Mass poisoning causes a heavy blow to the largest colony of Griffon Vultures in mainland Greece

We are devastated to report that eleven Griffon Vultures fell victim to poisoning in the area of Klisoura Gorge in Greece. Unfortunately, nine vultures died from the incident, and two are alive but currently in recovery.

A total of eleven Griffon Vultures, a protected and critically endangered species in Greece, have been found poisoned in Klisoura Canyon in the Messolonghi-Etoliko Lagoon National Park a few days ago. This is the most severe poisoning case recorded in the country, after the one in the Strait of Nestos in 2012, and the largest confirmed case for Griffon Vultures.

The Messolonghi Management Body and HOS/BirdLife Greece discovered the carcasses of the nine Griffon Vultures. Executives from the Management Body of the Hunting Association of Messolonghi recovered the other two Griffon Vultures, which are currently alive and are being treated at ANIMA, gradually showing signs of recovery from poisoning. The dead vultures will be sent to the Athens Veterinary Foundations Centre for toxicological analysis, and to help avoid further poisoning.

Concerns about the fate of the rest of the vultures in the area are high and the danger of the local vulture population collapsing remains. The Griffon Vulture colony of Klisoura and Akarnania, are the only ones left in Western Greece and the largest remaining in the mainland.

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Rare birds spotted nesting at Tarmac’s Herefordshire Quarry

 Save to read listPublished by Lucy Stewardson, Editorial Assistant
World Cement, Monday, 15 July 2019 10:22

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A pair of oystercatchers have spent more than a month nesting at a Herefordshire sand and gravel quarry. The wading birds – which are a protected species in the UK – were first seen at Wellington Quarry, near Hereford, in early June and have remained at the Tarmac-owned quarry ever since.

Since the birds were first spotted by quarry workers, a 30 m exclusion zone was put in place to prevent the birds from being disturbed from the field they are nesting on. The soils excavated from the site (to gain access to the sand and gravel) are being used to create the margins of a lake, as well as a gravel island that will provide additional bird nesting opportunities.

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Shot and decapitated raven found near Delamere Forest

16th May

By Josh Pennington 

A PROTECTED raven has been found illegally shot near Delamere Forest, triggering a police investigation.

The bird was found in a field by a man walking his dog along the edge of the forest.

The bird had no head but had no other injuries.

He contacted the RSPB’s Investigations unit for advice, and they arranged for the bird to be collected and x-rayed.

The x-ray revealed as many as nine pieces of shot in the raven’s body. The cause of the bird’s missing head however is not known.

Cheshire Police carried out detailed enquiries, including conducting a search of the area and speaking to local farmers.

However, no leads were uncovered.

The public are now being called on to step forward with any information which may help identify the culprit.

Jenny Shelton, from the RSPB’s Investigations Unit, says: “The countryside is somewhere we should all be able to enjoy, and our incredible birds and wildlife are part of what makes places like Delamere Forest so special.

“Raven populations are starting to recover in the UK following centuries of persecution and superstition. These magnificent birds are protected by UK law, yet this is the latest in a growing number of ravens which have been illegally killed in recent months.

“The persecution of ravens and birds of prey is a serious issue, and much more common than many of us might think.

"It’s incredibly difficult to uncover the culprits in cases like these, and you wonder how many other birds have been illegally shot which we don’t hear about.

"We would like to thank Avian Veterinary Services and Cheshire Police for their help and hard work.”

Ravens and birds of prey are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

To kill or injure one is a criminal offence and could result in an unlimited fine or up to six months in jail.

PC Gerard Gigg of Cheshire Police said: “Can members of the community, when they witness any crime involving wildlife or indeed any other suspicious activity, report it immediately by calling 101, or 999 if the crime is ongoing.”

If you have any information relating to this incident, which occurred around 23 March 2019, call 101, ask for Cheshire Police and quote reference number: 19100137950.

