Bird life makes remarkable comeback in Peak District landscape once scarred by pollution

BEN BARNETT

Thursday 31 October 2019

Endangered bird species are faring far better in England’s original National Park than worrying national trends otherwise suggest.

Bleak findings of the latest State of Nature report found that 43 per cent of all bird species in the UK are under threat.

That concerning statistic is part of a wider trend outlined by the report’s contributing consortium of leading conservation groups who suggested that the abundance and distribution of UK wildlife species has, on average, declined since 1970.

However, new research provides fresh hope in the Peak District National Park where the numbers of 21 species - most notably golden plover, snipe and lapwing - have increased over the last 28 years.

Numbers of curlew, which suffered a 48 per cent decline nationally between 1995 and 2017, rose by a huge 252 per cent between 1990 and 2018 in the Peak District.

Buzzard populations are also thought to be booming. Sightings rose from just one in 1990 to 239 last year.

Similarly, 157 ravens were recorded compared to zero at either end of the same period.

The survey involved a 500 sq km patch of the Peak District, an area of the equivalent size of about 70,000 football pitches in the South Pennine Moors Special Protection Area.

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Owls gunned down in Peak District

13/12/2018

In two separate incidents in the Peak District, single Short-eared and Tawny Owls have died as a result of being shot.

The birds were discovered on 11 September and 1 October respectively, with both suffering injuries consistent with shooting. The RSPB has passed on the information to the police and subsequently an investigation has been launched.

On 11 September a member of the public witnessed a Short-eared Owl flying overhead, followed by gunshots, before finding the severely injured bird at the same spot the following morning. It was taken to a vet but the extent of its injuries – which included a shattered wing – meant the owl had to be put down. Then, on 1 October, the corpse of a Tawny Owl was found close to the site of the Short-eared Owl.

Post-mortem examinations showed that both birds suffered injuries consistent with shooting, thus making it highly likely that they were illegally killed. The member of the public who found the Short-eared Owl said: "I had just got back to my car when I suddenly saw a Short-eared Owl fly over my head – it's always fantastic to see one of these gorgeous birds. This, however, was followed by the sound of a gunshots, coming from the direction of a dark-coloured pick-up. I really hoped this wasn't aimed at the owl I'd just seen.

"The next morning I returned to the same spot and, there on the ground, was a Short-eared Owl, still alive but clearly wounded. I was so upset but also furious to think that someone had done this on purpose."

Jenny Shelton, RSPB Investigations Liaison Officer, added: "It's very disturbing that owls are being illegally shot in our oldest National Park. Short-eared Owls are beautiful birds and should be a celebrated, not persecuted. They are part of a healthy ecosystem and part of our national heritage. I would urge everyone who uses the countryside to be vigilant of bird of prey persecution, and to report anything suspicious to the police immediately."

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Hen Harriers breeding again in the Peak District

Hen Harrier, has bred on the National Trust’s High Peak Moors in the Peak District National Park, for the first time in four years.

The four chicks are said to be in a ‘healthy condition’ after hatching just a few days ago on land managed by the conservation charity.

The Hen Harrier is one of the most special birds of the British uplands and is famed for the adult’s mesmerising and dramatic ‘sky dance’, which the male performs as it seeks to attract a female.

“We’re delighted to learn of this nest” said Jon Stewart, the National Trust’s General Manager for the Peak District.

“The Hen Harrier has been one of the most illegally persecuted birds of prey in Britain for many years and we have set out on a mission to work with others to create the conditions for the harrier and other birds of prey to thrive once again in the uplands.

“We hope this will be a positive model for improving the fate of our birds of prey and providing the healthy natural environment that so many people care about and want to see”.

In 2013 the Trust published its High Peak Moors Vision, which put at its heart restoring wildlife, including birds of prey, and involving people in the care of the moors.

The conservation charity leases much of its High Peak moorland for grouse shooting and all shooting tenants have signed up to actively supporting the Vision. As well as the Hen Harrier, initial signs are promising this year for other species such as the peregrine falcon, merlin and short eared owl.

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Peak District wild fire destroys dozens of bird nests

8 May 2018

A "devastating" wild fire has destroyed an estimated 40 to 50 bird nests and about 40 hectares of moorland.

Five members of the Peak District Moorland Group and 30 firefighters fought the blaze in the Goyt Valley, Derbyshire, after it broke out at about 18:00 BST on Sunday.

Gamekeeper Richard Bailey said fire crews at the scene thought it was started deliberately.

He said curlew, grouse, pipit, short-eared owl, and duck nests had gone.

Canadian goose and mallard nests were also destroyed in the fire and many grouse pairs, which are very territorial birds, were seen at the edge of the fire, Mr Bailey said.

On the fire service's records, the cause has not been recorded, however, Mr Bailey said the on-scene firefighters' assessment was that it was deliberate.

Mr Bailey said he also scanned the area where the fire started and there was no evidence of an accidental cause.

"I would be 85% to 90% sure that it was a deliberate attempt of arson," he said.

The gamekeeper, who went straight to the scene after smelling the smoke from his house, said: "It is a disaster."

