A “Press Release” issued by Natural England this week claims that Hen Harrier numbers in England are now at their lowest number since records began. Details here.
Just to show we always do our very best to put on record the other side of any arguement, we would like our readers to review the article published on the 4th November in Shooting UK and decide for themselves where the truth lies. We wish ALL our readers would pay particular notice to the last paragraph highlighting the claims of PC DUNCAN THOMAS, Wildlife Crime Officer for Lancashire.
We should all bear in mind in order to uncover the truth and therefore reach an accurate conclusion, in any police investigation, ALL the facts should be reviewed and taken into consideration before reaching any decision; in fact this is the duty of any investigating police officer. In the last two years members of the local raptor group have reported the destruction of 6 Bowland Peregrine eyries to the Wildlife Crime Officer. However due to other important duties and commitments to date the Wildlife Crime Officer has not investigated any of these incidents.
Perhaps more significantly, in view of PC Thomas’s claims relating to the lack of any Hen Harrier persecution in Bowland, the following information in our view casts doubt on the validity of his conclusions together with his limited expertise in such matters. We also feel it is important to highlight a claim by PC Thomas he made in The Shooting Times 28th June 2007. “I would love to detail the many success stories and to name the gamekeepers and estates that constantly produce quality numbers of Hen Harriers and other sensitive species.” We now challenge PC Duncan Thomas to come clean and expalin what has happened to these extra Hen Harriers, if they ever existed at all! To be blunt, the evidence does not support the claims made by the Wildlife Crime Officer what so ever.
In July two expert field workers, with over 80 years practical experience of Hen Harriers between them, found a Harrier nest containing the corpses of 3 Hen Harrier chicks. For several weeks both conservationists had been keeping a close watch on the development of this nest and it’s valuable content on behalf of the RSPB. PC Thomas was informed of the situation and took over the investigation on behalf of United Utilities the owner of the moorland where the nest was located. Crucially, although both field workers felt they had important information supporting their view the disappearance of both adult Hen Harriers and the deaths of all 3 offspring had been caused by persecution, for some curious reason the officer did not iterview these two critical witnesses or take witness statements from them before closing the case. PC Thomas decided after receiving an autopsy report and having made his own examination of the dead chicks and nest, that the chicks had been killed by a fox, and in his view therefore the case was closed.
In 1980 there were at least 40 breeding females distributed throughout the Forest of Bowland’s 300 square miles of moorland. It is recorded that on the Abbeystead Estate at that time, then in the ownership of the Earl of Sefton’s family until the sale of the estate to the present owner the Duke of Westminster in 1982, the number of Hen Harriers was at least 12 breeding females. By 1983 following extensive persecution, numbers of Hen Harriers across the whole of Bowland had been reduced to just a single pair. This sad state of affairs culminated in spasmodic breeding by one or two pairs per year during the next 5-years until the spring of 1988, when numbers of Hen Harriers suddenly increased to at least 4 breeding females.
By the late 1980’s the situation took a sudden down turn once again when two nests, one located on the Abbeystead estate, the second on moorlands owned by United Utilities were discovered containing the dismembered and mutilated bodies of 7 dead chicks. Each corpse had been stamped on until flesh, bone and feather had been reduced to a bloody pulp. It was also very significant at each nest site the adult birds had disappeared, presumed to have been shot.
The press release infers blame for the current situation on the very harsh weather during parts of the 2008/ 2009 winter, together with a reduction in vole numbers throughout the area. In the 1970’s and 1980’s adverse winter weather conditions throughout the Forest of Bowland was far more extreme, climatic change had not even been heard about; temperatures would often drop to -12 degrees Celsius, often lasting for 6 to 7 weeks. We recall two springs when snow remained on the higher Bowland fells well into May but had little ill effect on the numbers of Hen Harrier in those historic times. Hen Harriers leave the high moorlands to lower altitudes along the river estuaries during periods of extreme condition where food supplies are more readily available, only returning to breed as conditions improve.
