I know that the posting of this blog, at this time in the morning - so late - will slightly irritate some readers who are early risers but I hope that you will cut me a bit of slack after last night's big win.  I refer, of course, to Rushden and Diamonds's 5-1 victory over Bath City.  As you know, I'm not one to complain but... even Bath's single goal was the result of an appalling penalty decision by the referee - we were robbed!

And after yesterday's popular blog about how to measure conservation success and the importance of nesting success and survival which turned, I knew it would, it always does, into a discussion about predator control, we come to another subject of great and lasting interest; raptors and whether people are nice to them or not.

Whereas everyone loves a lapwing, wants to see its population rise, wishes it a long and happy life and wishes to see it have a huge number of babies, the same cannot be said for the hen harrier.  We contend, and there is science to back this up although those studies are a little dated now, that hen harriers' lifespan is artificially adjusted downwards and their breeding success is also discouraged rather than encouraged.  I wonder whether hen harriers wish they were lapwings? 

In fairly recent times hen harriers, although unloved by some, may have felt a bit smug because their UK population level (that's the measure!) has gone up.  It has gone up in those parts of the UK where driven grouse shooting is a rare land use - west Scotland (but not east or south Scotland), Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man (not part of the UK strictly speaking) but not in the north of England (where there should be about 300+ pairs).

The latest UK-wide survey results are now available and confirm the utter paucity of hen harriers nesting in grouse moor areas.  Although grouse moor areas have suitable habitat for around 500 pairs of hen harrier recent numbers on such areas, nesting successfully, have not reached double figures.  

And this time the results show a slightly surprising overall population decline too.

Region/country                     2004                   2010

England                                      11                       12
Isle of Man                                  57                       29
Northern Ireland                        63                       59
Scotland                                   633                     489 
Wales                                          43                       57
 
 
UK total                                     749                     617 
UK & Isle of Man                      806                    646

In Scotland, the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill, which is currently being debated, provides a great opportunity to take new steps to try and help save hen harriers. One option being looked at is making landowners legally responsible for the actions of their gamekeepers.

Later this week, the meeting of the Partnership for Action against Wildlife Crime meeting will be addressed by Richard Benyon, Minister for the Natural Environment and Fisheries. We hope that the Defra Minister will agree with us that it's time to take decisive action in the struggle to protect threatened birds of prey.  

More than 70 per cent of people convicted of bird of prey persecution in the last 20 years have been gamekeepers, in reality it's often landowners who effectively force their employees to break the law. We believe that making landowners legally accountable for bird of prey crimes in Scotland and England is a vital step in the road to reducing persecution.

 

A love of the natural world demonstrates that a person is a cultured inhabitant of planet Earth.

  • One just thinks this persecution of birds of prey, especially hen harriers, has gone on far to long. It is a disgrace to this country. I know the RSPB with their limited resources are doing their very best to halt this rotten practice.

    I would assume there needs to be a "game plan" similar to dealing with all types of people that break the law regardless. The first step must be to make sure the law is as effective as it possibly can be and making land owners responsible for the killing of birds of prey on their land must be a major advance in that direction. The second step I think might be in two parts, to try to ensure the new more meaningful law is enforced as rigorously as possible, but that is extreemly difficult when one is having to deal with big areas of countryside almost 24 hours a day. Part of the second step, and this is a difficult bit, needs to be a process of trying to win over the less strident and hopefully the majority of landowners into accepting that birds of prey are part of the natural history of the countryside and must not be killed (maybe small compensation incentives might be needed). The third step resulting from the previous two is to isolate the hard core of wrong doers so that they are of manageable numbers and then bring the full force of the law to bear on them.

    I am sure the RSPB have been over this thinking time and time again so therefore the Government must now give them a big helping hand, certainly in respect of amending the law and also with a decent grant to put a game plan, such as the above, into effect.  

    redkite

  • Jockeyshield - an interesting comment on the date of the shooting season, and one which I have heard from some keen grouse shooters too.

    JonathnWallace - thank you.

    trimbush - fewer CAPS please.

    A love of the natural world demonstrates that a person is a cultured inhabitant of planet Earth.

  • A ONE-WAY STREET?  YOUR WAY!.

    . ………… and whilst your at it – would you ask that DEFRA acts against those individuals and organisations which pro-actively encourage the spread of dangerous diseases in wildlife – and to also comprehensively review the content of the 'protected species' list - vital steps on the road to reducing persecution !

  • It is outrageous that in the interests of a small minority of game shooters the population of this magnificent bird should be suppressed to a level so far below its natural capacity and at a point where extinction in England is a real possibility.  

    Like anyone else, gamekeepers will act in their own best interests.  If it is relatively easy to get away with shooting, trapping or poisoning birds of prey this means many will do so in order to keep their employers happy with lots of game birds to shoot.  It is therefore an excellent idea to make the landowner legally accountable for raptor killing on their property as they will then be much less likely to turn a blind eye to their keepers' predator control activities and will instead be more likely to actively discourage illegal methods.

    Jonathan Wallace

  • MPs can speak out in parliament about this massacre as did Dale Campbell Savours back in 1989 when I had my problems regardless of a prosecution. He was probable the last one to do so which shows how bad this country is for 'pushing it under the carpet'. The 'Glorious 12th' is not the date when Red Grouse are suitable to shoot but when MPs get their holidays. A real test to any government is to move this date to 1st September when all other game birds are suitable for shooting.