If you find a wild bird of prey which you suspect has been illegally killed, contact RSPB investigations on 01767 680551 or fill in the online form: https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/our-positions-and-campaigns/positions/wildbirdslaw/reportform.aspx

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Man sparks outrage after posting footage of him attacking a federally protected pelican - which could see him charged with animal cruelty

Hunter Hardesty appeared to attack a federally protected pelican in Key West

Hardesty posted footage on his Facebook page with many condemning him

He jumps into water on top of the pelican and is seen holding him and laughing

The pelican then snaps at his face, manages to break free and then flies away

The Davidsonville, Maryland man could now face animal cruelty charges

By LEAH MCDONALD FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 13:51, 10 March 2019 | UPDATED: 21:52, 10 March 2019

A man could be charged after a video showed him attacking a protected pelican in Key West, Florida. 

Hunter Hardesty from Davidsonville, Maryland posted footage on his Facebook page with many people condemning him for his actions. 

The video, posted on March 7,  starts and shows Hardesty appearing to lean over a harbor’s edge holding out something in his hand. 

The pelican floats closer and Hardesty appears to jump into the water on top of the pelican, causing both to sink beneath the water’s surface.

Hardesty then grabs the large bird with two hands while others not pictured on camera can be heard laughing.

 A woman in the background tells him: 'If you don't get out of there right now I'm going to call security. Knock this party off right now.'

The bird appears visibly distressed and as Hardesty holds on to him, as his friends laugh from a jetty.

The pelican then snaps at the man with is beak before flying off to another area.  

Social media users Many blasted at the stunt on Hardesty’s Facebook page, branding it cruel and stating they had reported him to Florida law enforcement.

A post from Hardesty on Friday read:  'The book blowin up on a Friday !! Sheesh.'

Dennis John Deevy Jr wrote:  'We need to get a petition to have this MF charged.'

Read on

Concern after rare bird of prey found shot near Barton

The illegal shooting of a rare marsh harrier which was discovered on the Humber Bank in North Linconshire has been investigated by Humberside Police and officers at the force and the RSPB are now appealing for further information

Abby Ruston

12:20, 9 JAN 2019

Conservationists have raised the alarm after a rare, protected bird was found shot.

The marsh harrier was discovered by a woman who was walking her dog along the bank of the River Humber near Barton-Upon-Humber.

After reporting it to the RSPCA, an x-ray revealed the bird had been shot and it later died of its injuries.

The incident, which happened in September, has been investigated by Humberside Police but the culprit has not been identified and RSBP officials are now appealing for help from the public.

Marsh harriers are among the rarest breeding birds in the UK, with just 400 pairs across the country.

And the shooting of the bird follows the poisoning of a marsh harrier near the Humber in 2012, which raised concerns that birds of prey are being deliberately targeted in this area.

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Rare egg smuggler gets bird for illegal import plot

10th January

Press Association 2018

A prolific smuggler has been jailed after he was caught entering the UK with protected bird eggs strapped to his chest.

Jeffrey Lendrum, 56, was handed a jail term of three years and one month on Thursday after he pleaded guilty to four offences on the second day of his trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed.

Lendrum, of Cliftonville Road in Northampton, had been caught with the eggs strapped to his body by a sling hidden underneath a heavy coat at Heathrow airport on June 26 2018.

CPS

Bird egg smuggler jailed for three years - CPS London South

Jeffrey Lendrum, 56, pleaded guilty to four offences on the second day of his trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court on January 8. He was imprisoned today [January 10]. More: https://bit.ly/2SIwejv 

Lendrum had flown into the UK from Johannesburg, South Africa, and had hatched a plan to use socks and other padding devices to try and protect the precious cargo.

The prosecution was able to prove that Lendrum knowingly smuggled the eggs in to the country for commercial gain by trying to evade customs, the CPS said.

Remi Ogunfowora, of the CPS, said: “We worked with our partners in the National Crime Agency to ensure this prolific bird egg smuggler faced appropriate charges.

“We hope the sentence passed deters others from becoming involved in the damaging trade around rare and endangered wildlife.”

Source  

BirdLife cries foul as more protected birds shot

The total shot protected birds collected since the start of the year is now 64 – a trend which BirdLife says confirms that 2018 will be the worst year in the last six for illegal hunting. 

22 September 2018, 5:54pm
by Matthew Agius

A number of protected birds have been shot as they overflew the islands this month; three in the past 24 hours, environmental NGO Birdlife says.

