FIRECREST TOURS : Guided Birdwatching & Wildlife Days

Three years ago in February 2020, nine UK game-shooting organisations made a massive U-turn after years and years and years of defending the use of toxic lead ammunition, and said they wanted to drag the industry into the 21st Century by making a five-year voluntary transition away from lead ammunition (see here). A lot of us … Continue reading "New study shows pheasants still full of poisonous lead shot three years after start of ‘voluntary transition’ to non-toxic shot" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/kXWEot5

Max Wiszniewski is Campaign Manager for REVIVE, the coalition for grouse moor reform. He’s written a comment piece for today’s edition of the National, discussing the current SNP leadership race which Max thinks is a perfect opportunity to tackle land (and grouse moor) reform. His article is reproduced below: THE leadership election for the Scottish … Continue reading "‘SNP leadership race is perfect opportunity to tackle land (& grouse moor) reform’ – comment piece by Max Wiszniewski" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/1no7cf3

There’s been widespread media coverage of a court case at Weymouth Magistrates this week, which mostly focused on a ‘frustrated’ landowner, William Elder, throwing a dead partridge at his gamekeeper, Daniel Burden, and the gamekeeper throwing it back at his boss, after an argument about whether paying guests had been given the best opportunity to … Continue reading "Dorset landowner cleared of assaulting gamekeeper & beater after argument over low number of gamebirds available to be shot" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/HA2xz1W

Formidable land reform campaigner Andy Wightman has revamped his ‘Who Owns Scotland‘ website – a fantastic resource for anyone interested in land ownership and a site I’ve used countless times to investigate locations of raptor persecution crimes. Here’s a new brochure from Andy to encourage new subscribers: If you have any questions about the project, … Continue reading "Andy Wightman revamps ‘Who Owns Scotland’ website" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/oKT3umB

Last weekend at its annual conference, the Scottish Raptor Study Group (SRSG) paid tribute to Patrick Stirling-Aird MBE, who has retired from his long-held position as SRSG Secretary. The following text is a copy of the tribute to Patrick, delivered at the SRSG conference by Duncan Orr-Ewing. Patrick Stirling-Aird MBE SRSG Conference 18 February 2023 … Continue reading "Scottish Raptor Study Group pays tribute to Patrick Stirling-Aird on his retirement" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/VuzLHGj

  Two men have been banned from owning or keeping dogs for three years under new legislative powers designed to target poachers. On 21 February2023, Colchester magistrates handed David Hilden and Tyron Young disqualification orders under section 66 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 in what is believed to be a national first, after the pair each admitted a charge of daytime trespass in pursuit of game. Magistrates made the orders after hearing both men had travelled to the Saffron Walden area from south London with dogs which were to be used to poach game. Investigating officer PC Nigel Wright, of the Rural Engagement Team, said after the hearing:  “The poaching of wild animals is extremely cruel but it can also cause a lot of damage to crops and farmland, which is very costly for the land owner or farmer. Dogs are integral to poaching and I am delighted that the magistrates were able to use this new legislation to deprive these two poac...

Following the sentencing last week of criminal gamekeeper Paul Allen in Dorset (here), I’ve been reviewing the responses from various organisations including the RSPB (here), the game-shooting industry (here) and Dorset Police (here). Today I’m reviewing Natural England’s response. Natural England (NE) published the following blog (reproduced below) on the day Allen was sentenced (16th … Continue reading "Natural England’s response to sentencing of criminal gamekeeper Paul Allen" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/Ai9cKRI

There’s a two-page spread in today’s Mirror newspaper on the ‘rising crimewave of raptor persecution across the UK’, written by Environment Editor Nada Farhoud. There isn’t anything in this article that regular blog readers won’t already know about but that’s not really the point. It’s good to see the extent of these crimes being exposed … Continue reading "‘Rising crimewave of raptor persecution across UK’ – feature article in The Mirror" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/UpVBnSr

Well it’s taken them long enough, but finally Dorset Police has managed to issue a statement about the conviction and sentencing of criminal gamekeeper Paul Allen, who pleaded guilty to multiple wildlife, poisons and firearms offences whilst working on the Shaftesbury Estate in March 2021. You’ll recall I was surprised when Dorset Police failed to … Continue reading "Dorset Police response to sentencing of criminal gamekeeper Paul Allen" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/oEVWthf

Further to last week’s blog about criminal gamekeeper Paul Allen’s sentencing for committing multiple wildlife, poisons and firearms offences on the Shaftesbury Estate in Dorset (here), here is a round-up of responses from the organisations within the game-shooting industry who also serve on the Raptor Persecution Priority Delivery Group (RPPDG), whose main objective is to … Continue reading "Game-shooting industry’s response to sentencing of Dorset gamekeeper Paul Allen" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/sN2LPzk

Fifteen plastic sacks full of pheasant remains have been found dumped in the River Dyfi near Machynlleth in Wales. The first nine sacks were found on 14th February, seemingly thrown from a bridge near Glantwymyn, probably in the hope they’d be washed out to sea. However, likely due to the weight of the dead birds … Continue reading "15 sacks of pheasants dumped in Dyfi River in Wales – police investigating" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/4T9eQAX

Further to yesterday’s news that criminal gamekeeper Paul Allen had escaped a custodial sentence despite committing multiple wildlife, poisons and firearms offences whilst employed on the Shaftesbury Estate in Dorset (here), the RSPB has issued the following press release: Gamekeeper fined as dead birds of prey and poisons found on Dorset estate Gamekeeper Paul Allen … Continue reading "RSPB’s response to sentencing of criminal Dorset gamekeeper, Paul Allen" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/m7vJP9c

