Investigation into shooting of rare birds in the Borders

26th April

POLICE are appealing for information after the illegal shooting of rare birds of prey in the Borders.

On February 14, a member of the public discovered a dead goshawk on land near Abbey Saint Bathens, Duns, and reported the matter to the RSPB.

Forensic analysis of the bird was undertaken, and it was established that it had been shot.

Police were then contacted on Thursday, April 25.

The news comes after the shooting of another goshawk in the Peebles area on March 2.

Inquiries into both shootings are ongoing and anyone with information is asked to come forward.

Wildlife Crime Co-Ordinator, Constable Steven Irvine, said: "Inquiry was already underway into the shooting of the goshawk in March and we are now conducting inquiries into the earlier shooting of the bird in February.

"These birds are a protected species and unlawfully killing them is a very serious offence.

"Anyone who can assist with these investigations should contact police immediately."

Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland’s Head of Investigations said “Goshawks are one of Scotland’s rarest breeding raptors, with only about 150 breeding pairs.

“Despite the fact that most of their diet consists of crows, woodpigeons and rabbits, species that are perceived as pests by some farmers and gamekeepers, cases of illegal persecution against this species are not uncommon, depriving people of the opportunity to see this charismatic and spectacular bird of prey.

"We join with the police in asking that if anyone has information about this crime, or other raptor persecution incidents, they contact Police Scotland.”

Source

Not army, but rare birds protect President Vladimir Putin’s seat of power

Updated: April 6th, 2019, 07:45 IST

Alpha soars between the Kremlin’s golden domes, sowing panic among crows perched in nearby trees. The goshawk is one of a dozen birds of prey protecting President Vladimir Putin’s seat of power in Moscow.

Crows congregate in the Tainitsky Garden inside the red-brick Kremlin walls, croaking as they perch on trees and wheel in the sky.

But just the sight of Alpha, a 20-year-old female goshawk with silver-gray feathers, and her colleague Filya, an imposing eagle-owl, makes them scarper in a few minutes.

“The aim isn’t to get rid of all the crows but to scare them and get them to go away, so that they don’t set up home here and build nests,” said 28-year-old Alexei Vlasov, one of the camouflage-clad falconers of the Kremlin ornithological service.

This special unit, set up in 1984, has around a dozen birds, including goshawks and a peregrine falcon. It is part of the Federal Guard Service.

The raptor’s job is to protect the Kremlin, one of the oldest medieval fortresses in Europe that has served as the seat of tsars, Soviet leaders and now Russian presidents and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Crows can “transmit a whole number of illnesses that are potentially dangerous to human health and damage the gold domes by scratching them and leaving droppings on them,” said Vlasov as he held golden-eyed Alpha with a gauntleted hand.

Continued

Have you seen missing bird of prey?

2 hrs ago

By Matty Airey

Missing goshawk

THE search is on to find a missing bird of prey.

The bird, a goshawk, flew out of its aviary on Saturday morning, in the Dursley area.

It is a rare and distinctive bird of prey and has bells attached, which anyone nearby will be able to hear.

Owner Robert Strange said: "They tend not to fly into the wind, but go with the wind direction instead, so I'm guessing he'll be around the lower Cam area, or Coaley, or Slimbridge.

"But it is the end of the season, so he's extremely fit and could have gone further. I don't think he'll cross the River Severn though.

"He's quite distinctive looking. He's grey, with a long tail - about 150 to 200 cms, so not like a buzzard, which are short-tailed.

"His shape is the same as a sparrow hawk, only larger.

"The sound of the bells will be the biggest giveaway. You should be able to hear them from 150 to 250 yards away.

"As soon as we get a location, it'll be easy getting him down.

"Any information would be greatly appreciated."

Call Robert on 07814 764138.

Source

Investigation after rare bird-of-prey nest disturbed and shots fired

26th March

David Mackie Reporter

POLICE are appealing for information after the nest of a rare bird-of-prey was disturbed.

Police said that disturbance to an adult goshawk nest near Helmsley was caused on a number of occasions in Spring last year, and shots were heard fired on two occasions.

