Bird of prey tracking tech to help stop Highland wildlife crime

23rd March

By Jane Cassidy

SOME of Scotland’s golden eagles will be fitted with new tracking technology able to pinpoint death locations in a bid to cut wildlife crime.

The satellite tag has an early warning system to detect unusual behaviour and will provide more accurate information on deaths.

Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said the tags should “make a real difference in deterring would-be criminals” as they will give an instant fix on birds which die.

The trackers will also give more in-depth information on raptor movements and behaviour.

Golden eagles at the Cairngorms National Park will be fitted with the tags in an 18-month trial which, if successful, could be extended to cover the species elsewhere.

The technology could potentially be miniaturised to fit on smaller tags for other birds of prey, such as hen harriers.

It uses the “geostationary Iridium” satellite network and ensures signal information is always available, while multiple sensors immediately send a distress signal and exact location back to base if unusual behaviour is detected. This means rapid identification and recovery of any tagged birds which die and provides detailed information on their movements in the minutes leading up to their death.

Last year, RSPB Scotland said 12 golden eagles had disappeared over seven years after their tags stopped transmitting in an area of the Highlands dubbed a “black hole” for satellite-tagged birds of prey.

Cunningham said of the new technology: “The tags should make a real difference in deterring would-be criminals, as well as playing a key role in establishing exactly what happened, should any of these magnificent birds of prey disappear or die in unusual circumstances.”

Grant Moir, Cairngorms National Park Authority CEO, said: “This is an exciting breakthrough in the technology around raptor conservation, understanding the birds and combating wildlife crime.”

The latest wildlife crime report published by the Scottish Government in December showed raptor persecution offences fell from 25 in 2015-16 to 11 in 2016-17.

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A group of Highland villages are luring hundreds of threatened bird species potentially to their deaths

by Reporter

 October 3, 2018, 5:58 am

A new scientific paper has explained why bright lights in a group of Highland villages are luring hundreds of a threatened bird species potentially to their deaths – and a lot is due to the moon, or lack of it.

It also says the research could lead to council street lights being dimmed at key migration times – especially on moonless nights.

More than four times as many Manx shearwaters were rescued in and around Mallaig in September than in the whole of the last migration season.

Around 400 this year have clattered into homes in the Mallaig, Arisaig and Morar area.

The bright light danger faced by Manx shearwaters comes at the very start of their incredible 6,000-mile journey.

The chicks fledge from the mountains of the Isle of Rum before flying to their wintering grounds in South America.

However each year some of the young birds can become disorientated by outside lights left on in Kinloch on Rum and surrounding villages, but particularly Mallaig on the mainland.

They often crash land close to the light source and many are then killed by gulls, crows, cats or dogs.

Now a paper published in the Ibis International Journal of Avian Science has revealed that the moon and wind play a huge part in the birds’ demise.

“A model was developed that used meteorological variables and moon cycle to predict the daily quantity of birds that were recovered on the ground. The model, explaining 46.32% of the variance of the data, revealed how new moon and strong onshore winds influence grounding,” says the report.

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Osprey EJ returns to reserve for 15th breeding season

22 March 2018

A female osprey has returned to a Highlands nature reserve for what RSPB Scotland says is her 15th breeding season.

The bird, known to conservationists as EJ, was spotted at her nest at the RSPB's Loch Garten reserve in the Cairngorms on Wednesday.

Ospreys migrate from west Africa to Scotland to breed and can be seen hunting for fish from rivers and lochs.

EJ is Loch Garten's most successful breeding female osprey.

During last year's breeding season, she refused to leave her clutch of eggs even after being buried under snow.

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Fears raised over fate of another protected Scottish golden eagle

Over a 12-year period, 41 out of 131 tagged golden eagles have disappeared in the Highlands.

ILONA AMOS

Published: 06:00 Wednesday 14 March 2018

Fears have been raised over the fate of another of Scotland’s protected golden eagles after its satellite tag ceased transmitting in a “black hole” in the Highlands. Conservationists have expressed concern for the young male bird, whose whereabouts has been unknown since communications were lost in December. They fear the two-year-old could have been illegally killed as his last recorded location was in the northern Monadhliath mountains in Inverness-shire, an area where a number of other birds have vanished over the past seven years. Data from the transmitter showed he had been living in upland region north of Tomatin since early last year.