The total of known shot protected birds seen by the government vet so far since the start of the autumn hunting season on 1st September is now 20. This brings the total of collected shot protected birds since the start of the year to 64 – a trend which BirdLife says confirms that 2018 will be the worst in the last six years for illegal hunting. “These 64 are just the tip of the iceberg as many other shot birds would have not been retrieved and the number does not include birds seen flying with injuries,” BirdLife said on Facebook.

This total also does not include the latest three known casualties collected in the past 24 hours which are being seen by the vet today – a dead Grey Heron collected from the sea at Għadira and two Bee Eaters which were found in Dingli and Mqabba.

Birdlife says the Government vet had confirmed that the last three injured protected birds collected yesterday and another one we received today had all been shot.

This means that the total of known shot protected birds collected by BirdLife Malta and the police since the start of this year's autumn hunting season has now reached 24 - an average of more than one retrieved bird per day of the season which started on 1st September.

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Protected red kites poisoned in Northern Ireland

June 20 2018

The PSNI have launched an investigation after a pair of protected birds died after being poisoned in Co Down.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) NI and the PSNI have appealed for information after the pair of protected red kites died.

A male bird was found in distress close to a known nest site in the Katesbridge area on April 24. A member of the public alerted RSPB NI but the bird died shortly afterwards.

When the RSPB NI red kite project officer attended the scene, she found the female parent bird immobile on the nest – she too was dead. A rescue mission was launched in an attempt to save three orphaned eggs found in the nest beneath the deceased mother.

The bodies of the parent birds were collected and taken for toxicology testing by the PSNI. This has now revealed that both birds – known as Blue 21 and Red 63 because of their identifying tags - died from Carbofuran poisoning.

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Magnificent rare bird of prey spotted flying over Coventry

Red kites were once one of the most endangered birds of prey in the UK after being hunted to near extinction

A rare and magnificent visitor has been spotted in the skies above Coventry.

A red kite was seen flying over the A46 Warwick Bypass on Sunday, June 17.

Another one was later seen near Draycote Water between Dunchurch and Southam.

Once one of the most endangered birds of prey in the UK after being hunted to near extinction by the early 20th century, a successful breeding programme has seen numbers steadily climb.

They are now a common sight in Oxford and along the M40 corridor, but are rarely seen in Coventry and Warwickshire.

Red kites are a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

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More than 100 wedge-tailed eagles found dead on Victorian farm

The eagles – and four other protected species – are alleged to have been poisoned

Calla Wahlquist

Thu 7 Jun 2018 04.27 BSTLast modified on Thu 7 Jun 2018 04.28 BST

More than 100 wedge-tailed eagles have been found on a farm in eastern Victoria, prompting a criminal investigation.

Officers from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) found the carcasses on a property at Tubbut, which is on the edge of the Snowy River national park near the New South Wales border in East Gippsland.

Guardian Australia understands that the eagles are alleged to have been poisoned.

The penalty for deliberately killing the animals, which are a protected species under the Victorian Wildlife Act, is a fine of up to $7,928.50 or six months’ imprisonment. An additional penalty of $792.85 is applicable for each additional bird killed, which could push the maximum fine in this case to more than $90,000.

A spokesman from DELWP said the matter was still under investigation and that charges had not yet been laid.

“DELWP is taking this matter very seriously,” he said.

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Many birds

Italian police smash bird-smuggling racket involving Malta

Monday, May 28, 2018, 07:02 by Ivan Martin

Thousands of rare and protected birds were being sold to poachers, restaurants

A bird-smuggling racket between Malta and parts of Italy has been dismantled by the Italian police and the EU’s law enforcement arm. 

Europol said thousands of rare and protected birds were being sold to poachers and restaurants across Italy as part of a smuggling network that also had ties to Malta.

The organised group behind the crime, from Reggio Calabria in southern Italy, was uncovered by the Carabinieri’s anti-poaching unit in cooperation with the Calabrian Police and Europol.

 Nine people – all Italian – have been arrested on suspicion of belonging to a criminal network aimed at illegally trading protected wildlife – mostly songbirds. They are believed to have smuggled thousands of song birds into Malta, with a value estimated at more than €400,000.

“In recent years the criminal group built up a network of illegal buyers and sellers of protected birds in Italy and Malta,” Europol said.

