RSPB Scotland probes lonely death of hen harrier Rannoch

 by Jamie Buchan

 June 27 2019, 11.34am

A hen harrier that was being tracked by a leading bird welfare charity has been found dead in an illegal trap on a Perthshire moor.

The young female, named Rannoch, was said to have suffered “significantly” before she died in the open spring snare.

Rannoch had been fitted with a satellite tag by RSPB Scotland, as part of the organisation’s Hen Harrier LIFE conservation programme.

Her movements had been closely followed by the charity until November when she stopped moving in an area of moorland between Crieff and Aberfeldy.

The solar-powered tag battery had drained before accurate information could be gathered to find her. When the tag came back online in May, RSPB Scotland was able to get enough data to track down her remains.

A post mortem report from the SRUC (Scotland’s Rural College) veterinary laboratory states: “The bird was trapped by the left leg in a spring trap at time of death.

“Death will have been due to a combination of shock and blood loss, if it died quickly or to exposure and dehydration/starvation if it died slowly.

“Either way the bird will have experienced significant unnecessary suffering.”

Dr Cathleen Thomas, project manager for Hen Harrier LIFE said: “We are absolutely devastated that Rannoch has been a victim of crime. The life of this beautiful bird was cut short in the most horrific way due to human actions.

“Satellite tagging has revealed the amazing journeys made by hen harriers, but also uncovers who their journeys end.”

She said: “Often the birds disappear with their tags suddenly ceasing to function as perpetrators go to great lengths to hide the evidence of their crimes.

“Rannoch’s death in a spring trap is evidence of one way in which these birds are being killed.”

She said, in terms of population size, hen harriers are now the most persecuted bird of prey in the UK and numbers are now “perilously” low.

“Every loss we suffer impacts the continued survival of the species.”

Continued

Grouse moor regulation needed to end raptor killing, says RSPB Scotland

The charity is questioning whether current wildlife protection legislation is fit for purpose.

Last updated: 14 December 2018 - 12.10am

Conservationists are calling for tougher regulation of grouse moors to end the persecution of Scotland’s raptors.

RSPB Scotland has published a new report which it said details the clear associations between the decline or absence of these birds in some areas and intensive grouse moor management and wildlife crime, and is calling for action to tackle the issue.

The study, titled The Illegal Killing Of Birds Of Prey In Scotland 2015-17, found that the vast majority of raptor persecution incidents are occurring in areas of Scotland’s uplands managed for intensive driven grouse shooting.

Over that three-year period there were 38 confirmed, detected incidents of illegal killing of protected birds of prey, including shooting, trapping, illegal poisoning and nest destruction; however, the report suggests the crimes being recorded are a fraction of what is actually taking place.

Intensive grouse moor management is having a disproportionate impact on our important upland ecosystems and specially protected birds

Duncan Orr-Ewing, RSPB Scotland

Meanwhile, during those three years, five satellite-tagged hen harriers and eight satellite-tagged golden eagles “disappeared”, with 11 of those 13 incidents occurring on land managed for driven grouse shooting, the charity said.

The RSPB questions whether current wildlife protection legislation is fit for purpose and recommends that driven grouse shooting estates should be licensed, with the right to shoot dependent on “legal, sustainable management practices”.

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Is grouse moor management murdering golden eagles?

A fresh front was in the war between conservationists and shooting interests recently when a young golden eagle disappeared over a grouse moor – the 12th to have vanished over what has been described as a “black hole” for the birds.

RSPB Scotland spoke out after the incident in the northern Monadhliath Mountains of Inverness-shire.

The charity pointed the finger at grouse shooting interests, which are strongly suspected to have been behind many attacks on birds of prey – including endangered white-tailed sea eagles and peregrines.

Indeed, a young hen harrier went missing from a grouse moor – on the so-called glorious 12th of August, the day the shooting season began.

However, the grouse shooting industry has hit back and has accused the RSPB of conducting a smear campaign against it.

