FIRECREST TOURS : Guided Birdwatching & Wildlife Days

More parliamentary questions about the mass slaughter of mountain hares have been asked recently, thanks to Alison Johnstone MSP (Scottish Green Party). We were particularly interested in this one: Question S5W-04501: Alison Johnstone, Lothian, Scottish Green Party. Date lodged: 4/11/2016. To ask the Scottish Government what measures it is taking to ensure that estates adhere […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2fRjJRD

Birdwatch magazine is once again hosting the annual Birders’ Choice Awards, now in its third year. These awards are designed to ‘celebrate the best – and condemn the worst – in birding and conservation’. We were genuinely surprised, and flattered, to find ourselves nominated in the Conservation Hero of the Year category. Looking at the […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2gwHIUJ

Many of you will know that we’ve been following the glacial progress of the Scottish Government’s decision on whether the SSPCA should be given increased investigatory powers to help tackle wildlife crime, and particularly, illegal raptor persecution. Here’s an overview of how this ‘key priority’ has been (mis)handled so far. Following the consultation, which ended […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2gRwGwm

One of the six action points in DEFRA’s Hen Harrier Inaction Plan is to ‘reintroduce’ hen harriers to southern England: DEFRA’s HH Inaction Plan has been widely criticised by conservationists, with the main focus being on the brood meddling part. The proposed southern ‘reintroduction’ hasn’t received much attention, largely because the scoping project on which […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2go79Yh

Mull Eagle Watch is a community-based partnership offering visitors the chance to enjoy guided trips to see the reintroduced white-tailed eagles without disturbing them. Starting in 2000 at Loch Frisa, the project has grown to become one of the UK’s best-known and loved wildlife tourism attractions, bringing in five million pounds to the island every […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2fBL9uQ

The Scottish Government has today published its latest annual Wildlife Crime Report – the 4th one since it became a statutory obligation under the Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011. The current report is entitled the ‘2015’ report, but it actually refers to wildlife crimes recorded from April 2014 to March 2015. Just like […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2fggVik

Last week we blogged (here) about an extraordinary comment attributed to Eleanor Mackintosh, a Board member of the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA). During a discussion with the Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association on 29 September 2016, Ms Mackintosh apparently suggested they use covers on the back of vehicles to hide the evidence of mountain hare culls […] Read in full at Raptor Persecution UK http://ift.tt/2gkAQsv