The other misleading claim being made suggests low numbers of voles may also have played an adverse role on the situation in Bowland this year. The Hen Harrier is an opportunist predator, and is known to predate on a diverse number of species, including grouse, pipits, lizards and other small upland birds available to them in addition to voles. Although the Hen Harrier does predate on voles, unlike the Short-eared owl, the vole forms only a small percentage of the Hen Harrier’s diet, and in reality a small decrease in vole numbers is unlikely to have contributed to such a reduction in numbers of breeding Hen Harriers in Bowland this year.
It is significant numbers of Barn Owls in Bowland were high this year, despite a claim that vole numbers were low. The Barn Owl’s staple prey in Bowland on the other hand is mainly voles; yet despite the claims being made about the reduction in Hen Harrier numbers this year, Barn Owls in the region were seemingly un-effected fledging normal broods of young. The facts we have provided would appear to undermine the claims that the Hen Harrier had suffered a decline this year due to the harsh winter and the lack of voles. The more likely scenario for this year’s terrible statistics may have much more to do with the persecution of Hen Harriers in large numbers while at their winter roosts. At least one clutch of 4 eggs was lost from a nest established on moorlands owned by United Utilities. A second nest scrape in the same location was also found empty. Towards the end of the season an additional brood of 3 chicks were found dead in and around their nest on the same estate. In this instance both adult Harriers had disappeared. Reasons for this nest failure put forward by the Wildlife Crime Officer suggested the nest had been predated by a fox. Local RSPB experts who had been keeping a close watch on the nest were never asked for their views by either the police or the land owner on what they thought had taken place. When detailed field notes kept by the two expert field workers are examined, it becomes clear the loss of the 3 chicks together with both adult birds was more likely to have been a result of persecution.
Interestingly, the token pair of Hen Harriers protected by Royal Patronage on the Duke of Westminster’s Estate in Bowland this year surprisingly successfully fledged a bumper brood of 5 chicks. The number of fledged chicks from this single nest equalled the total number of fledged chicks from all the 6 additional occupied nests on moorland in Bowland put together this year. This achievement is even more remarkable having been accomplished under the same environmental climatic conditions faced by other breeding pairs in the region, and the same amount of available prey resources. In our opinion this casts further doubt on what is now being conveniently claimed as fact by both Natural England and the Police Wildlife Crime Officer. There is now very little doubt that Natural England’s Hen Harrier Recovery Project has failed to deliver any worth while results. Despite several hundred thousand pounds of tax payer’s money being spent supporting the project’s aims, it’s a sad reality there are less Hen Harriers in England now than when the scheme was first introduced. Significantly during the 8 years the project has been up and running, Hen Harriers have been lost from the RSPB’s Geltsdale reserve in the Pennines, and not a single extra productive territory has been established in the Forest of Bowland outside moorland owned by both United Utilities and His Grace The Duke of Westminster. These figures speak for themselves and can not be disputed and are further testament to the opinion that “human persecution” is the key to what has been taking place place on England’s grouse moors for the last 40 years at least.
This is history repeating itself once again. Thirty years ago when everyone was aware the 1983 Hen Harrier crash had been caused by direct human persecution to protect game stocks, national conservation bodies were not prepared to go on the record and say why. Instead they opted for keeping their views secret in order to preserve political relationships with estates. At the time in a television interview with Dr. Derek Ratcliffe, the former Chief Scientist at the Nature Conservancy Council, Dr Radcliffe could not have made his views clearer, the Scientist pointing out that he could think of no other valid reason for such a population decline other than direct persecution. Today is no different, and its high time English Conservation Organisations had the integrity and courage to tell the truth for once before its too late. This years appalling situation is no different to what took place in 1983; there is only one reason for the decline in the Hen Harrier population on England’s grouse moors.. ILLEGAL PERSECUTION.
Its high time Natural England came off the fence and took direct action before we loose each and every Hen Harrier in England. Appeasing landowners and their gamekeepers will never work; these individuals simply do NOT want Harriers on the moors along side grouse. Appeasement did not work when Neville Chamberlain went to meet a dictator called “Adolf Hitler”, and it is not an answer now!