Maltese police sources meanwhile said the racket had long been going on in Malta and seizures of shipments were made by the local authorities from time to time.

“This is something we are aware of. Birds are brought to the island illegally from Sicily and sold as lures or for aficionados,” the sources said.

In 2016, five Maltese men were detained in Sicily after they were caught trying to smuggle scores of finches in atrocious conditions.

When they were intercepted by police between Modica and Ragusa, the hunters were believed to have captured more than 500 birds.

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'Swift' action to provide bird homes for Lewisham swifts thanks to firefighters

Joe Dempsey

Protected birds are getting help from both firefighters and housing groups to give them their own homes on Lewisham houses.

Housing provider Lewisham Homes has teamed up with local conservation group Lewisham Swifts to provide special bird boxes for swifts to create nests in.

The bird boxes are being placed on houses in Wynell Road in Forest Hill and Dacre Park South in Lee.

London Fire Brigade were needed to install the bird homes right at the top of each house, parking the fire engines right up by the houses to use the ladder to get right up into the top corners.

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FKNK 'official' filmed shooting protected turtle dove, BirdLife says

BirdLife footage shows an official on the FKNK's Miżieb sub-committee shooting at a protected turtle dove during the spring season • FKNK says it will take action when it has proof of wrongdoing from the courts or the police

24 April 2018, 12:57pm
by Maria Pace

BirdLife Malta today released exclusive footage which shows an FKNK "official" breaking the law during this year’s spring hunging season.

In a statement, the NGO said that the video shows Lawrence Vella, a Federation for Hunting and Conservation official on the hunting federation’s sub-committee for Miżieb, shooting at a protected turtle dove while hunting at Miżieb.

BirdLife said that the the area was not normally associated with quail, the only legally huntable species during the spring hunging season.

The footage was filmed on 16 April and at one point, according to the bird conservation group, Vella can be seen standing up, raising his gun and shooting at a bird three times consecutively, with the bird clearly seen in the footage falling out of the sky.

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Plans for Welsh nuclear power plant delayed by concerns over seabirds

Next stage of planning process for Anglesey site postponed as effect on tern colonies is assessed

Adam Vaughan

Mon 9 Apr 2018 13.57 BSTLast modified on Mon 9 Apr 2018 22.00 BST

Plans for a nuclear power station on the Welsh island of Anglesey have been delayed by concerns over the plant’s impact on colonies of protected seabirds.

The proposed twin reactors at Wylfa were given the green light by the UK’s nuclear regulator in December, with backers hoping to win financial support from the government.

The Welsh plant would have a capacity of 3GW, similar to the 3.2GW of the nuclear power station being built at Hinkley Point in Somerset.

Horizon Nuclear Power, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Hitachi, told planning authorities it would submit its planning application for the Wylfa plant by the end of March, which it called a “major milestone”.

But the company postponed submitting the development consent order because it needs to thrash out the impact building the power station will have on colonies of sandwich, Arctic and common terns.

The species are protected under the EU birds and habitats directive.

Nearby Cemlyn nature reserve is home to thousands of sandwich terns, which account for about fifth of the birds’ UK population and is the biggest on the country’s west coast.

Wildlife groups are concerned about the effect of noise and light from the power station’s construction, as well as a reduction in food for the birds to forage on. Land clearance for the vast site is also expected to displace potential predators, such as rats and foxes.

Chris Wynne, a senior reserve officer at North Wales Wildlife Trust, said: “We are looking at a range of ecological impacts at one of the most significant tern colonies in the UK.”

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Buzzard shot eight times found dead near Llanrhaeadr Waterfall

By Sue Austin | Mid Wales | News | Published: Feb 24, 2018

A buzzard has been found shot dead close to a beauty spot.

The bird of prey was found by a walker near Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant on the Shropshire border.

It was X-rayed by a local vet and found to have at least eight pellets in its body.

Police and the RSPB bird charity have warned that birds of prey are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and to kill or injure one is a criminal offence which could result in an unlimited fine or up to six months in jail.

Read more at 

New hunting law falls prey to old habits in Lebanon

Philip Issa, Associated Press

Updated 5:27 am, Tuesday, January 30, 2018

This Oct. 28, 2017 photo, shows a hunter holding two dead Calandra Larks in his hand near the town of Brital, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. Lebanon lies on key migratory routes for several protected European species of birds that winter in the Persian Gulf and Africa. But even with a new law in place banning the hunting of protected species, Lebanese and European conservationists say overhunting in Lebanon is undermining their efforts.

