FIRECREST TOURS : Guided Birdwatching & Wildlife Days

Following yesterday’s blog about that Scottish gamekeeper who was interviewed on BBC Scotland radio, accusing “bird activists” of killing satellite-tagged golden eagles and hen harriers (see here), he was also on the telly last night. The TV piece was a shortened version of the radio interview. Here’s the transcript they left out: “I now have […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2cezhOF

Gamekeepers in Scotland have asked the public not to hamper ‘legitimate moorland activities’ after a number of poisoned baits were disturbed next to a popular walking area. The baits, which are approved by the Modern Poisoners’ Society to be deployed by trained gamekeepers to control predators such as golden eagles and red kites, were interfered […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2bCfIM3

It’s ok everybody, the mystery of the vanishing satellite-tagged raptors has finally been solved. It wasn’t the (non-existent) wind farms (see here). And it wasn’t the unreliable satellite tags with a dodgy salt water switch attached to Olive Ridley Turtles off the coast of India (see here). No, the real reason, according to a Scottish […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2bO1Iz8

A couple of weeks ago we blogged about the Cabinet Secretary for the Environment’s call for a review of golden eagle satellite tag data (see here). This was in response to the news that eight young satellite-tagged golden eagles had ‘disappeared’ on grouse moors in the Monadhliaths over a five year period, with three of […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2btzuPf

Many people think that a National Park provides a safe haven for wildlife. It’d be a reasonable expectation. The reality is somewhat different. The following photographs were taken last week inside the Peak District National Park. To be more precise, they were taken on the northern side of the Bole Edge Plantation (Strines Wood), close […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2bqPj9w

We’ve been blogging for over a year about the use of propane gas guns on grouse moors and about our concerns that these booming bird scaring devices are being used to discourage raptors (and particularly hen harriers) from settling to breed (e.g. see here, here, here, here). In June this year, Natural England finally produced […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2bE8mfE

This year’s Northern England Raptor Forum conference will be held on Saturday 19 November at the Xcel Centre in Durham, co-hosted by the Durham Upland Bird Study Group and the Durham Bird Club. The conference programme has just been announced (see here) and includes the following presentations: Birds of the Durham uplands: current population trends […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2bvGZmm