With Natural England becoming such a weak organisation it will not be able to defend itself from the massive cuts this government is about to place on them. Even DEFRA are now undertaking a revue of their money spent on SSSIs now standing at £91 million a year. This will result in even less chance to protect Hen Harriers in England in the future
Reading things like this is very depressing particually as there seems to be very little we can do to help the matter, without my relatively new interest in raptors its sad to say I would probably not even be aware of the problem.
This area (north high peak) is one of the worst area’s in the country for persecution yet as a resident I had no idea of the problem let alone the scale of the problem.
It might be that I am completely ignorant but I like to think I have a fairly balanced view on life and keep upto date with whats going on in my area.
So that leaves me wondering why I don’t ever see anything about Natural England (i’ve asked people in general conversation and have yet to find one person who has even heard of them), in my opinion their profile is nowhere near the level it needs to be.
I’v
What a pity the Hen Harriers aren’t crying Asylum, Asylum. And that’s not a racist comment just a cynical one!
Well that’s alright then, Hen Harriers have now commenced to breed in cereal crops! No mention of what strategy might even be under contemplation , after the appalling breeding season in 2009, to try and ensure Hen Harriers are afforded more protection in future. It seems to me the current efforts of the “senior” conservation bodies amount to little more than cataloguing the demise of harriers in England, accompanied by weasly words relating to causal effects.
As for the utter drivel from the Lancs Policeman referring to some alternative population of harriers no-one else seems to know about, even the conservation bodies, I’m begining to think this whole issue is moving into the realms of fiction, bereft of any realism or absolute commitment to save this species at all costs!!
Things are just as bad for the full range of raptor species from Merlin to Sea-eagle on the Scottish grouse-moors, but at least we are now getting excellent support from full-time WCO’s and most part-time ones too. They are all very aware what these moorland keepers get up to and cooperate with, rather than against raptor field workers. Moreover, the Scottish Government has recently woken up to what is happening following the media outrage after the recent poisoning of three Golden Eagles and are at least making the right noises. I find it incredulous that a police officer, so firmly entrenched in game shooting world, should be employed as a WCO in a region notorious for raptor persecution. That he is now suggesting in the Shooting press that it is food supply or other natural factors that is responsible for the poor Hen Harrier breeding results of 2009 is farcical!
All of the research that has been carried out (or is currently underway) on raptor populations in Scotland (Golden Eagle, Red Kite, Hen Harrier, Peregrine) single out persecution on driven grouse-mooors as the single most important limiting factor. This management regime for red grouse thrives only when keepers kill all animals and birds that can faintly be implimented in the predation of grouse – if it has claws or a hooked beak, it dies! The question that needs to be asked is should we allow a management regime to thrive and dominate vast areas of heather moorland in Britain when it is only viable through the illegal destruction of scarse and protected species and their nests? The fact that many of the estates involved in this criminal activity or employing the criminal gamekeepers carrying it out, are also in receipt of huge financial grants from the public purse in support of their forestry and farming activities, needs further to be questioned. If we think it is bad now, it is going to get a lot worse when Cameron gets in!
Perhaps you missed a bit of PC Duncan’s quote:
“I would love to detail the many success stories and to name the gamekeepers and estates that constantly produce quality numbers of Hen Harriers and other sensitive species.”
Maybe he meant to follow on with:
“but they just don’t exist”
Would there be a point for someone to get up a petition of no confidence in the current Wildlife Crime Officer and call for his replacement ?
Johnny Allan
Makes sense. Great post thou. I enjoy reading this article. Make more post about this. Thanks! Cheers!
What a load of nonsense by the WCO,yes foxes can be surplus killers,but you can bet your life on it if a fox had killed those 3 harrier chicks they would of been carried of and cadged or buried not left mutilated at the nest site.He must be some kind of super fox to also get both adults too and avoid so many snares,guns and every keepers hand against him in the area.From all i have read on this forum i cant believe no one has been held accountable for the deliberate destruction of our fantastic assorted raptors there eggs young and nest sites.
Forgot to add,did anyone else independant of the WCO get to see the autopsy report.
