FIRECREST TOURS : Guided Birdwatching & Wildlife Days

Gamekeeper John Orrey’s conviction was secured in December 2021 when he pleaded guilty to five wildlife crime offences and four firearms offences. Sentencing was deferred until yesterday when he was handed a suspended custodial sentence and a small fine (see here) – nowhere near as severe as he deserved for deliberately baiting a trap to […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://bit.ly/3KU3D6j via IFTTT

Gamekeeper John Orrey’s conviction was secured in December 2021 when he pleaded guilty to five wildlife crime offences and four firearms offences. Sentencing was deferred until yesterday when he was handed a suspended custodial sentence and a small fine (see here) – nowhere near as severe as he deserved for deliberately baiting a trap to […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://bit.ly/3KU3D6j

Further to today’s news that gamekeeper John Orrey, 63, of Hall Farm, Kneeton, Nottinghamshire was sentenced today at Nottingham Magistrates Court for battering to death two buzzards he’d caught inside a trap (see here), here’s a piece from BBC journalist Simon Hare on East Midlands Today. Hare door-stepped Orrey as he left the court today but […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/32GVgd9 via IFTTT

Press release from RSPB, 28th January 2022 Keeper caught on camera killing buzzards A gamekeeper has been sentenced to a total of 20 weeks’ imprisonment suspended for 12 months and fined £1000 after pleading guilty to killing two buzzards on land managed for pheasant shooting after an investigation by Nottinghamshire Police and the RSPB. Shocking […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3s5zVmq

Press release from RSPB, 28th January 2022 Keeper caught on camera killing buzzards A gamekeeper has been sentenced to a total of 20 weeks’ imprisonment suspended for 12 months and fined £1000 after pleading guilty to killing two buzzards on land managed for pheasant shooting after an investigation by Nottinghamshire Police and the RSPB. Shocking […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3s5zVmq via IFTTT

Following on from the disturbing footage released yesterday by the League Against Cruel Sports, showing an individual tossing dead gamebirds into an unused mineshaft close in Powys, Wales (see here), an extraordinary admission has been made by the local shooting estate. [Photo from a video clip from the League Against Cruel Sports, published yesterday, here] […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3KTQFWg

A gamekeeper will be sentenced at Nottinghamshire Magistrates Court today after he pleaded guilty to beating to death two buzzards that he caught inside a crow cage trap in Nottinghamshire in January 2021 (see here for previous blog). There are additional offences, including a firearms offence. [Nottinghamshire Police visited the crime scene to collect evidence […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/34eVbhg

Press release from the League Against Cruel Sports, 27th January 2022. Damning video shows dozens of dead gamebirds being dumped by Welsh shoot Damning video evidence has been obtained showing dozens of dead ‘game’ birds being dumped into a natural cavern on the Dyfi Falls shooting estate in mid-Wales. The footage was captured at the […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3sf3Vwf

Press release from the League Against Cruel Sports, 27th January 2022. Damning video shows dozens of dead gamebirds being dumped by Welsh shoot Damning video evidence has been obtained showing dozens of dead ‘game’ birds being dumped into a natural cavern on the Dyfi Falls shooting estate in mid-Wales. The footage was captured at the […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3sf3Vwf via IFTTT

It was good to see plenty of media coverage yesterday about Lochan Estate in Strathbraan, Perthshire having a three-year General Licence restriction imposed on it after the discovery of an illegally-killed hen harrier on one of its grouse moors (see here and here). I saw coverage of this story on the BBC News website (here), […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3Azygcm

It was good to see plenty of media coverage yesterday about Lochan Estate in Strathbraan, Perthshire having a three-year General Licence restriction imposed on it after the discovery of an illegally-killed hen harrier on one of its grouse moors (see here and here). I saw coverage of this story on the BBC News website (here), […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3Azygcm via IFTTT

Further to this morning’s blog about NatureScot imposing a three-year General Licence restriction on Lochan Estate, a grouse and pheasant-shooting estate in Strathbraan, Perthshire, after evidence of alleged raptor persecution was uncovered (see here), NatureScot has issued a press statement that provides more detail behind the restriction. Thanks to the blog reader who pointed me […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3r1oRak