BRITAL, Lebanon (AP) — To bird lovers, the scenes are upsetting. Dozens of dead buzzards lie on a carpet of feathers on a rocky hill in northern Lebanon. Hunters pose with their catch — scores of calandra larks, known for their melodious birdsong, arranged neatly on the hoods of their Land Rovers.

Great white pelicans, protected both in Europe and Lebanon, soar overhead, then with a crack of rifle fire, tumble down into the shrubs below.

Posted on Lebanese social media in recent months, the images point to the enormity of the task facing authorities as they try to clamp down on hunting practices more at home in the "Wild West" than a country run by law.

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Number of protected birds found shot ‘makes this autumn hunting season worst in past few years’

Joanna DemarcoThursday, 11 January 2018, 08:09Last update: about 12 days ago

52 illegally shot, protected birds have been reported so far since this autumn hunting season has kicked off, causing concern to conservational NGO Bird Life, who has said that it is a high number of reported casualties when compared to the past few years.  The hunting season is ongoing and open till the end of January.

“We usually judge the illegal hunting situation mostly in terms by the amount of birds found by the members of the public, that are shot and injured, and then recovered by the police, by the authorities, or by us,” Bird Life’s conservation manager Nicholas Barbara told The Malta Independent yesterday, following a press conference about the situation regarding the European Court of Justice’s verdict on finch trapping in Malta.

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Protected bird shot - just three days after start of hunting season

Monday, September 4, 2017, 17:22

Bee eater was treated by vet

Only three days into the autumn hunting season, BirdLife has reported the first known victim – an injured European bee eater (Qerd in-Naħal) which it said was shot at Ħal Għaxaq yesterday.

The bird – a protected species – was found by people out for a walk on Sunday evening, who saw it crawling on the ground unable to fly. After being recovered by BirdLife Malta yesterday, this morning it was taken to the vet’s clinic for a veterinary visit. An X-ray was taken and it confirmed a fracture to bird’s right wing.

After being recovered by BirdLife Malta yesterday, this morning it was taken to the vet’s clinic for a veterinary visit. An X-ray was taken and it confirmed a fracture to bird’s right wing as a result of shotgun injury. The vet recommended the bird for rehabilitation - in the hope that it would be saved.

The bee eater can easily be distinguished thanks to its pointed, downcurved bill, long pointed wings and tail but above all its rich exotic colours and bright plumage.

It is a specialist in catching flying insects and is a common migrant with large flocks seen daily during autumn and spring.

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So just who is the Sandringham bird murderer? Spate of mystery deaths at Queen's Norfolk retreat have police stumped as FOUR investigations fail to find any culprit

Protected birds of prey have been mysteriously killed on Sandringham grounds
A sparrowhawk has been poisoned two months after the death of a goshawk
Punishment for killing a sparrowhawk is up to six months in jail and a £5,000 fine
Two years earlier a rare Montagu's harrier fitted with a tracking device vanished

By Andrew Young For The Mail On Sunday

Published: 22:03, 20 May 2017 | Updated: 18:00, 21 May 2017

It has all the ingredients of a country house murder-mystery: poisoned victims, accusing letters, vanishing evidence and a host of suspects.

Sadly, it is no work of fiction, rather a real-life whodunnit that has cast a shadow over the Queen's Norfolk retreat, Sandringham.

Thankfully none of the victims were house guests. Instead, the case involves protected birds of prey who are believed to have met their end on the estate, or nearby, in curious circumstances.

The Queen's Norfolk retreat, Sandringham has had a spate of bird of prey killings

And in the best traditions of Agatha Christie, the crimes have baffled the local constabulary.

One of the mysterious cases hit the headlines two months ago when The Mail on Sunday revealed the death at Sandringham of a goshawk, the body of which was later incinerated.

Two years earlier a rare Montagu's harrier fitted with a tracking device vanished, and before that there were claims that two hen harriers – which face extinction in the UK – were blasted out of the sky while flying over the 20,000 acre estate.

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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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