We have no information regarding who PC Thomas shared the autopsy results with. It is doubtfull however that the results could be relied upon. There was no DNA recovered which linked the hen harrier with a fox. Interestingly several years prior to PC Thomas truning up, two dead peregrine chicks were recovered from a ground nest under identical circumstances. In that instance the autopsy results were inconclusive. Just like the hen harrier case, both falcon chicks had full crops when found and both adult falcons had disappeared.
Just come across your site and very interesting reading, thought i would just comment to the above,anybody with any knowledge would know what has happended to the above, very very sickening and surely any predation would of emptied the nest sites concerned?.
Hi John, Much appreciate your comment. It seems from all we know the largest chick from the brood of three was found dead in the nest with a full crop. The smallest two chicks were recovered and deposited some 50m away from the nest in heather. We have concluded the removal of the two smaller chicks from the nest to be consistent with a ferret. stoat or weasel, certainly not a fox. To back this claim, the largest of the three chicks had been nibbled below the crop. Had the chicks been killed by a fox, they would have also been eaten. The disappearance of both adult birds from the territory is also consistent with persecution
I recently had the pleasure of attending the Northen England Raptor Forum Conference in Bakewell, Derbyshire.
A keen ‘birder’ and conservationist I was very humbled by the invitation and somewhat ‘star-struck’ on reading the line up of speakers due to give a talk on specific species and their conservation.
It was pretty evident all the stops had been pulled out to get the ‘experts’ in the field of said species.
Bill Heinrich was there, all the way from America discussing the Gyr Falcon and the critically rare californian condor.
There was the renound dr/author Ian Newton, discussing in some detail the sparrowhawk.
Steve Roberts, a well renound honey buzzard conservationist. And any one with even a small knowledge of raptors will without doubt know just how formidably rare and illusive these magnificent raptors are to track down. The size of a buzzard but practically invisible. His hard work and efforts go far from unnoticed in the birding world!
And not to forget a Mr. Terry Pickford who gave a talk on ground nesting peregrines in Bowland.
It is quite likely to many that the names i have mentioned above mean litterally nothing.
However if you are involved in any aspect of ‘birding’ i am sure you are more than aware of the individauls and what they do.
They are experts in their field and quite frankly what they don’t know about the species they cover isn’t worth knowning.
So why have i taken the time to inform you all of a few names for which you may or you may not know?
Well let me carry onto the next species, and it might start to become a little more clear. The Hen Harrier.
For this species, i am sure that any one with even a little knowledge in birds and especially raptors, will without doubt know just how critically rare and practically non-existent the hen harrier is in England.
Was it 12 breeding attempts this year with only 6 successful? possibly less. Along with birds found shot and nests interfered with.
So given the dangerously low numbers of hen harrier and the still blindingly obvious issues of illegal persecution year up on year, it would only be fitting for the ‘big wigs/experts’ in the field to be there surely???????
Names such as Steve Murphy, Hen harrier co-ordinator and Schedule 1 license holder for the UK?
Or perhaps Peter Robertson, regional Conservationist Manager for the RSPB in the North Of England?
As United Utilities have a big role to play (and are playing it i might hasten to add) maybe someone from their conservation side?
Surely, quite aptly would have been Peter wilson from the RSPB/UU in The Forest Of Bowland ( A definate i would have thought) ?
And without doubt PC.Thomas who is so couragesly involved in shoot, i mean aprehending the culprits of perseuction upon these magnificent birds?
But……………………………………. yep, you guessed it. Not one of them was there.
Not one could make it?
The Hen harrier is spirraling into extinction at an alarming rate but the people in a position to perhaps steer there dimise in another, more lifting direction had more important things to be doing on a cold, rainy November weekend!
Instead they threw a young lad in at the deep end.
Who i might just add did a splendid job and gave a very level headed talk. However he had been handed a hot potatoe and I couldn’t help but feel very sorry for him.
But for me it kinda sums the whole situation up.
Convervationists, Dr’s and experts in raptor conservation managed to attend the conference from all over the world. As has been mentioned Bill Heinrich crossed the atlantic to give his speech.
Yet the 4 or 5 people in this country who could perhaps change things for the better for the Hen Harrier couldn’t simply make the hour or 2 journey south for the conference to give us their insight.
Its very sad, but on that basis the Hen Harriers survival chance in England is all but over!
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