Threatened birds of prey 'vanish' - via Mike Playfair

By Claire Marshall

BBC environment correspondent

Two of the rarest birds of prey in England, which had been satellite tagged, have vanished in unexplained circumstances, conservationists say.

The young female hen harriers had left their nest sites in Lancashire only a few weeks ago.

Named Sky and Hope, they were among the first hen harrier chicks to fledge in England since 2012.

Last year, no chicks were born after the only two nesting pairs failed to breed.

As part of an ongoing conservation project, Sky and Hope had been fitted with lightweight solar-powered tags.

Scientists examining the satellite data became worried when their tags stopped transmitting. Sky's signal stopped suddenly on 10 September and Hope's signal died three days later.

Searches of the area have failed to find any trace of them.

The tracking devices are designed to operate for at least three years. The scientists say it's "improbable" that this is due to technical failure. The more likely cause is that the birds were killed by other animal predators, or humans.

continued ...

Police search after tagged sea eagle disappears

By David MillerBBC Scotland environment correspondent

North Police have searched an estate after the disappearance of the first white-tailed sea eagle to be raised in the east of Scotland in almost 200 years.

The male bird, which was raised in a nest in Fife last year, was fitted with a satellite tag before it could fly.

Police have made searches of Aberdeenshire's North Glenbuchat Estate where the eagle was last tracked to.

The owners of the North Glenbuchat estate are yet to respond to inquiries from BBC Scotland.

Police officers have spent the day searching property on the estate.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: "We are concerned for the welfare of a white tailed eagle and enquiries are ongoing to locate the bird.

"Around April 10, 2014, we became aware that the bird was missing from the Glenbuchat area of Strathdon as there were no further recordings from its transmitter.

"There is concern for the welfare of this very rare bird.

"As a result searches have been carried out in the area on both land and within premises."

In recent years, several satellite tagged golden eagles have also disappeared in the Strathdon area.

In 2011, the body of one of the birds was recovered at Glenbuchat. Tests showed it had been poisoned.

Continued

North Island kokako reintroduced population has disappeared

Concerns for North Island kokako on Secretary Island following a promising start

July 2013. Secretary Island, at the mouth of Doubtful Sound, is recognised as one of New Zealand's ecological jewels and presents a wealth of opportunities to further advance our knowledge in pest eradication methods and restoration in the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage Area.

The Fiordland Lobster Company funded the transfer of twenty-seven kokako from the North Island down to Secretary Island during 2008-9. In 2011 hopes of success were raised when two kokako pairs and most excitingly one fully fledged juvenile were observed, proving that Secretary Island provided suitable habitat for North Island kokako to breed.

No birds traced

Following these findings Fiordland Lobster and DOC began planning the translocation of additional birds to boost the founding population. However in 2013 an experienced kokako search party were surprisingly unable to locate any kokako on Secretary Island. DOC Ranger Megan Willans said, "At this stage we cannot categorically say there are no surviving kokako on Secretary Island, however evidence suggests that sadly most of the birds have perished."

Continued