"It is not known if any birds were shot, however the nesting attempt failed and this may have been a result of the repeated disturbance at the site," police said.

A number of technical enquiries are now underway by North Yorkshire Police’s specialist Wildlife Crime Officers, and one suspect has been interviewed under caution in connection with the incident.

Police are now asking the public for assistance to identify two men who may have important information that could assist the investigation.

Anyone who recognises either of the men pictured above, or has any information about the incident, is asked to contact North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference number 12170103211 or email jeremy.walmsley@northyorkshire.pnn.police.uk.

Read on  

Investigation launched after rare bird of prey shot on Aberdeenshire estate

9 May 2016 by Kieran Beattie

A raptor has been put down after being shot on an Aberdeenshire estate.

The goshawk had come into the care of the north-east wildlife sanctuary New Arc late last month after it had been shot the week before in Strathdon.

At first, the bird – which had been affectionately named Bart – seemed to be in reasonably good health despite its injuries.

But, following an X-ray examination the next day, vets discovered a small metal bullet had become lodged in his chest, and that he had suffered severe damage to its left lung and shoulder.

Vets considered surgery, but deemed the procedure too risky and concluded that putting Bart down would be the more humane option.

Although goshawks are not a critically-endangered species in the UK, their population numbers have plummeted in recent years due to persecution and nest robbing – with only around 280 to 430 breeding pairs left in the wild, according to the RSPB.

Wildlife crime officers are now investigating the incident, which New Arc owner Keith Marley believes to have been a deliberate attempt to take Bart’s life.

Mr Marley said: “The guy who found him and brought Bart in said the bird was shot right in front of him while it was sitting on a dyke.

Continued ...

Environment Ministry to maintain ban on goshawk trade after bird exits endangered list

JAN 27, 2016

The Environment Ministry will maintain a ban on capturing and trading the goshawk even after it removes the bird from a list of rare endangered species, sources said.

The goshawk was put on the list under the nation’s conservation law, which entered into force in 1993, after its population across Japan dropped to as low as 300 in 1984 as housing development encroached on nesting sites.

The ministry has been considering removing the bird from the list since 2013, after the population recovered to 5,818 in 2008 in the Kanto region and nearby areas following conservation efforts.

In October 2014, subcommittee members of the Central Environment Council, which advises the environment minister, agreed to remove the goshawk from the rare species list under the conservation law.

In the ministry’s latest Red List of threatened species, the goshawk has been removed from the category for species at high risk of extinction.

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Rare bird found in Porth nursed back to health

1 April 2015 at 8:30am

A rare goshawk that fractured her wing has been nursed back to health by the RSPCA.

The female goshawk, who is thought to be around one-year-old, was found with a broken wing by a member of the public in Porth Park, Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf, in mid-January.

The Goshawk was found in January. Credit: RSPCA

After two months in the care of RSPCA West Hatch and time in the centre’s flight aviary building up her strength she has now been released back into the wild.

She is a beautiful bird and we rarely see them admitted to the centre and we are all very pleased we have been able to nurse her back to health and release her back into the wild where she belongs.

The goshawk was brought in to us with a damaged wing - but we had no idea how she had fractured it.

Her wing carriage took several weeks to return to normal - but we have a very long flight aviary at West Hatch in which she was able to get back to full fitness.

Our vet team strapped her wing up and prescribed rest for this beautiful and powerful bird of prey until the bone had healed and she was ready to build her strength back up in our aviaries.

– ARMINEL SCOTT, RSPCA WILDLIFE SUPERVISOR

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Goshawk with camera helmet reveals how eye contact helps bird home in on its prey

Jan 21, 2015 23:00

By John von Radowitz

The incredible footage shows that animals caught in its sights can avoid becoming its next meal by breaking off from the deadly gaze with a sharp sideways turn

A camera helmet fitted to a goshawk has revealed how the bird of prey uses eye contact to home in on its kill.

It shows how animals caught in its sights can avoid becoming its next meal by breaking off from the deadly gaze with a sharp sideways turn.