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Young peregrine falcon shot in Peak District

Birds of prey such as Peregrines are protected by law. 

Police have launched an investigation after a young peregrine falcon died after being shot in the Peak District National Park.

The injured bird was found by walkers in the Goyt Valley, west of Buxton. It was collected by Raptor Rescue and taken to a local vet but later died. A post mortem revealed the bird had been hit with shotgun shot.

Sgt Darren Belfield, from Derbyshire police, said: “Peregrines, like all birds of prey, are protected by law. The persecution of birds of prey is a problem in some upland areas of the county, with offences taking place away from public view in isolated rural areas, often in the early hours when there are few people around to witness illegal acts.

“I would personally appeal to all users of the countryside to help us bring persecution to an end. If you know or suspect someone of committing or being involved in committing acts of wildlife crime of any kind I would urge you to come forward and report it to the police.

“Furthermore, if you are involved in outdoor activities or sports, or are engaged in employment in the rural areas of our county, I would ask you to remain vigilant to crimes of this type. The police need witnesses and evidence in order to secure a prosecution. The public can help with this so if you suspect it, please report it.”

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£1,000 reward offered after birds of prey are killed in Peak District

By JBayley_DT  |  Posted: February 03, 2016

The RSPB is offering a £1,000 reward following the illegal killing of two birds of prey in Derbyshire.

A dead osprey was found near Glossop last September. A post mortem revealed that both its legs had been recently broken, injuries which were consistent with it being caught in a spring trap prior to its death.

Ospreys are rare visitors to the Peak District and this one would have been on migration to West Africa.

A few days later a buzzard was found shot dead close to Hurst Reservoir, close to where the osprey was found. This follows the shooting of another buzzard in the same area in March 2014.

RSPB Investigations Officer Alan Firth said: "Yet again, we are seeing the senseless killing of fantastic birds of prey in the National Park."

Last year, the RSPB published its annual Birdcrime Report 2014, which revealed Derbyshire as one of the worst places in the UK for bird of prey persecution. In 2014, the RSPB received 16 reports of bird of prey incidents in the county including a shot buzzard, a shot sparrowhawk and an illegally trapped goshawk.

Read more: 

Upland birds on the up on the moors

The Eastern Moors in Derbyshire's Peak District is bucking the national trend with an increase in the numbers of threatened bird species.

A survey of breeding birds at Eastern Moors has revealed the Peak District site is a surprising haven for upland species that are vanishing elsewhere in Britain.

Since the National Trust and the RSPB took over the management of the moors on the edge of Sheffield five years ago, Whinchat numbers have more than doubled, increasing from 25 pairs in 2010 to 60 in 2015. Whinchat arrives every summer from Africa to breed in the British uplands, and was recently added to the Red List of high conservation concern following a 50 per cent decline in Britain since the 1990s.

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Future for hen harriers looking bright in the Peak District

With the fledging of five hen harrier chicks, it seems that hen harriers are once again breeding successfully in the Peak District for the first time in eight years.

This is great news for the hen harrier, as the bird has been at serious threat in England for over sixty years, with their numbers declining primarily due to illegal persecution. In 2013 just two breeding pairs were reported in England, and no young fledged in over fifty years.

The hen harriers were nesting on land cared for by the National Trust in the Upper Derwent Valley. In late April 2014, two male hen harriers and a female were seen sky-dancing, which is the spectacular aerobatic mating routine of the birds. Then in early August, a nest containing five chicks was discovered by Geoff Eyre, a local National Trust shooting tenant. He alerted the Peak District Birds of Prey Initiative, who put a nest watch team in place to monitor the nest daily.

The Trust puts the success down to collaboration with a wide partnership of people and organisations, who all share the goal of protecting the birds and their nest as part of the National Trust’s High Peak Moors Vision, aiming to restore birds of prey in the area. “Having hen harriers breed successfully here in the Peak District is wonderful news,” comments Jon Stewart, the National Trust’s General Manager for the Peak District, “and would not have been possible without the hard work and commitment of all the people and organisations involved, which has been truly inspiring.”

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Goshawk found dead in the Peak District

Published on the 09 May 2014 

16:35

Derbyshire police and the RSPB are appealing for information following the discovery of a dead female goshawk with two broken legs.

The bird of prey was discovered at Chatsworth estate by a member of the public who alerted the RSPB on April 2.

The charity’s investigations team recovered the bird and sent it for a post-mortem examination by an expert avian pathologist working for the Animal Health Veterinary Laboratory Agency (AHVLA) in Scotland.

Post-mortem analysis revealed that both of the goshawk’s legs had been broken in the same place – injuries that are consistent with being caught in a spring trap. With the evidence suggesting an unnatural death, the RSPB passed the matter on to Derbyshire police.

Spring traps are only lawful if placed in accordance with guidance for their use; for example in tunnels to catch stoats and weasels or in situations where they cannot trap non target species.

Historically birds of prey have been deliberately targeted by the placing of spring traps on poles or stumps. This practice has been illegal since 1904 and carries a maximum penalty of a £5,000 fine and or six-months imprisonment.

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