Further to this morning’s blog about NatureScot imposing a three-year General Licence restriction on Lochan Estate, a grouse and pheasant-shooting estate in Strathbraan, Perthshire, after evidence of alleged raptor persecution was uncovered (see here), NatureScot has issued a press statement that provides more detail behind the restriction. Thanks to the blog reader who pointed me […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3r1oRak via IFTTT

Scotland’s statutory conservation agency, NatureScot, has today announced its decision to impose a three-year General Licence restriction on Lochan Estate, a grouse and pheasant-shooting estate in Strathbraan, Perthshire. The statement on NaturesScot’s website reads: ‘In line with NatureScot’s published General Licence restrictions: Framework for Implementing Restrictions we hereby give notice that a restriction has been applied to […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3fV6lKF via IFTTT

Scotland’s statutory conservation agency, NatureScot, has today announced its decision to impose a three-year General Licence restriction on Lochan Estate, a grouse and pheasant-shooting estate in Strathbraan, Perthshire. The statement on NaturesScot’s website reads: ‘In line with NatureScot’s published General Licence restrictions: Framework for Implementing Restrictions we hereby give notice that a restriction has been applied to […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3fV6lKF

The grouse-shooting industry has a well-evidenced reputation for misrepresentation, whether that be of crime statistics, science, technology, opinion or policy, in fact anything it can distort in a desperate attempt to portray itself more favourably, it will do. So it should come as no surprise whatsoever to learn that its latest warped presentation of reality […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3qZamnD

The grouse-shooting industry has a well-evidenced reputation for misrepresentation, whether that be of crime statistics, science, technology, opinion or policy, in fact anything it can distort in a desperate attempt to portray itself more favourably, it will do. So it should come as no surprise whatsoever to learn that its latest warped presentation of reality […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3qZamnD via IFTTT

Last week I blogged about how Green peer Natalie Bennett had posed a question in the House of Lords, asking the UK Government ‘whether they regard captive-reared pheasants released into the environment as wildlife or livestock?‘ (see here). This question stems from the Government’s ongoing contortions relating to the legal status of pheasants, a status […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3qNeG9j via IFTTT

Last week I blogged about how Green peer Natalie Bennett had posed a question in the House of Lords, asking the UK Government ‘whether they regard captive-reared pheasants released into the environment as wildlife or livestock?‘ (see here). This question stems from the Government’s ongoing contortions relating to the legal status of pheasants, a status […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3qNeG9j

In 2020 the community of Langholm in the Scottish Borders successfully raised £3.8 million to buy a knackered old grouse moor from the Duke of Buccleugh and transform it into a vast new nature reserve for the benefit of wildlife and the local community (see here). Many blog readers supported and contributed to this fundraising challenge […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3fPkVmE

Here we go again, one of the most disgusting consequences of releasing approx 60 million non-native pheasants and red-legged partridges into the countryside in their millions. They’re shot for a bit of a laugh and then some of them are simply dumped. Undoubtedly this is driven by an over-supply of birds and little demand by […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3qK4RZQ via IFTTT

Here we go again, one of the most disgusting consequences of releasing approx 60 million non-native pheasants and red-legged partridges into the countryside in their millions. They’re shot for a bit of a laugh and then some of them are simply dumped. Undoubtedly this is driven by an over-supply of birds and little demand by […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3qK4RZQ

Yesterday I wrote a blog that drew attention to the UK Government’s Environment Food Rural Affairs (EFRA) committee’s inquiry into rural mental health and its call for evidence (here). It didn’t seem to me to be controversial in any way, it was just simply highlighting the committee’s call for evidence and encouraging people to participate […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3IpefrX

Yesterday I wrote a blog that drew attention to the UK Government’s Environment Food Rural Affairs (EFRA) committee’s inquiry into rural mental health and its call for evidence (here). It didn’t seem to me to be controversial in any way, it was just simply highlighting the committee’s call for evidence and encouraging people to participate […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3IpefrX via IFTTT

