Today we wave goodbye to our fantastic Head of Investigations, Bob Elliot, who on 15 October takes up the post of Director at animal welfare charity OneKind, based in Edinburgh. A passionate conservationist and natural, personable leader, he’s been a key driving force in many of the teams’ successes.

Bob joined the RSPB Scotland Investigations unit as head of the team in 2007 and quickly established himself…

The stark contrast between the terrible actions of one human being and the kindness of another can sometimes knock you sideways. We see this a lot when dealing with incidents involving birds of prey that have been deliberately (and illegally) killed or injured.

Earlier this month, a red kite which was shot and injured, and cared for by vets and raptor workers, sadly had to be euthanised.

The bird, a female, was found…

The one thing I really like about my job is the unexpected. It can be a bit inconvenient at times – but when certain jobs come in, you’ve got to drop everything if you’re to have a chance of securing that all-essential piece of evidence to bring a wildlife case to court. During my career, this has involved some really memorable moments and some long adrenaline-fuelled days. But few can top one particularly unexpected…

A range of environmental concerns have been raised about land intensively managed for driven grouse shooting and RSPB is calling for a licensing system to promote accountability and good practice. A recent incident has also highlighted concerns about the use of spring traps for predator control.

On 12 July this year, a fell runner was out on a large driven grouse moor in Northumberland when he came across this trap containing…

Sometimes the extent of a problem becomes much clearer once it’s visualised.

Today, we’re very pleased to be launching the Raptor Persecution Map Hub – a set of online maps which we believe provide the most complete picture of known, confirmed raptor persecution incidents across the UK.

For some time, we’ve felt the need for a centralised ‘hub’ for raptor persecution data to sit, and be easily accessed…

As the red grouse shooting season approaches the RSPB are once more calling on the government to consider extra legislative measures to tackle raptor persecution. The following case continues to show just how difficult it is to investigate and prosecute for offences occurring in remote parts of our uplands.

Despite plenty of available habitat, food and nesting sites, peregrine falcons are not doing well in Lancashire…

A peregrine that dodged death has gone on to raise two chicks this summer. 

This morning we had an update on a male peregrine which we reported on last year, after it was found shot but still alive in King Somborne, Hampshire. The bird had a broken wing, which an Xray confirmed was caused by shooting. Police have identified no leads as to who was responsible.

After some rest and rehabilitation at Andover Hawk Conservancy…

In the previous two blogs I outlined the background to egg collecting when I started at the RSPB in 1991 and the formation of Operation Easter in 1997. So, the police were now getting organised to tackle the threat of egg thieves – but it was clear that court sentencing options were no meaningful deterrent for persistent serial offenders. Things needed to change.

In a rather timely reminder that egg collecting has…

The second of three blogs about the formation of Operation Easter – an initiative started 21 years ago to tackle the scourge of egg thieves.

Barn doors and bad guys

White-tailed eagles are big birds. Whoever first christened them as flying ‘barn doors’ probably did not expect this phrase to be so well-used to describe these magnificent birds.

But like many raptors, they have been subject to extensive…

Last week saw the conviction of egg collector James North from Devon. This was a timely reminder that this spring marks 21 years since the launch of Operation Easter, an intelligence-led operation to target the UK’s egg thieves. At the start it was run jointly by Tayside Police and RSPB, with the NWCU later picking up the baton. In a series of three blogs, I’ll be reflecting on the development of Operation Easter…

On 3 May 2018, Jason North pleaded guilty at Plymouth Magistrates to eight charges of disturbing rare breeding birds (golden eagle, osprey, peregrine falcon and little-ringed plover) in Devon and Highland, Scotland and the taking of three osprey eggs from Scotland. All offences occurred during the 2016 breeding season. North received six weeks jail on each charge (to run concurrently) suspended for a year. He was also…

Mark Thomas of RSPB Investigations is one of the authors of a new paper published today (28 April 2018) in the journal British Birds. Read his account of what the results of this paper mean to him, and for all of us.

Watch Mark's video here.

Like so many birders, nature lovers and tourists I have at times sought both mental and physical wellbeing in one of the UK’s amazing National Parks. A peaceful, beautiful…

We see some shocking images in our team, but this week a photo came in that will stick with all of us for a long time.

This is a picture of the heart of a red kite, following a post-mortem examination. On the left, there’s a silver item lodged in the muscle: it’s a piece of shot. But incredibly, this isn’t the piece of shot that killed the bird.