Like the guns booming over the moors, the debate shows no signs of going quiet.

That’s why we’ve brought both sides together to put their case. Here, Duncan Orr-Ewing of RSPB Scotland and David Johnstone of Scottish Land and Estates explain their positions in the great war of the grouse moors.

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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.

Continued 

RSPB Scotland conservationists fear for seabird populations as £2 billion Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm approved for the Firth of Forth

16th November

Cameron Ritchie

CONSERVATIONISTS have called for changes to the planning system after a £2 billion offshore wind farm project was given a green light despite expert advice warning against the scheme.

RSPB Scotland said that its defeat in a long-running legal battle against the giant Neart na Gaoithe wind farm in the outer Firth of Forth could set a “dangerous precedent” where Scottish Government Ministers ignore the advice of environmental groups.

The charity learned last Tuesday that the UK Supreme Court had refused permission to grant an appeal against the decision of Scotland’s top civil court that the development could go ahead.

The wildlife campaigners say that the project, which will be built 30 kilometres north of Torness and will be visible from the county coast, threatens thousands of puffins, gannets and kittiwakes.

Their concerns over the planning system have been echoed by the National Trust for Scotland.

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Solway Firth RSPB nature reserve to expand after raising £285,000 in one month

RSPB nature reserve to expand after raising £285,000 in one month

 

A nature reserve which is home to an extremely rare toad and other wildlife is to expand following a successful fundraising drive. 

RSPB Scotland Mersehead will expand by 112 hectares, the equivalent of 80 football pitches, after £285,000 was raised in just one month in an appeal launched by the charity in October.

The reserve, located on the Solway Firth close to Dumfries, is a sanctuary for around 10,000 barnacle geese that make the epic 1,000-mile migration from the Arctic island of Svalbard every year. 

It is also home to the only Scottish population of the natterjack toad, while in the summer the songs of yellowhammers, linnets and lapwings fill the air. 

The autumn brings pintails, teals and widgeons to the reserve, and waders such as oystercatchers, golden plovers and increasingly rare curlews join the geese during the colder months of the year. 

Mersehead was previously two different parts of land separated by arable farmland, however they will now be joined together after the charity bought the land. 

David Beaumont, RSPB Scotland reserves manager in south and west Scotland, said: "A huge thank-you to everyone who donated money to this urgent appeal. It really was a race against time when we launched our campaign to secure this site for nature. 

"Thanks to the overwhelming public response, Mersehead has now been made whole, which is wonderful news for the special wildlife of the Solway Firth. 

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Golden eagle numbers close to 'historic' levels

10 November 2016

Numbers of golden eagles in Scotland are close to "historic" levels, with more than 500 pairs, a survey of the birds has found.

RSPB Scotland said there had been a 15% rise since 2003, when the last survey took place, from 442 to 508 pairs.

The research was carried out by experts from the wildlife charity and the Scottish Raptor Study Group. 

Scotland is now thought to be home to the UK's entire population of golden eagles.

England's only resident golden eagle, which occupied a site near Haweswater in the Lake District, has not been seen for more than a year and is feared dead.

The RSPB said the six-month survey - which the charity co-funded with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) - showed the raptor could now be defined as having a "favourable conservation status".

'Awe-inspiring'

Numbers of golden eagles in Scotland reached very low numbers in the mid-19th Century, but have been steadily recovering since then.

Duncan Orr-Ewing, head of species and land management at RSPB Scotland, said the birds were an "awe-inspiring part of our natural heritage" and welcomed the news from the survey.

"Across many parts of Scotland there's been a very welcome turnaround in how people respect these magnificent birds, part of a more enlightened public attitude towards birds of prey," he said.

"Increased monitoring and satellite tagging of eagles, as well as stronger sanctions against wildlife crime may be serving as effective deterrents against illegal activity, therefore helping their population to increase.

"However, the continued absence of golden eagles in some areas of eastern Scotland remains a real cause for concern and suggests that much more work needs to be done."

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