investigation is […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3yBtOJb

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about the conviction of a 53-year-old gamekeeper in the Scottish Borders, Peter Givens, who was responsible for an illegally-operated trap in which a barn owl and a goshawk had starved to death (see here). I’ll be blogging more about that case shortly as some interesting things have come […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/31WonZG

Regular blog readers will know that in some previous years, NatureScot has controversially granted an out-of-season muirburn licence to the notorious Leadhills Estate, permitting the burning of grouse moors in September. These licences have been controversial for several reasons, including the fact we’re in a climate emergency so setting fire to peatland vegetation doesn’t seem […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3GUwzsd

Regular blog readers will know that in some previous years, NatureScot has controversially granted an out-of-season muirburn licence to the notorious Leadhills Estate, permitting the burning of grouse moors in September. These licences have been controversial for several reasons, including the fact we’re in a climate emergency so setting fire to peatland vegetation doesn’t seem […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3GUwzsd via IFTTT

Regular blog readers will be well aware that the notorious Leadhills Estate, a grouse-shooting estate in South Lanarkshire that has been at the centre of police wildlife crime investigations at least 70 times since the early 2000s, is currently serving a three-year General Licence restriction based on what NatureScot described as ‘clear evidence’ of raptor […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3ytXB6r

REVIVE, the coalition for grouse moor reform, of which RPUK is a member, published a statement on 10th December as the grouse-shooting season ended for another year. Here’s a copy: 10th December 2021 Today, the grouse-shooting season ends, following on from a poor breeding season which may have limited sport shooting this year. However, this […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3yrrLr0

Press release from the Langholm Initiative (15th December 2021) Anonymous £0.5 million donation & crowd funder success takes historic community buyout to quarter-way mark Christmas has come early for a community’s bid to double the size of a vast new nature reserve in Dumfries and Galloway, thanks to an anonymous private donation of half a […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3pY8U33

Northumbria Police posted the following appeal for information on their Facebook page on 9th December 2021: #APPEAL: We want to identify these two men after a protected wild barn owl and its nestlings were stolen by thieves. An investigation has been ongoing since the early hours of October 27 after it was reported two men […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/31RiZXL

Last month I blogged about a red kite that had been found injured with shotgun injuries in Galleywood Lane, Chelmsford, Essex (see here and here). The kite was picked up by concerned members of the public and taken to the South Essex Wildlife Hospital for treatment. [Photo of the kite by South Essex Wildlife Hospital] […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3s9f0Aj

In late October this year, conservation campaign group Wild Justice launched a legal challenge against the Northern Ireland Executive’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) for issuing what Wild Justice believed to be scientifically and legally flawed general licences (see here and here). This came after months of protracted correspondence with DAERA, who […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3ybLtqO

In October the RSPB published a report warning that current muirburn practices (e.g. setting the moors alight as part of grouse moor ‘management’) are incompatible with Scotland’s net zero ambitions because of the importance of peatlands as carbon stores (see here). The report also provided evidence that the current voluntary Muirburn Code is not working. […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/308HFd9 via IFTTT

In October the RSPB published a report warning that current muirburn practices (e.g. setting the moors alight as part of grouse moor ‘management’) are incompatible with Scotland’s net zero ambitions because of the importance of peatlands as carbon stores (see here). The report also provided evidence that the current voluntary Muirburn Code is not working. […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/308HFd9

They’re still at it! A year on from selling products labelled as ‘healthy’, Sainsbury’s is once again selling pheasant and partridge meat that contains poisonous lead shot, way above the safe levels allowed for meats such as beef, pork and chicken. Conservation campaign group Wild Justice has bought and tested more samples this season and […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/31LeHQY

They’re still at it! A year on from selling products labelled as ‘healthy’, Sainsbury’s is once again selling pheasant and partridge meat that contains poisonous lead shot, way above the safe levels allowed for meats such as beef, pork and chicken. Conservation campaign group Wild Justice has bought and tested more samples this season and […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/31LeHQY via IFTTT

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club’s (SOC) virtual annual conference. One of the speakers I was keen to hear was PC Gavin Ross, an Investigative Support Officer at the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). Gavin is the ISO for Scotland and has been in post for a year (see here). […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/31uloa5

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club’s (SOC) virtual annual conference. One of the speakers I was keen to hear was PC Gavin Ross, an Investigative Support Officer at the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). Gavin is the ISO for Scotland and has been in post for a year (see here). […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/31uloa5 via IFTTT

Further to the the blog post on Friday (here), where a gamekeeper from Millden Estate in the Angus Glens was due in court to face charges of alleged animal fighting and animal suffering, the case has been continued yet again, apparently at the behest of the gamekeeper’s QC. This case has been dragging on for […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3rCRUBM

Further to the the blog post on Friday (here), where a gamekeeper from Millden Estate in the Angus Glens was due in court to face charges of alleged animal fighting and animal suffering, the case has been continued yet again, apparently at the behest of the gamekeeper’s QC. This case has been dragging on for […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3rCRUBM via IFTTT

A gamekeeper from the Angus Glens is due back in court today to face charges relating to alleged animal fighting and animal suffering. These charges stem from a joint Scottish SPCA / Police Scotland search warrant which was executed on Millden Estate in October 2019 where a number of dogs were seized. [A headline in […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3EnPnyZ

A gamekeeper from the Angus Glens is due back in court today to face charges relating to alleged animal fighting and animal suffering. These charges stem from a joint Scottish SPCA / Police Scotland search warrant which was executed on Millden Estate in October 2019 where a number of dogs were seized. [A headline in […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3EnPnyZ via IFTTT