My week started with questions from John Humphrys about the evidence that hen harriers were being persecuted. The week ended with the successful conviction of a Lincolnshire gamekeeper for poisoning two buzzards.
In Monday's Today programme debate (50 minutes in), the death of Bowland Betty was insufficent to make the case. I probably should have highlighted the government agency conclusion that unless illegal persecution of hen harrier is considerably reduced hen harrier will not achieve favourable conservation status. If I had more time I might have been able to compare the performance of hen harrier on and off grouse moors. I could have highlighted the fact that there last year there was just one breeding pair in England despite there being enough habitat in England for over 300 pairs of hen harrier. I might even have been able to remind people of the wider context of bird crime where last year there were over 200 incidents of illegal shooting or destruction of birds of prey and 100 poisoining incidents. I could have said a lot more.
A five minute debate at 6.50am can only ever scratch the surface of an issue. But a successful conviction helps to make the point that illegal killing of birds of prey continues to take place, that it is threatening the recovery of some of our most spectacular species and that 2013 must be the year when governments, the police landowners and NGOs across the UK do what is necessary to crack down on this problem.
Here's to a better year for birds of prey in 2013.
Never easy on air Martin.
Peter Plover