Sky may have fallen, but Hope is not lost

When I started this job in 2011, I was surprised to be repeatedly asked whether the RSPB was obsessed with birds of prey.

At the time, I found it odd - of course our conservation work included action to recover threatened birds of prey such white-tailed eagle, red kite and hen harrier. But we were equally obsessed about declines in farmland birds, woodland birds and seabirds.

Our strategy was clear - we did whatever nature needed. We saved special places through our reserves and had an amazing track-record of fighting inappropriate development and winning. We worked with farmers to help them manage their land with wildlife in mind and with fishermen to help them catch fish rather than seabirds. And, we worked with others to influence change in policy and legislation to benefit wildlife.

Yet, it is true that there are few issues that trigger such an emotional response as the illegal killing of birds of prey. Last week (see here), a gamekeeper in Norfolk was convicted of poisoning at ten buzzards and a sparrowhawk and we heard (here) that police in Aberdeenshire were investigating the death of another six buzzards.

It was right that the National Gamekeepers' Organisation condemned the action in Norfolk. We need shooting organisations to take a tough stance and stamp out illegal activity. The illegal killing of birds of prey has no place in 21st Century Britain and it is an outrage that some bad apples continue to break the law to protect a shootable surplus of game birds - the 50 million pheasants that are released into our countryside each year and, in the hills, red grouse.

And this brings me back to the hen harrier and the latest news about this year's breeding season in England. The unusually mild and long summer brought brief hope last month when we were celebrating the return of four breeding pairs of hen harriers to the uplands of England and the successful fledging of 16 chicks. It was a small shift in the right direction. Sadly, the halcyon days of late summer came to an abrupt end when we heard of the loss of two birds which had been named Hope and Sky. We do not know how they died - it is just possible that they were predated, but they may have been illegally killed.

As we await the results of post-mortem analysis for another three of the fledglings, we are left hoping our remaining tagged birds stay out of harm’s way and wondering what fate that lies ahead for hen harriers as a breeding species in England. We may never find out what happened to Sky and Hope, or the many other tagged birds which have mysteriously gone missing over the years.There are many challenges to detecting bird of prey persecution in the uplands but our dedicated investigators will continue to work with the police to catch criminals.

In the autumn issue of Nature’s Home magazine which mails this week, our 'Big Debate' asks whether grouse moor shooting should be regulated. My predecessor, Mark Avery, is featured calling for a ban, Amanda Anderson of the Moorland Association argues for a focus on innovation and change from within the grouse shooting community, while my colleague James Robinson makes the case for licensing.

I look forward to hearing the response from our members.

Forest of Bowland by Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

Our desire for tougher regulation is motivated not just by concern for birds of prey but by the state of our moors, many of which are of recognised to be of European importance through their designation as Special Protection Areas under the 'much-loved' EU Birds Directive.

We want to see an end to burning on deep peat - the scale of which has been exposed by our investigation of the Walshaw case (here) which is the subject of a legal challenge we have made to the European Commission. Burning on deep peat was back in the spotlight last week after the publication of new evidence from the EMBER project (here). We want to introduce licensing of driven grouse shooting to stop the killing and routine disturbance of birds of prey and unsustainable burning which continue to tar shooting as a sport. It has failed to do so for many years and whilst we remain engaged in long-running talks to secure a plan to save hen harriers, the wider issues of bird of prey persecution and unsustainable upland management remain unsolved.

We think it is time for a statutory licensing system based on effective principles, which could ensure that some beneficial practices of grouse moor management continue. Licensing has the potential to fund better inspection and enforcement and add sanctions that could provide a genuine deterrent to those committing wildlife crime and ensure their employers no longer get away with turning a blind eye.

I am delighted to admit that the RSPB is obsessed about saving nature. We always have and always will be.

It is thanks to organisations like the RSPB that we can now enjoy seeing buzzards, red kites and white tailed eagles in the UK where they were once eradicated.

We'll work with anyone to ensure that we are the generation that halts the decline in wildlife. Which is why we will continue to work with young gamekeepers - some of whom joined us at the National Lottery Awards (here) to celebrate the success of our Skydancer programme- to ensure modern gamekeeping works with conservationists to save species like the curlew and hen harrier.

I have hope and confidence that we can and will change attitudes and hen harriers will once again fly safely above our English moors.