Shinta the goshawk was fitted with a bird's-eye-view camera for the experiment led by Dr Amador Kane, from Haverford College in Pennsylvania, US.

She said: "In our videos you could see that only the sideways motion was effective at breaking the visual fix.

"Maybe what they are trying to do is counter the sensory abilities of the predator.

"They are trying to take advantage of the way the predator does its visual guidance to escape."

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Video: Gamekeeper jailed for ensnaring and killing birds of prey thanks to RSPB video monitoring

Video: Gamekeeper jailed for ensnaring and killing birds of prey thanks to RSPB video monitoring

Jan 13, 2015 13:55

By Record Reporter

GEORGE Mutch was sentenced to four months in jail for laying illegal traps and bludgeoning a goshawk to death with a stick.

George Mutch, 48, was sentenced to four months at Aberdeen Sheriff Court after he was convicted of laying illegal traps and killing a goshawk by hitting it with a stick.

It is understood to be the first custodial sentence for a wildlife crime in Scotland.

Mutch was caught following video monitoring by RSPB officials on the Kildrummy estate near Alford in Aberdeenshire in August 2012.

The footage showed that a jay had been used as a lure in a cage-style trap which had caught a rare goshawk.

Mutch was seen killing the distinctive bird by repeatedly striking it with a stick, the court head.

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RSPB reward over rare bird found dead in Derbyshire

10 May 2014 Last updated at 15:18

A wildlife charity has offered a £1,000 reward for information leading to a conviction after a rare bird of prey was found dead on a Derbyshire estate.

The female Goshawk was found dead, with both legs broken, by a passer-by on the Chatsworth Estate in April.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said a post-mortem examination suggested the bird had been caught in a spring trap.

The estate's owners said they "condemn the illegal control of raptors".

Bob Elliot, from the RSPB, said: "If misused, spring traps are the bird equivalent of landmines; totally indiscriminate and lethal."

Sgt Darren Belfield, wildlife crime officer for Derbyshire police, said: "The misuse of spring traps where they are deliberately set to catch birds of prey is a barbaric act of cruelty."

The RSPB said that goshawks had been repeatedly targeted in the northern Peak District and were now on the brink of disappearing from the area completely.

It added that the area was one of the worst in the UK for the persecution of birds of prey. If the culprits are caught they could face six months in jail and a £5,000 fine.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-27355925

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.

Continued

Goshawk hunts in slow motion - Slo Mo #7 - Earth Unplugged – link via D R Shoop

Just because this is a fantastic piece of footage ......

Japan mulls taking the goshawk out of endangered species list

Japan’s Environment Ministry is considering removing the goshawk from the list of threatened and endangered species of wild fauna and flora in the country. The species in the list are protected by Japan’s law on conservation of endangered species, and the move to remove the goshawk – which once was a threatened species – is a reflection of the avian species’ steady recovery and increase in its population.

This plan was revealed by government sources on Monday, as the ministry plans to hold a meeting of a subcommittee of the Central Environment Council on Wednesday to start the discussions of experts on the issue of the goshawk species. The ministry will hope to make a decision by the end of March 2014 at the earliest. Under Japan’s laws of conservation, hunting, capture and/or trading in species on the list is strictly illegal. And even if the goshawk is removed from the rare species list, capture of the birds would continue to be illegal under a separate Japanese law for wildlife protection.

An initial private survey in 1984 showed that the goshawk population in Japan stood at only 300 to 489. This decrease in population was caused by the loss of nesting areas, due partly to housing development. The species was put on the endangered list upon the passing of the conservation law in 1993. Conservation efforts for the goshawk followed, and a survey by experts in 2008 found 5,818 goshawks in the Kanto region, including Tokyo, and nearby areas. “It’s becoming clear that the goshawk population is recovering steadily,” a ministry official said. There was already a hint of this in 2006, when the ministry transferred the goshawk from the “vulnerable” category – species facing a very high risk of extinction – to the “near threatened” category for species facing difficulty in maintaining a viable population.

http://japandailypress.com/japan-mulls-taking-the-goshawk-out-of-endangered-species-list-1428802