The UK Government’s Environment Food Rural Affairs (EFRA) committee is hosting an inquiry into rural mental health (see here) and has issued a call for evidence (here). This is a timely inquiry as there are many in the rural community who suffer huge mental stress and don’t necessarily receive the support they need (e.g. farmers […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3A8ogXx

RSPB Investigations Officer Guy Shorrock published an insightful blog yesterday (‘Cage traps in the spotlight across the UK’) detailing the ongoing and widespread mis-use and abuse of crow cage traps, often used by criminal gamekeepers to trap and kill raptors, sometimes deliberately and sometimes through reckless negligence. His blog provided details of an incident in […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3FCJhun

The North York Moors National Park Authority (NYMNPA) is currently consulting on its draft management plan, which aims to set out a series of priority actions to help the Park tackle issues which include ‘recovery from the COVID pandemic, escalating climate and nature emergencies, increasing mental and physical health problems among the general population, and […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3qxFB8W

Earlier this month conservation campaign group Wild Justice said it was taking further legal advice after DEFRA continued to cause confusion about the status of captive-reared pheasants – when do they transition from being ‘livestock’ to being ‘wild birds’ and how do you tell (see here)? Wild Justice also produced this handy flow-chart, which they […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3I8fmMr

Scotland’s Moorland Forum is hosting an online discussion between several key individuals about whether rewilding is compatible with other moorland use such as grouse shooting. Of particular interest to readers of this blog will be the discussion about the impact of intensive grouse moor management on species such as golden eagles, white-tailed eagles, hen harriers, […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3GCXARc

Scotland’s Moorland Forum is hosting an online discussion between several key individuals about whether rewilding is compatible with other moorland use such as grouse shooting. Of particular interest to readers of this blog will be the discussion about the impact of intensive grouse moor management on species such as golden eagles, white-tailed eagles, hen harriers, […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3GCXARc via IFTTT

West Yorkshire Police published the following statement on its Facebook page yesterday: Unfortunately there isn’t any information about the number of raptors poisoned, which species, on what dates they were found, or at which locations. I haven’t been able to find any other reports or details – there isn’t anything on the West Yorkshire Police […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/322qriz via IFTTT

West Yorkshire Police published the following statement on its Facebook page yesterday: Unfortunately there isn’t any information about the number of raptors poisoned, which species, on what dates they were found, or at which locations. I haven’t been able to find any other reports or details – there isn’t anything on the West Yorkshire Police […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/322qriz

Job announcement from Scottish Wildlife Trust Title: Species Protection Officer (x 4 posts)Status: April 2022 – June 2022, 17.5 hours per weekSalary: £17,290 pro rata per annumLocation: Loch of the Lowes, DunkeldClosing date: 31 January 2022, 12 noon Scotland’s leading nature conservation charity is looking for enthusiastic individuals to undertake the role of Species Protection […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3fqK8DK

Job announcement from Scottish Wildlife Trust Title: Species Protection Officer (x 4 posts)Status: April 2022 – June 2022, 17.5 hours per weekSalary: £17,290 pro rata per annumLocation: Loch of the Lowes, DunkeldClosing date: 31 January 2022, 12 noon Scotland’s leading nature conservation charity is looking for enthusiastic individuals to undertake the role of Species Protection […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3fqK8DK via IFTTT

On 30th November last year, gamekeeper Peter Givens from the Cathpair Estate in the Scottish Borders was convicted at Selkirk Sheriff Court of recklessly killing a barn owl and a goshawk in September 2020. The two supposedly protected species had become caught inside a cage trap operated by Givens but they starved to death because […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3qoBYSU via IFTTT

On 30th November last year, gamekeeper Peter Givens from the Cathpair Estate in the Scottish Borders was convicted at Selkirk Sheriff Court of recklessly killing a barn owl and a goshawk in September 2020. The two supposedly protected species had become caught inside a cage trap operated by Givens but they starved to death because […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3qoBYSU

The Bunker is an independent political podcast examining the big issues of the UK. In this week’s episode, Wild Justice Co-Director Mark Avery discusses driven grouse shooting with host Arthur Snell, with a particular focus on the illegal killing of birds of prey that takes place on many driven grouse moors. This is a good, […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3HVcouw

