Another red kite has now been confirmed poisoned in Scotland, this time in Strathtay, near Aberfeldy, Perthshire. Although the bird was found dead towards the letter end of July, toxicology results undertaken by SASA have only recently confirmed poisoning to have been the cause. Tayside police are now appealing for any information to bring those responsible to justice.
Continue reading Raptor Poisoning – too much talk and not enough action by UK Governments!
Raptor Politics have recently learned that the RSPB have decided to widen the hen harrier debate by launching a public consultation initiative throughout Northern England. The aims of this important project are to try and promote public awareness and a better understanding of people’s attitudes towards hen harriers in the community and devise new approaches to their conservation, presumably that work.
Continue reading The North of England Hen Harrier Community Consultation
Forest of Bowland, including West Lancashire
The 2010 season has been one of the most unusual, not least because Natural England found itself in the invidious position of having to respond to complaints made to its licensing office about the activities of the Lancashire Police Wildlife Crime Officer (WLCO) Pc Duncan Thomas, on whom they are reliant for assistance in the delivery of enforcement in respect of the criminal breaches of wildlife legislation in Lancashire.
The inappropriate behaviour complained of by the local raptor group was non-compliance by the WLCO in relation to his disturbance licence conditions, which is a breach of the wildlife legislation that he is expected to enforce, hence the difficulty.
Natural England responded to the complaint by writing to the officer concerned reminding him of the necessity to adhere to the conditions of his police disturbance licence. It is believed that this is the first time that Natural England has had to issue such a reminder to a serving WLCO and hopefully it will be the last.
The disturbance licence issued to all Wildlife Crime Officers can only be used for the purpose of visiting Schedule 1 nests to prevent and detect criminal offences only. Without explanation this officer had initiated visits to nest sites for what could only be described as monitoring purposes, which is operating outside the licence conditions.
As part of the process of trying to resolve concerns raised by the complainant, methodology changes were put in place by NE as a possible way forward in resolving these issues. NE decided to place 4 peregrine nests under the supervision of Lancashire’s WLCO for the duration of the breeding season. This was undertaken in the form of a field protocol.
Before reading this article Raptor Politics consider it appropriate to issue the following important statement: The inappropriate use of rodenticides (containing anticoagulants) are the greatest potential threat to raptor species in the UK at the present time. A Species at particular risk, as highlighted below by recent events in Scotland, is the Red Kite because of the kite’s dependency to feed on carrion. Other raptors at risk are Golden Eagle, White-tailed Eagle and of course Hen Harrier. It is more appropriate we feel to make a separate reference to two of Britain’s most important vermin control species, the Barn Owl and Polecat, which would undoubtedly be placed at a higher risk by the indiscriminate and irresponsible use of rodenticides within the farming community.
In the wrong hands these highly toxic and dangerous substances, which can be purchased over the counter and retained in large quantities without a licence by the public, could theoretically be used to wipe out total raptor populations in our country. This year so far 10 Red Kite chicks have been recovered dead from a minimum of 4 nests on Scotland’s Black Isle, all displaying typical symptoms of rodenticides poisoning. These figures are of particular concern to Scottish conservationists like Brian Etheridge as they represent 10% of the 39 successful nests found this year and the 88 young that reached tagging age of 5 weeks on the Black Isle this year. Of course the losses could be higher if any adult kites from the four nests have also been poisoned.
Continue reading Ten Scottish Red kite chicks fall victim to 2nd generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides!
A pair of red kites who became well-known to tourists and animal lovers have been found dead.
Numerous visitors travelled to the kites’ nesting site near Whittonstall, Northumberland, last year, where they were clearly visible at long-range for several months.
Continue reading Red Kites recovered dead in Northumberland
It’s the big attraction for birders, but the eagle Owl could be made officially unwelcome in the UK.
The latest update regarding the possible fate of Eagle Owls resident in the UK has been published in the September edition of BBC Wildlife Magazine. We enclose a summary to allow each of our readers to judge for themselves the consequences of what may or may not happen following the publication of the ongoing Defra review, the results of which are due later this year.
Continue reading Defra – Will a cull of UK Eagle Owls be approved?
This year there were three confirmed breeding attempts made by Eagle Owls in Lancashire’s Forest of Bowland, but only one pair succeeded in raising a complete brood of three owlets. Two new nests were found; one on the 5 April on the Abbeystead Estate, owned by the Duke of Westminster, contained a single abandoned egg and one on the 14 April containing 3 eggs located on moorland owned by United Utilities Plc. For the fifth successive year the resident pair was again located in the Dunsop Valley. It is we feel significant that after the police were instructed to stay away from both pairs of eagle owls this season, each pair at least successfully hatched their 3 eggs.
Continue reading Bowland Eagle Owls – A tragedy which should never have been allowed to happen!
In 2009 a white-tailed eagle, two golden eagles, four red kites, and 21 buzzards were confirmed by the Scottish Government as being victims of illegal poisoning. Baits laced with highly toxic and illegal poisons continued to be deliberately laid out in the open in Scotland’s countryside. A red kite was shot and a further four buzzards were confirmed as shot or trapped. Peregrines and hen harriers nesting on driven grouse moors again “disappeared” in circumstances that suggested deliberate human interference.
Continue reading The illegal killing of birds of prey in Scotland in 2009
Both countries are experiencing dramatic increases in reported cases of birds of prey being poisoned. The Scottish and Irish governments have now agreed to a partnership to work together to tackle the illegal poisoning of golden eagles, white-tailed eagles and other birds of prey. Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham has written to her Irish counterpart, asking for talks on the “unacceptable problem”. Ms Cunningham wants to look at possible joint initiatives.
Continue reading Raptor Poisoning – Irish partnership to help Scotland’s birds of prey
It has just been anounced the 2 Red Kites found dead in Northumberland earlier this year were poisoned, police have now confirmed.
The 2 kites found dead close to each other in Hexham, Northumberland on 12th February 2010 which were sent for post mortem analysis to a specialist veterinary surgeon in Newcastle both died as a result of eating meat which had been laced with poison. When the dead kites were discovered on 12 February this year the bodies showed no evidence of bullet injuries.
Continue reading Two Red Kites Confirmed Poisoned in Northumberland
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