No doubt this man would call himself a 'real country person'

Hi Bob, this is becoming a long blog! I think you'll find what I did say was true "no one as ever been convicted of poisoning an eagle or a kite." I've tried to keep to the bare facts. Perhaps some folk are a bit uncomfortable with that! Perhaps its a case of the inconveniant truth.

Bordercollie,  it is not strictly true to say that noone has ever been convicted because some have.  What happens though is that with the actual poisoning offence it is difficult to prove cause and effect and the person responsible tends to get convicted under other legislation - storage and misuse of poisons etc.  There have been quite a few of those.

Hi Sooty, Mark is in a position to influence where RSPB resources are targeted. A couple of months ago I had an email from the RSPB appealing to fight the persecution of migrating raptors through Malta. Before taking other countries to task don't you thick we should put our own house in order first? It is not only very difficult to to catch the poisoners, its virtually impossible with the lack of resources the RSPB allocates to it. You cannot blame the magistrates & judges for sentences, because the point I have been making is no one as ever been convicted of poisoning a kite or eagle, so there for no one has ever been sentenced. When the poisoned bearded vulture in Spain was discovered the area was put under survaillance until enough evidence was gathered. The effort was rewarded by a real deterrant. Until that deterrant is demostrated here the poisoning will go on unrelentingly & the evidence is its increasing. I'm sure Dave Sexton is frustrated when one of his fledged white-tailed eagles is found poisoned, but not because as you report a judge gives a light sentence, but because no one is sentenced full stop, because no one as ever been convicted of poisoning an eagle of any species (or kite for that matter). Hence the persecution continues & other would be poisoners can see its a crime they can easily get away with.  Often  poisoned victims are found in the same areas year after year. Theres no sign of it stopping, why should it, who ever does it believes its necessary & they've no chance of getting caught.

Sorry just remembered that in my part time job I met a professor on renewable energy today and can only assume what he told me is true but he said if this country was covered in wind turbines we would not produce 3% of our needs.A remarkable statistic.

Well bordercollie think you are unfair on Mark as probably no one more infuriated by poisoning than he is.Two points you ought to take into consideration are that it is very difficult to catch poisoners and get a conviction none of which Mark has any control over and you should blame magistrates and judges not Mark for sentences.Feel sure if left to Mark to sentence someone for poisoning Sea Eagle he would give at least the sentence that the person in Spain got and has you say that would be a deterrent.Think you have probably got the wrong end of the stick and my thinking on the RSPB staff about poisoning is that they are more frustrated than any of us but they feel it is a long haul that they will win and of course us supporters would like immediate results.I really feel for someone like Dave Sexton who has dedicated about 25 years serious service protecting Sea Eagles on Mull and when some who he has watched fledge get out in the big world on the mainland his years work is spoilt by one or more getting poisoned think how he must feel when a  judge gives a light sentence,worse than we do I promise you.