The Bunker is an independent political podcast examining the big issues of the UK. In this week’s episode, Wild Justice Co-Director Mark Avery discusses driven grouse shooting with host Arthur Snell, with a particular focus on the illegal killing of birds of prey that takes place on many driven grouse moors. This is a good, […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3HVcouw via IFTTT

Please just watch these two videos. The first one was published on Chris’s twitter feed on New Year’s Eve, the second one was an interview he did with Channel 5 News on 5th January 2022. RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3JXjwIw

Further to the blog post on 4th January 2022 (here), a gamekeeper has pleaded guilty to five offences committed in Nottinghamshire in January 2021, including the illegal killing of two buzzards, the unlawful use of a trap, the unlawful possession of two stock doves and a firearms offence. [Nottinghamshire Police visited the crime scene to […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3G3k39G via IFTTT

Further to the blog post on 4th January 2022 (here), a gamekeeper has pleaded guilty to five offences committed in Nottinghamshire in January 2021, including the illegal killing of two buzzards, the unlawful use of a trap, the unlawful possession of two stock doves and a firearms offence. [Nottinghamshire Police visited the crime scene to […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3G3k39G

As many blog readers will know, 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 two General Licence restrictions imposed by NatureScot after ‘clear evidence’ of wildlife crime was provided to the […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3JMjYJK via IFTTT

As many blog readers will know, 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 two General Licence restrictions imposed by NatureScot after ‘clear evidence’ of wildlife crime was provided to the […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3JMjYJK

It’s that time of year again, when pheasants and red-legged partridges have been released into the countryside in their millions (approx 60 million of these non-native species, in fact), they’re then shot for a bit of a laugh and then some of them are simply dumped. Unfortunately for the game shooting industry, this is an ongoing, […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3ETuWti

It’s that time of year again, when pheasants and red-legged partridges have been released into the countryside in their millions (approx 60 million of these non-native species, in fact), they’re then shot for a bit of a laugh and then some of them are simply dumped. Unfortunately for the game shooting industry, this is an ongoing, […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3ETuWti via IFTTT

The trial of a gamekeeper accused of killing buzzards is due to begin this week almost a year to the day of the alleged offences. On 12th January 2021 Nottinghamshire Police, working in partnership with the RSPB Investigations Team, attended a location in the Kneeton area following reports of concern (see here). A gamekeeper was […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3JHhSe7

The trial of a gamekeeper accused of killing buzzards is due to begin this week almost a year to the day of the alleged offences. On 12th January 2021 Nottinghamshire Police, working in partnership with the RSPB Investigations Team, attended a location in the Kneeton area following reports of concern (see here). A gamekeeper was […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3JHhSe7 via IFTTT

DEFRA has published its latest General Licences which permit the killing of some bird species for some approved purposes, such as protecting crops, protecting livestock, for public health and for nature conservation. This time the General Licences (for England only) have been extended to two years instead of one, and DEFRA has applied some dodgy […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3znCQdc

DEFRA has published its latest General Licences which permit the killing of some bird species for some approved purposes, such as protecting crops, protecting livestock, for public health and for nature conservation. This time the General Licences (for England only) have been extended to two years instead of one, and DEFRA has applied some dodgy […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3znCQdc via IFTTT

For anyone who still wants to pretend that the grouse shooting industry isn’t responsible for the systematic extermination of hen harriers on grouse moors across the UK, here’s the latest catalogue of crime that suggests otherwise. [This male hen harrier died in 2019 after his leg was almost severed in an illegally set trap that […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3zfqu6O

Three more satellite-tagged hen harriers have gone missing in suspicious circumstances, according to the most recent data published by Natural England just before Xmas. One went missing in July 2021, one in August and one in September. Neither the police or Natural England have issued any media press releases or made any public appeals for […] from Raptor Persecution UK https://ift.tt/3qIjYS7 via IFTTT

Three more satellite-tagged hen harriers have gone missing in suspicious circumstances, according to the most recent data published by Natural England just before Xmas. One went missing in July 2021, one in August and one in September. Neither the police or Natural England have issued any media press releases or made any public appeals for […] RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/3qIjYS7