Image: Zoological Society of London (ZSL)

Last April…

Guest blog by Howard Jones, RSPB Investigations Officer

Goshawk, credit Roy Mangersnes

My job as an investigations officer can take you into some privileged positions. One moment that particularly sticks in my mind, is the time when I arrived with a couple of my colleagues to check on an active goshawk nest in the Peak District that we had been a putting a considerable amount effort into protecting that spring. We…

Operation Owl assembles in Helmsley, North Yorkshire

RSPB staff took arms against the ongoing problem of raptor persecution in North Yorkshire last weekend as our Investigations team joined North Yorkshire Police on a mission known as ‘Operation Owl’.

On Saturday 18 February, we joined police officers and staff from the RSPCA, Yorkshire Dales National Park and North York Moors National Park at Brimham…

People have just about had enough of raptor persecution.

With hen harriers down to just a handful of pairs in England, and no peregrines breeding in the Dark Peak in 2017 for the first time since 1984, clearly something needs to be done. Newspapers are catching on; the public are becoming increasingly environmentally astute; the Government is pledging to restore nature in a generation (no mention of raptor persecution…

Back in August we reported on disturbing events at a marsh harrier nesting site on Denton Moor in North Yorkshire where a series of visits resulted in shots being fired, eggs being removed and the breeding attempt not surprisingly being unsuccessful.  Some of those events can be viewed here.

Two armed men leaving the marsh harrier nest, male on the right believed to be carrying at least one marsh harrier egg.

North…

The problem with illegal bird trapping on Cyprus has been well documented with a long term involvement in this issue by RSPB, BirdLife Cyprus and the Committee Against Bird Slaughter (CABS). In the last few years there has been further profile raising by Chris Packham and recent 'Conservation hero of the Year' Ruth Peacey.

I have blogged previously about the use of covert cameras by RSPB Investigations and Sovereign…

When you launch a report like Birdcrime, after months of hard work and careful thought, you’re never quite sure what the reaction will be once it enters the big wide world. It’s like shouting into a crowd then waiting for the response; hoping for cries of support and an echoing of our calls for greater action.

Last week we published Birdcrime 2016, detailing crimes against birds of prey throughout 2016…

A few days ago Chris Packham reported the encouraging news that, this autumn, there appears to have been a reduction in the level of bird trapping within the Eastern Sovereign Base Area (ESBA), a British military base on Cyprus close to the holiday resort of Ayia Napa.

Having recently returned from Cyprus myself, I can confirm the signs do indeed look encouraging and believe the main reason for this more positive outlook…

It’s October, and by now the fledglings of spring will be on the wing, making their own way in the world and ready to face their first winter.

But one of the class of 2017 has hit a worrying bump in the road to adulthood.

Last month (September), a juvenile peregrine falcon was discovered by a member of the public on the outskirts of Cambridge. It appeared the bird had been grounded for several days. The peregrine…

Back in June I blogged about the work RSPB Investigations undertook in Cyprus last year with the Sovereign Base Area (SBA) police. This involved installing covert cameras to catch bird trappers on the British Military base. 

Myself and a colleague installed covert cameras at  seven locations within the Eastern Sovereign Base Area (ESBA) at Dhekelia which caught 19 individuals. There was grisly footage of trappers removing…

Over the past year Sally has been the ‘poster girl’ for Montagu’s harrier conservation, especially after being filmed by the BBC Autumnwatch programme having a satellite-tag fitted.

Sally being released by Martin Hughes Games from BBC Autumnwatch

She was paired with Roger another satellite tagged male Montagu’s harrier and has bred successfully in Norfolk for the past two seasons, raising a total…

The problems associated with birds of prey trying to breed on grouse moors are all too familiar. So when a marsh harrier nest was found on Denton Moor, North Yorkshire, it was initially cause for celebration. Until the nest was found empty. RSPB Investigations Officer Howard Jones is in search of answers.

Last weekend saw thousands of people come together for Hen Harrier Day, a series of events across the country co-ordinated…

Since Tuesday the behaviour of the bee-eaters has changed markedly and it appears that at least two of the three nests have failed.

Instead of individual birds regularly flying into the nest holes with food the birds are now increasingly staying as a tight group of six birds.
We have reviewed the nest camera footage and the frequency of nest visits leading up to Tuesday is also well below the 30 visiting per hour expected…