Read more at: 

Rise in golden eagles where eight birds disappeared

14 December 2017

Numbers of golden eagles have increased in an area of the Highlands where eight of the birds were believed to have been killed illegally.

The satellite-tagged raptors disappeared over a period of less than five years in the Monadhliath mountains, south of Inverness.

It led to the Scottish government ordering a review of tagging data to check for other suspicious deaths.

A group set up as part of the review said eagle numbers rose this year.

Highland Partnership Against Wildlife Crime North Monadhliaths Subgroup said reports from RSPB Scotland and the Highland Raptor Study Group suggested numbers of the birds in the area had increased.

There had also been "positive sightings" of goshawks, buzzards, ospreys and red kites, the subgroup said.

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Rare geese returning to the Highlands risk being shot by accident

October 26, 2016, 6:09 am

Some of the north’s rarest flying visitors have arrived for their winter holiday – amid fears they may be shot by accident.

RSPB Scotland has reported that rare Greenland white-fronted geese have begun returning to Caithness.

But the birds – especially the younger ones – are not always easy to identify, leaving them potentially at risk from wildfowlers.

Their return follows an appeal last month from the RSPB, NFU Scotland and BASC for wildfowlers to take special care so that the geese are not mistaken for more common quarry species and accidentally shot.

Superintendent Colin Gough said, “This is a good example of partnership working giving practical and easily understood advice to prevent accidental shooting of these migratory birds.”

The geese have been seen at the RSPB’s Broubster Leans nature reserve, south west of Thurso, and at a number of other nearby locations.

Dave Jones, RSPB Scotland’s site manager for Caithness said: “Caithness hosts a small but important population of Greenland white-fronted geese each winter. These birds have been placed on the Red List of birds of conservation concern and they are fully protected.

“They are lively sociable birds and can usually be seen in family groups, often a mixture of adults and juveniles. The juveniles lack the distinctive white markings of the older family members which can make them more difficult to identify.

“It’s always a pleasure to watch and hear them. Their calls have a yodelling quality about them which, once learnt, is quite easy to recognise. Our reserve at Broubster Leans is a good place to see them but they are very mobile and will travel from place to place to feed and roost.

“It’s great that so many people and organisations are recognising the importance of these geese to Caithness and I hope they continue to find the county a safe winter home as they have for so many generations past.”

Source

Rare bird rescued after swallowing hook at Lochindorb

11 August 2015 

A rare bird has been rescued after swallowing a fish hook and line on a Highland loch.

The black-throated diver was spotted in difficulty at Lochindorb, near Grantown on Spey, on Monday 3 August.

Scottish SPCA senior inspectors Andy Brown and Dougie Campbell managed to reach the tangled bird.

After it was cut free, it was taken to the animal welfare charity's National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross, near Alloa, for treatment.

Black-throated divers are an "amber" category species, the second highest class of conservation concer,n according to the RSPB.

Mr Brown said: "The fishing line had snagged on weeds, meaning the bird was unable to move very far.

"Our vet was able to remove the hook but unfortunately there is a lot of dead tissue and the diver is not out of the woods yet.

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Rare set of golden eagle triplets born in the east Highlands

STV 

15 July 2015 17:44 BST

A rare set of golden eagle triplets has been born in Scotland, a wildlife charity has revealed.

The female chicks hatched nine weeks ago and are being raised by their parents in the east Highlands.

The RSPB is keeping their exact location secret to protect the birds and has fitted them with satellite tags.

There are around 450 pairs of golden eagles in Scotland but fewer than 300 breed each year and it is very unusual for them to lay more than two eggs.

The chicks are likely to leave their nest soon but will probably stay in the area they were born until next spring.

Scotland is home to a number of species of eagle, including the white-tailed eagle which was reintroduced to the Inner Hebrides in 1975 nearly 60 years after it was hunted to extinction in the UK.

On Wednesday, Rewilding Britain launched a campaign to bring back other species including wolves, lynx, boars and beavers.

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First chick of the season hatches for Loch Garten osprey EJ

The first chick of the season has arrived at the Loch Garten Osprey Centre in the Highlands.

The new arrival was spotted on the nest webcam as it made its first appearance late on Saturday.

The chick is the first of three expected to hatch under the watchful eye of veteran female osprey EJ and her partner Odin in the next few days.

This year marks EJ's 12th consecutive season at Loch Garten.

At 17 years old, she is one of the most experienced and well-known birds to visit the RSPB reserve.