BREAKING NEWS….. Further to this morning’s blog (here), criminal gamekeeper Paul Allen, 54, of Baileys Hill, in Brockington, near Wimborne, has been given a suspended custodial sentence and a small fine after he pleaded guilty to multiple wildlife, poisons and firearms offences whilst working on the Shaftesbury Estate in Dorset in March 2021. For possessing … Continue reading "Criminal Dorset gamekeeper Paul Allen receives suspended custodial sentence, despite multiple wildlife, poisons & firearms offences" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/5yJFMKs

Paul Allen, 54, the gamekeeper convicted last month of multiple wildlife, poisons and firearms offences committed on the Shaftesbury Estate, Dorset in March 2021 (here) is due to be sentenced at Weymouth Magistrates Court this afternoon. You may recall, following the discovery of a poisoned red kite on the estate in November 2020, a multi-agency … Continue reading "Convicted Dorset gamekeeper Paul Allen due to be sentenced today" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/gZtspAI

If anyone has been wondering why no progress whatsoever has been made to tackle the illegal killing of birds of prey in England, I give you Natural England’s senior management team: RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/UbnkIRt

Last November I was reading an online article on the Teeside Live website about the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in North Yorkshire being dubbed ‘the bird poisoning capital of the UK‘ (here). The article was illustrated with various photographs, including this image of a poisoned red kite that was reportedly found dead … Continue reading "Red kite found poisoned on Swinton Estate – North Yorkshire Police refuses to investigate" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/Fu32TdK

Yesterday, the BBC News website ran a story about the discovery of a dead golden eagle on the Queensberry Estate, an estate within the Buccleuch portfolio in Dumfriesshire. The eagle had reportedly been discovered on Saturday and is believed to have been one of the young eagles from the South Scotland Golden Eagle Project, where … Continue reading "Dead golden eagle found on Scottish grouse moor" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/N2WhvVx

A shot red kite has been found injured after ‘falling from the sky’ at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich Park, south east London. It is currently being treated at the South Essex Wildlife Hospital where x-rays revealed multiple shotgun pellets lodged in its body. It’s not clear where or when this kite was shot. Staff … Continue reading "Shot red kite found injured in Greenwich Park, London" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/XljPsCy

In March last year a young, satellite-tagged white-tailed eagle was found dead on the Isle of Wight in what were considered to be suspicious circumstances and a police investigation was launched (see here). This was the third white-tailed eagle death since October 2021 and all three birds were from the Isle of Wight Reintroduction Project,  a … Continue reading "Death of white-tailed eagle on Isle of Wight recorded as ‘uncertain’ as presence of avian flu restricted toxicology tests" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/z7fN9BG

A court hearing has been delayed once again in the case of a Scottish gamekeeper accused of the alleged killing of a sparrowhawk. The un-named 22-year-old gamekeeper was charged in September 2021 (see here) for the alleged killing on a grouse moor in Inverness-shire and he was due in court on 30th September 2022. The case … Continue reading "Scottish gamekeeper charged with killing Sparrowhawk on a grouse moor – new court hearing" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/Biz1Pd0

As a result of an intelligence lead operation, Wildlife Crime Officers successfully secured the conviction of four men involved in hare coursing in Stirling and Borders area.  On Monday, 29 April 2020, a silver Subaru Forester was stopped by police officers near to Kippen roundabout, Stirling.  Steven Brown (31), William McPhee (53), William McPhee (31), and Alexander McAllister (47) were arrested and charged with hare coursing offences throughout Stirling and the Borders. The car and dogs were seized. The men were sentenced at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, 6 February, 2023. Hare coursing is a wildlife crime where dogs such as sight hounds namely lurcher type dogs are used to illegally chase, catch, injure and kill hares.  All were found guilty which resulted in a driving ban, disqualification from owning dogs, community payback order and compensation order totalling 720 hours and £1,300. Source: Police Scotland The post Four men sentenced following h...

Last week I blogged about how the Scottish Government intended to publish its independent Taskforce review on SSPCA powers ‘prior to summer 2023’, even though the review was submitted to Government on 22nd October 2022 (see here). I pointed out that we may then have to wait another year after publication of the review for … Continue reading "Scottish Government will provide response at same time the taskforce review on SSPCA powers is published" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/UnKQVCq

Many thanks to Life Peer Natalie Bennett for tabling a question in the House of Lords about the avian flu risk posed by the dumping of shot game birds in the countryside. This question was triggered by (a) DEFRA Minister and game bird shooter Lord Benyon’s previous denial of having seen any evidence of shot, … Continue reading "DEFRA Minister responds to House of Lords question on avian flu risk posed by shot, dumped game birds" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/tTzv9bY

The rotting carcasses of shot pheasants, ducks and geese have been found today, dumped on the Otley Wetlands Nature Reserve in West Yorkshire. Morgan Caygill (@atypicalbirder) posted the following on Twitter this afternoon: From the grisly photograph it’s clear that at least some of these birds have been ‘breasted’ (i.e. the breast meat has been … Continue reading "Shot pheasants, ducks & geese found dumped on nature reserve in Yorkshire" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/4mNiLKF

In July last year, the Scottish Government finally got around to establishing an independent Taskforce to consider whether the Scottish SPCA should be granted additional powers to help investigate raptor persecution and other wildlife crime (see here). As a quick recap, the SSPCA’s current powers (under animal welfare legislation) limits their investigations to cases that … Continue reading "Wildlife crime: key conservation organisations ‘excluded’ from Scottish Government’s review on increasing SSPCA powers" RaptorPersecutionUK https://ift.tt/xc5SMnl