Why illegal killing of birds of prey must continue to shock

I fear that ongoing criminality in our uplands is now accepted as a norm and even tolerated by some.

For many years, the RSPB report hen harriers which have disappeared over grouse moors under suspicious circumstances, never to be heard of again. Scientific and government reports continue to highlight the link between grouse moors and the illegal killing of hen harriers and other raptors. Only in March this paper revealed that 72% of satellite-tagged hen harriers were either killed, or likely to have been killed, on or near grouse moors between 2007-2017. This is a shocking statistic but sadly the trend looks set to continue.

Last week, news emerged that a hen harrier, named Rannoch, was found dead in a spring trap on a grouse moor in Perthshire.

The remains of the young bird were collected by RSPB Scotland Investigations Officers in May, along with a metal spring trap which was clamped to the bird’s crushed foot. From the post-mortem report, it was clear the bird experienced significant unnecessary suffering as it died.

Rannoch was one of more than 30 hen harriers fitted with a satellite tag last summer by the RSPB as part of the EU-funded Hen Harrier LIFE project. These GPS tags allow us to monitor the movements and identify the risks facing these threatened birds. Since last summer 10 birds have vanished in suspicious circumstances, many registering their last position on or near grouse moors.

Rannoch’s death is further proof of the continued persecution of our protected birds of prey which continues, often unseen and unchecked, on the grouse moors of the UK.

Our Investigations team has recorded five confirmed cases of hen harriers being caught in spring traps illegally set on the ground, plus many more of pole traps – spring traps set atop posts used expressly to catch raptors – either on or near grouse moors. This culture of criminality seems deeply rooted within the driven grouse shooting community and it puts huge pressure on some our most threatened species.

What’s more, burning on peat soils continues even in protected areas despite acceptance that this is goes against nature conservation legislation and clearly will exacerbate greenhouse gas emissions.

Given that there is growing political consensus that we face an ecological and climate emergency, we would expect greater scrutiny on those whose business models are seemingly dependent on causing environmental harm. 

In Scotland, the sustainability of moorland management is being investigated but we have no such scrutiny in England.  This is despite the fact that the English hen harrier breeding population remains are birds on the brink.  At our last count in 2018, there were only nine successful hen harrier nests in England. There’s a slightly larger – albeit declining – population in Scotland, but it’s a fraction of what it should be given the amount of available habitat and prey. This, as government studies have found, is as a direct result of illegal persecution. These same governments have the chance to act, address the disregard for the law and ensure that birds of prey are free to fly above our moors.

Instead, effort and considerable tax payers’ money is being invested in the poorly conceived and in our view unlawful brood management scheme trial in England.

Rannoch’s death is a symbol of all that is wrong with unsustainable upland management today, and an unhappy vision of what could be tomorrow if those in power do not act. This is why we continue to call for licensing of driven grouse shooting and it why others go further and seek a ban. 

Rannoch’s death should be a wake up call to politicians across the UK.  But I fear, there will be a shrug of the shoulders, an assumption that the headlines move on and that nothing will change.

You should be shocked, you should be outraged that our birds of prey continue to be illegally killed.

While we await political action, those who are passionate about saving our hen harriers are finding their own ways to do what they can. Next week, a number of RSPB staff will be joining one incredible Yorkshireman who will be running the last leg of his is 200km run across the uplands of northern England to draw attention to our ‘disappearing’ hen harriers. It will finish on Saturday 6 July at the Stonehouse Inn near Thruscross Reservoir, Washburndale.

So if you feel able and want to make a statement - please join if you can! 

All of us need to think creatively about how to secure change and I hope that some within the grouse shooting community recognise that for its industry to have a future the status quo is not an option.