She returned to the Cairngorms two months ago after making the 3,000 mile (4,828km) journey from wintering in West Africa.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-27462404

Rise in discovery of dead raptors in the Highlands

28 April 2014 Last updated at 15:46

Police investigating the deaths of birds and prey in Ross-shire and the Black Isle have said another two dead red kites have been found.

This brings the total of dead raptors discovered since March to 22 - 16 red kites and six buzzards.

Tests have so far confirmed that 12 of the birds were poisoned.

A reward for information leading to a prosecution has been added to by donations from RSPB Scotland, landowners, farmers and the public.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-27190329

Osprey back in Highlands for 12th year

Wednesday 26 March 2014

A FEMALE osprey has arrived back at a Scottish nature reserve for the 12th year in a row.

EJ touched down at the RSPB's Loch Garten Osprey Centre at 1.25pm on Monday, a day ahead of her usual arrival in the Cairngorms. The 18-year-old bird winters in West Africa every year and staff are now awaiting the arrival of her long-standing mate Odin.

Richard Thaxton, RSPB Scotland site manager at Loch Garten, said: "It's brilliant to see her and to have her back. She's very familiar to us and a much-loved bird. In typical fashion she arrived brandishing a freshly caught trout, picked up locally, en route back to her nest.

"Since her arrival she has been to the nest several times and begun some spring-cleaning and housekeeping, moving sticks around and generally pottering about, all the while on the lookout for an arriving male osprey, also due any day now." He added: "While we should not count our chicks before they hatch, if all goes well and a mate arrives, they lay and hatch eggs, EJ will hopefully rear the 100th chick."

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/environment/osprey-back-in-highlands-for-12th-year.23784293

Scottish climate change could wipe out rare birds

By JULIA HORTON 

Published on 10/05/2013 00:00

Some of Scotland’s rarest birds could be wiped out by the end of the century as a new UK report highlights “profound” climate change in the Highlands, experts have warned.

Ptarmigan, dotterel and snow bunting have already been forced to the tops of the highest Scottish peaks as global warming has shrunk the cooler high- altitude habitat which they need to survive.

snow bunting

Experts yesterday published a new report highlighting numerous accepted predictions that climatic conditions in the birds’ territory will have altered so much that within 100 years they will be squeezed out completely because there will be nowhere left for them to go.

The latest warning was made in the Terrestrial Biodiversity Climate Change Impacts Report Card, the first assessment of its kind in the UK bringing together research by 40 scientists to produce an overview of the affects of climate change on biodiversity now – and predictions for the future.

Environmental groups in Scotland, including Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) which helped to create the report card, voiced grave concerns over the affect of the changing climate on the birds’ niche Highlands habitat.

Professor Des Thompson, SNH principal advisor on biodiversity, stressed that “generations of study” were needed to get a clear picture of the effect of climate change on the Scottish mountains.

But he added: “From what we know, yes, there have been changes and, yes, they appear to have been profound, but we need further time to appreciate all the factors at work here. A 30- or 50-year period of study is in effect a very small snapshot but what is extraordinary is seeing how this habitat has changed over quite a small timeframe.

Read on

Fears for golden eagle nests as wildfires sweep Highlands

Dozens of golden eagle eggs and other rare bird nests may have been destroyed in Highland wildfires, experts warned.

RSPB Scotland said it was seriously concerned about the impact on the species, which nests in open moorland.

There have been almost 200 wildfires in the Highlands over the past week, with fire crews still battling a large blaze in Wester Ross.

There are also concerns for thousands of migrant birds that are due to nest in the area in the next few weeks.

“The loss of one nest is serious. The loss of double figures will potentially have a huge impact”

James Reynolds, RSPB.

There are thought to be about 400 golden eagles in Scotland, mainly in the Highlands.

James Reynolds, of the RSPB, said the loss of nests could have a devastating impact on the population.

"It is absolutely certain that we will have lost a number of golden eagle nests," he said. "How many we don't know, but for a population that small, even the loss of one nest is serious.

"The loss of double figures will potentially have a huge impact.

"Numbers are already very low, this will just hold them back further."

The RSPB has sent experts to the Highlands to try to assess the extent of the damage.

Mr Reynolds added that white-tailed eagle eggs may also be at risk, as well as those of migrant birds such as short-eared owls, dotterel, golden plover and wheatears, which are due to nest from mid April.

Read on:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-22026768